Tailgate rack extension system

Abstract

According to an aspect of the invention, a tailgate for a vehicle is provided. The tailgate including cavity inside the tailgate. A top cover is connected to an exterior of the tailgate and covers the tailgate cavity. A utility rack is disposed inside of the tailgate cavity and is configured to extend from the tailgate cavity when the top cover is removed.

Description

TAILGATE RACK EXTENSION SYSTEMTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of cargo mounting systems, in particular cargo mounting racks for vehicles.BACKGROUND

[0002] Conventional vehicles such as pickup trucks have a cargo bed used for storing cargo. The cargo must be secured to the cargo bed to protect the vehicle, the cargo, the vehicle occupants, and the vehicle surroundings. Light and medium duty pickup trucks may have shorter cargo beds than full-sized pickup trucks. These cargo beds may not be long enough to store accessories such as bicycles, kayaks, or ladders. Utility racks may be attached to the cargo bed via the tailgate or trailer hitch to increase the vehicle’s cargo capacity and allow these long accessories to be secured to the vehicle. However, when not in use, these utility racks must be stored in the vehicle and reduce cargo space.

[0003] There is a need for a versatile mounting mechanism for a vehicle cargo bed that provides flexible options for securing accessories to the vehicle without reducing cargo space.SUMMARY

[0004] According to an aspect of the invention, a tailgate for a vehicle is provided. The tailgate including cavity inside the tailgate. A top cover is connected to an exterior of the tailgate and covers the tailgate cavity. A utility rack is disposed inside of the tailgate cavity and is configured to extend from the tailgate cavity when the top cover is removed.

[0005] Locating the utility rack in the tailgate provides a location to store the rack without taking up space in the cargo bed or cabin of the vehicle. The aspects above achieve a flexible accessory storage solution that does not reduce cargo space in the vehicle when not in use. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle with a tailgate.

[0007] FIGS. 2A-D are illustrations of a first exemplary embodiment of a vehicle with a utility rack that extends from a tailgate.

[0008] FIGS. 3A-B are illustrations of a second exemplary embodiment of a vehicle with a utility rack that extends from a tailgate.

[0009] FIGS. 4A-C are illustrations of a third exemplary embodiment of a vehicle with a utility rack that extends from a tailgate.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Figure 1 illustrates a vehicle 100 in a pickup truck configuration. Vehicle 100 has a cargo bed 101 that is enclosed by a cabin wall, two side walls, and a tailgate 102. Tailgate 102 is opened to access the interior of cargo bed 101. Tailgate 102 has a top cover 103. In some embodiments, top cover 103 may be an aerodynamic spoiler. Top cover 103 is opened to access a cavity 104 within tailgate 102. In some embodiments the top cover 103 may be opened with a hinge that allows the top cover 103 to pivot either forward or aft. In some embodiments the top cover 103 is removeable from tailgate 102. In some embodiments the top cover 103 includes a locking mechanism to selectively allow the top cover 103 to open. Cavity 104 may be the interior of tailgate 102 defined by the tailgate walls, or it may be a separate enclosed space, as shown in Fig. 2 A. Disposed within the cavity 104 may be a utility rack.

[0011] Figures 2A-2D illustrate a first embodiment where a utility rack 200 has a single vertical post 201 which extends from cavity 104 along a rail, bearing surface, or slider (not shown). In other embodiments, the vertical post may be telescoping with a base fixed to the tailgate. Utility rack 200 has at least one pivoting arm 202 that rotates about pivot 203 on vertical post 201. Pivoting arm 202 rotates from a downward position aligned with vertical post 201 to an upright position perpendicular to vertical post 201. Pivoting arm 202 is placed in the downward down position to stow the utility rack 200 in the tailgate. Pivoting arm 202 is placed in the upright position where it can be used as a mount for accessories. Pivot 203 may include a locking mechanism that locks pivoting arm 202 in the downward or upright position. In some embodiments, utility rack 200 may have two pivoting arms 202 connected by a horizontal post 204. Horizontal post 204 may rotate with pivoting arms 202 relative to vertical post 201 or may be affixed to vertical post 201 while pivoting arms rotate with respect to the posts. Pivoting arm(s) 202 may have mounting mechanisms 205 such as loops, hooks, or clamps. In an exemplary embodiment, utility rack 200 serves to mount sporting equipment, such as bicycles, to the rear of vehicle 100.

[0012] Figures 3A-3B illustrate a second embodiment where a utility rack 300 has at least two vertical posts 301. Vertical posts 301 are connected by at least one cross member 302. Vertical posts 301 may have mounting mechanisms 303 such as loops, hooks, or clamps. Mounting mechanisms 303 may be used to store accessories such as sporting equipment, such as skis, or tools, such as shovels. In some embodiments the mounting mechanisms 303 may be pivotable about a vertical axis. Mounting mechanisms 303 pivots from an inward position where each of the mounting mechanisms align with cross member 302 to an outward position perpendicular to cross member 302. Mounting mechanisms 303 are placed in the inward position to stow the utility rack 300 in the tailgate. Mounting mechanisms 303 are placed in the outward position where they can be used as mounts for accessories.

[0013] In another embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 3B, vertical post 301 and cross member 302 are attached to pivoting posts 304. Pivoting posts 304 rotates about pivots 305 on vertical posts 301 about a horizontal axis. Pivoting posts 304 pivot from a downward position aligned with vertical posts 301 to an upright position perpendicular to vertical posts 301. Pivoting posts 304 are placed in the downward down position to stow the utility rack 300 in the tailgate. Pivoting posts 304 are placed in the upright position where they can be used as a mount for accessories. Pivots 305 may include a locking mechanism that locks pivoting posts 304 in the downward or upright position. The upright position may be used to horizontally mount large accessories, such as kayaks or ladders. Some accessories may be mounted on cross member 302 and a cross member of a roof rack (not shown) mounted to the cabin roof of vehicle 100.

[0014] Figures 4A-4c illustrate a third embodiment where utility rack 400 is flexible. In some embodiments utility rack 400 may be made of a flexible material such as thermoplastic, polyester, or nylon. In other embodiments, utility rack 400 comprises of a plurality of segments made of a rigid material and rotatably connected to one another. Utility rack 400 is configured such that when it is removed from the cavity of the tailgate 102, utility rack 400 may be placed over the rear outward facing side of the tailgate 102. Utility rack 400 may slide along a rail or guide within the tailgate cavity. Utility rack 400 may include a handle (not shown) for an operator to remove the utility rack 400 from tailgate 102. Utility rack 400 may include mounting mechanisms such as loops, hook and loop fasteners, straps, or living hinges. Utility rack 400 serves both as a surface for mounting accessories such as bicycles and as a protective cover to protect the exterior of tailgate 102 from said accessories.

[0015] The included descriptions and figures depict specific implementations to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode. For teaching inventive principles,some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from these implementations that fall within the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the features described above can be combined in various ways to form multiple implementations. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific implementations described above, but only by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A tailgate for a vehicle comprising: a tailgate cavity inside the tailgate; a top cover connected to an exterior of the tailgate and covering the tailgate cavity; and a utility rack disposed inside of the tailgate cavity, wherein the utility rack is configured to extend from the tailgate cavity when the top cover is removed.

2. The tailgate of claim 1, wherein the utility rack comprises a vertical post and a pivoting arm, the pivoting arm configured to rotate about a pivot connected to the vertical post.

3. The tailgate of claim 2, wherein the pivoting arm is further configured to lock into a substantially horizontal position.

4. The tailgate of claim 2, wherein the utility rack further comprises at least one mounting mechanism attached to the pivoting arm.

5. The tailgate of claim 2, wherein the utility rack further comprises: a horizontal post connected between the vertical post and pivoting arm, the pivoting arm connected to a first side of the horizontal post; and a second pivoting arm connected to the second side of the horizontal post.

6. The tailgate of claim 1, wherein the utility rack comprises a first and second vertical post connected by at least one crossmember.

7. The tailgate of claim 6, wherein the vertical post comprises a plurality of mounting mechanisms pivotable about the vertical post.

8. The tailgate of claim 6, wherein the utility rack further comprises a first and second pivoting arm rotatably coupled to the first and second vertical posts respectively.

9. The tailgate of claim 1, wherein the utility rack is comprised of a flexible material.

10. The tailgate of claim 1, wherein the utility rack comprises a plurality of rigid segments rotatably connected to one another.

11. The tailgate of claim 1, wherein the utility rack extends from the tailgate cavity along a rail.

12. A utility rack for a tailgate of a vehicle, the utility rack comprising: a vertical post configured to extend from a cavity within the tailgate; a pivoting arm rotatably connected to the vertical post, the pivoting arm configured to rotate between a stowed position aligned with the vertical post and a deployed position perpendicular to the vertical post; and a mounting mechanism attached to the pivoting arm for securing accessories.

13. The utility rack of claim 12, wherein the pivoting arm includes a locking mechanism configured to selectively lock the arm into the stowed or deployed position.

14. The utility rack of claim 12, comprising: a second pivoting arm rotatably connected to the vertical post; and a horizontal post connected to the vertical post and providing a pivot for the pivoting arm and the second pivoting arm.

15. The utility rack of claim 12, wherein the vertical post is a telescoping post.

16. The utility rack of claim 13, wherein the vertical post extends along a rail or guide disposed within the cavity of the tailgate.

17. The utility rack of claim 12, wherein the mounting mechanism comprises at least one of loops, hooks, clamps, or straps for securing the accessories.

18. A vehicle comprising: a cargo bed; a tailgate at a rear end of the cargo bed, wherein the tailgate includes a cavity; a utility rack disposed within the cavity, wherein the utility rack is configured to extend from the cavity of the tailgate; and the utility rack includes: a vertical post with a horizontal crossmember on top; the horizontal crossmember; a first pivoting arm connected to a first pivot at an end of the horizontal crossmember; and a second pivoting arm connected to a second pivot at another end of the horizontal crossmember, wherein the first and second pivoting arms pivot between a stowed position aligned with the vertical post and deployed position substantially perpendicular to the vertical post.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the tailgate comprises: a top cover connected to the tailgate and configured to selectively enclose the cavity, the top cover including a locking mechanism enabling selective opening of the cavity.

20. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the tailgate includes: a rail or guide disposed within the cavity along which the vertical post extends.

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