Patent ID: 6722721
Filing Date: 2004-04-20
Classification: B60P,B62D

Abstract:
A foldable pickup truck tailgate and ramp device comprising:a series of rigid panels interconnected by hinge means, the panels capable of folding out into a ramp configuration interconnecting a pickup truck bed to an adjacent ground surface and capable of folding up into a pickup tailgate assembly configuration having a conventional latch and hinge assembly for attaching to a pickup truck to replace a conventional tailgate, at least one of the panels comprising a nestable panel capable of fitting within at least one other of the panels so that in the pickup tailgate assembly configuration, the device is the same size as a conventional pickup truck tailgate, each of the panels comprising a rigid metal frame having an attached layer of metal along a top side of each of the panels in the ramp configuration, the at least one nestable panel configured in the size and shape of an interior of a frame of the at least one other panel so that the nestable panel fits nestably within the frame of the at least one other panel below the layer of metal attached to the top side of the at least one other panel; wherein the device comprises a first panel hingedly attached to the pickup truck, a second panel hingedly attached to the first panel, a third panel hingedly attached to the second panel, and a fourth panel hingedly attached to the third panel, the third and fourth panels being configured in the size and shape of the interior of the frames of the first and second panels, so that in the pickup truck tailgate assembly configuration, the third panel fits nestably within the first panel and the fourth panel fits nestably within the second panel so that the thickness of the device is equal to the thickness of a standard pickup truck tailgate.