Portable beverage cooler retention device for vehicles with tailgates

Abstract

A portable beverage cooler retention device for use in vehicles equipped with a fold-down tailgate is comprised of a pair of triangular uprights pivotally attached to the inside wall of a tailgate by a pair of transverse mounting plates; the uprights including locking means for maintaining their perpendicular orientation relative to the planar surface of the tailgate during use and further including container support means for the pendulous support of a cooler there between. When properly seated in the cooler mounting means, the subject portable beverage cooler retention apparatus provides a means for 1) automatically moving the cooler from the cargo area (when the tailgate is closed) to an easily accessible position above the tailgate (when the tailgate is lowered to its open position); and 2) restricting movement of the cooler within the cargo area during transport.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The subject invention relates generally to an accessory device for vehicles having fold-down tailgates and to a portable beverage cooler retention device therefore, in particular. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Portable beverage coolers such as the heavy-duty 5-gallon type produced by Igloo® Products, Inc., are popular among owners of utility vehicles and pick-up. trucks having a cargo area suitable for their storage and transport. The traditional construction of a utility vehicle's cargo space or “bed” includes an area defined by a floor panel, three upright sidewalls, and a pivoting substantially rectangular tailgate. The tailgate may be hingedly attached to either a sidewall, in which case it pivots along a vertical axis, or may be of the fold-down type whereby its opposite ends are hingedly attached to the floor panel of the bed along a horizontal axis. In a fold-down tailgate arrangement, the inside surface of the tailgate faces the cargo space...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015] It is also a primary object of the subject beverage cooler retention device is to provide a means for automatically moving the attached cooler from the cargo area to an easily accessible position above the tailgate when the tailgate is lowered to its open position.

[0017] It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable beverage cooler retention device which is relatively light weight and capable of being folded into a compact unit relatively flush with the inside wall of the tailgate when the device is not in use.

[0018] It is also an object of the subject invention to provide a portable beverage cooler retention device for pickups that may be easily and quickly mounted to the interior of a vehicle's tailgate.

[0019] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable beverage cooler retention device which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and thereby affordable to the average consumer of such products.

Problems solved by technology

One problem is that the manipulation of these containers within the cargo area can be difficult, particularly when the container is filled with liquid because its overall weight can exceed 40 pounds.

Movement of a heavy cooler into and out of a cargo area is particularly challenging in fold-down type tailgated vehicles because the lowered tailgate impedes access to the bed, and access to the cooler from either side of the vehicle is impeded by the side walls of the bed.

Another problem associated with the storage and transport of portable beverage coolers within vehicle cargo areas is the propensity of the container to shift when exposed to the forces of a moving vehicle.

Such movement can be moderate, resulting in the mere nuisance of having the container shift towards the front of the vehicle and therefore out of reach, or more severe, resulting in the overturning of the container and spillage of its contents.

One shortcoming of this device is that it interferes with the use of the truck bed when not in use.

Here again, the components occupy a significant amount of space within the cargo area and the only way to recover the space is to leave the removable parts of the rack behind.

Unfortunately, such an assembly would not work when mounted to a fold-down tailgate.

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