Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Jeffrey Gray

Jack Marchlewski

Joshua Robert Hemphill

Robert Reiners

Dragan B Stojkovic

Vince Anthony Chimento

Vincent Anthony Chimento

Jeffrey Alan Firzlaff

Srinath Vijayakumar

Brian Kenneth Sullivan

Colleen Hoffman

Michael William Danyo

Stephen William Gallagher

John Comiez

Mukdam Kena

David Alan Hamilton

Eric R Yerke

Sara E Veyo

Jamie Joseph March

William George Heckman

Peter Joyce

Gerald E McLaughlin

Eric Joseph

Jeffrey Hartley

John Galligan

Casey Ray Tanner

Scott Huneau

Bradley Brandt

Kevin Laws

Eric B Childers

Daniel Hewitt

An air venting system includes, among other things. A box of a truck. The box provides a cargo area. The system further includes a cab back panel of the truck. The cab back panel has an exposed section that provides a front wall of the cargo area. The cab back panel has a hidden section outside the cargo area. An air extractor is held within the hidden section of the cab back panel.

Air venting system and venting method for a truck

The present disclosure is directed to a truck including a cargo box coupled to a first rail and a second rail with a first cross member and a second cross member. The first and second rail are coupled to, and extend transverse to, the first and second cross members. A bed floor of the cargo box is physically separated from the rails by the cross members.

Cross members on rear rails in a unibody truck

Exemplary vehicle truck bed assemblies may include a unibody construction. A cargo box of an exemplary truck bed assembly may include at least two different floor-to-side wall mating configurations, and each of the at least two different mating configurations is non-visible from within a cargo space established by the cargo box. In addition, each of the at least two different mating configurations may include a fastener, such as a weld, an adhesive, and/or a bolt, for adjoining adjacent mating surfaces of the cargo box floor and side wall.

Vehicle cargo box floor-to-sidewall mating configurations

A vehicle support structure according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a cross-member of a vehicle support structure. The cross-member extends longitudinally along a cross-member axis. The frame assembly further includes a rail of the vehicle support structure. The rail extends longitudinally along a rail axis that is transverse to the cross-member axis. The rail extends into a pocket of the cross-member such that a portion of the rail is nested within the cross-member.

Vehicle support structure assembly and assembling method

This disclosure details tie down systems for securing cargo within vehicle cargo spaces. An exemplary tie down system may include a corner bracket mounted in a corner of the cargo space. The corner bracket may include a plurality of openings for tying down cargo at different heights within the cargo space.

Tie down systems for securing cargo within vehicle cargo spaces

A pick-up truck bed includes a plurality of plates longer in a longitudinal direction than in a transverse direction that are assembled together along longitudinally extending edges to a laterally adjacent one of the plates. The plates each include a plurality of supporting structures longitudinally extending along a length of the plates that support the plates on transversely extending cross-members. A left-side plate defines a left wheel housing cutout, a longitudinally extending central plate includes first and second complementary interlocking features on opposite longitudinally extending sides, and a longitudinally extending right-side plate defines a right wheel housing cutout. The left-side plate includes a first interlocking feature and the right-side plate includes a second interlocking feature that each receive one of the complementary interlocking features of the central plate.

Modular truck bed floor

A tailgate tie down system includes a first plate assembly and a second plate assembly. A strap is connected between each of the first plate assembly and the second plate assembly. In an exemplary method, the strap can be routed through at least one accessory tool before securing the first plate assembly and the second plate assembly within tailgate latch openings. Once the plate assemblies are locked within the latch openings, the accessory tool is also locked relative to the tailgate.

Tailgate tie down systems

A vehicle including a bed, and a tailgate, pivotally attached to the vehicle to close off a rear end of the bed, the tailgate having a front surface and a side with a pull tab recess. A check strap has a forward end attached to the bed and a rearward end; and an extension bracket has an extension plate pivotally connecting at a forward end to the rearward end of the check strap, a rear fastener pivotally securing the extension plate to the side of the tailgate, a pull tab extending through the extension plate and laterally slidable out of the pull tab recess, the extension plate extending essentially parallel to the front surface when the pull tab is received in the pull tab recess.

Truck tailgate with check strap

A motor vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of this disclosure includes, among other things, a roof structure, a bracket projecting from the roof structure, a roof panel configured to attach to the roof structure such that the bracket is beneath the roof panel, and an accessory configured to attach to the bracket. A method is also disclosed.

Roof accessory interface

A pickup truck that includes a bed having a side wall with an electric panel; and a lockbox having walls secured to, extending laterally from the side wall and surrounding the electric panel, and a security panel pivotally mounted on the walls to enclose the electric panel within the lockbox. The lockbox may also include a divider pivotally mounted to the walls inboard of the security panel and movable between a closed position extending longitudinally adjacent to the security panel and an open position extending laterally into the bed. A lock may secure the divider to the walls.

Pickup truck lockbox

A disclosed accessory mount for a vehicle includes a housing with openings, at least one bearing, a lock cylinder movable within the housing and holding the at least one bearing in a locked position extending through the openings and a released position where the at least one bearing is not held within the openings, and a mount including a groove receiving the at least one bearing in the locked position.

Lockable roof accessory mounting interface

An article rack includes a base mountable to a top rail of a truck box, a carrier, and a linkage pivotally connected to the base and the carrier. A drive mechanism of the rack has a first wheel fixed to the base, a second wheel fixed to the carrier, and an endless loop trained around the wheels such that pivoting of the linkage about the base pivots the carrier about the linkage.

Article rack adapted for use with pickup truck

A winch is disclosed for a pick-up bed having a floor, and a front wall. The winch includes a winch motor and spool assembled to the truck body below the floor. An upper pulley is assembled to the front wall with a cable wound around the spool that is extendable and retractable from the spool. The cable is routed over the upper pulley through an opening defined by the front wall. The opening is spaced from the floor to facilitate loading articles into and unloading articles from the truck bed.

Pick-up truck winch apparatus

A vehicle truck box assembly including a tailgate, a hinge-on-box bracket, a puck component, a hinge post, and a plastic shim is provided. The tailgate is pivotally mounted to a truck bed. The hinge-on-box bracket includes a cup extension. The puck component is secured to the cup extension. The hinge post is for securing to the puck component and to a hinge-on-gate bracket and the hinge post defines a cavity. The plastic shim is received in the cavity for contacting the cup extension. The plastic shim may include an upper angle portion extending from a base portion. The upper angle portion may extend between the cup extension and the puck component that are arranged to snugly receive the hinge post. The upper angle portion may extend from the base portion at an angle value between five and fifteen degrees.

Growing community of inventors

Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey Gray