Abstract:
A tool box is movably mounted within a vehicle carrying compartment for movement between a forward position and a rear position within the compartment. A top cover may be mounted in covering relation over the top of the carrying compartment and includes access doors for providing communication into the carrying compartment and to the tool box therein.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a tool box and top cover for truck box. 
     Tool boxes have been provided for use in the carrying compartments or boxes of pickup trucks. Usually these tool boxes are attached to the front end of the pickup truck box immediately behind the truck cab. 
     Access to these tool boxes is limited to access from the sides of the vehicle, and on occasion this can require the user of the tool box to walk around to the other side of the vehicle in order to reach and gain access to certain parts of the tool box. 
     Security is also sometimes a problem with prior art tool boxes in that they are exposed at the rear of the truck. Some tool boxes have lids which can be locked, but potential thieves can easily gain access to the box, drill holes in it, or otherwise break into the box. 
     Top covers have been provided for pickup trucks, but such top covers are difficult to use in combination with a tool box mounted inside the truck bed. Access to the tool box once a top cover has been placed over the truck bed is often difficult. 
     Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of an improved tool box and top cover for a truck box. 
     A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved tool box which can be detachably mounted at the front of the truck box and which can be easily moved to the rear of the truck box for access by a user of the tools within the tool box. 
     A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved tool box and top cover for truck box which can be locked to prevent intruders or thieves from having access to any portion of the interior of the truck box, while at the same time providing easy access for the owner or user of the vehicle. 
     A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved tool box and top cover which is attractive in appearance, economical to manufacturer, and durable in use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention includes a combination of a vehicle and a tool box which is movable within the vehicle carrying compartment. The compartment of the vehicle includes a floor, a front wall, a rear wall, and opposite side walls extending up from the edges of the floor. An elongated first side rail is attached to one of the side walls of the carrying compartment and a second side rail is attached to the other of the side walls of the carrying compartment in substantial parallel relation to the first side rail. 
     The tool box includes a first roller at one of its ends and a second roller at the opposite of its ends. The first and second rollers are movably mounted to the first and second side rails respectively to permit the tool box to move from a forward position located near the front wall of the compartment to a rear position located rearwardly from that forward position. 
     The foregoing combination may be utilized without a top wall. However, a top wall may be used in combination with the foregoing tool box. The top wall covers the open upper end of the truck box and encloses the tool box therein. The top cover includes at least one access opening adjacent the front of the carrying compartment and includes a second or rear access opening adjacent the rear of the carrying compartment. Hinged doors are provided over the front access opening and the rear access opening, and these doors are capable of being latched and locked to make the interior of the carrying compartment secure. 
     In one embodiment of the invention there is a third access opening located at the front end of the access compartment so that both the first and the third access openings provide access to the tool box when the tool box is positioned adjacent the forward end of the carrying compartment. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a vehicle having the tool box and top cover of the present invention thereon. 
     FIG. 1A is a pictorial view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the top cover doors in a closed position. 
     FIG. 2 is a pictorial view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the doors of the top cover removed. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 2 showing the tool box in its rear position, and showing the tool box in phantom lines in its forward position. 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 7 is a partial top plan view showing the manner in which the rear access door can be removed from the top cover 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4, but showing a modified form of track used for guiding the movement of the tool box. 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line  9 — 9  of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1 the numeral  10  generally designates a truck having a cab  12  and ground engaging wheels  14 . On the rear of the truck  10  is a truck box or carrying compartment  16  having a floor  17  (FIG.  3 ), a front wall  18 , opposite side walls  20 - 22  and a rear wall or tailgate  24 . 
     Mounted over the top of the carrying compartment  16  is a top cover  26 . Top cover  26  includes two side frame members  28  and  30 , and a front frame member  31 . As view in cross section (FIG. 4) the two side frame members  28  and  30  each include an upper horizontal flange  32 , a frame side  34 , a bottom flange  36 , and a U-track  38  which is formed by an inner leg  39 , an outer leg  41 , and a U-bottom  43 . U-track  38  extends the entire length of side frame members  28  and  30 . 
     Extending between the two side frame members  28 - 30  is a cross frame member  40 , and also extending between the two side frame members  28 - 30  is the front frame member  31 . A longitudinal frame member  42  extends forwardly from cross frame member  40  to front frame member  31  so as to provide two access openings  44 ,  46  adjacent the front of the top cover  26 . A rear access opening  48  is provided rearwardly of the cross member  40 . 
     The top cover  26  is detachably mounted to the side wall  20 ,  22  by means of clamps  50  which are positioned at the four corners of the top cover  26 . The structure of clamps  50  is shown in FIG.  6  and includes a first jaw member  52  and a second jaw member  54  each of which are threaded over a threaded bolt  56  and each of which embrace a top flange  58  of the truck side wall  20  and the U-track  38  of the side frame member  28 . This holds the side frame member  28  to the top edge of the truck side wall  20 . The location of the clamps  50  at the four corners of the top cover  26  leaves the elongated U-tracks  38  free between the opposite ends of each of the side frame members  28  and  30 . 
     Mounted in covering relationship over the front access openings  44  and  46 , and the rear access opening  48  are a pair of front top doors  60 ,  62  and a rear top door  64  respectively. Doors  60 ,  62  are connected to the longitudinal frame member  42  by hinges  66  (FIG.  2 ). On each of the front doors  60 ,  62  is a catch member  68  located on the door edge opposite from hinges  66 . Catch member  68  is adapted to be retentively engaged by a conventional latch member (not shown) which can be pivoted out of retentive engagement with catch  68  by means of a lever handle  71 . Handle  71  may be of the type that can be locked to prevent unwanted access to the compartment chamber  16  as desired. 
     Rear top door  64  is hinged at its forward edge to the cross frame member  40  by means of hinges  70  (FIG.  7 ). Hinges  70  include a hinge pin  72  which is held in place by a pin  73 , and which can be removed to permit removal of the rear door  64 . 
     Removal of the rear door  64  may be desirable in order to permit objects which have a height higher than the top cover  26  to be placed within the carrying compartment. Also, removal of the rear door  64  may be desirable if a goose neck trailer is mounted to the floor  17  of the truck bed by means of a fifth wheel connection. In that situation the rear top door would be removed so as to permit access of the goose neck from the trailer to be inserted into the rear of the carrying compartment. 
     The rear top door  64  includes on its under surface a pair of bayonet latches  74 ,  76  which are adapted to engage pins (not shown) on the inside edges of side frame members  28  and  30  to detachably hold the rear top door  64  in a closed position. A pair of connecting straps  78  extend from the bayonet latches  74 ,  76  to a central pivot link  80  which is connected to a latch handle  82  on the upper surface of the door  64 . By rotating the latch handle  82  it is possible to withdraw the bayonet latches  74 ,  76  so as to permit raising and opening of the rear door  64 . A suitable lock (not shown) may be provided for locking latch handle  82  to prevent opening of the door  64  and thus provide security. 
     The two front doors  60  and  62  include shock absorbers  84  which hold the doors in their open position as shown in FIG.  1 . Similarly the rear door  64  includes a pair of shock absorbers  86  for the same purpose. The shock absorbers  86  may be easily detached from the door  64  by any conventional quick disconnect mechanism so that the door can be removed for the purposes described previously. 
     A tool box  88  is provided within the carrying compartment  16  and includes a front wall  90 , a rear wall  92 , opposite ends walls  94 ,  95 . Tool box  88  can include any number of desired partitions, boxes, or inner compartments for storing tools, and the details of these partitions are not shown in the drawings. 
     Extending outwardly from the end walls  94 ,  95  are four axles  96  which include wheel bearings  98  on their outer ends. Wheel bearings  98  are fitted within the U-shaped track  38  as shown in FIG.  4 . The rolling engagement of wheel bearings  98  in these U-shaped tracks  38  permits the tool box  88  to roll easily from its forward most position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 3 to its rear position shown in solid lines in FIG.  3 . 
     Mounted on the front wall  90  of the tool box  88  are a pair of bayonet latches  100  each of which includes an extensible latch pin biased outwardly in conventional fashion. Referring to FIGS. 3,  4 , and  9 , latch pins  102  are adapted to retentively engage a pair of stop pins  104  attached to a bottom flange  120  of front frame member  31 . 
     On the rear wall  92  of the tool box  88  is a latch handle  106  (FIG. 5) which is pivotally mounted and which includes a latch cable  108  connected thereto. Latch cable  108  passes downwardly below the bottom of the tool box  88  and then upwardly along the outside surface of the front wall  90 . As can be seen in FIG. 4 at its upper end the cable  108  splits into two split cables  110 ,  112  which pass around pulleys  114  and which are connected to the latch pins  102  of the two spaced apart bayonet latches  100 . Thus by pulling on latch handle  106  it is possible to retract the bayonet slot pins  102  and release the tool box from its connection to the stop pins  104 . 
     During transporting of the vehicle, and in normal situations the tool box is attached by means of the bayonet latches  100  and stop pins  104  to the front wall of the truck bed. This holds the tool box in position during transporting and prevents it from rolling along the tracks  38  during transporting. 
     However, when the vehicle is stopped, and when the operator wishes to gain access to tool box  88 , the operator can grasp the latch handle  106 , pull it upwardly and thereby release the bayonet latches  100 . This releases the tool box  88  and permits it to roll freely to its rear position adjacent the tailgate  24  of the vehicle carrying compartment. This permits the operator to gain access to the entire tool box from the tailgate  24  of the vehicle rather then having to move from one side of the vehicle to the other as is the case with conventional tool boxes. 
     Referring to FIG. 8, a modified form of channel or track is shown and is designated by the numeral  116 . Side frame  116  in cross section, is identical to the side frame member  28  shown in FIG. 6 with the exception that a C-shaped channel  118  is formed in the place of the U-shaped channel  38  shown in FIG.  6 . All other identical parts are shown with the same numerals to indicate corresponding parts between the side frame member  28  and the alternate form of side frame members  116 . 
     In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and the proportion of parts as well as in the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims.