Patent Application
20240025488
The present disclosure relates to a retractable storage compartment system configured to be installed in vehicles such as pickup trucks or the like.
Currently there are several solutions for the optimization of cargo spaces in pickup trucks and similar vehicles. The best known are perhaps those drawer and rack storage systems that are installed in the boxes of pickup trucks. These systems include drawers that are installed on a frame which is fixed by bolts to the truck bed. These storage systems, however, impede the optimal use of the entire cargo volume that these vehicles comprise by leaving empty spaces that are inaccessible to the user. For example, in the event that materials fall into said spaces, their recovery becomes almost impossible. Moreover, due to the way these systems are built, they do not provide reliable safety or security to items stored therein, a necessary characteristic for the storage of sensitive or valuable goods.
Furthermore, these storage systems are complex to install and always have the drawback that if their assembly and installation is designed to support heavy cargo, the weight of the system itself adds unnecessary weight to the vehicle. Such weight changes may cause the vehicle to not respond as intended during use. On the other hand, if the storage system is designed so that it does not increase the weight of the vehicle where it is installed, it does not allow the loading of heavy elements, limiting greatly the use of the vehicle.
In addition, these storage systems typically rely on a plurality of wheels or rollers located within the housing of the drawers that permit a user to slide the drawer in and out of the truck bed. These wheels or rollers can be difficult to replace or clean due to their position within the housing of these storage systems.
Accordingly, there is a need for a storage system for pickup trucks that is easy to install and allows for the easy cleaning and replacement/repairing of its wheels. Moreover, there is a need for a storage system that facilitates the loading of heavy items on it (or on its upper deck); that provides access to the truck bed; and that includes, due to its design, accessorizing capabilities that provide personalized tailor-made solutions.
The subject disclosure relates to a retractable storage system for pickup trucks, comprising: at least one drawer; one or more wheels; a deck adapted to cover a cargo area for a pickup truck; wherein the cargo area is framed by a truck bed, a front wall, a rear tailgate, and first and second opposing walls extending upright from the truck bed; at least one main rail; one or more auxiliary rails; one or more fixing brackets configured to provide support to the deck and attached to the opposing first and second walls of the cargo area; wherein the at least one drawer comprises a base with first and second sidewalls and two end walls extending perpendicularly from the perimeter of the base; wherein a first and a second wheel of the one or more wheels are attached to an upper portion of the first sidewall of the at least one drawer, and a third and a fourth wheel of the one or more wheels are attached to an upper portion of the second sidewall of the at least one drawer; wherein the deck includes a front and rear end opposite to each other, a first and second side opposite to each other and connecting the front and rear end to each other, and a first face facing away from the truck bed and a second face facing towards the truck bed; wherein the at least one main rail is attached to a middle portion of the second face of the deck; wherein a first auxiliary rail of the one or more auxiliary rails is adjacent to the first side of the deck, and the second auxiliary rail of the one or more auxiliary rails is adjacent to the second side of the deck; wherein the main rail includes a first channel and a second channel parallel to each other and configured to receive the one or more wheels; and wherein the first auxiliary rail includes a third channel configured to receive the one or more wheels, and the second auxiliary rail includes a fourth channel configured to receive the one or more wheels.
While the subject disclosure will be described and disclosed here in connection with certain preferred embodiments, the description is not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments shown and described here, but rather the disclosure is intended to cover all alternative embodiments and modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the claims included herein as well as any equivalents of the disclosed and claimed invention.
A conventional pickup truck PT generally comprises a cab C and a cargo area CA extending immediately behind the cab C, as shown in
As shown in
The material of the wheels or rollers 11a-11d should preferably be plastic, but other material with similar properties may also be used. The material of the deck 12, on the other hand, should preferably be TRANSONITE®, which is a lightweight, high strength, extremely durable composite panel with thermal insulation properties, but other material with similar properties may also be used. The at least one drawer 10 may be thermoformed, prepared from injected or rotational molded plastic, or manufactured from stainless steel, or any material with similar properties to any of the foregoing. Lastly, the at least one main rail 13a, one or more auxiliary rails 13b-c, should preferably be manufactured from steel, but any other material with similar properties could be used. Regarding measurements, the at least one drawer 10 should preferably measure 1450 mm in length×350 mm in height×500 mm in width. The main rail 13a, one or more auxiliary rails 13b-c, should preferably measure 1400 mm; and the deck 12 should preferably measure 1500 mm×1500 mm.
Regarding the positioning of the one or more fixing brackets 14a-14d on the cargo area CA, it should be noted that a first fixing bracket 14a is fastened or attached, via one or more screws, to a first end of the first opposite wall W1; a second fixing bracket 14b, in turn, is fastened or attached, via one or more screws, to a second end of the first opposite wall W1, as shown in
As shown in
As previously noted, the main rail 13a and the first and second auxiliary rails 13b, 13c may include one or more channels C1-C4. As shown in
It should be noted that since the main rail 13a and auxiliary 13b, 13c rails are attached to the second face SF of the deck 12, the drawer 10 does not come into contact with the truck bed TB. In other words, since the drawer 10 is suspended from the deck 12, it prevents the truck bed TB from getting scratched or otherwise damaged. Moreover, since the wheels ore rollers 11a-11d, are located on an upper portion of the sidewall of the drawer 10, they can be easily replaced, repaired, or cleansed. Lastly, since the deck 12 can be easily removed by unfastening the screws S2, then the cargo area CA can also be easily replaced, repaired, or cleansed. The retractable storage system 1 may also include a locking mechanism adapted to impede movement of the wheels, thereby preventing the drawer from sliding in and out of the corresponding rails.
In another embodiment, the retractable storage system 1 may include a single and larger drawer instead of two separate drawers 10, 10′. In this embodiment, the wheels or rollers 11a and 11b on the first sidewall SW1 would engage or interact with the channel C4 and the wheels or rollers 11c and 11d on the second sidewall SW2 would engage or interact with the channel C3. As such, in this embodiment the main rail 13a would not have to be present.
In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure constitutes an improvement over current similar systems in several aspects, namely:
Thus, it can be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are illustrative of just a few of the numerous variations of arrangements of the disclosed elements used to carry out the disclosure. Moreover, while the disclosure has been particularly shown, described and illustrated in detail with reference to preferred embodiments and modifications thereof, it should be understood that the foregoing and other modifications are exemplary only, and that equivalent changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as claimed, except as precluded by the prior art.
All of the patents, patent applications, and publications recited herein, and in the Declaration attached hereto, if any, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein. All, or substantially all, the components disclosed in such patents may be used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as equivalents thereof. The details in the patents, patent applications, and publications incorporated by reference herein may be considered to be incorporable at applicant's option, into the claims during prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentable distinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art.
