Modular trailer

A modular trailer utilizes a small trailer body capable of being pulled by the average passenger automobile. The trailer's interior is provided such that it may be utilized in a completely open fashion for the transportation of large, bulky items, or alternatively may be utilized with the addition of removal modular walls, shelves and restraints in a wide variety of configurations which provide particularized storage spaces for small items or items requiring special restraint during transportation. The trailer is provided such that the entire interior space may be utilized as a single compartment or it may be broken down into large compartments, small compartments or a combination of the two, according to the changing and varied needs of the operator. The device utilizes a plurality of movable walls and shelves which may be interlocked in a variety of configurations as well as providing a shaded interior space. The trailer is provided with fold-out accessories such as a picnic table and trailering ramps, all of which may be broken down and stored within the trailer with a relatively small loss of utility space in the event that the device is to be utilized in an empty mode.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a trailer which is towed behind an 
automobile, truck or the like. More particularly, this invention relates 
to a trailer which has a modular interior such that a variety of 
components may be interchangeably mounted to accommodate a variety of 
accessories and to provide storage for a number of particular items. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A wide variety of general purpose and particularly designed trailers have 
been utilized for the storage and transportation of various objects. In 
general, it is usually necessary to trade-off flexibility of use in such a 
trailer if one is intending to store and transport particularly-shaped 
objects. Conversely, if one needs flexibility in the particular uses to 
which a trailer will be applied, then the most common design for such a 
trailer is a large empty box. This is the most common configuration for 
utility trailers and provides a universal application. 
In the event, however, that one requires a trailer for the transportation 
of small or breakable objects, or objects that do not transport well 
without restraint, then an empty trailer must be packed with care and 
generally filled to prevent loss of load during the transportation 
operation. Even a relatively small amount of shifting may result in damage 
or destruction of the trailer itself during transportation. As a final 
note, a particularized danger encountered during the shifting of a load 
during a trailering operation is the loss of stability of the moving 
trailer and possible damage to other vehicles on a highway or the like. 
It is therefore necessary in the selection of a trailer for the 
transportation of objects that the trailer be well adapted to the 
transportation of the particular objects intended to be moved. In the 
event that a large number of small items are to be transported, a trailer 
having a large number of compartments would be the most satisfactory. This 
permits easy ingress and egress from the trailer as well as simple 
location of the objects contained therein. In the previous example, that 
is of the large empty trailer, it is frequently impossible to retrieve a 
large percentage of the stored or transported objects without removal of 
the entire load. This lack of flexibility also causes a lack of utility 
when the transported objects must be repetitively moved on to and off of 
the trailer. 
In the situation involving a trailer having a large number of 
particularized compartments, or any particularized compartments for that 
matter, flexibility is lessened and the storage capacity of the trailer is 
limited to the particularly sized compartments. Should the needs of the 
operator change from time to time, the trailer may become completely 
useless depending upon the nature of the goods intended to be transported. 
A number of trailers have been proposed in the prior art which provide 
varying levels of flexibility in order to achieve a balance between 
particularized storage and universal flexibility. Examples of these are 
Bunting et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,647, issued Jan. 20, 1987, for a 
trailer having particularized compartments for the storage and 
transportation of field decoys. This device, however, utilizes a number of 
particularly sized and shaped compartments having particularized mounting 
means for the restraint of field decoys. While this is particularly useful 
for the transport of field decoys and other small articles, the 
flexibility of the device is severely limited. 
Laursen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,631, issued Aug. 8, 1989, discloses the use of 
particularized compartments within a general purpose trailer for the 
storage of particular devices such as small motorized recreational 
vehicles. This device combines the features of particularized stored 
spaces with a general purpose vehicle, but lacks the ability to change its 
features when the needs of the operator have changed. 
Toomey, U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,743, issued Dec. 12, 1972, is a further 
illustration of this situation, in which a trailer is provided with a 
number of particularly sized and shaped interior compartments for the 
storage and restraint of particular items. 
Grabast, U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,980, issued Nov. 5, 1974, provides an 
increased amount of flexibility, having a large open interior space for 
the storage of large items and also having a number of small, foldable 
accessories and a number of smaller storage compartments along the 
periphery thereof. 
Each of these devices has attempted to provide a particularized storage 
space for specific items or attempted to combine such particularized 
storage with additional open space for the transportation of larger items 
or to provide flexibility in storage capacity. 
What is lacking in the art, however, is a device which provides flexible 
storage space which may be utilized for specialized or smaller items and 
alternatively may utilize the same interior space for the storage of 
larger items within a compact trailer capable of being pulled by a 
passenger automobile. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A trailer is provided which utilizes a small trailer body which is capable 
of being pulled by the average passenger automobile. The trailer's 
interior is provided with a modular design such that it may be utilized in 
a completely open fashion for the transportation of large, bulky items, 
such as a small tractor, or alternatively may be utilized with the 
addition of removable modular walls, shelves and restraints in a wide 
variety of configurations which provide particularized storage spaces for 
small items or items requiring special restraint during transportation. 
The trailer is provided such that the entire interior space may be 
utilized as a single compartment or it may be broken down into large 
compartments, small compartments or a combination of the two, according to 
the changing and varied needs of the operator. The device is further 
particularly adapted for use, in addition to the transportation of large 
items, as a vacation-type trailer for the storage of clothing and 
recreational accessories as well as being adapted for use as a 
recreational vehicle in and of itself. 
The device utilizes a plurality of movable walls and shelves which may be 
interlocked in a variety of configurations as well as providing a shaded 
interior space for use at picnics, ball games, and the like. The trailer 
is provided with fold-out accessories such as a picnic table and 
trailering ramps, all of which may be broken down and stored within the 
trailer with a relatively small loss of utility space in the event that 
the device is to be utilized in an empty mode. 
These and other particular advantages and features of this device will be 
more fully described and understood with reference to the presently 
preferred embodiments and to the appended drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The modular trailer 1 is provided with a front panel 2 and a top panel 3 as 
illustrated in FIG. 1. These are unmovable blank panels which provide 
structural integrity for the trailer as a whole. The exterior of the 
trailer is, in the closed position, generally of a rectangular box. The 
trailer 1, as a whole, is generally sized and configured as a conventional 
trailer having a frame or chassis 4 upon which the storage compartment is 
mounted. The trailer 1 is generally provided with wheels and suspension 
means as is well-known in the art. The storage portion of the trailer is 
further provided with a hinged side door 5 and a hinged rear door 7. The 
particular orientation and use of these doors will be further described 
with reference to FIG. 2. Hinged side door 5 is provided with at least one 
and preferably two side door locking means 10 which may be of any 
conventional locking type. Examples of such include sliding and hinged 
bolts as well as conventional lock hasps which are adapted for use in 
conjunction with a padlock. Hinged rear door 7 may also be provided with 
any type of conventional locking means but is preferably provided with a 
rotational bar locking means 9 which is of a type usually associated with 
tractor trailers and the like. A rotational bar 9A is provided which is 
rotationally mounted to the rear panel of the trailer 1 adjacent to hinged 
door 7. The rotational bar 9A has a lock hinge 9B affixed thereto and 
hinged bar 9C is pivotally mounted thereto. Hinged bar 9C may be received 
and restrained by hinged bar restraints 9D which are firmly affixed to the 
exterior surface of hinged door 7. In the locked mode, hinged bar 9C is 
utilized to rotate rotational bar 9A such that hinged bar 9C may be 
inserted between hinged bar restraints 9D and hinged door 7. An additional 
bar locking means such as a hasp may be provided to receive a padlock 
which will allow the rear door locking means 9 to be restrained in the 
locked position. The open position of rear door locking means 9 is further 
illustrated in FIG. 2. 
Referring again to FIG. 1, the front portion of the frame 4 is provided 
with a trailer hitch 13 which is conventionally sized and shaped to be 
affixed to a variety of trailering devices which may be affixed to a car, 
light truck or the like. One particular advantage of the modular trailer 
described herein is its relatively light weight and small size such that 
an ordinary passenger car may pull it without undue wear or damage to the 
automobile. An adjustable support wheel 16 may optionally be utilized in 
conjunction with the front portion of the frame to support the trailer 
when it is not hitched to a vehicle. The adjustable wheel is of a 
conventional design and may be raised and lowered relative to frame 4 by 
any one of a number of conventional means which are not illustrated. Frame 
4 also provides a location for a propane tank support 12 which is 
illustrated having propane tank 14 contained therein. The location of the 
propane tank exterior to the storage compartment of the trailer 1 is 
adapted to provide maximum flexibility for storage and utilization of the 
propane tank in conjunction with a grill or other exterior device which 
will be described later in this specification. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, the trailer is shown having hinged side door 5 and 
hinged rear door 7 in the open position exposing the interior in one of 
its many modular embodiments. While a number of these interior 
arrangements are described within this specification, it is to be 
specifically noted and understood that the interior modular components may 
be assembled in a wide variety of arrangements and that such arrangements 
are limited only by circumstances and not by the description herein. 
Hinged side door 5 is hinged along its upper edge and may be raised and 
lowered in order to provide access to the interior space from the side 
position. The hinged side door 5, while in the open position, also 
provides an awning for the area immediately adjacent to the side portion 
of the trailer 1. Gas pistons 5A are affixed to hinged side door 5 and 
side walls of the compartment in order to provide a stable support for 
hinged side door 5 in its open position. Gas pistons 5A are adapted such 
that hinged side door 5 may be stably located in any position through the 
entire length of the extension of gas pistons 5A. Additionally, the 
pistons 5A may be mounted in a plurality of positions to allow the extreme 
opening position of hinged side door 5 to be adjusted. It is expected, 
however, that hinged side door 5 will be utilized most often in its 
fully-extended position. 
Hinged rear door 7 is hinged along one of its side edges. It is adapted to 
open such that when fully opened, it is parallel to the rear face of the 
storage compartment. A hold-down means (not shown) may be utilized to hold 
hinged rear door 7 in the open position during the loading and unloading 
of objects through the rear door. Hinged rear door locking means 9 is 
illustrated in the unlocked position in which hinged bar 9C is lying 
parallel to rotational bar 9A and is not engaged with hinged rear door 7. 
This arrangement removes rear door locking means 9 from the area 
immediately adjacent to the opening of hinged rear door 7 and therefore is 
not likely to interfere with objects passing through the opening of hinged 
rear door 7. 
The interior of the storage compartment is provided with interior side 
walls 15. Interior side walls 15 are provided with a variety of means for 
the affixing of the modular walls. The operation of the attachment of 
these modular walls to side walls 15 will be more particularly described 
with reference to FIG. 3. The modular walls are further comprised of 
interior short modular walls 18 and interior long modular walls 17. The 
modular interior may be constructed with any combination of these long and 
short interior modular walls. Furthermore, dependant upon the particular 
arrangement of the walls and the needs of the operator, intermediate sizes 
of these walls may be provided. It is to be specifically noted that no 
particular size or length of these walls is required by the design of the 
trailer and that a variety of different sized walls may be provided and 
combined to provide the most flexible interior arrangement. As illustrated 
in FIG. 2, interior long modular wall 17 bisects the interior space of the 
trailer 1 along its longitudinal axis while interior short modular walls 
18 are mounted perpendicular thereto to provide both stability and a 
plurality of smaller storage compartments. A modular interior shelf 19 is 
placed extending perpendicular to interior short modular wall 18, interior 
long modular wall 17 and interior side wall 15 to provide an even smaller 
storage compartment. 
The modular shelves and walls are affixed to each other through a series of 
locks or locking means which permit the removable interconnection of the 
various components in a variety of ways. Interior modular wall locks 21 
are illustrated as connecting interior short modular wall 18 and interior 
long modular wall 17. These locking means may be comprised of any well 
known interconnection including a tongue-and-slot sliding clamp, sliding 
latch or screw-type model. The preferred embodiment includes a simple 
sliding device which allows the components to be firmly interconnected 
without the use of any tools and further allows the components to be 
assembled or disassembled with maximum speed and ease. Interior modular 
shelf locks 22 may be comprised on any of the previously described devices 
or may be further comprised of a series of slots cut into the modular 
walls or merely an extended support portion upon which the shelf may be 
laid to be restrained by gravity and the other wall members. 
It should be specifically noted that the wall and shelf portions are 
adapted to allow interconnection in a wide variety of arrangements such 
that any number of items may be stored at the same time but which are 
comprised of various shapes, sizes and having different transportation 
restraint needs. It is specifically expected that the trailer will be 
provided with a number of wall portions having various sizes that may be 
combined in any fashion. While it is most common to place the walls at 
fractional intervals of space, such that the interior cabin may be divided 
into thirds or halves in either dimension, it is specifically intended 
that mounting locks or other engagement means may be provided at any 
location according to the desires of the operator and that the interior 
modular units may be constructed in such a way that the walls are placed 
at odd lengths, angles or orientations with respect to each other. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, the interior compartment is shown with all walls 
and shelves removed therefrom. A plurality of interior side wall locking 
means 23 are provided along the interior walls 15 of the modular trailer 1 
as well as along the inner face of top panel 3. As previously stated, 
these locking means may be located at any location along the expanse of 
the interior walls 15 or top panel 3 and are illustrated at half-way 
points of the two walls in FIG. 3 merely for illustrative purposes. 
A variety of accessories may be provided for use with the trailer in 
several of its particularized uses. A picnic table 20 is provided with a 
pivotal picnic table leg 20A and may be temporarily affixed to any 
exterior point of the modular trailer 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the picnic 
table 20 is affixed to the fender thereof. The picnic table may be 
temporarily affixed to any one of a number of positioning means, the most 
common of which is an elongated tongue-and-slot arrangement comprising a 
tongue along the length of the edge of the picnic table and a slot 20B 
along the edge of the fender shroud. It is specifically intended that the 
picnic table be stored in a flat or nearly flat orientation for storage 
within the modular trailer without occupying an undue amount of space. It 
may be utilized as a shelf in conjunction with the interior side or 
modular walls, or it may be simply restrained in position within the 
trailer. The foldable picnic table leg 20A is folded at its hinged end to 
achieve a nearly flat orientation. 
An adjustable step 25 is optionally provided along the exterior lower edge 
of the modular trailer 1 to facilitate ingress and egress from the 
trailer. The adjustable step 25 may be slidable for permanent storage 
under the modular trailer storage compartment or removable for permanent 
storage interior to the storage compartment. 
An adjustable support jack 26 may optionally be provided at any one or all 
of the corners of the modular trailer in order to stabilize the device 
while it is in a stationary mode. Like the adjustable step 25, the jack 
may be pivotable or sliding for permanent storage exterior to the storage 
compartment or removable for storage within the storage compartment. The 
preferred embodiment includes an adjustable jack which is height 
adjustable such that it is adaptable to any type of terrain upon which the 
trailer may be parked. Adjustable support wheel 16 may also be utilized to 
stabilize the front portion of the trailer when it is in a stationary 
position. 
A removable ramp or ramps 30 may also be optionally provided to permit the 
storage of large wheeled vehicles within the trailer compartment. The 
ramps 30 are generally removable and are positioned according to well 
known means for securing them to the rear bumper of the trailer 1. The 
preferred method of affixation of these ramps is a simple tongue extending 
outwardly from the upper edge of the ramp which engages the rear bumper in 
a secure fashion. The ramps are easily removable and light weight for low 
volume storage within the modular trailer. 
A plurality of restraining rings 32 may be positioned along the interior 
side walls 15 at a plurality of locations. These restraining rings 32 may 
be utilized in conjunction with rope or elastic restraint cords for the 
storage and restraint of the various accessories, including the picnic 
table and ramps, as well as the modular interior walls when not mounted 
for use in the interior space. Additionally, when the accessories and/or 
walls are mounted for use or not contained within the storage compartment, 
the restraining rings may also be utilized to receive and restrain a 
variety of articles during transportation. 
Although not illustrated specifically in FIG. 3, it should be specifically 
noted that a side hinged door 5 may be provided along both of the long 
side walls of the trailer 1. FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment having 
merely one hinged side door 5. 
FIG. 3A illustrates several locking means which may be utilized for the 
selective interconnection of the interior modular walls 17, 18 and 
interior side walls 15, in addition to the sliding latch embodiment 
illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Embodiment A illustrates a tounge and slot 
which Embodiment B illustrates a screw type latch. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, the trailer is shown having an interior short 
modular wall 18 mounted across two-thirds of the width dimension of the 
interior of the trailer. A light 35 may optionally be provided within the 
trailer mounted either to a modular interior wall or an interior side wall 
15. The light may be battery operated or be powered through conventional 
electrical connections provided from the towing vehicle. An adjustable 
roof rack 40 or plurality of roof racks 40 may be positioned at any 
location or at various intervals across the interior surface of the top 
panel 3 for the restraint and storage of a variety of items. These roof 
racks may be utilized to receive a restraining rope or elastic cord for 
the restraint of various objects during transportation or may be utilized 
to store clothing on hangers or the like if the trailer is to be utilized 
for that purpose. Also illustrated in FIG. 4 is the placement of 
restraining rings 32 along interior short modular wall 18. These 
restraining rings 32 may be positioned along any of the interior modular 
walls in addition to the interior side walls 15. 
In operation, the modular trailer may be utilized in a variety of different 
modes involving various combinations of the interior parts and 
accessories. The simplest mode in which the trailer is operated is one in 
which the interior is completely empty of modular interior walls and 
accessories as illustrated in FIG. 3. The picnic table 20 and ramps 30 may 
be restrained along the interior wall 15 as previously described and 
essentially the entire interior portion of the trailer is open and useable 
for storage or transportation of a wide variety of items. The use of 
hinged side door 5 permits easy access to the entire interior of the 
trailer while rear hinged door 7 may also be utilized for this purpose. 
A second mode of operation is illustrated by FIGS. 2 and 4. The walls and 
shelves are arranged such that a wide variety of items such as clothing 
and home accessories may be stored within the interior compartment, and as 
such the trailer may be utilized for transportation of personal objects 
and the like. Clothing may be stored on hangers affixed to adjustable roof 
rack 30 as shown in FIG. 4, while folded or boxed items may be stored 
along other portions of the interior or on any one of a number of modular 
interior shelves 19. 
A third mode of operation is also illustrated by FIGS. 2 and 3. The trailer 
may be utilized as a semi-recreational vehicle in conjunction with the 
picnic table 20 mounted exteriorly to the trailer, once the trailer has 
been parked in a camp ground, parking lot or the like. The interior space 
may be utilized for the storage or preparation of food which may then be 
consumed along the outside of the vehicle. A gas grill or other food 
preparation equipment may be utilized in conjunction with the propane 
bottle illustrated in FIG. 1. The use of one or a plurality of interior 
long modular walls 17 is particularly suited for the convenient and easily 
accessible storage of a series of bicycles within the interior space which 
are preferably positioned longitudinally along the long axis of the 
trailer. The series of restraining rings 32 as illustrated in FIG. 4 are 
particularly adapted to receive and restrain a series of golf bags which 
may be secured through the use of rope or elastic cord therethrough. 
While the present preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown 
and described herein, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention 
is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied and practiced within 
the scope of the following claims.