Sidepack storage compartment and methods of making and using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12365397-B2
Application number	US-202318384028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2023
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Jul 22, 2025
Grant date	Jul 22, 2025

Abstract

An assembly for utility truck bodies having metal and/or composite reinforcement(s) and/or foam reinforcements and/or honeycomb reinforcements and/or wood reinforcements encapsulated within a thermoformed thermoplastic, or thermoset or fiber-reinforced thermoset walking surface floor structure of the truck bed assembly or other composite floor structure with attachable components and junctions, e.g., sidepack(s), and methods of making the same are provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sidepack assembly configured to be coupled to a truck, the sidepack assembly comprising:
a storage compartment comprising a front face;
a sidepack door comprising a first thermoplastic sheet comprising an outer face of the sidepack door and a second thermoplastic sheet comprising an inner face of the sidepack door,
wherein the first thermoplastic sheet and the second thermoplastic sheet are separated by a gap;
one or more hinges formed from the front face of the storage compartment and the outer face or the inner face of the sidepack door and coupling the sidepack door to the storage compartment;
a waterproof seal positioned between the sidepack door and the storage compartment,
wherein the waterproof seal is configured to provide a watertight interface between the sidepack door and the storage compartment;
a bed floor integrally formed with the storage compartment; and
a bed frame coupled to and supporting the bed floor,
wherein the bed frame further extends at least partially under and is coupled to the storage compartment.

2. The sidepack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sidepack door and the one or more hinges are configured to open the sidepack door to an outside of a truck bed of the truck.

3. The sidepack assembly of claim 2 , wherein the sidepack door is a first sidepack door and the one or more hinges comprises a first hinge configured to open the first sidepack door to the outside of the truck bed and a second hinge configured to open a second sidepack door to an inside of the truck bed.

4. The sidepack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sidepack door and the one or more hinges are configured to open the sidepack door to an inside of a truck bed of the truck.

5. The sidepack assembly of claim 1 ,
wherein the sidepack door, the one or more hinges, and the storage compartment comprise a same thermoplastic material.

6. The sidepack assembly of claim 1 ,
wherein the bed floor comprises a fiber reinforced thermoset.

7. The sidepack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bed floor comprises one or more thermoplastic sheet.

8. The sidepack assembly of claim 6 , wherein the bed floor comprises reinforcement framing between two thermoplastic sheets.

9. The sidepack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the storage compartment comprises at least two sides, a top, and a bottom comprising a thermoplastic integrally formed to be watertight.

10. A sidepack assembly configured to be coupled to a truck, the sidepack assembly comprising:
a storage compartment comprising a front face;
a sidepack door comprising a first thermoset sheet comprising an outer face of the sidepack door and a second thermoset sheet comprising an inner face of the sidepack door,
wherein the first thermoset sheet and the second thermoset sheet are separated by a gap;
one or more hinges formed from the front face of the storage compartment and the outer face or the inner face of the sidepack door and coupling the sidepack door to the storage compartment;
a waterproof seal positioned between the sidepack door and the storage compartment,
wherein the waterproof seal is configured to provide a watertight interface between the sidepack door and the storage compartment;
a bed floor integrally formed with the storage compartment; and
a bed frame coupled to and supporting the bed floor,
wherein the bed frame further extends at least partially under and is coupled to the storage compartment.

11. The sidepack assembly of claim 10 , wherein the bed floor is configured to attach to a frame of the truck.

12. The sidepack assembly of claim 11 , wherein the bed floor comprises two thermoplastic sheets and an inner core.

13. The sidepack assembly of claim 11 , wherein the bed floor comprises a fiber reinforced thermoset.

14. The sidepack assembly of claim 10 ,
wherein the storage compartment comprises at least two sides, a top, and a bottom, and
wherein the at least two sides, the top, and the bottom comprise a thermoset material and an inner core.

15. The sidepack assembly of claim 14 ,
wherein the sidepack door is a first sidepack door and further comprising a second sidepack door, and
wherein the first sidepack door is configured to open to an outside of a truck bed of the truck and the second sidepack door is configured to open to an inside of the truck bed of the truck.

16. The sidepack assembly of claim 15 , wherein the storage compartment forms a sidewall of the truck bed of the truck.

17. A sidepack assembly configured to be coupled to a truck, the sidepack assembly comprising:
a storage compartment comprising a top, a bottom, two sides, and a front face;
a sidepack door comprising a first thermoplastic sheet comprising an outer face of the sidepack door and a second thermoplastic sheet comprising an inner face of the sidepack door,
wherein the first thermoplastic sheet and the second thermoplastic sheet are separated by a gap;
one or more hinges formed from the front face of the storage compartment and the outer face or the inner face of the sidepack door and coupling the sidepack door to the storage compartment;
a waterproof seal positioned between the sidepack door and the storage compartment,
wherein the waterproof seal is configured to provide a watertight interface between the sidepack door and the storage compartment;
a bed floor integrally formed with the storage compartment; and
a bed frame coupled to and supporting the bed floor,
wherein the bed frame further extends at least partially under and is coupled to the storage compartment.

18. The sidepack assembly of claim 17 ,
wherein the storage compartment is a first storage compartment; and
further comprising a second storage compartment,
wherein a first side of the two sides of the first storage compartment is a side of the second storage compartment.

19. The sidepack assembly of claim 18 , wherein the top, the bottom, and the two sides comprise thermoplastic sheets.

20. The sidepack assembly of claim 19 , wherein the bottom is integrally coupled to the bed floor of the truck.

Assignees

• Altec Ind Inc

Inventors

• Mckinney Ryan J
• Graham Austin
• Hoffmann Kyle E

Classifications

• B60R9/06 Primary

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

• B60P1/00

  Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading (vehicles for carrying harvested crops with means for self-loading or self-unloading A01D90/00; peculiar to refuse collecting-vehicles B65F; loading or unloading vehicles by means not incorporated therein B65G) · CPC title

• B62D29/00

  Superstructures, {understructures, or sub-units thereof,} characterised by the material thereof {(B62D33/044, B62D33/048 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B62D29/04

  predominantly of synthetic material (working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29) · CPC title

• B60R9/00

  Supplementary fittings on vehicle exterior for carrying loads, e.g. luggage, sports gear or the like · CPC title