Abstract:
A system and method for deflecting the wind which would otherwise impinge upon the tailgate of a pickup truck, the deflector being removably mounted on the tailgate to preserve cargo space, including a spoiler, and requiring no modification to the tailgate or the truck bed, the deflector being made of relatively thin, lightweight panels with a large area brace and gust straps for resisting the pressure of the relative wind.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is related to and claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/287,422 entitled “Tailgate Sail” filed May 1, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a system and method for deflecting the wind which would otherwise impinge upon the tailgate of a pickup truck.  
           [0003]    The adverse effects of wind on the forward facing surface of the tailgate of a pickup truck are well known and many have addressed the problem by providing a rearwardly and upwardly inclined surface deflecting the wind up and over the tailgate when the truck bed is not filled with cargo. Often, such deflectors are in combination with the definition of storage areas (see, e.g. the Canfield U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,075 and the Kuo U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,058), loading ramps (see, e.g. the Slater U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,838), etc. and thus require substantial modification of the truck bed and/or tailgate. Many of the single function devices also require modification of the truck bed and/or the tailgate of the pickup truck to store the deflector when not deployed (see, e.g. the Corner U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,616).  
           [0004]    Others such as that disclosed in the Larsen U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,747 address the stowage problem by providing a false floor which is hinged to the bed at the front end thereof so that the rear end thereof may be selectively raised and lowered. In addition to the requirement that the bed of the truck be modified, the presence of the deflector on the bed is problematical and an unsatisfactory gap is created between the raised end of the deflector and the tailgate.  
           [0005]    Other known attempts to address the storage problem have constructed the deflector in two panels and telescoped one panel within the other panel so that the telescoped panels may be stored flat against the closed tailgate when not deployed. Examples of such deflectors are disclosed in the Benchoff U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,498 and the Mora, Sr. U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,567. These telescoping devices necessarily have substantial thickness inasmuch as the telescoped panel must have sufficient structural integrity to resist the substantial pressure of the relative wind generated by high speed driving, and the telescoping panel must overlie and structurally support the telescoped panel. Still additional thickness is required if the assembly includes laterally extendable panels to accommodate truck beds of different widths, and the construction of such complicated assemblies is generally expensive.  
           [0006]    Attempts to address the storage problem without resorting to telescoping structures include the hinging of the two panels and the folding thereof against the closed tailgate. As disclosed, for example, in the Vallerand U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,714, the maintenance of the panels in the deployed position is accomplished by fastening the distal end of the forward panel to the truck bed. This requires modification of the truck bed and increases the difficulty in deploying and storing the deflector.  
           [0007]    Still other systems such as disclosed in the Felker U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,589 avoid the necessity for attaching the distal end of the forward panel to the truck bed by making the panels sufficiently rigid and thick, and by the location of the hinges used to connect the panels that the abutting edges of the panels limit the rotation of the forward panel upwardly beyond the plane of the rear panel. The force of the relative wind is concentrated on the hinged junction, and, in general, such structures have proven unsatisfactory because of the thickness and strength of materials required to mechanically resist the force of the relative wind.  
           [0008]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to obviate many of the above problems in known systems and to provide a novel system and method for deflecting the relative wind from the closed tailgate of a pickup truck.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel wind deflector and method that permits the use of thinner, relatively lightweight panels through a brace carried by the upper panel and overlapping the lower panel to limit the forward rotation thereof.  
           [0010]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel wind deflector and method that requires no cargo interfering modification of the truck bed or the tailgate.  
           [0011]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel wind deflector and method in which the angle of the deflector relative to the truck bed, and/or the shape of the deflector, may easily be adjusted to increase aerodynamic efficiency.  
           [0012]    It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a novel wind deflector and method for integrating a spoiler into the deflector.  
           [0013]    It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide a novel stand-alone lightweight wind deflector which may be easily and quickly installed on and removed from the tailgate of a pickup truck.  
           [0014]    It is yet a further object to provide a novel deflector and method with means for supporting the rigidity of the deployed deflector.  
           [0015]    These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is an elevation in cross-section illustrating one embodiment of the wind deflector of the present invention with the deflector stored against the closed tailgate.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is an elevation in cross-section of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the deflector in a position intermediate the stored and deployed position.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is an elevation in cross-section of a second embodiment of the wind deflector of the present invention with the deflector fully deployed and with a gust strap.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is an elevation in cross-section of a third embodiment of the deflector of FIG. 3 showing the local and/or remote adjustability of the shape of the deflector. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]    Referring to the Figures where like numerals represent like components, the deflector includes a mount  10  shown overlying the top of a closed tailgate  12 . The deflector may be retained on the tailgate  12  in any suitable conventional way, preferably by frictional engagement of the arms  14 ,  16  of the mount  10  with the tailgatel 2  across the entire width thereof, and may be made of any suitable material such as a molded high impact plastic. It has been found desirable to extend the arm  14  downwardly to the truck bed as shown in FIG. 3, and to make it coextensive with the inside surface of the closed tailgate to increase the relatively lower pressure which will have to be overcome to lift the leg  14  away from the tailgate. For safety reasons, a suitable threaded fastener may be used, preferably adjacent the truck bed for maximum leverage, to secure the mount to the tailgate. The extension of the arm  14  is also useful in that it provides a place where a suitable conventional latch  24  may be mounted for the purpose of retaining the two panels  18 ,  20  tight against the closed tailgate when not deployed.  
         [0021]    The mount  10  extends rearwardly from the tailgate  12  to form a spoiler  16  that extends across the width of the tailgate  14  for the air exiting the truck bed.  
         [0022]    The deflector includes an upper or rear panel  18  and a lower or forward panel  20 . The upper panel  18  is hinged or otherwise pivotably secured to the mount  10  in a suitable conventional manner for forward rotation from a vertical position alongside the closed tailgate to an angled position relative to the truck bed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The proximate end of the lower panel  20  is hinged or otherwise pivotably secured to the distal end of the upper panel  18  in a suitable conventional manner for forward rotation from a vertical position alongside the closed tailgate to an angled position relative to the truck bed as shown in FIG. 3, substantially coplanar with the upper panel  18 .  
         [0023]    As shown in the Figures, the upper panel  18  is provided with a brace  22 . The brace  22  is fixedly secured to the forward facing surface of the upper panel  18  in a suitable conventional manner and overlies the forward facing surface of the lower panel  20  when fully deployed without any attachment thereto.  
         [0024]    The angle of the coplanar panels relative to the truck bed is a function of the height of the tailgate  12  and the length of the panels  18 ,  20 . Note that the distal end of the lower panel  20  is not attached in any way to the truck bed. but rests thereon. It is the function of the brace  22  to prevent the lower panel from rotating beyond the plane of the upper panel  18 . Other mechanical means may but it has been found particularly advantageous to use a panel which extends across the full width of the panels  18 ,  20  and which overlies the junction for several inches on both sides thereof to provide a large surface area over which the force of the relative wind can be spread. The panel  22  is desirably faired or tapered at both the top and bottom edges to provide for smooth air flow across the junction of the panels.  
         [0025]    The force of the relative wind tends to force the junction of the two panels  18 .  20  downward putting pressure on the proximate end of the lower panel  20  brace. Since the proximate end of the lower panel  20  is restrained by the hinged connection to the upper panel  18  , and since the distal end of the lower panel  20  is restrained by contact with the truck bed, the downward pressure of the proximate end of the lower panel  18  tends to rotate the lower panel  20  forward of the plane of the upper panel  18 , which rotation is resisted by the brace  22 . This pressure tends to lift the brace  22  away from the upper panel  18  and the relatively large area of contact between the brace  22  and the upper panel  18  spreads that pressure and permits the use of thinner panels.  
         [0026]    There are swirls and eddies and gusts of wind which also impact the deflector. The passage of air over the panels tends to create a low pressure area over the panels which tends to lift the distal end of the lower panel  20  off of the truck bed. This is disadvantageous in that air under the panels will tend to lift the panels as a unit and further stress the junction of the panels. To combat this, it has been found advantageous to anchor the distal end of the lower panel  20 . Since no attachment can be made to the truck bed without the modification thereof, it has been found advantageous to extend the arm  14  of the mount downwardly to the truck bed as shown in FIG. 3. The lower end of this extension  14  may then serve as the place of attachment of one or more flexible lines or straps which can be connected at spaced apart points to the distal end of the lower panel  20 . The presence of such “gust straps” tends to maintain the distal end of the lower panel  20  in contact with the truck bed will resist the lifting of the two panels as a unit and will reduce the pressure on the junction of the two panels. The gust straps are desirably made of a semi-rigid plastic material with a memory or crease lines so that the gust strap tends to fold between the two panels  18 ,  20  as the panels are stored against the tailgate.  
         [0027]    Of course, the shape of the lower panel  20  may be dimensioned to conform to the location of the wheel wells of a particular truck bed without interfering with the ease of storage and deployment of the panels. The distal end of the lower panel may also be made to conform to any corrugations in the truck bed or its liner. If convenient to have the two panels  18 ,  20  the same width, additional width may be provided for the portion thereof rearward of the wheel wells by fold-outs secured to the truck body or bed liner by Velcro® strips, snaps, buttons or the like.  
         [0028]    The thinness of the panels relative to known panels is an advantage in that weight is decreased and the panels may deflect somewhat to accommodate short lived forces without unduly stressing the junction of the panels or the attachment of the brace  22  to the upper panel  18 .  
         [0029]    As shown in FIG. 4, an adjustable length connection may be established between the junction of the two panels  18 ,  20  and the extended leg  14  of the deflector mount. This connection may be any suitable conventional mechanical connection with sufficient strength to control the deflection of the panels. By way of example, the device may be a rod  26  with a screw jack adjustment  28 . Desirably, the rod is pivotably mounted so that it may be laterally swung into a channel in the extension  14  so as to avoid interfering with the storage of the deflector panels  18 ,  20  adjacent the closed tailgate. The forward end of the rod  26  may be attached to the upper panel  18  or through the junction to the brace  22 . Alternatively, the rod may be removed for storage of the deflector and inserted upon deployment.  
         [0030]    In other embodiments, a sissor jack may be employed so that the shaft remains parallel to the tailgate and the screw action deploys and retracts the jack.  
         [0031]    The adjustment of the length of the rod  26  may be manually or electrically accomplished locally or remotely controlled from the cab of the pickup. The control may also be automatic in response to conventional sensors located on the deflector or alternatively controlled as a function of the speed of the pickup, sensed e.g. by the speedometer Changes in the shape of the deflector to accommodate the relative wind is important to the efficiency of the deflector in much the same manner as the shape of the sail is important to a racing sailboat. Control of the length of the gust strap attached to the distal end of the lower panel  20  provides an additional point in shaping the surface formed by the panels  18 ,  20 .  
         [0032]    While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and that the scope of the invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims when accorded a full range of equivalence, many variations and modification naturally occurring to those of skill in the art from a perusal hereof.