Side Panel Storage Container for Pickup Trucks
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a storage unit that can efficiently utilize the unused space in light-duty pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles for storing smaller items while maintaining the vehicle's original functionality, including weather resistance and security.
Innovation Solution
A container with an opening associated with the quarter panel, featuring a cover with a door system, a rail system for support, and optional features like dividers, a lamp, and a lockable mechanism, integrated through forming processes like blow molding, to provide secure and accessible storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a toolbox or storage device is placed in the pickup bed or back of a sport utility vehicle, then smaller items can be stored and transported, but the amount of space available for transporting larger items is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions storage from the horizontal bed space to the vertical side panel area. The container is mounted on the side panel of the vehicle body, utilizing the previously unused vertical dimension and space between inner and outer panels, thereby avoiding conflict with bed space for larger items while providing dedicated storage for smaller items
2Quantity of substance
If space between inner and outer panels is utilized for storage, then smaller items can be stored, but the structure must maintain weather resistance and security
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed to nest within the space between the inner and outer panels of the vehicle body. The container includes an outer wall that interfaces with the outer panel and an inner wall that interfaces with the inner panel, creating a nested configuration that maintains the vehicle's original structural integrity while providing enclosed storage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the storage function from the main bed area and places it in the side panel region. The container is a separate, self-contained unit that can be installed independently, maintaining the original vehicle structure and its weather-resistant properties while adding storage capability
3Volume of stationary object
If the container is integrated with the vehicle structure, then space utilization is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is segmented into distinct components: the container itself, the door assembly with latch, the rail mounting system, and the cover. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and assembled separately, reducing overall complexity while enabling efficient use of the side panel space
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a container for a light-duty automobile such as a light-duty pickup truck or sport-utility vehicle having at least one opening, operably associated with the quarter panel of an automobile, an inner wall operably associated with the container, and a cover having a closed position and an open position operably associated with the opening. The cover includes a door inner, and a door outer. The invention also includes a first rail positioned between the container and the quarter panel. The container is integrally formed with the first rail, and is located between the first rail and the inner wall. The first rail supports the container, and the cover can be moved from the open position to the closed position, allowing access to the container.