Adjustable truck compartment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11634083-B2
Application number	US-202117174148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2021
Priority date	Jul 11, 2017
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

An example adjustable truck compartment is described. The truck compartment includes a first side wall including a first guiding rail extending between a proximal end and a distal end, and a second side wall disposed opposite from the first side wall, the second side wall including a second guiding rail extending between a proximal end and a distal end of the second side wall. The truck compartment includes a rear wall coupled to the distal ends of the first and second side walls to define an enclosure between the first side wall, the second side wall, and the rear wall. The truck compartment includes a first divider panel configured to be received by the first and second guiding rails and within the enclosure in an orientation parallel to a floor of the enclosure to separate the enclosure into a first enclosure volume and a second enclosure volume.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adjustable truck compartment, comprising:
a first side wall defining a proximal end and a distal end, the first side wall including a first guiding rail extending between the proximal end and the distal end;
a second side wall disposed opposite from the first side wall, the second side wall defining a proximal end and a distal end, the second side wall including a second guiding rail extending between the proximal end and the distal end of the second side wall;
a rear wall coupled to the distal ends of the first and second side walls to define an enclosure between the first side wall, the second side wall, and the rear wall; and
a first divider panel configured to be received by the first and second guiding rails and within the enclosure in an orientation parallel to a floor of the enclosure to separate the enclosure into a first enclosure volume and a second enclosure volume;
wherein:
the first divider panel includes one or more guiding rails on one or more sides of the first divider panel;
the adjustable truck compartment comprises a temperature control system including one or more sensors configured to detect a temperature within the enclosure and, upon separation of the enclosure into the first and second enclosure volumes, the one or more sensors are configured to automatically detect the temperature within the first and second enclosure volumes and the temperature control system is configured to automatically and independently regulate the temperature within the first and second enclosure volumes; and
the adjustable truck compartment comprises one or more volume sensors configured to detect a volume of the first and second enclosure volumes.

2. The adjustable truck compartment of claim 1 , wherein the first and second side walls comprise multiple guiding rails extending between the proximal and distal ends, each of the guiding rails separated from each other by a vertical distance.

3. The adjustable truck compartment of claim 2 , comprising multiple divider panels configured to be received by the multiple guiding rails in an orientation parallel to horizontal to separate the enclosure into multiple enclosures volumes.

4. The adjustable truck compartment of claim 1 , comprising a ceiling, wherein the ceiling and floor are coupled to top and bottom ends of the first and second side walls, the ceiling and floor defining a proximal end and a distal end.

5. The adjustable truck compartment of claim 4 , wherein the ceiling and floor each include guiding rails extending between the proximal end and the distal end.

6. The adjustable truck compartment of claim 5 , comprising a second divider panel configured to be received by the guiding rails of the ceiling and floor in an orientation perpendicular to the floor to separate the enclosure into individual enclosures volumes.

7. An adjustable truck compartment, comprising:
a first side wall defining a proximal end and a distal end, the first side wall including a first guiding rail extending between the proximal end and the distal end;
a second side wall disposed opposite from the first side wall, the second side wall defining a proximal end and a distal end, the second side wall including a second guiding rail extending between the proximal end and the distal end of the second side wall;
a rear wall coupled to the distal ends of the first and second side walls to define an enclosure between the first side wall, the second side wall, and the rear wall; and
a first divider panel configured to be received by the first and second guiding rails and within the enclosure in an orientation parallel to a floor of the enclosure to separate the enclosure into a first enclosure volume and a second enclosure volume;
wherein:
the first divider panel includes one or more guiding rails on one or more sides of the first divider panel;
the adjustable truck compartment comprises a temperature control system including one or more sensors configured to detect a temperature within the enclosure;
the adjustable truck compartment comprises one or more volume sensors configured to detect a volume of the first and second enclosure volumes;

the adjustable truck compartment comprises a second divider panel, and
the one or more guiding rails on one or more sides of the first divider panel include guiding rails on opposing sides of the first divider panel.

8. The adjustable truck compartment of claim 7 ,
further comprising a ceiling, wherein the ceiling and floor are coupled to top and bottom ends of the first and second side walls, the ceiling and floor defining a proximal end and a distal end;
wherein the ceiling and floor each include guiding rails extending between the proximal end and the distal end; and
wherein the second divider panel is configured to be received by a guiding rail of the ceiling or floor and the guiding rail of the first divider panel to separate the first or second enclosure volumes into additional enclosure volumes.

9. The adjustable truck compartment of claim 1 , wherein the temperature control system regulates the temperature within the first and second enclosure volumes such that the temperature within the first enclosure volume is different from the temperature within the second enclosure volume.

10. The adjustable truck compartment of claim 1 , comprising an item receiving assembly extending from the first side wall and the second side wall.

11. The adjustable truck compartment of claim 10 , wherein the item receiving assembly includes a plurality of hooks each configured to receive a bag in a hanging configuration.

12. An adjustable truck compartment, comprising:
a first side wall defining a proximal end and a distal end, the first side wall including a first guiding rail extending between the proximal end and the distal end;
a second side wall disposed opposite from the first side wall, the second side wall defining a proximal end and a distal end, the second side wall including a second guiding rail extending between the proximal end and the distal end of the second side wall;
a rear wall coupled to the distal ends of the first and second side walls to define an enclosure between the first side wall, the second side wall, and the rear wall; and
a first divider panel configured to be received by the first and second guiding rails and within the enclosure in an orientation parallel to a floor of the enclosure to separate the enclosure into a first enclosure volume and a second enclosure volume;
wherein:
the first divider panel includes one or more guiding rails on one or more sides of the first divider panel;
the adjustable truck compartment comprises a temperature control system including one or more sensors configured to detect a temperature within the enclosure;
the adjustable truck compartment comprises one or more volume sensors configured to detect a volume of the first and second enclosure volumes; and
the adjustable truck compartment comprises a volume determination system configured to (i) receive as input data representative of a desired volume of at least one of the first and second enclosure volumes, (ii) determine whether the detected volume of at least one of the first and second enclosure volumes is equal to or greater than the desired volume, and (iii) if the detected volume of the first and second enclosure volumes is less than the desired volume, output a new position of the first divider panel to achieve the desired volume in at least one of the first and second enclosure volumes.

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Putcha Sai Phaneendra Sri Harsha Viswanath
• Batra Amit

Classifications

• B65D5/724

  Internal fittings facilitating the discharge of contents, e.g. guiding panels, movable bottoms or lifting strips · CPC title

• B60R2011/0036

  Luggage compartment · CPC title

• B65D90/023

  Modular panels · CPC title

• B65D5/48046

  Plain strips not fixed by gluing or other fastening elements (B65D5/48048 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R5/045 Primary

  collapsible or transformable · CPC title