Selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly
View Patent ↗A selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly for selectively expanding cargo capacity of a truck bed includes a top panel, a pair of side panels, and a plurality of linear actuators. Each side panel is slidably attached to the top panel and is configured to be hingedly mountable to a respective sidewall of a bed of a truck. The linear actuators are slidably attached to the pair of side panels and mountable to the bed. The linear actuators are positioned to selectively motivate the top panel and the side panels between stowed and deployed configurations. When stowed, the top panel and the side panels are substantially parallel planar relative to a floor of the bed and are positioned atop the sidewalls. When deployed, the side panels are nonplanar with the top panels, and a substantially cuboid compartment is defined by the top panel, the side panels, and the bed.
1. A selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly comprising:
a top panel sized and shaped substantially complementarily to a top opening of a bed of a truck;
a pair of side panels slidably attached to the top panel, each side panel being configured to be hingedly mountable to a respective sidewall of the bed; and
a plurality of linear actuators configured to be mountable to the bed of the truck in a vertical orientation perpendicular to the bed of the truck, the plurality of linear actuators being slidably attached to the pair of side panels, such that the plurality of linear actuators is positioned for selectively motivating the top panel and the side panels between a stowed configuration, wherein the top panel and the side panels are substantially parallel planar relative to a floor of the bed and are positioned atop the sidewalls, and a deployed configuration, wherein the side panels are nonplanar with the top panel, and wherein the top panel, the side panels, and the bed define a substantially cuboid compartment, each of the linear actuators remaining in the vertical orientation between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration.
2. The selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the top panel has a panel width substantially equivalent to a width of a top of a cab of the truck.
3. The selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the side panel extends along the respective sidewall from proximate to the cab of the truck to proximate to a rear of the truck.
4. The selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly of claim 1 , further including a plurality of hinges, each hinge being attached to a respective side panel proximate to a lower end of the respective side panel and being configured for attaching to the sidewall of the bed.
5. The selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly of claim 1 , further including:
a plurality of top rails attached to the top panel, each top rail being perpendicular to opposed edges of the top panel;
a plurality of side rails attached to the side panels, each side rail being coplanar with an associated top rail; and
the plurality of linear actuators comprising four linear actuators, each linear actuator being slidably attached to a respective side rail.
6. The selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly of claim 5 , wherein:
the plurality of top rails comprises two top rails positioned singly proximate to a front edge and a rear edge of the top panel; and
the plurality of side rails comprises four side rails positioned singly proximate to a front end and a rear end of each side panel.
7. The selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of linear actuators is electrically powered and configured for operationally engaging an electrical circuit of the truck.
8. The selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly of claim 1 , further including a controller operationally engaged to the plurality of linear actuators and being configured to be mountable to the truck, such that the controller is positioned for selectively actuating the plurality of linear actuators.
9. The selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly of claim 8 , further including:
the controller comprising a receiver; and
programming code selectively positionable on an electronic device of a user enabling the electronic device for selectively signaling the controller for actuating the plurality of linear actuators.
10. The selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly of claim 1 , further including a plurality of mounting brackets, each mounting bracket being attached to a respective linear actuator and being configured for attaching to a respective bed rail of the truck.
11. A selectively extensible truck bed covering system comprising:
a truck having a bed comprising a floor and a pair of sidewalls;
a top panel sized and shaped substantially complementarily to a top opening of the bed;
a pair of side panels slidably attached to the top panel, each side panel being hingedly mounted to a respective sidewall; and
a plurality of linear actuators mounted to the bed of the truck in a vertical orientation perpendicular to the bed of the truck, the plurality of linear actuators being slidably attached to the pair of side panels, such that the plurality of linear actuators is positioned for selectively motivating the top panel and the side panels between a stowed configuration, wherein the top panel and the side panels are substantially parallel planar relative to a floor of the bed and are positioned atop the sidewalls, and a deployed configuration, wherein the side panels are nonplanar with the top panels, and wherein the top panel, the side panels, and the bed define a substantially cuboid compartment, each of the linear actuators remaining in the vertical orientation between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration.
12. The selectively extensible truck bed covering system of claim 11 , wherein:
the top panel has a panel width substantially equivalent to a width of a top of a cab of the truck; and
the side panel extends along the respective sidewall from proximate to the cab of the truck to proximate to a rear of the truck.
13. The selectively extensible truck bed covering system of claim 11 , further including a plurality of hinges, each hinge being attached to a respective side panel proximate to a lower end of the respective side panel and to an associated sidewall of the bed.
14. The selectively extensible truck bed covering system of claim 11 , further including:
a plurality of top rails attached to the top panel, each top rail being perpendicular to opposed edges of the top panel;
a plurality of side rails attached to the side panels, each side rail being coplanar with an associated top rail; and
the plurality of linear actuators comprising four linear actuators, each linear actuator being slidably attached to a respective side rail.
15. The selectively extensible truck bed covering system of claim 14 , wherein:
the plurality of top rails comprises two top rails positioned singly proximate to a front edge and a rear edge of the top panel; and
the plurality of side rails comprising four side rails positioned singly proximate to a front end and a rear end of each side panel.
16. The selectively extensible truck bed covering system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of linear actuators is electrically powered and operationally engaged to an electrical circuit of the truck.
17. The selectively extensible truck bed covering system of claim 11 , further including a controller operationally engaged to the plurality of linear actuators mounted to the truck, such that the controller is positioned for selectively actuating the plurality of linear actuators.
18. The selectively extensible truck bed covering system of claim 17 , further including:
the controller comprising a receiver; and
programming code positioned on an electronic device of a user enabling the electronic device for selectively signaling the controller for actuating the plurality of linear actuators.
19. The selectively extensible truck bed covering system of claim 11 , further including a plurality of mounting brackets, each mounting bracket being attached to a respective linear actuator and to a respective bed rail of the truck.
20. A selectively extensible truck bed covering assembly comprising:
a top panel sized and shaped substantially complementarily to a top opening of a bed of a truck, the top panel having a panel width substantially equivalent to a width of a top of a cab of the truck;
a pair of side panels slidably attached to the top panel, each side panel being configured to be hingedly mountable to a respective sidewall of the bed, the side panel extending along the respective sidewall from proximate to the cab of the truck to proximate to a rear of the truck;
a plurality of hinges, each hinge being attached to a respective side panel proximate to a lower end of the respective side panel and being configured for attaching to the sidewall of the bed;
a plurality of top rails attached to the top panel, each top rail being perpendicular to opposed edges of the top panel, the plurality of top rails comprising two top rails positioned singly proximate to a front edge and a rear edge of the top panel;
a plurality of side rails attached to the side panels, each side rail being coplanar with an associated top rail, the plurality of side rails comprising four side rails positioned singly proximate to a front end and a rear end of each side panel;
a plurality of linear actuators configured to be mountable to the bed of the truck in a vertical orientation perpendicular to the bed of the truck, the plurality of linear actuators being slidably attached to the pair of side panels, such that the plurality of linear actuators is positioned for selectively motivating the top panel and the side panels between a stowed configuration, wherein the top panel and the side panels are substantially parallel planar relative to a floor of the bed and are positioned atop the sidewalls, and a deployed configuration, wherein the side panels are nonplanar with the top panels, and wherein the top panel, the side panels, and the bed define a substantially cuboid compartment, the plurality of linear actuators comprising four linear actuators, each linear actuator being slidably attached to a respective side rail, the plurality of linear actuators being electrically powered and configured for operationally engaging an electrical circuit of the truck, each of the linear actuators remaining in the vertical orientation between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration;
a controller operationally engaged to the plurality of linear actuators and being configured to be mountable to the truck, such that the controller is positioned for selectively actuating the plurality of linear actuators, the controller comprising a receiver;
programming code selectively positionable on an electronic device of a user enabling the electronic device for selectively signaling the controller for actuating the plurality of linear actuators; and
a plurality of mounting brackets, each mounting bracket being attached to a respective linear actuator and being configured for attaching to a respective bed rail of the truck.