Telescoping Pickup Cargo Box for Secure Tool Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern pickup trucks with side panels for tool storage only allow exposure of tools at the top, making it difficult to view and access tools efficiently, and there is a need for secure storage of firearms that cannot be openly displayed.
Innovation Solution
A telescoping cargo box with a horizontal tool shelf, vertical back plate, and vertical slides, mounted on legs and a slide frame, equipped with a motor-driven actuator to raise and lower the box above the side panel for easy access and visibility, and can be used within a side panel or as a free-standing unit over a wheel well.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tools are stored inside the side panel, then storage security is improved, but tool visibility and accessibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cargo box is designed with telescopic actuators that enable it to dynamically change position between retracted (inside side panel) and extended (above side panel) states. This dynamic positioning allows the system to switch between secure storage mode and accessible display mode, resolving the contradiction between security and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The cargo box extends in the vertical dimension above the side panel when needed, creating an additional storage dimension. This allows tools to be both securely stored (when retracted) and easily visible/accessible (when extended), effectively adding a spatial dimension to resolve the visibility-accessibility contradiction.
2Ease of operation
If the cargo box is raised above the side panel, then tool visibility and accessibility are improved, but storage concealment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic mechanism enables the cargo box to dynamically adjust its height, allowing users to raise it above the panel for accessibility when needed, and lower it inside the panel for concealed storage when legal compliance is required. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between accessibility and concealment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the vertical position parameter of the cargo box to switch between two operational states: extended position for accessibility and retracted position for concealment. This parameter change allows the same storage system to satisfy both accessibility requirements and legal concealment requirements.
3Ease of operation
If a telescoping mechanism is added, then accessibility and visibility are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical telescoping mechanisms with electric actuators (motors) that provide the same telescopic function with simpler control. This substitution reduces mechanical complexity while maintaining the accessibility and visibility improvements.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuators are controlled by switches mounted on the cargo box itself, allowing the system to be self-operating without requiring external control mechanisms. This self-service approach simplifies the overall system complexity while maintaining the telescopic functionality for improved accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A cargo box adapted for receipt inside a side panel of a pickup truck and the cargo box adapted for receipt inside a cargo box container received over a wheel well in a back of the pickup truck. The subject cargo box includes a horizontal tool shelf attached to a vertical back plate. A pair of spaced apart vertical slides are attached to the back plate and are received through slide openings in a slide frame. The slide frame is mounted on a pair of slide frame legs. The slide frame legs rest on top of a pickup bed floor. A Fob operated telescoping actuator is attached to a side of the back plate for raising the cargo box above the top of the side panel and lowering the cargo box inside the side panel.