Bed extender

[0001] The presently disclosed subject matter is directed towards a cargo extender for trucks and other vehicles having beds and which enables transportation of items that would otherwise be too long to be transported in a bed.

[0002] One very commonly used vehicle is the pickup truck. Like other trucks a pickup truck is designed to carry cargo. To do so a pickup has a truck cab where a driver and passengers sit and a truck bed that is located behind the cab and which is used to carry cargo. Pickup trucks are so successful that every year they are among the best-selling vehicle models.

[0003] Pickups trucks come in many different sizes, from small 4-cylinder compacts having, short beds to diesel-powered full size vehicles having extended beds that can carry tons of cargo. However, no matter how big a truck is or how long a truck bed may be, there are some items that may be too long for the truck bed. For example, room sized carpets, wood planks, steel beams, some plumbing supplies, ladders; all can be too long for a pickup truck to safely carry. As a specific example some ladders are over twelve feet long while many truck beds are only six to eight feet long. If such a ladder is transported in a truck having a short bed much of the ladder would extend over the truck bed and would be unsupported, which may lead to damage to either the truck bed or the ladder.

[0004] Compounding the problem of short beds is that pickup trucks having shorter beds are very popular. They are easier to handle and more maneuverable than trucks with longer beds. But, trucks with longer beds can carry more than trucks with short beds. The foregoing problem is not limited to pickup trucks. Other vehicles, such as vans and SUVs have beds for moving cargo. But, sometimes an item needing to be moved is just too long for the vehicle's bed.

[0005] There are devices that attach to truck beds that enable more cargo to be carried. However, such devices either do not permit long items to be carried or if they do they are difficult to use and can prevent a truck's tailgate from closing. Therefore, a device that enables a truck or other vehicle to carry items longer than the vehicles bed and that is easy to use would be beneficial. Even more beneficial would be such a device that collapses to fit the length of the bed while extending to enable carrying of long items. Even more beneficial would be a device that fits in a vehicle's bed, that extends out to allow carrying of long items, that collapses back into the bed and out of the way, and that is easy to use. Still more beneficial would be a device that fits in a vehicle's bed, that extends out to allow carrying of long items, that collapses back into the bed after use, that is easy to use, and that can be made at low cost using readily available materials.

[0006] The principles of the present invention provide for a device that fits in the bed of a truck or similar type vehicle, that extends out to allow carrying of long items, that collapses back into the bed after use, that is easy to use, and that can be made at low cost using readily available materials.

[0007] A bed extender in accordance with the principles of the present invention includes a tubular first elongated arm and a tubular second elongated arm that are connected together by a bed cross-member. The elongated arms and bed cross-member include tabs or other features suitable for attaching those members to the bed of a vehicle. The bed extender also includes a rear slide assembly having an elongated first slide member that slides in the first elongated arm and an elongated second slide member that slides in the second elongated arm. Attached to the first and second slide members is a vertical support structure. The bed extender further includes a lock feature for locking the rear slide assembly into place relative to the first and second elongated arms and an attachment feature for receiving rope or other tie-downs to retain cargo in the bed.

[0008] The vertical support structure beneficially includes first and second corner braces that attach to the first and second slide members. Up-tubes extend vertically from the corner braces and a support arm extends across the up-tubes. A lower cross-member also extends between the first and second corner braces.

[0015] The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which one particular embodiment is shown. However, it should be understood that this invention may take many different forms and thus this invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein. In the figures like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

[0016] Referring now to FIG. 1, the principles of the present invention provide for a bed extender 10 that is easily stowed in a bed 12 of a pickup truck 14. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a pickup truck 14 the present invention is not limited to being used only in such vehicles. In fact, the principles of the present invention are fully applicable with other cargo-carrying vehicles such as vans and SUVs.

[0017] Refer to FIGS. 1-4 as required in the discussion that follows, the bed extender 10 is bolted to the bed 12 using four bolts 16. Those bolts 16 pass through tabs 18 that extend from and are rigidly attached to elongated arms 20 that run along the length of the bed 12. The elongated arms 20 are spanned by a rear slide assembly 22 (described in more detail subsequently) and a front “L” shaped angle iron cross-member 24. The cross-member 24 is also attached to the truck bed using bolts 16 that pass through the cross-member 24.

[0018] The bed extender 10 takes a generally rectangular shape that is longer along the length of the bed 12 than along its width. The cross-member 24 is bolted to the bed 12 close to the rear of the cab 30 (see FIG. 1), while the rear slide assembly 22 can be collapsed so as to be located in front of a tailgate 100 of the truck 14. The rear slide assembly 22 is however movable as is shown and described subsequently.

[0019] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 5 as required, the elongated arms 20 run parallel to each other and are beneficially comprised of square (or rectangular) tubes. Those tubes are beneficially made from strong, rigid material such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or a strong thermoplastic. The tabs 18 and the “L” shaped angle iron cross-member 24 are also beneficially comprised of the same material as the elongated arms 20. However, the “L” shaped angle iron cross-member 24 includes a plurality of apertures through which the bolts 16 pass into the bed 12, while the tabs 18 each include one aperture (best shown in FIG. 1). The cross-member 24, tabs 18, and the elongated arms 20 are beneficially welded together. However, other forms of joining, such as bolts, rivets, or chemical welding (if thermoplastic materials are used) are also suitable.

[0020] From the foregoing it is apparent that the tabs 18, elongated arms 20, and cross-member 24 form a strong, solid bed mount that can be rigidly attached to the bed 12.

[0021] Turning now to FIGS. 2 through 4 as required, the rear slide assembly 22 includes a cross-member 40 that attaches to corner braces 42 that are located at each end. Each corner brace 42 also connects to a generally vertically orientated up tube 44 and to a generally horizontally orientated slide tube 46. Thus there are two vertical up tubes 44 and two horizontal slide tubes 46. Across the top of each vertical up tube 44 is a horizontally orientated support arm 48. The cross-member 40, the two corner braces 42, the two up tubes 44, and the support arm 48 form a strong, solid, and substantially rigid rectangular structure that runs substantially perpendicular to the elongated arms 20.

[0022] Still referring to FIGS. 2-4 as required, the cross-member 40 is beneficially comprised of an “L” shaped piece of angle iron, while the two vertical up tubes 44, two horizontal slide tubes 46, and the support arm 48 are beneficially comprised of square (or rectangular) tubes. The corner braces 42 may be configured to have integral upright tubes that fit into the vertical up tubes 44 and integral horizontal tubes that fit into the horizontal slide tubes 46. In any event the cross-member 40, the vertical up tubes 44, the horizontal slide tubes 46, the corner braces 42, and the support arm 49 are solidly joined such as by welding, brazing, soldering, mechanical fasteners, or by chemical welding. Those members are also beneficially comprised of the same material as the elongated arms 20, tabs 18, and cross-member 24.

[0023] Referring now to FIG. 5, but also to FIGS. 1-4 if required to understand the bed extender 10, the horizontal slide tubes 46 are elongated and dimensioned to fit with little free play into longitudinal apertures of the elongated arms 20. This allows the rear cross-member assembly 22 to slide along the elongated arms 20 to take the configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. Each slide tube 46 includes a plurality of horizontal apertures 50 that pass through its side walls. Those apertures 50 are configured to align with apertures 104 that pass through the walls of the elongated arms 20 as the rear cross-member assembly 22 is slid along the elongated arms 20. This allows a pin 106 to pass though an aperture 50 and the aperture 104 so as to attach the rear cross-member assembly 22 to the remainder of the bed extender 10.

[0024] As there are two elongated arms 20 and slide tubes 46 (one on each side of the bed 12) there are two pins 106. Each pin 106 has a body 107 that can partially slide through the apertures 50 and 104 such that an aperture 110 through the body 107 is located outside of the elongated arm 20 while an expanded end 109 of the pin 106 extends from the other side of the elongated arm 20. The expanded end 109 is configured such that it cannot pass through the aperture 104. The aperture 110 allows a lock pin 116 to pass through the end of the pin 106.

[0025] Still referring primarily to FIG. 5, as the apertures 50 align with the apertures 104 the pins 106 can be are inserted through the elongated arms 20 and the slide tubes 46. When a lock pin 116 is inserted through the aperture 110 and bent, the rear cross-member assembly 22 is securely attached to the remainder of the bed extender 10, and to the bed 12 of the truck 14.

[0026] Referring once again to FIG. 5, in some applications it may be beneficial to attach a “U” bracket 120 to the bed extender 10. To do so the “U” bracket 120 includes apertures 122 that pass through the arms 124 of the “U” bracket 120. Then, before the pins 106 are inserted through the apertures 50 and 104 the apertures 122 are aligned with those apertures. The pins 106 are then inserted through the elongated arms 20, the slide tubes 46, and “U” brackets 120. The lock pins 116 are then inserted and bent as described above. The U″ brackets 120 provide very convenient attachment points for chains, ropes, tie downs, stretch cables and other attachment mechanisms.

[0027] The foregoing has referred to using “U” brackets 120 only where the apertures 50 and 104 align. However, this is not required. “U” brackets 120 can be added at any of the apertures 50 by using other pins 106. This provides variable attachment locations on the bed extender 10.

[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates the truck 14 using the bed extender 10 to carry a long carpet 130 in the bed 12 of the truck 14. The rear cross-member assembly 22 is slide out of the elongated arms 20 to take a suitable length and then locked in place at the required extension using the pins 106 as described above. The carpet 130 is placed along the bed 12 and over the support arm 48. The carpet is then attached to the bed extender 10 and truck 14 using tie-downs and if appropriate one or more “U” brackets 120.

[0029] It is to be understood that while the figures and the above description illustrate the present invention, they are exemplary only. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Others who are skilled in the applicable arts will recognize numerous modifications and adaptations of the illustrated embodiments that remain within the principles of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.