Truck bed extender apparatus

A truck bed extender having a pair of generally parallel, spaced apart side walls which are joined to a back wall, and having an open top and an open bottom. A pair of forward pointing plates or tabs are coupled to the side walls, with the forward pointing plates generally structured and configured to slidably engage slots defined by the strike plates and truck bed walls of a pickup truck. A pair of downward pointing plates or tabs, each including an opening for a latch bolt, are also coupled to the side walls, with the downward pointing plates structured and configured to slidably engage the slots defined by the latch plates and sides of the tail ate of a pickup truck.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention pertains generally to devices and methods for extending the 
length of a truck bed, and more particularly to a truck bed extender 
apparatus which is detachably mounted on a tail gate through use of the 
conventional tail gate latching mechanism present on pickup trucks. 
2. Description of the Background Art 
Pickup trucks and like automotive vehicles generally have a tail gate 
pivotally mounted at the back end of a truck bed which can be lowered or 
dropped down to facilitate the loading and unloading of freight or other 
items from the truck bed. However, a common problem experienced in hauling 
loads with pickup trucks is that the truck bed is not long enough to 
accommodate particular freight items or loads to be transported. While the 
tail gate of the truck can be left open during transportation to 
accommodate freight items which are longer than the truck bed, an open 
tail gate creates a risk of losing freight and can cause potential road 
hazards due to lost freight items lying on roadways. 
Numerous devices have been developed to utilize the open tail gate of a 
truck to provide an extension of the truck bed. Common truck bed extension 
devices typically include a back wall pivotally coupled to the back or end 
of the open tail gate and side walls which extend from the walls of the 
truck bed out to the back wall. Such truck bed extensions, however, have 
proved deficient in various respects. One particular problem with 
currently known truck bed extensions is that they tend to be difficult to 
attach to truck tail gate assemblies, and are correspondingly difficult to 
remove from the tail gate assembly when the extension is not needed. 
Further, most conventional truck bed extension devices require expensive, 
permanent modification of the truck tail gate and/or truck bed walls in 
order to attach the extension. Such modifications frequently require 
addition of brackets, hinges, fastening mechanisms, or other intrusive 
hardware to the truck bed walls and/or tail gate assembly which are 
undesirable when the truck bed extension is not in use. 
Accordingly, there is a need for a truck bed extender apparatus which can 
be quickly and easily attached to and removed from the tail gate of a 
truck and which can be used with existing truck tail gate assemblies 
without modification thereof. The present invention satisfies these needs, 
as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in 
conventional devices. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is a truck bed extender which can be quickly and 
easily attached to, and detached from, the tail gate of standard pickup 
trucks or like vehicles, and which is coupled directly to the latching 
mechanism of the tail gate without requiring modification of the tail gate 
or other portions of the truck. In general terms, the invention comprises 
a back wall, a pair of side walls coupled to the back wall, and an open 
top and open bottom. A pair of forward pointing plates or tabs mounted on 
the side walls slidably engage slots defined by the strike plates of the 
tail gate latching mechanism and the walls of the truck bed. A pair of 
downward pointing plates or tabs mounted on the side walls slidably engage 
the latch bolt and slots between the latch plates and sides of the open 
tail gate. 
By way of example and not of limitation, the back wall generally includes 
first and second sides, and the side walls include front and back ends. 
The back ends of the side walls are coupled to the sides of the back wall, 
with the side walls generally parallel to and spaced apart from each 
other. The downwardly disposed plates are generally adjacent bottom edges 
of the first and second sides, and include openings which engage the latch 
bolts in the tail gate. The forwardly disposed plates are positioned 
adjacent the front ends of the side walls. Padding or cushioning may be 
used along the lower edge of the back plate and side plates to prevent 
scratching of the tail gate finish. 
The tail gate extender comprising the present invention is utilized by 
lowering the tail gate of the pickup truck or like vehicle, and inserting 
or sliding the forwardly disposed plates or tabs on the side walls into 
the slots defined by the strike plates and the ends of the truck bed 
walls. Then, the downwardly disposed plates or tabs on the side walls are 
inserted into the slots defined by the latch plates and sides of the tail 
gate so that the tail gate latch bolts engage the holes in the downward 
pointing plates. The extender may be removed by disengaging the latch 
bolts from the holes in the downward pointing plates, and then disengaging 
the downward pointing plates from the slots defined by the latch plates 
and tail gate sides and disengaging the forward pointing plates from the 
slots formed by the strike plates and ends of the truck bed walls. Thus, 
the tail gate extender comprising the invention is detachably mounted onto 
the tail gate through use of the existing tail gate latching mechanism, 
and does not require addition of hinges, brackets or other intrusive 
hardware to the tail gate in order to use the invention. 
An object of the invention is to provide a truck bed extender apparatus 
which can be quickly and easily installed on and removed from the tail 
gate area of pickup trucks and other vehicles having a dropping tail gate. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a truck bed extender 
apparatus which couples to the latching mechanism of standard truck tail 
gates. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a truck bed extender 
apparatus which can be used without modification of the tail gate 
assembly, truck bed, or other parts of the pickup truck. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a truck bed extender 
apparatus which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture. 
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the 
following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description 
is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the 
invention without placing limitations thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes the 
present invention is embodied in the apparatus generally shown in FIG. 1 
through FIG. 6. It will be appreciated that the apparatus may vary as to 
configuration and as to details of the parts without departing from the 
basic concepts as disclosed herein. The invention is disclosed in terms of 
a conventional pickup truck or light truck. It should be readily 
understood, however, that the invention may be used with other types of 
vehicles which include a dropping tail gate arrangement. 
Referring first to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a truck bed extender apparatus 10 in 
accordance with the present invention is generally shown. The extender 
apparatus 10 is used generally with pickup trucks or like vehicles which 
have a truck bed 12 with walls 14a, 14b and a drop down tail gate 16 
pivotally attached to truck bed 12 by hinges 18 or like hardware. Tail 
gate 16 is typically attached to truck bed side walls 14a, 14b by brace 
assemblies 20 which are pivotally attached to the sides 22 of tail gate 16 
and to truck bed walls 14a, 14b in a conventional fashion. 
Referring more particularly to FIG. 3 through FIG. 5, as well as FIG. 1 and 
FIG. 2, a conventional tail gate latching arrangement or assembly for 
pickup trucks and like vehicles generally includes a latch bolt 24 located 
on each side 22 of tail gate 16 and a latch plate 26 coupled to each side 
22 adjacent latch bolt 24. The latching arrangement also includes a 
conventional latching mechanism (not shown) which is internal to tail gate 
16 and which is mechanically interfaced with latch bolts 24. Slots 28 are 
generally defined between latch plates 26 and the adjacent sides 22 of 
tail gate 16, with latch bolts 24 positioned in slots 28. The standard 
latching arrangement additionally includes a pair of strike plates 30 of 
generally U-shaped cross-section, with a strike plate 30 coupled to each 
truck bed wall 14. Openings 32 are included on strike plates 30, with 
openings 32 structured and configured to receive latch bolts 24 when tail 
gate 16 is closed. Slots 34 are generally defined between strike plates 30 
and the adjacent truck bed side walls 14a, 14b. 
Referring more particularly to FIG. 6 as well as FIG. 1 through FIG. 5 
generally, the truck bed extender 10 comprising the invention includes a 
back wall 36 with first and second ends 38a, 38b, and first and second 
side walls 40a, 40b. First side wall 40a generally includes a front end 
42a and a back end 44a, and second side wall 40b likewise has a front end 
42b and a back end 44b. First and second side walls 40a, 40b are coupled 
or joined to back wall 36, preferably with side walls 40a, 40b 
substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to 
back wall 36, to define a generally rectangular shape for truck bed 
extender 10. Side walls 40a, 40b are preferably spaced apart from each 
other at a distance generally equal to the distance between walls 14a, 14b 
of truck bed 12. Preferably, side walls 40a, 40b are joined to back wall 
36 such that back end 44a of first side wall 40a is generally adjacent 
first end 38a of back wall 36, and back end 44b of second side wall 40b is 
generally adjacent second end 38b of back wall 36. Side walls 40a, 40b 
and/or back wall 36 may be angled relative to one another to provide 
non-rectangular configurations for truck bed extender 10, if desired. 
The invention also includes first and second forwardly disposed or forward 
pointing plates or tabs 46a, 46b, with plate 46a coupled to first side 
wall 40a adjacent front end 42a, and plate 46b coupled to second side wall 
40b adjacent front end 42b. Preferably, plate 46a is coupled to side wall 
40a by a mounting base 48a, and plate 46b is coupled to side wall 40b by 
mounting base 48b. Mounting bases 48a, 48b are joined to side walls 40a, 
40b by bolts 50 or like attachment hardware or welds. Forward pointing 
plates 46a, 46b extend outward and forward from front ends 42a, 42b of 
side walls 40a, 40b respectively, and are structured and configured to 
slidably and reversibly engage the slots 34 defined by strike plates 30 
and truck walls 14a, 14b. Forward pointing plates 46a, 46b are preferably 
mounted on the outer surfaces 52a, 52b of side walls 40a, 40b as shown, 
but may alternatively be mounted on inner surfaces 54a, 54b of side walls 
40a, 40b respectively, or may be partially embedded within the material of 
side walls 40a, 40b such that forwardly disposed plates 46a, 46b are 
generally co-planar with side walls 40a, 40b respectively. 
Also provided with the invention are first and second downwardly disposed 
or downward pointing plates or tabs 56a, 56b, which are coupled to first 
and second side walls 40a, 40b adjacent bottom or lower edges 58a, 58b 
respectively. Holes or apertures 60a, 60b are provided in plates 56a, 56b 
respectively, with apertures 60a, 60b structured and configured to receive 
latch bolts 24 as discussed below. Downward pointing plates 56a, 56b 
preferably are coupled to side walls 40a, 40b by mounting bases 62a, 62b 
respectively, which are held onto side walls by bolts 50 or other standard 
attachment hardware. Downward pointing plates 56a, 56b extend downward and 
outward from lower edges 58a, 58b of side walls 40a, 40b, and are 
generally structured and configured to slidably and reversibly engage the 
slots 28 defined by latch plates 26 and sides 22 on tail gate 16. As with 
forward pointing plates 46a, 46b, downward pointing plates 56a, 56b are 
preferably mounted on the outer surfaces 52a, 52b of side walls 40a, 40b 
as shown. However, downward pointing plates 56a, 56b could be mounted on 
inner surfaces 54a, 54b of side walls 40a, 40b or partially embedded 
within the material of side walls 40a, 40b. 
It will be appreciated that forward pointing plates 46a, 46b must be 
properly aligned to engage slots 34 in strike plates 30, and that downward 
pointing plates 56a, 56b must be properly aligned to engage slots 28 in 
latch plates 26 and to receive latch bolts 24 through apertures 60. 
Accordingly, bolts 50 could be made to extend into elongated holes in 
first and second side walls 40a, 40b or, alternatively, the holes in 
plates 46a, 46b, 56a, 56b through which bolts 50 extend could be made 
elongated to provide for either lateral or vertical adjustment to align 
the plates in relation to strike plates 30, latch plates 26 and/or latch 
bolts 24. 
The side walls 40a, 40b and back wall 36 of truck bed extender 10 
preferably define a generally rectangular, box-like structure and 
configuration for truck bed extender 10, with an open top 64 and an open 
bottom 66. A cushioning strip 68 may be included with the truck bed 
extender 10, to prevent scratching of the finish on tail gate 16 if 
desired. Cushioning strip 68 is preferably made of a resilient polymeric 
foam material such as polyurethane, and is attached to truck bed extender 
10 along bottom edges 58a, 58b of side walls 40a, 40b, and bottom edge 70 
of back wall. 
Side walls 40a, 40b and back wall 36 are preferably made of sheet metal, 
polymeric material, polymer composite material, wood, particle board, or 
other material of suitable durability for use in retaining freight within 
truck bed 12. Side walls 40a, 40b and back wall 36 may be joined together 
by brackets, adhesives, welds, bolts, clamps, clips, or other standard 
coupling means. Alternatively, side walls 40a, 40b and back wall 36 may be 
integral portions of a single piece of metallic or polymeric material 
which has been bent into appropriate shape. It is also contemplated that 
side walls 40a, 40b could be pivotally coupled to back wall so that the 
extender apparatus may be folded up for storage while not in use. 
The invention is quickly and easily installed on the tail gate 16 of a 
pickup truck or like vehicle by lowering or dropping tail gate 16 into the 
open position, and then sliding or inserting forwardly disposed plates or 
tabs 46a, 46b into slots 34 between strike plates 30 and truck bed walls 
14a, 14b, with front ends 42a, 42b of side walls 40a, 40b positioned 
generally adjacent to truck bed walls 14a, 14b. Then, downwardly disposed 
plates or tabs 56a, 56b are inserted into slots 28 between latch plates 26 
and tail gate sides 22, and latch bolts 24 are engaged in apertures 60a, 
60b. The truck bed extender 10 with forward pointing and downward pointing 
plates 46a, 46b, 56a, 56b thus attached is positioned with bottom edges 
58a, 58b of side walls 40a, 40b and bottom edge 70 of back wall 36 
adjacent the open tail gate 16, with the open bottom 66 of the apparatus 
10 generally adjacent to tail gate 16. The latch bolts 24 engaged in 
apertures 60a, 60b lock the apparatus 10 into place and prevent shifting 
or movement of the truck bed extender 10 during travel which could 
otherwise cause forward pointing and/or downward pointing plates 46a, 46b, 
56a, 56b from disengaging slots 28, 34. While thus positioned, back wall 
36 serves the function of a closed tail gate, side walls 40a, 40b serve 
generally as extensions of truck bed walls 14a, 14b, and the open tail 
gate serves an extension of the truck bed 12, thereby allowing the 
transport of freight items which are too long to be accommodated by the 
truck bed 12 when tail gate 16 is closed. Side walls 40a, 40b and back 
wall 36 thus provide barriers which prevent freight items from being lost 
from the truck bed 12 which could otherwise occur if the freight items 
were transported on the truck bed 12 with tail gate 16 open. 
The truck bed extender apparatus 10 is quickly and easily detached or 
removed from tail gate 16 by disengaging latch bolts 24 from apertures 
60a, 60b in downward pointing plates 56a, 56b by actuating the handle (not 
shown) in tail gate, and then disengaging downward pointing plates 56a, 
56b from slots 28 and disengaging forward pointing plates 46a, 46b from 
slots 34. The detached truck bed extension 10 may be stored within the 
vehicle on truck bed 12 while not in use. As mentioned above, no 
additional brackets, hinges or other fastening hardware are required for 
attachment of truck bed extender apparatus 10 to tail gate 16 and truck 
bed walls 14a, 14b, as are generally required by conventional truck bed 
extension devices. 
The relative dimensions of side walls 40a, 40b and back wall 36 may be 
varied as required to accommodate different sizes, types or models of 
pickup truck or other vehicle. The size and structure and configuration of 
forward pointing and downward pointing plates 46a, 46b, 56a, 56b, as well 
as their relative locations on side walls 40a, 40b may likewise be varied 
as necessary to accommodate the location of slots 28, 34 on different 
models, makes or types of truck. As mentioned above, side walls 40a, 40b 
and back wall 36 may be angled relative to each other to form a 
non-rectangular structure, and may be angled such that open top 64 is 
wider than open bottom 66. The general structure, configuration and 
dimension of truck bed extender 10 may thus be varied as required for 
different applications of the invention. 
Accordingly, it will be seen that this invention provides a truck bed 
extension apparatus which is quick and easy to install and remove, and 
which does not require modification of truck tail gate assemblies for 
installation. Although the description above contains many specificities, 
these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but 
as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred 
embodiments of this invention. Thus the scope of this invention should be 
determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.