The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 10, 2006
Filed:
Oct. 27, 2004
Stephen Bruford, West Bloomfield, MI (US);
Paul Elia, West Bloomfield, MI (US);
John Reed, Royal Oak, MI (US);
Tyler Blake, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (US);
Stephen Bruford, West Bloomfield, MI (US);
Paul Elia, West Bloomfield, MI (US);
John Reed, Royal Oak, MI (US);
Tyler Blake, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (US);
Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
A storage compartment is formed on the lateral side of a pick-up truck to have a door that will open to a generally horizontal position to permit use thereof as a step to facilitate access to the interior of the cargo bed. The storage compartment door is pivotally supported by a pivot mechanism that is supported from the underside of the pick up box to provide sufficient support thereof to withstand the weight of a person utilizing the door as a step. The door is also provided with supplemental support members interconnecting the door and the underside of the pick up box. When closed, the door conceals the pivot mechanism to provide a smooth, clean line on the exterior surface of the truck. The opened door allows access to a storage compartment that preferably extends beneath a portion of the cargo bed to allow storage of small items in a contained compartment.