Patent ID: 7758091
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: B60P,B60R

Abstract:
1. A rack for use on a vehicle having a flat bed to carry a ladder, the rack comprising: a pair of housings mountable to the vehicle on opposite sides of the flat bed and extending between front and back ends of the flat bed; upright main arms attached to the housings at four corners of the flat bed, each upright main arm being hinged relative to the housing to which the main arm is attached, each main arm being foldable from an upright position toward a central section of the housing to which the main arm is attached, each main arm including side walls extending upwardly from opposite ends of a base wall so that the side walls and the base wall form a U-shaped member with a main arm channel being defined between the side walls, each channel opening inwardly to face a channel on an upright main arm attached to a housing on an opposite side of the flat bed; a material arm mounted on an upper end of each upright main arm to support a ladder when the material arm is in an operative position, each material arm being hinged relative to the upright main arm on which the corresponding material arm is mounted, each material arm spanning and being foldable into the main arm channel on the main arm to which the material arm is attached so that each material arm is foldable into a corresponding main arm channel and each main arm is foldable relative to the corresponding housing after the material arms are folded into corresponding channels; and wherein each housing comprises a U-shaped member, with an upwardly open U-shaped housing channel being formed on each housing, main arms attached to each housing being folded into corresponding U-shaped housing channels after the material arms have been folded into the corresponding main arm channel; and wherein a main arm brace extends between each main arm and the corresponding housing to which each material arm is attached, each main arm brace locking the corresponding material arm in an upright position wherein each main arm brace is foldable between the corresponding main arm and corresponding housing and is foldable into the corresponding housing when the main arm is folded into the corresponding housing; and wherein a material arm brace extends between each main arm and the corresponding material arm, each material arm brace being foldable between the corresponding material arm and the corresponding main arm and being foldable into the corresponding main arm when the material arm is folded into the corresponding main arm.