Abstract:
A vehicle has a cab with a front seat and a rear seat; a cargo area behind the cab; and a back door between the cab and the cargo area. At least one hinge connects the back door to the cab such that the back door opens outward and upward.

Description:
[0001]    The benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/173,511, filed Dec. 29, 1999 is hereby claimed. The entire contents of this Provisional Application are incorporated herein by reference.  
           [0002]    The invention relates to trucks, such as sport utility trucks (SUTs). More specifically, the invention is directed to a new type of SUT which includes a back door at the rear of the passenger compartment.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    An object of the invention is to provide an improved vehicle. Another object of the invention is to provide a more flexible arrangement for a vehicle, such as an SUT.  
           [0004]    According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle having a cab with a front seat and a rear seat; an outside cargo bed behind the cab; and a back door between the cab and the cargo bed. At least one hinge connects the back door to the cab such that the back door opens outward and upward.  
           [0005]    According to another aspect of the invention, the invention provides the ornamental design for a vehicle as shown and described. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 shows an SUT having a back door, with the back door being in a closed position;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 shows an SUT having a back door, with the back door being in the open position;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIGS. 3 and 4 show a cab and a cargo bed of an SUT, with a back door closed and opened, respectively;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vehicle of FIG. 4; and  
         [0010]    FIGS.  6  to  11  are views illustrating vehicles which embody the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0011]    Current commercially-available pick-up type trucks do not have a back door between the passenger compartment (or cab) and the cargo area (or bed).  
         [0012]    In the present invention, a truck is provided with a rear seat and a back door, such that the truck can accommodate longer objects when the back door is open and the rear seat is stowed out of the way. Such a design is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a SUT  100 , with a cab  110 , a cargo bed  120 , and a back door  130 . FIG. 2 shows SUT  100  with the back door  130  held open by a stay(s)  140 . A similar design is shown in the  International Automobile Manufacturers Update , Vol. 10, No. 8 (August 1999), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 3 and 4 show a portion of a cab  210  and cargo bed  220  for a vehicle  200 . FIG. 3 shows cab  210  having a rear seat bottom  214  and a rear seat back  212  in a seating position. In FIG. 3, a back door  230  is in the closed position and a back door stay(s)  240  is in the stowed position. FIG. 4 shows the same vehicle with the back door  230  open and supported by stay(s)  240 . The stay(s)  240  can support the back door when the vehicle is running. In this design, the back door is connected to the roof of the cab by hinges  230 a, and the back door occupies most of the rear face of the cab. In FIG. 4, the rear seat bottom and the rear seat back are in a non-seating position. When the back door is opened, the rear seat bottom  214  can be in a pushed forward position and the rear seat back can be in a pushed down position so that it lies flat. Such an arrangement allows the space normally occupied by the rear seat to be used as cargo space (as an extension of the cargo bed). FIG. 5 shows an overall perspective view of this arrangement.  
         [0014]    FIGS.  6  to  11  are views illustrating vehicles which embody the invention. FIG. 8 depicts the left side of a vehicle. The right side is similar to the left side. The license plate, the Nissan insignia, and the coloring shown in these figures do not constitute an integral part of the disclosed and claimed design/invention.  
         [0015]    As can be appreciated from these figures, the present invention provides both sedan seating and pick-up truck utility. In the present invention, when the rear seat back is folded out of the way, an extension of the cargo bed is formed.  
         [0016]    The invention may be used in conjunction with the interlocks described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/525,053, filed Mar. 14, 2000, and entitled “Sport Utility Truck Interlocks.” The entire contents of this application are incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0017]    The invention is not limited to the specific examples of the invention set forth above. Variations and modifications of the examples set forth above will occur to those in the field. For example, the back door stays can be provided at other locations than set forth above, or the stays  140  and  240  can be deleted and the back door can be supported entirely by a stay(s) between the rear pillar of the cab and the back door. Such variations and modifications are within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is defined with reference to the following claims.