a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a load bearing frame, and in particular to a load bearing frame for mounting to the rim of a rear cargo box area of a pickup truck or other light motor vehicle.
b. Related Art
Light motor vehicles such as pickup trucks, have a rear cargo box area, which is normally kept open, and which can be loaded with a variety of goods or materials, either through the open top or through the tail gate provided at the rear of the cargo area. A difficulty arises if the vehicle is to be used to carry goods or materials which will not fit completely within the cargo box, either because these are too long or too wide. If the load is too long, it may be possible to carry the load with the tail gate rotated to a down position, and if the goods are too wide it may be possible to fix the load to a rim of the cargo box area, or place the load partially within the cargo box area, and extending over and resting partially on the rim on the left or right sides of the cargo box area.
Problems arise with such make-shift solutions, either due to safety limits which define a maximum safe width or length of the vehicle and its load, or because the overly wide or long load is not correctly supported.
A further limitation may arise when carrying sheet material loads, for example plasterboard or sheet glass, which need to be kept flat. Even if the sheet material fits entirely within the cargo box area, resting for example on a flat floor to the cargo box area, it may not be possible or easy to make full use of the load carrying volume of the cargo box area, because it may not be possible to rest other materials or goods on top of the sheet material.
It is an object of the present invention to address these issues.
According to the invention, there is provided a load bearing frame for mounting to a motor vehicle having an open-top rear cargo box area, the frame comprising:
wherein the supporting means is arranged to support the first end of the load bearing member at a higher level above the mounting means than the second end of the load bearing member, such that the load bearing frame may, in use, be mounted to the rim of the cargo box area with the first end above a forwards portion of the cargo box area and the second end above a rearwards portion of the cargo box area, and said longitudinal restraining means is extendable in the longitudinal direction from said first end and/or said second end so that in use sheet loads of differing length can be carried by the load bearing member.
Also according to the invention, there is provided a light motor vehicle, comprising an open-top rear cargo box area, the vehicle having a load bearing frame comprising:
wherein the supporting means is arranged to support the first end of the load bearing member at a higher level above the mounting means than the second end of the load bearing member, such that the load bearing frame is mounted to the rim of the cargo box area with the first end above a forwards portion of the cargo box area and the second end above a rearwards portion of the cargo box area, and said longitudinal restraining means is extendable in the longitudinal direction from said first end and/or said second end so that in use sheet loads of differing length can be carried by the load bearing member.
The load bearing member is preferably elongate along the longitudinal direction.
Although the load bearing frame may be loaded and unloaded from the side, it will generally be more convenient if goods or materials, particularly in sheet form, may then be loaded on the load bearing frame from the rear end of the cargo box area, for example by moving or sliding the goods or materials forwards and upwards along the load bearing member of the load bearing frame. When the goods or materials are to be unloaded, the process may be reversed by moving or sliding the goods or materials backwards and downwards along the load bearing member of the load bearing frame.
The frame comprises means for restraining in a longitudinal direction a sheet load placed on the load bearing member. The frame may additionally or alternatively comprise means for restraining in a horizontal direction transverse to the longitudinal direction a load placed on the load bearing member.
The longitudinal restraining means is extendable in the longitudinal direction from the first end and/or said second end. Optionally, the horizontal restraining means may be extendable in the horizontal direction left and/or right with respect to the longitudinal direction.
The longitudinal restraining means may include a bracket extending upwards from one or both ends of the load bearing member, in which case, this bracket may include a clamp for clamping a load towards the load bearing member.
The transverse restraining means may include a bracket extending upwards at one or both sides of the load bearing member, in which case this bracket may include a clamp for clamping a load towards the load bearing member.
The load bearing member is preferably removeably affixed to the mounting means via the supporting means. Then when the load bearing frame is not in use, the load bearing member can be removed from the mounting means, for example for stowage in the cargo box area or for storage elsewhere.
The supporting means may include pivoting means by which the load bearing member may pivot with respect to the mounting means. Thus, in use, the load bearing member may be pivoted to gain better access to the cargo box area. The pivoting means may permit the load bearing member to be pivoted to a substantially vertically extending orientation. The pivoting means then preferably includes means for temporarily securing the load bearing member in said vertically extending orientation.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the supporting means includes a pair of pins extending in opposite horizontal directions. The pins each then engage in a pivot affixed to the mounting means.
These pins are preferably provided with a non-circular cross-section with a major cross-sectional axis and a minor cross-sectional axis, and each of the pivots is preferably provided in a pivot bracket, with each of these pivot brackets having a first channel extending upwardly from the pivot. At least a portion of each of the first channels may then have a width sufficient to allow passage for the minor cross-sectional axis but not the major cross-sectional axis. In this manner, the minor cross-sectional axes of the pins can be oriented to permit passage of the pins through this first channel when the load bearing member is pivoted to a vertical orientation, but not otherwise.
One advantage of this arrangement is that each of these first channels can be formed to lead to an opening which permits the load bearing frame to be removed from the bracket by moving the load bearing frame upwards with respect to the bracket. Similarly, the load bearing member can be assembled to the bracket, and hence the mounting means by orienting the load bearing member upright or vertical, and then inserting the pin into the opening leading to the first channel and then through the first channel into location with the pivot. The load bearing member can then be rotated downwards and secured to the mounting means. In this orientation the pin can no longer be removed from the pivot through the channel owning to the increased diameter of the pin relative to the first channel.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each bracket has a second channel connected to the first channel, with each second channel being offset in a longitudinal direction relative to the corresponding pivot. The load bearing frame may then comprise a pair of projections, each of these projections being in fixed proximity with a corresponding one of the pins, the arrangement being such that the load bearing member when in a substantially vertical orientation can be moved to engage both pins and both projections in the second channel to secure the load bearing member in a substantially vertical orientation.
The first and second channels together may form an inverted U-shape plus a section of channel extending upwardly from said inverted U-shape towards an opening to these channels through which the pin passes when the load bearing member is being fixed to or removed from the pivots.
The supporting means preferably includes at the first end and/or at the second end of the load bearing member a horizontally extending transverse member. If this is at the same level as the longitudinal load bearing member, such a horizontally extending transverse member may also serve to bear some of the load on the load bearing frame.
The supporting means preferably includes a pair of legs which in use extend downwardly from the load bearing member to a forward portion of the mounting means.
The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The mounting means 8 is shown most clearly in
The load bearing member 10 is secured at front and rear ends 18, 19 to the tie bar 8 via supporting means, which in this example includes a forwards leg 20 and a pair of rear pivots 22. The leg terminates in a shackle 21 which can be removeably fixed to the tie bar 8 at the centre of the forwards edge 16 of the cargo box area 4. The pivots 22 are provided at left and right rear ends 25, 26 of the tie bar 8. Each pivot 22 includes a projecting cylindrical pin 23 that extends transversely left or right away from the axis 12 and which is seated in a U-shaped pivot bracket 24 at the ends 25, 26 of the tie bar 8. The pivot pin 23 is secured to the pivot bracket by means of a pull-out pin 28, seen most clearly in
As shown in
This permits a user to load (not shown) goods or materials, particularly sheet-like materials from a rear side 17 of the cargo box area 4, by pushing the goods or materials up onto the load bearing member 10.
As shown in
Each extension 36, 37 can be secured in a desired longitudinal orientation, depending on the length of the load to be carried. This securing of the telescopic extensions 36, 37 could be done by providing for each extension telescopic securing means, for example a wing nut (not shown) which is threaded through a tapped hole in the surrounding tube 34, 35, and which when tightened bears against a portion of the extension within the tube to lock this in place.
Each of the extensions has fixed at its farthest end a bracket 38, 39 which extends upright at right angles to the length of the load bearing member 10. The forwards bracket 38 extends transversely between the forwards extensions 36, and similarly the rearwards bracket 39 extends transversely between the rearwards extensions 37. An advantage of this arrangement is that if one of the telescopic securing means comes loose for one or the other of the forwards or rearwards extensions, the other of the telescopic extensions may still be securely fixed, and so the extension of the bracket will remain secured in place.
As can be seen in
One option, not shown in the drawings, is to provide with the brackets another bracket or flange arranged to clamp a load against the load bearing member 10. This could take the form of a flange or a plate extending transversely inwards from each bracket 38, 39 in a direction parallel with the load bearing member.
The load bearing frame 1 may be lowered when not in use, as shown in
The load bearing means 10 includes a pair of tubular lateral supports 46, 47 which extend transversely from the upper tube 34 on opposite left and right sides. Each of the lateral supports 46, 47 is a hollow tube of square cross-section and contains a telescopic lateral extension 48, 49, in a similar manner to that for the upper and lower tubes 34, 35. Each lateral extension 48, 49 is shown here in a retracted orientation, and has fixed at its farthest end a bracket 50, 51 which extends upright at right angles to the length of the load bearing member 10.
Each extension 48, 49 can be secured in a desired lateral orientation, depending on the width of the load to be carried. This securing of the lateral telescopic extensions 48, 49 could be done by providing for each extension telescopic securing means, for example a wing nut (not shown) which is threaded through a tapped hole in the surrounding lateral tubular support 46, 47 and which when tightened bears against a portion of the lateral extension within the tube to lock this in place.
One option, not shown in the drawings, is to provide with the lateral brackets another bracket or flange arranged to clamp a load against the load bearing member 10. This could take the form of a flange or a plate extending transversely inwards from each lateral bracket 50, 51 in a direction parallel with the load bearing member.
The load bearing means 10 includes a further lateral support, at the rear end 19 of the load bearing member 10, namely an intermediate lateral support 52, and left and right lateral supports 53, 54 which extend transversely from both the upper and lower tubes 34 on opposite left and right sides of the load bearing member 10. These lateral supports 52-54 are is formed from two square hollow cross-section tubes permanently secured together, one above the other, of similar cross-sectional dimensions and in the same plane as that of the upper and lower longitudinal tubes 34, 35.
The pivot pins 23 are fixed to the lowermost surface 55 at the end of each left and right lateral support 53, 54 so that each pin 23 extends laterally beyond these supports 53, 54.
A second slidable pin or bolt 56 is provided at the end of each left and right lateral support 53, 54. The bolt 56 is held within a pair of loops 57 that extend forwards of the lowermost surface 55 of the supports 53, 55. Each bolt 56 extends laterally beyond the lateral supports 53, 54, parallel to but offset in a longitudinal direction from the fixed pins 23. Each bolt 56 has a handle 58 which permits the bolt 56 to be moved manually left or right.
The purpose of the slidable pins or bolts 56 is to lock the load bearing means 10 in a vertical orientation, by moving the bolts 56 laterally outwards into the U-shaped pivot bracket 24 as shown in
As with the first embodiment, there is a pair of rear pivots 122, each with a pivot bracket 124. Each pivot bracket has a vertical plate 60 which extends in the longitudinal direction parallel with axis 12. Each plate 60 is fixed to an end 25, 26 of the tie bar 8, and is spaced parallel to and laterally inside of the tie bar at the ends 25, 26 by means of a pair or parallel, longitudinally offset vertically extending flanges 61, 62 which extend perpendicularly to the length of the tie bars at the ends 25, 26.
The plate 60 has two channels, namely a first channel 63 and a second channel 64, which are connected together at a common entrance 65 in an upper surface 66 of the plate 60. The first channel 63 leads down from the entrance 65 towards an end 67 of the first channel. The first channel end 67 has a semi-circular shape, extending over 180°, as a mid-portion 68 of the first channel has a width less than the diameter of the semi-circular end 67. The first channel 67 then has an upper portion 69 which curves rearward and then finally directly upwards to the channel entrance 65. The channel upper portion 69 has a greater width than the channel mid portion 68, so that the channel mid-portion forms a neck in the first channel 63.
The reason for this arrangement can be seen from
As shown in
When the load bearing means 10 is vertically oriented, these flats 70 are also vertically oriented, so that as the load bearing means is lowered into the channel opening 65, and then forwards and downwards past the first channel upper portion 69, the flats 70 of each of the pivot pins 123 pass downwards into the channel end. Then, as shown in
As shown in
Each of the second channels 64 is connected to the corresponding first channel 63 at the channel entrance 65. The second channel leads straight down from the entrance, and has a mid and lower portion 72 with a width sufficient only to allow passage of the pivot pins 123 when the flats 70 are oriented vertically. The second channel terminates at a curved end 73.
As shown in
The distance in a straight line from the bracket upper surface 60 to the end 73 of the second channel 64 is greater than the corresponding distance in a straight line for the first channel 63, and is greater than the separation between the pivot pin 123 and the locking pin 156. Therefore, while the locking pin 156 remains free of the pivot bracket 124 bracket when the pivot pin is engaged in the end 67 of the first channel, as also as the load bearing means 10 is rotated forwards and downwards, the locking pin 156 does enter the channel entrance 65 as the pivot pin enters the second channel 64. As result the engagement of both pins 123, 156 in the second channel 64 secures the vertical orientation of the load bearing means 10 when clear access to the cargo box area 4 is needed, as illustrated in
When such access is no longer needed, the load bearing means is lifted so that the locking pin 156 is removed from the channel entrance 65 until the pivot pin 123 can be moved forwards and downwards into the first channel 63, as shown in
The invention therefore provides a convenient load bearing frame, and in particular a load bearing frame for mounting to the cargo box area of a pickup truck or other light motor vehicle having an open-top rear cargo box area.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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0712724.4 | Jun 2007 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/GB2008/002166 | 6/25/2008 | WO | 00 | 1/8/2010 |