| CLAIMS:
1. A vehicle canopy (10) comprising at least two spaced apart and generally parallel rigid sidewalls (16) and a roof (18) mounted on the sidewalls, the roof and sidewalls being adapted to form, with a load compartment (12) of a vehicle on which it is installed, an enclosed volume, the canopy being characterized in that the roof is separable from the sidewalls.
2. A vehicle canopy as claimed in claim 1 in which the roof is a plain roof (56) that is removable to provide unrestricted height above the load compartment deck for accommodating tall loads.
3. A vehicle canopy as claimed in claim 2 in which the rear upper edges of the sidewalls are not attached to each other permanently and have at least one removable brace (34) so as to provide unrestricted height of access opening to the load compartment.
4. A vehicle canopy as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which a rear access door (20) is pivotally mounted to the roof along an upper edge of the door.
5. A vehicle canopy as claimed in claim 1 in which the roof is a recreational roof pivotally attached at a forward end to the canopy and wherein a bed base (32) is pivotally supported at a forward end on the inside of the roof so as to be pivotally moveable between an inoperative stored position adjacent the inner surface of the roof and an operative generally horizontal position with the roof in an open, upwardly inclined condition relative to the load deck.
6. A vehicle canopy as claimed in claims 2 and 5 in which the two different types of roof are interchangeable so that a selected roof type may be employed according to requirements and any pivotally mounted rear access door is optionally interchangeable between the two different types of roof.
7. A vehicle canopy as claimed in claim 5 in which pivot axes of the pivotal attachment of the recreational roof to the canopy are located forwards of a front wall (17) of the canopy that interconnects the front edges of the sidewalls such that the recreational roof operatively projects over a part of a cab (14) of a vehicle fitted with the canopy.
8. A vehicle fitted with a canopy as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.
9. A roof (18) adapted to be pivotally mounted at a forward end to form a roof for an enclosure surrounding a load deck of a vehicle, the roof being characterised in that it is a recreational roof and includes a bed base (32, 71) pivotally supported at a forward end thereof on the inside of the roof so as to be pivotally moveable between an inoperative stored position adjacent the inner surface of the roof and an operative generally horizontal position with the roof in an open, upwardly inclined condition relative to the load deck.
10. A roof as claimed in claim 9 in which the roof has a surrounding skirt portion (31 , 69) forming a cavity fully receiving the bed base therein in the inoperative position.
11. A vehicle in the form of a trailer suitable for recreational use wherein the trailer has a roof as claimed in claim 10 covering its load compartment.
12. A vehicle as claimed in either one of claims 8 or 10 in which flexible waterproof fabric (40, 76) is provided to form, with the roof, load compartment, and recreational roof in the operative position, an enclosure. |
VERSATILE LOAD CARRYING VEHICLE AND COMPONENTS THEREOF
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a versatile load carrying vehicle of a type having an enclosed load carrying deck with side walls and a roof or lid extending between the side walls to form a top cover for an enclosure over the load carrying deck wherein the vehicle can be used interchangeably for load carrying purposes or for recreational purposes. The vehicle may be in the form of a truck, especially a light delivery vehicle, having either a standard cab or an enlarged, so-called king, cab in each instance having an open load deck enclosed by means of a canopy, or it may be in the form of a trailer with a lid.
The invention also relates to components of such a vehicle, especially a canopy of the type used to enclose an open load carrying deck.
The invention still further relates to a roof or lid for use on such a vehicle especially for recreational purposes.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Vehicle canopies are widely used as a covering for the open load deck of trucks, in particular light delivery vehicles and off-road vehicles. These canopies are usually manufactured from lightweight fibreglass or aluminium and are removable to permit large items to be transported on the load deck when the canopy is removed. In particular these canopies have a limited roof height and the whole canopy must generally be removed to permit large items to be transported on the load deck.
Although canopies of various constructions exist, each is dedicated to serve a single function and cannot, as far as the applicant is aware, be used for any other purpose. The utility of a vehicle fitted with such a canopy is therefore limited by the presence of the canopy.
As a separate item of commerce, a wide variety of dedicated camping trailers is available on the market for purchase or rental. Various basic types of construction are employed. In one type of construction a lid to a trailer forms the roof of a shelter with collapsible flexible side walls that enable the lid/roof to be raised vertically to an operative condition in which a person can stand upright on the trailer floor. In another type of construction a trailer has a collapsible bed and tent assembly of a type well known in the art supported on the outside of the lid of the trailer. A further type has a lid hingedly secured to a trailer base along a forward edge so that it can be raised to an inclined position in which it forms part of the roof of an enclosure whereof the remainder is formed of flexible sheet material. In this instance the bed forms part of the base of the trailer.
Applicant perceives a number of disadvantages with each of the constructions indicated above and, in particular the relevant vehicles are primary dedicated to serve the single function that is either commercial or recreational, and are not particularly suitable for use as either in the alternative.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an enclosed type of load carrying vehicle that has enhanced utility or versatility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of this invention there is provided a vehicle canopy comprising at least two spaced apart and generally parallel rigid sidewalls and a roof mounted on the sidewalls, the roof and sidewalls being adapted to form, with a load compartment of a vehicle on which it is installed, an enclosed volume, the canopy being characterized in that the roof is separable from the sidewalls.
In a first variation of this aspect of the invention the roof may be a plain roof that is removable to provide unrestricted height above the load compartment deck for accommodating tall loads. The rear upper edges of the sidewalls are preferably not attached to each other permanently and preferably have at least one removable
brace that is attached at one end to a sidewall and at the other end releasably to the opposite side wall so as to provide unrestricted height of access opening to the load compartment. The plain roof may be releasably fastened to the sidewalls to form a substantially standard canopy and a rear access door may be pivotally mounted to the roof along an upper edge of the door.
In a second variation of this aspect of the invention the roof is pivotally attached at a forward end to the canopy and the roof assumes the form of a recreational roof that includes a bed base pivotally supported at a forward end on the inside of the roof so as to be pivotally moveable between an inoperative stored position adjacent the inner surface of the roof and an operative generally horizontal position with the roof in an open, upwardly inclined condition relative to the load deck.
The two different types of roof are preferably interchangeable so that a selected roof type may be employed according to requirements and a rear access door that is preferably pivotally attached to the roof may be removably mounted so as to be interchangeable between the two different types of roof thereby requiring only one access door for a set of a plain and a recreational roof for a particular canopy.
Further features of this aspect of the invention provides for the pivot axes of the pivotal attachment of the recreational roof to the canopy to be located forwards of a front wall of the canopy that interconnects the front edges of the sidewalls such that the recreational roof projects over a part of a cab of a vehicle fitted with the canopy; for the roof to be part of a roof assembly that is separable from the canopy wherein the roof assembly includes a frame to which the roof is pivotally attached; and for the frame of the roof assembly to be fastened to the sidewalls by means of catches or other releasable fasteners, preferably quick release fasteners.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention there is provided a roof adapted to be pivotally mounted at a forward end to form a roof for an enclosure surrounding a load deck of a vehicle, the roof being characterised in that it is a recreational roof and includes a bed base pivotally supported at a forward end thereof on the inside of the roof so as to be pivotally moveable between an inoperative stored position
adjacent the inner surface of the roof and an operative generally horizontal position with the roof in an open, upwardly inclined condition relative to the load deck.
Further features of this second aspect of the invention provide for the roof to have a surrounding skirt portion forming a cavity fully receiving the bed base therein in the inoperative position; for the end of the bed base remote from the pivotal mounting thereof to have releasable fastening means for holding it in the inoperative position relative to the roof or skirt portion; and for a frame of the roof assembly to have an inwardly extending shoulder for supporting the bed base in its operative, generally horizontal position.
In one application of the second aspect of the invention the roof forms the roof of a canopy as defined above. In this application a pair of braces is preferably swivel- mounted to be movable between an inoperative position in which they extend horizontally across the frame to stabilise upper rear regions of the canopy sidewalls, and an operative position in which they extend upwards to support the roof in its open condition. A third removable brace may also be provided for holding a hinged access door in an outwardly extending position in the operative position. Such a removable brace may have a ball joint at one end that is fitted into one of the sockets of the other two braces.
In a second application of the second aspect of the invention the roof forms a roof (that may be referred to as a lid) to a trailer, typically an off-road type of camping trailer suitable for recreational use.
Still further features of the invention provide for the canopy or trailer to include flexible sheet material for releasable attachment to the edges of the sidewalls, the roof, any access door and a folding tailgate of the load deck to form an enclosure with the roof in an open condition; for the flexible material to be foldable; and for the flexible material to be adapted to be stowed in a folded condition in the cavity provided by a skirt of the roof generally opposite the pivotally mounted end of the roof, from where it can easily be deployed.
Particularly in the instance of a trailer, a roof extension may be pivotally attached to the inside of the roof at the edge thereof opposite the pivotal attachment of the bed base thereto so as to be pivotally movable between an inoperative position adjacent the bed base and an operative outwardly extending position. The roof extension may have a pouch on its operatively downwardly directed surface containing folded sidewalls for releasable attachment to the edges of the trailer base and roof to form an enclosure. ; The roof extension may be held in its operative position by means of telescopically extensible stays extending between the free edge region of the roof extension and a downwardly opened tailgate of the trailer base.
In accordance with a third aspect of the invention is provided a vehicle of the general nature of a truck having an open load deck, the vehicle being fitted with a canopy as defined above.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a camping trailer fitted with a recreational roof as defined above.
In order that the above and other features of the invention may be more fully understood one embodiment of trailer that includes both aspects of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of a vehicle canopy according to the invention having a recreational roof assembly in a collapsed travelling condition;
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the canopy illustrated in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a rear perspective view thereof;
Figure 4 is a side elevation showing the canopy in a camping condition with the roof of the roof assembly in the operative raised position;
Figure 5 is similar to Figure 4 but shows the flexible sheet material fully erected;
Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5 but shows the bed base in the operative, generally horizontal position.
Figure 7 is a rear perspective view of the canopy illustrated in Figure 6;
Figure 8 is similar to Figure 6 but with the flexible material shown in broken lines;
Figure 9 is a rear elevation showing the braces in the inoperative horizontal position;
Figure 10 is similar to Figure 9 but showing the braces in the operative supporting position;
Figure 11 is an exploded side elevation showing the roof construction separated from the sidewalls;
Figure 12 is a side elevation of a vehicle canopy according to the invention with a standard roof replacing the recreational roof assembly;
Figure 13 is a side elevation of an embodiment of camping trailer according to the invention in the collapsed travelling condition;
Figure 14 is a rear view thereof;
Figure 15 is a side elevation showing the trailer in the camping condition with the roof and roof extension in the open condition;
Figure 16 is similar to Figure 15 but showing the bed base in its operative position;
Figure 17 is similar to Figure 16 but showing a side wall partially installed;
Figure 18 is similar to Figure 17 but showing the side wall fully installed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 12 of the drawings, a vehicle canopy, generally indicated by the numeral (10), is shown mounted to the otherwise open load compartment (12) of a vehicle, in this case a double-cab vehicle (14). The canopy (10) includes an assembly of two rigid sidewalls (16) which extend parallel in a sealed condition along the side edges of the side wall of the load deck, and a front wall (17) (see Figure 9) which extends between the two sidewalls immediately behind the cab (14) of the vehicle. Clearly, the rear ends of the sidewalls terminate in pillars (not shown) that are secured to the sidewalls of the load compartment adequately securely, as will be quite apparent to those skilled in the art.
The canopy also includes a roof (18) that is separable from the sidewalls and pivotally movable between a closed position and an upwardly inclined position as will be more apparent from what follows. A rear access door (20) is pivotally attached at its upper edge to the free end (22) of the roof opposite its pivoting end (24).
The roof (18) is part of a roof assembly that is separable from the sidewalls and includes a frame (26) to which the roof is fastened by means of hinges. The frame is releasably fastened to the sidewalls by means of releasable catches (28) shown in Figures 2 and 11. The entire roof assembly can be lifted off the sidewalls when the catches (28) are released, as illustrated in Figure 11.
The roof includes a downwardly extending skirt (30) that forms, together with the sidewalls, access door and load compartment, an enclosed volume. The
peripheries of the sidewalls and skirt are configured to seal properly against each other when the canopy is in the closed travelling condition shown in Figures 1 to 3.
A bed base (32) has one end thereof pivotally supported on the inside of the skirt of the roof so as to be pivotally moveable between an inoperative stored position adjacent the inner surface of the roof, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and an operative generally horizontal position with the roof in an open, upwardly inclined condition, as shown in Figures 6. The bed base is held in the stored position by means of releasable fastening means (not shown) at the end of the bed base remote from the pivotal mounting thereof, which may be a suitable releasable catch. In the operative, lowered position, the bed base is supported by the top of the sidewalls of the canopy, which form a shoulder (33) most clearly seen in the inset of Figure 9. A mattress (35) is provided on the bed base (see Figure 2). In order to provide a somewhat elevated roof height towards the pivoted end of the roof in the operative position, a short length of roof (19) towards that end is hinged to the balance of the roof towards the centre thereof so that it can be raised in the operative position. This expedient is known in the art and is shown only in Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
A pair of braces (34) is provided for supporting the roof in the open position. The braces are swivel-mounted to the frame of the roof construction by means of ball- and-socket joints (37), shown most clearly in the inset of Figure 9. The braces are movable between an inoperative position in which they extend horizontally across the frame, as shown in Figure 9, and an operative position in which they extend upwards to support the roof, as shown in Figure 10. In the horizontal position, the braces increase the structural rigidity of the canopy and are neatly stowed. A pair of compressed gas jacks (36) is provided for increasing the ease with which the roof can be raised and lowered. A third removable brace (38) is also provided for holding the access door (20) in an outwardly extending position in which it forms an oppositely inclined extension to the roof. The removable brace (38) has a ball joint at one end that is fitted into one of the sockets (39).
The canopy (10) further includes a flexible, waterproof sheet of material (40) for releasable attachment to the edges of the sidewalls, the roof, the access door and a
folding tailgate (42) of the load deck to form an enclosure. Figures 5, 6 and 7 show the material in the fully deployed condition. The material is foldable and can be rolled up and stowed in a folded condition in the cavity provided by the skirt (30) adjacent the free end (22) of the roof, as shown in Figure 2.
During travelling, the canopy and all of its components are in their inoperative, stowed condition shown in Figures 1 to 3. For use, the canopy roof is lifted into the raised position and the braces erected as shown in Figure 4. The tailgate (42) of the vehicle is also opened and the removable brace (38) positioned to hold the access door (20) in the outwardly extending position. The rolled sheet of flexible material (40) is then released from its rolled condition, unwrapped and attached to the edges of the sidewalls (16), the roof (18), the access door (20) and the tailgate (42) by means of hook and loop fasteners, to form the enclosure shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7. Obviously, numerous different arrangements are possible to extend the enclosed or covered area in a manner that will be quite apparent to those skilled in the art. The material will typically include gauze-covered windows (45) and may also provide pockets and other amenities typical of camping compartments and tents.
An access opening, such as a flap (44) with a zip (47), is provided in the material, as shown in Figure 7, and a step ladder (46) may be used to provide easy access to the enclosure. Inside the enclosure, and with the bed frame in the stowed inoperable position, the canopy enables easy access to items inside the canopy and it is possible to stand upright at least in some regions of the inside of the enclosure.
When the occupants wish to go to sleep, the bed can be lowered into the operative position as shown in Figure 8. Because the material is fastened to the edge of the tailgate and the rear access door, a gap (50) exists between the end of the bed base and the inside of the material adjacent the bed, so that it is possible for a person to climb from the tail gate onto the bed base without having to go outside the enclosure. A storage crate (52) may be conveniently positioned on the floor of the load compartment or tailgate to act as a step for climbing onto the bed base.
As has been mentioned, the roof assembly is removable, and it will be apparent that removing it will permit tall objects that would not fit into a standard canopy to be transported in the load compartment without the need to remove the sidewalls. The
fact that the rear access door is attached to the roof construction means that unimpeded height access is provided.
A further important feature of the invention is that the roof construction is interchangeable with a non-pivoting plain roof (56), as shown in Figure 12, which can be fastened to the sidewalls to form a canopy suited to standard transport operations. The rear access door of the roof can also be interchanged with the non- pivoting roof to form the access door of the standard style of canopy (56). By exchanging the roof, the canopy (10) can be used interchangeably wall different purposes.
The invention therefore provides a vehicle canopy that provides increased utility and versatility by having a roof which can be interchanged with differently designed roofs depending on the desired purpose of the canopy.
The invention also provides a canopy having a recreational roof which is designed to provide basic camping facilities, including a sheltered sleeping facility. The canopy is of relatively simple construction, is extremely easy to convert from an inoperative to an operative condition, and has a bed base which can easily be deployed for use as and when required and which is otherwise stored completely out of the way within the roof. By interchanging the camping roof with a non-pivoting roof, the canopy can be used as a conventional canopy as and when required.
It should be noted that the simple configuration of the sidewalls and the roof lend themselves to manufacture using materials other than the conventional stainless steel and aluminium and, indeed, they can rather effectively be manufactured from fibreglass reinforced synthetic resin material that is both lightweight and strong.
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 13 to 18 of the drawings, a camping trailer, generally indicated by numeral (61), comprises an assembly of a wheeled chassis (62) and drawbar (63) supporting a trailer base having a load supporting deck (64) surrounded by sidewalls (65), a front wall (66), and a tailgate (67). The draw bar is preferably telescopically extensible so that it can be used in a longer condition for enhanced tracking during high speed travel and in a short
condition for unimpaired travel following a towing vehicle under off-road rugged conditions.
A roof (68) for the trailer base is pivotally attached to the base at the front edge thereof, the lid having a surrounding downwardly extending skirt (69) that forms, with the base, an enclosed volume, with the skirt being of approximately the same height as sidewalls of the base so that the enclosed volume is split roughly centrally up its height. The peripheries of the sidewalls and skirt are configured to seal properly against each other in the closed position.
A bed base (70) has one end thereof pivotally supported on the inside of the skirt of the roof so as to be pivotally movable between an inoperative stored position adjacent the inner surface of the roof, as shown in Figures 13 and 15 and an operative generally horizontal position with the lid in an open, upwardly inclined condition relative to the base, as shown particularly in Figures 16 and 17. The bed base is supported in the latter position by a laterally spaced pair of composite storage units (71 , 72) fixed one to each side of the load carrying deck at the rear thereof and that form the support units defined above. The arrangement is geometrically such that the bed base is supported by the pivots connecting it to the lid at one end thereof and over the entire length of the storage units in the region removed from the pivots. Of course, a suitable releasable clamp arrangement (not shown) is provided for maintaining the free end of the bed base against the inside of the lid in the inoperative position.
A roof extension (73) in the form of a frame covered with flexible waterproof fabric is pivotally attached along its one edge to the inside of the lid at the edge opposite the pivotal attachment of the bed base. The roof extension is thus movable between an inoperative position in which it is fastened adjacent the bottom of the bed base, as shown in Figures 13 and 14 and an operative outwardly extending position as shown in Figures 15 to 18. The roof extension is supported in its operative position by means of telescopically extensible stays (74) that operatively extend between the free edge of the roof extension and the tailgate (67) in its open position.
It is to be noted that, not only do the telescopically extensible stays support the roof extension, but also stabilise and support the roof in its open condition by virtue of the fact that the rotation of the roof extension is limited by the structure at the edge of the skirt of the roof. Urging of the roof extension upwards by means of the telescopically extensible stays (74) thus urges the free edge of the lid upwards and places the usual telescopically extensible compressed gas jacks in tension. The result is an extremely stable, wind resistant open condition of the trailer.
The roof extension has a pouch (75) on its operatively downwardly directed surface as shown in Figures 15 and 16. The pouch contains folded sidewalls (76) permanently attached to the appropriate edge of the roof extension, the side walls being shaped for releasable attachment to the edges of the trailer base and lid to form an enclosure, as will be quite apparent from a reference to Figures 17 and 18. The edges can conveniently be attached utilizing hook and loop type fasteners such as that sold under the trade name "VELCRO". An end wall (not shown) of substantially conventional construction is provided to finish the enclosure off. Obviously numerous different arrangements are possible to extend the enclosed or covered area in a manner that will be quite apparent those skilled in the art and that is irrelevant to the present invention.
It is to be noted that, not only are the composite storage units removable from the trailer base for use or storage elsewhere, but the entire roof assembly including the bed base and roof extension can be easily removed by removing the pivots attaching the front end of the lid to the base of the trailer.
The trailer base can then be utilized as a conventional load carrying trailer for any appropriate purposes. If required, an alternative simple roof can be provided for use with the trailer base in this condition.
It will be understood that numerous variations may be made to the embodiments of the invention described above without departing from the hereof.
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