Patent Application
20150352712
This invention relates to storage boxes for use with vehicles, and, more particularly, to a truck box having a wall connection construction that permits the box to be fabricated with walls formed of different materials.
One of the most popular accessories for trucks and recreational vehicles is a truck box used to store and secure a variety of tools and other items. There are a number of different types of truck boxes, including cross-over boxes, side mount boxes, chest boxes, top mount boxes, RV boxes and others. Truck boxes of this type comprise a front wall, a back wall, a bottom wall and opposed end walls which are interconnected to form a hollow interior. The truck box interior is closed by a top wall or lid pivotal between open and closed positions on a hinge mounted to the back wall, usually with the assistance of gas springs.
Typically, the walls of truck boxes are made of aluminum tread plate or a similar material which are connected by welding. Depending on the type of box, different accessories may be incorporated into the hollow interior to mount or store tools and other items. These accessories may include shelves, trays, pegs, hooks and other supports. Since the walls of the box are formed of aluminum or other metal, such accessories must be welded in place or supported on other structure that is welded to the box walls. Welding can be a time consuming and labor intensive part of the truck box construction which adds cost and weight to the overall product. Further, the type of accessory structures that may be welded to a metal box limits the variety and configuration of same.
This invention is directed to a truck box having a wall connection construction that permits the box to be fabricated with one or more walls of materials that may be formed with a variety of accessory features and configurations not readily available in all-metal truck boxes.
In one presently preferred embodiment, a truck box is provided with a front wall, a rear wall, a bottom wall, opposed first and second end walls and a top wall. A first channel is formed along the opposed front and rear edges and the bottom edge of the first end wall, and a similar second channel is formed in the opposite second end wall. Both of the first and second channels preferably include a number of spaced, centering bosses. The front wall, rear wall and bottom wall may be formed in a unitary, one-piece assembly, such as by a bending operation, without welds. Opposite end portions of these three walls collectively define a first end connector and a second end connector, respectively, each having a number of bonding sites preferably in the form of spaced openings, recesses or projections.
In order to assemble the truck box of this embodiment, the first end connector formed by the end portions of the front, rear and bottom walls is inserted within the first channel in the first end wall and into engagement with the centering bosses. Similarly, the second end connector is inserted within the second channel in the second end wall where it engages the centering bosses therein. A bonding material such as adhesive, epoxy, urethane, silicone or the like is then poured or injected into the first and second channels such that it covers the first and second end connectors and either enters or surrounds the bonding sites therein to securely mount the end walls to the one-piece front, bottom and rear wall assembly.
In an alternative embodiment of a truck box according to this invention, the same type of joint connection is made between a wall assembly comprising the front, back and first and second end walls on the one hand, and the top and bottom walls on the other hand. Specifically, each of the top and bottom walls is formed with a channel having spaced centering bosses as in the embodiment described above. The top edge of each of the front, rear and first and second side walls collectively define a first end connector which may be inserted within the channel formed in the top wall. The bottom edge of the front, rear and first and second side walls collectively define a second end connector which may be inserted within the channel formed in the bottom wall. Both the first and second end connectors have bonding sites of the same type as in the embodiment discussed above, and the same bonding material may be used to connect the top and bottom walls to the wall assembly to form the truck box.
In each of the embodiments described above, a strong, durable connection is therefore provided between the walls of the truck box. Further, since no welding is required because the walls are joined by a bonding material, the ends walls in the first embodiment, and the top and bottom walls in the second embodiment, may be made of a different material than the other walls, e.g. plastic or composite material instead of aluminum tread plate or other metal. Plastic or composite material may be readily molded to form walls that include a variety of different accessory features such as self supports, trays, hooks, pegs and the like, which, in prior art boxes, either must be welded in place or could not be incorporated into the box at all.
The structure, operation and advantages of the presently preferred embodiment of this invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring initially to
As best seen in
The end portions 24, 32 and 40 of front, rear and bottom walls 12, 22 and 14, respectively, collectively define a first end connector 48 having a plurality of bonding sites formed by the openings 26, 34 and 42 in such end portions 24, 32 and 40. Similarly, the opposite end portions 28, 36, and 44 of front, rear and bottom walls 12, 22 and 14 collectively define a second end connector 50 with bonding sites formed by openings 30, 38 and 46 in such end portions 28, 36 and 44.
Referring now to
The front leg 62 of channel 60 is defined by opposed side walls 70 and 72. The side wall 70 is formed with a number of vertically spaced bosses 74 each extending in a direction toward the opposite side wall 72. Similarly, the side wall 72 is formed with a number of vertically spaced bosses 76 which are offset from the bosses 74 in the vertical direction and extend toward the side wall 70. The bottom leg 64 and rear leg 66 of channel 60 have a similar construction as that of front leg 62. Specifically, the bottom leg 64 of channel 60 is defined by opposed side walls 78 and 80. The side wall 78 is formed with a number of horizontally spaced bosses 82 each extending in a direction toward the opposite side wall 80, and the side wall 80 is formed with a number of horizontally spaced bosses 84 which are offset from the bosses 82 in the horizontal direction and extend toward the side wall 78. The rear leg 66 of channel 60 is defined by opposed side walls 86 and 88. The side wall 86 is formed with a number of vertically spaced bosses 90 each extending in a direction toward the opposite side wall 88. Similarly, the side wall 88 is formed with a number of vertically spaced bosses 92 which are offset from the bosses 90 in the vertical direction and extend toward the side wall 86.
The front, bottom and rear walls 12, 14 and 22, and the end walls 16, 18, are assembled as schematically depicted in
The other two components of the first end connector 48, e.g. the end portion 40 of bottom wall 14 and end portion 32 of rear wall 22, are inserted into the bottom leg 64 and rear leg 66 of channel 60, respectively, and captured by the bosses 82, 84 and bosses 90, 92 therein in the same manner as described above. Additionally, the curved top edge 39 of the end portion 32 of rear wall 22 extends into the curved top end 69 of the rear leg 66 of channel 60. As a result, a number of horizontally spaced cavities 98 are defined along the bottom leg 64 of channel 60, each located in one of the spaces formed between the side wall 78 of bottom leg 64, the end portion 40 of bottom wall 14 and two adjacent bosses 82. Vertically spaced cavities 100 are also formed along the opposite side of the end portion 40 within bottom leg 64 of channel 60, each defined by the side wall 80, the end portion 40 and two adjacent bosses 84. Similarly, a number of vertically spaced cavities 102 are defined along the rear leg 66 of channel 60, each located in one of the spaces formed between the side wall 86 of rear leg 66, the end portion 32 of rear wall 22 and two adjacent bosses 90. Additionally, vertically spaced cavities 104 are formed along the opposite side of the end portion 32 of rear wall 22 within rear leg 66 of channel 60, each defined by the side wall 88, the end portion 32 and two adjacent bosses 92.
As noted above, the end wall 18 has the same construction as end wall 16 and is joined to the second connector 50 formed by the front, bottom and rear walls 12, 14, 22 in the same manner described above. With the end walls 16, 18 in the position shown in
Referring now to
The truck box 106 further includes a lid or top wall 120 and a bottom wall 122 which are preferably formed of a plastic, composite or other material which may be formed in a molding or casting operation. The top wall 120 is schematically shown with cross braces 124 and slots 126 at opposite ends, but such structural details can be altered, as desired. The key feature of top wall 120 for purposes of the present discussion is its bottom surface 128 formed with a channel 130 having front and rear portions 132, 134 and opposed end portions 136, 138. See
After the front, rear and end walls 108-114 are in place within respective channels 130, 144 in top and bottom walls 120, 122, a bonding material of the type described above may be poured into such channels 130, 144 where it flows into and adheres to the bonding sites or openings 116 and 118 formed along respective top and bottom edges 117, 119 of each of such walls 108-114. Upon curing, the bonding material creates a secure connection between the top and bottom walls 120, 122 on the one hand, and the front, rear and end walls 108-114 on the other hand.
An important feature of the present invention is that the means of connecting the walls together allows for the use of plastic, composite or other materials which are capable of being molded or cast to form selected walls of the truck boxes 10 or 106 instead of aluminum tread plate as in prior art box designs. As a result, many more features such as shelf supports, trays, brackets, hooks and the like may be incorporated into the walls made of plastic or composite, such as by a molding operation, thus eliminating a number of difficult, time consuming and expensive welds which were required in prior art boxes.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof.
For example, the bonding sites employed in the embodiment of
Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
