Truck-mountable cargo rack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12128959-B2
Application number	US-202117385858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2021
Priority date	Jun 1, 2018
Publication date	Oct 29, 2024
Grant date	Oct 29, 2024

Abstract

A truck rack, including rack components and rack accessories, to support cargo over a bed of a truck, and methods of constructing, assembling, mounting, adjusting, and using the truck rack. An illustrative truck rack comprises a tower and a base. The tower may have a foot and an upper end portion. The upper end portion may be configured to support a crossbar. The base may be configured to mount the tower on an upper wall region of a truck bed. The base may include a deck on which to support the foot and at least one securing device to secure the foot on the deck. In some examples, the at least one securing device may include a clamp configured to engage opposite edge regions of the foot. In some examples, the clamp may be configured to urge the opposite edge regions downward toward the deck.

First claim

We claim:

1. A truck rack, comprising:
a tower having a foot and an upper end portion, the upper end portion being configured to be connected to a crossbar; and
a base configured to mount the tower on an upper wall region of a truck bed;
wherein:
the base includes a shoe member having a width and length that forms a receiving area for the foot,
the receiving area includes a deck and at least three walls located above the deck and extending along edges of the deck, wherein
the at least three walls include (i) first and second end walls located at opposite ends of the shoe member, each of the first and second end walls spanning the width of the shoe member and (ii) a side wall extending along the length of the shoe member,
the foot is configured to be placed on the deck adjacent each of the at least three walls,
the base includes at least one securing device to secure the foot on the deck,
the tower has a telescoping section and a diagonal brace connecting the telescoping section to the foot between the end walls of the receiving area,
the foot has opposite edge regions located at a periphery of the foot, and
the at least one securing device includes a clamp configured to engage the opposite edge regions of the foot.

2. The truck rack of claim 1 , wherein the at least one securing device includes a fastener assembly configured to extend between an aperture of the base and an aperture of the foot.

3. The truck rack of claim 2 , wherein the fastener assembly includes a bolt member and a nut member that engage one another.

4. The truck rack of claim 2 , wherein the aperture of the base intersects the deck.

5. The truck rack of claim 1 , wherein the end walls and the side wall are arranged to match three sides of a perimeter shape of the foot.

6. A truck rack, comprising:
a tower having a foot and an upper end portion the foot including a pair of opposite edge regions located at a periphery of the foot and spaced horizontally from one another, the upper end portion being configured to be connected to a crossbar;
a base configured to mount the tower on an upper wall region of a truck bed, the base including at least one securing device to secure the foot on the base; and
a side rail defining a longitudinal axis and configured to be attached to, and extend between, a corresponding pair of lateral towers, the side rail having an adjustable length;
wherein:
the base includes a deck and one or more coupling members configured to mount the deck on the upper wall region of a truck bed,
the deck forms a receiving area for the foot and defines one or more apertures,
the coupling members form a clamp configured to engage both of the pair of opposite edge regions of the foot to secure the foot on the deck, and
a diagonal brace extends between the foot and a position on the tower below the side rail.

7. The truck rack of claim 6 , wherein each of the one or more coupling members includes a fastener having a head configured to be located in one of the apertures, and wherein the foot when secured on the base is configured to cover the head of the fastener of each coupling member of the one or more coupling members, to prevent access to the head of the fastener until the foot is removed.

8. A truck rack, comprising:
a tower having a foot and an upper end portion, the foot including a pair of opposite edge regions located at a periphery of the foot and spaced horizontally from one another, the upper end portion being configured to be connected to a crossbar; and
a base configured to mount the tower on an upper wall region of a truck bed, the base including a deck on which to support the foot and a clamp configured to engage both of the opposite edge regions of the foot to secure the foot on the deck.

9. The truck rack of claim 8 , wherein the foot defines a longitudinal axis, and wherein each of the opposite edge regions is parallel to the longitudinal axis.

10. The truck rack of claim 8 , wherein the clamp has a fixed jaw and a movable jaw arranged along opposite edges of the deck.

11. The truck rack of claim 8 , wherein the clamp is configured to apply compression horizontally to the foot.

12. A truck rack, comprising:
a pair of towers, each tower having a lower end portion configured to be mounted on an upper wall region of a truck bed, an upper end portion forming a saddle, and a telescoping intermediate portion that is extendable upward in an inwardly sloped direction to a plurality of extended positions, and lockable in each of the extended positions, to increase a height of the tower;
a crossbar defining a longitudinal axis and also defining an axial slot elongated along the longitudinal axis; and
a pair of fastener assemblies connecting the crossbar to the pair of towers at the saddle of each tower such that an end region of the crossbar projects outward along the longitudinal axis from the tower in a direction away from the upper end portion of both towers, wherein:
each fastener assembly includes a pair of externally-threaded fasteners and a nut member having two internally-threaded apertures,
each fastener assembly extends from the saddle of one of the towers to the axial slot of the crossbar,
the crossbar is slidably connected to each tower by the respective fastener assembly while the fastener assembly is un-tightened, and the crossbar is locked to the tower when the fastener assembly is tightened, and
the intermediate portion of each tower is extendable upward in the inwardly sloped direction while the respective fastener assembly is un-tightened, such that the saddle slides inward along the crossbar as the intermediate portion of the tower extends upward.

13. The truck rack of claim 12 , wherein each fastener assembly includes:
an internally-threaded fastener located in the axial slot, including a first aperture and a second aperture which are aligned along the axial slot,
a first externally-threaded fastener that extends from the saddle of the one of the towers and into threaded engagement with the first aperture of the internally-threaded fastener, and
a second externally-threaded fastener that extends from the saddle of the one of the towers and into threaded engagement with the second aperture of the internally-threaded fastener.

Assignees

• Yakima Products Inc

Inventors

• Condon David
• Hoch Ashley
• Stoneburner Warren E

Classifications

• B60P7/0815 Primary

  Attachment rails or trellis · CPC title

• B60R9/06

  at vehicle front or rear {(rear luggage compartments within vehicle extensible externally of the vehicle body B60R5/041)} · CPC title

• B62D33/0207 Primary

  Connections of movable or detachable racks or stanchions to platforms · CPC title