JP7839559B2 - Opening and closing device used for the tailgate of a truck bed - Google Patents

Description

Trucks have different cargo bed structures depending on their intended use. This section focuses on the tailgate design of three-way opening flatbed trucks.

The tailgates of conventional trucks, which open in three directions, have an L-shaped handle, but this requires surprisingly a lot of force to open and is very difficult to use.

The L-shaped handles on conventional three-way opening truck tailgates are flawed. They require wiggling and shifting the handle to lock and unlock, which is time-consuming, and on poorly maintained vehicles, they can be difficult to operate without considerable force.

By installing a one-handed opening and closing mechanism on the top of the truck's tailgate, the driver can use their other hand to support the tailgate itself.

In this invention, the operating time is significantly reduced and work efficiency is increased. Furthermore,
The coil spring mechanism keeps it locked at all times, providing high security. Furthermore, it's easy for women to operate without hesitation.

In this invention, the conventional L-shaped handle is replaced with a retaining clip, resulting in a cleaner design and increased safety. The tailgate unlocks when the grip is clenched, disengaging from the J-shaped bracket. Releasing the grip allows both ends of the bar handle 3 to re-enter the holes in the J-shaped bracket 13, locking the tailgate with ease.

Front view of the rear of the truck 3D diagram showing the partially open tailgate and side gates of a truck. Plan view showing the tailgate locked to the side gate. Three-dimensional diagram of J-shaped bracket and sway stopper. 3D diagram showing main components Side view showing the main components

In this invention, the conventional L-shaped handle is replaced with a retaining clip, resulting in a cleaner design and increased safety. The tailgate unlocks when the grip is clenched and disengaged from the hole in the J-shaped bracket, and locks when the grip is released and the tip of the bar handle 3 re-enters the hole in the J-shaped bracket 13.

Perforated J-shaped brackets 13 are welded to the rear of both side gates 2, and perforated anti-sway brackets 14 are similarly welded to both ends of the tailgate 1. Because the J-shaped brackets 13 are securely held in place by the anti-sway brackets 14, the side gates 2 and tailgate 1 are designed to prevent them from opening outwards. (Figures 3 and 4)

To securely fasten the tailgate 1 to the side gate 2, both ends of the bar handle 3 were inserted into the holes of the J-shaped bracket 13. Furthermore, outward pressure was applied using the force of a coil spring to prevent the bar handle 3 from falling out of the J-shaped bracket's holes. To achieve this, a flat washer 10 and a cotter pin 8 were used. A hole 7 was drilled in the bar handle at the position where the coil spring 4 was compressed, and the cotter pin 8 was passed through to secure the coil spring 4 to the bar handle 3. (Figures 2 and 3)

The procedure for attaching the mounting bracket 5 to the right of the center of the tailgate is as follows: Drill a hole in the tailgate to accommodate the mounting bracket. Insert bolt 9 through hole A in mounting bracket 5, allowing it to protrude towards the cargo bed (inward). Place a flat washer 10 and then a spring washer 11 on the end of the protruding bolt, and tighten with a nut 12. (Figures 5 and 6)

While compressing spring 4 outwards, place the right-angle portion of bar handle 3 into the recess of mounting bracket 5. Next, place the retaining bracket 6 over mounting bracket 5, and extend the tip of bolt 9 through hole B in mounting bracket 5 to the cargo bed side (inside) of tailgate 1. Secure it in the same way by tightening the flat washer 10 and spring washer 11 with nuts 12. (Figure 1)

As shown in Figure 1, the bar handle 3, spring 4, receiving bracket 5, and retaining bracket 6 are a set component, allowing for reliable determination of whether the lock was unlocked by gripping the handles 3 on both sides or locked by releasing them.

It is primarily used on flatbed trucks with three-way opening doors, but the cargo bed can also be used independently, and it can also be used as an opening and closing device for storage sheds and other structures.

1. Tailgate
2. Site gate
3. Handlebars
4. Coil spring
5. Mounting bracket
6. Retaining clip
7. Hole for inserting the cotter pin
8. Cotter pin
9. Bolt
10. Flat washer
11. Spring washer
12. Nut
13. J-shaped fitting
14. Bracing hardware

Claims (2)

It comprises J-shaped brackets welded to the rear of each side gate, anti-sway brackets welded to each end of the tailgate to hold the corresponding J-shaped brackets in place, and a pair of left and right bar handles attached to the tailgate.
Each pair of J-shaped brackets and anti-sway brackets is provided with a hole into which the tip of the corresponding left or right handlebar is inserted.
An opening and closing device characterized in that , in order to prevent both side gates and the tailgate from opening outwards, both J-shaped fittings are held down by both anti-sway fittings, and the tips of the left and right bar handles are inserted separately into the holes of the paired anti-sway fittings and J- shaped fittings to engage them . The left and right bar handles are fitted with coil springs , respectively, and the device comprises a receiving bracket with recesses on its left and right sides , and a retaining bracket with recesses on its left and right sides. The retaining bracket is placed over the receiving bracket and fixed to the tailgate, and the left bar handle rests in the recess on the left side of the receiving bracket, while the right bar handle rests in the recess on the right side of the receiving bracket. The device is configured to allow free movement between the receiving bracket and the retaining bracket.
The opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the tips of the left and right bar handles are designed to engage separately with holes in a pair of J-shaped fittings and anti-sway fittings by the force of the coil springs, and by simultaneously gripping both grip portions formed by bending the base ends of the left and right bar handles at a right angle and bringing the two grip portions closer together, the coil springs are compressed, the tips of the left and right bar handles disengage from the holes in the pair of J-shaped fittings and anti-sway fittings, respectively, and the tailgate can be tilted down and opened from both side gates .