Pickup Truck Cargo Box Straps That Prevent Twist and Ring Overload
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for securing cargo boxes on pickup trucks are prone to failure due to ratchet slippage and twisting of strap members, leading to cargo box release during undulating roads or tight bends, which can cause damage and injury.
Innovation Solution
The method involves strap members with connecting hooks that form an acute angle with the truck's side walls, eliminating ratchet connections and using adjustable strap rings to prevent twisting, ensuring secure attachment via cargo rings and cam buckles that maintain tension without slippage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ratchet members are used to manually activate strap members, then the strap members can be secured to cargo rings, but the ratchet members may release or slip under increased forces during undulating roads or tight bends
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the ratchet mechanism from the strap member assembly entirely. Instead of using ratchet members that can slip or release, the invention uses simple hook ends that engage with cargo rings, eliminating the problematic mechanical activation component while maintaining the securing function.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than using a mechanical ratchet system that requires manual activation to create tension, the invention inverts the approach by using elastic straps that naturally maintain tension through their elastic properties, eliminating the need for manual ratchet activation.
2Force
If cross straps are stretched to generate tensile force on cargo boxes, then the cargo boxes are secured, but the cross straps tend to rotate and twist reducing the engagement surface area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces strap rings as intermediary components between the cross straps and the securing system. These strap rings serve as stable attachment points that prevent the cross straps from rotating or twisting, maintaining full surface area engagement while still allowing the necessary tensile force to be applied to secure the cargo boxes.
3Force
If strap members are made substantially the same length as the distance separating cargo rings, then the strap members are taut, but the cargo rings may be bent or separated from the inner side wall under excessive force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates elastic elements and adjustable length mechanisms in the strap members that allow them to absorb excess force before it reaches the cargo rings. This cushioning effect prevents the cargo rings from being bent or separated from the inner side wall while still maintaining effective tension for securing cargo during normal operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for securing cargo boxes upon the bed of a pickup truck includes the steps of securing cargo rings to a structural portion of each inner side wall of the pickup truck; determining the distance separating adjacent cargo rings on each inner side wall; providing at least two strap members each having a longitudinal dimension greater than the distance separating cargo rings on a respective inner side wall, each of the two strap members having first and second portions, each portion having a hook end with a connecting hook secured thereto, the first portion having a cam buckle end integrally secured to a cam buckle, the second portion having a cam buckle end slidably secured to the cam buckle, resulting in the hook ends of each strap member being detachably secured to a respective cargo ring; whereby, cross straps detachably secured to strap rings secured to the strap members ultimately secure cargo boxes upon the bed of the pickup truck, and a tensile force vector imparted upon each strap member and extending parallel to the inner side walls of the pickup trick is reduced, thereby reducing the force urging together the cargo rings on each respective side wall of the pickup truck.