Tailgate toolbox

A toolbox assembly for mounting in the box of a pickup truck includes a rectangular casing with an open front end; a drawer slidable in said casing; a lock on said drawer for locking the drawer in the casing; a pair of L-shaped brackets for mounting on the floor of the box immediately rearwardly of the wheel wells, the brackets slidably receiving the casing; and a lock mechanism for releasably locking the casing in said brackets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a toolbox assembly, and in particular to a toolbox for removable mounting in the box of a pickup truck.

In some jurisdictions, a firearm cannot legally be carried loose in a motor vehicle, i.e. a firearm must be locked in a trunk, which is not available on a pickup truck, or carried in a locked container on or in the vehicle. Since the advent of the pickup truck a great many containers of various shapes and sizes have been designed for mounting in the box of vehicles to carry tools and other valuable items or simply to protect things from the environment.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

Many of the patented or commercially available containers are somewhat complicated and/or difficult to mount on a vehicle. Moreover, to a large extent, existing toolboxes and other containers are designed for more or less permanent attachment to a vehicle. Thus, with a toolbox in place, certain areas of a truck box are not available for other purposes such as for mounting a fifth wheel hitch. Fifth wheels for pickup trucks are usually mounted between the wheel wells on the floor of a pickup truck box. A permanently mounted container near the tailgate of a pickup truck can present difficulties with respect to the mounting of a hitch or the removal of the container when connecting a trailer to the vehicle.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a toolbox assembly which permits the quick and easy mounting and removal of a toolbox from the box of a pickup truck.

Accordingly, the invention relates to a toolbox assembly for a pickup truck having a box defined by a floor, side walls and a tailgate pivotally connected to the rear end of the box for rotation between closed and open positions, said toolbox comprising:a casing including a top wall, a bottom wall, side walls, a rear end wall and an open front end;a lockable drawer slidably mounted in said open front end for movement between closed and open positions;a pair of spaced apart brackets for mounting on the floor of the truck for slidably receiving said casing; anda lock mechanism for locking said casing in said brackets, whereby the toolbox can be slid into said brackets and releasably locked in position on the floor of the truck box.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference toFIGS. 1 and 2, the toolbox of the present invention which is indicated generally at1is intended for use on the rear end of the floor2of a conventional pickup truck3. The box of the truck includes sides4(one shown) with wheel wells5extending inwardly therefrom. A tailgate7is pivotally connected to the rear end of the floor2of the truck and is held in a roughly horizontal, open position by cables8(one shown) extending between the sides4of the truck box and the top ends of the tailgate.

The toolbox1includes a casing10formed of sheet metal or plastic. The casing is defined by a top wall11, a bottom wall12(FIG.3), side walls13(one shown), a rear wall14(FIGS. 4 and 5) and an open front end15. A drawer18is slidably mounted in the casing10for movement between a closed position (FIG. 1) and an open position (FIGS.2and3). The drawer18includes a bottom wall19, a front wall20, a rear wall21and side walls22. Rails24on the side wall22slide in tracks (not shown) on the interior of the side walls13of the casing10for opening and closing the drawer. A conventional lock and operating handle combination25are provided in the front wall20of the drawer.

The toolbox1is removably mounted in the truck box using a pair of brackets26. The brackets26are L-shaped in cross section and when viewed from above. The bottom arms or bases27(FIG. 3) of the brackets26are bolted to the floor2of the truck box. Slots28in free ends of the vertical, sides30of the brackets26receive pins31extending outwardly from plates32on the side walls13of the toolbox casing10to position the toolbox in the truck.

As best shown inFIG. 4the toolbox is releasably locked in position using a lock assembly including loops34extending outwardly from plates35on the rear wall14of the casing10near the corners thereof. When the casing10is slid into the brackets26, the loops34extend through slots36in vertical ends37of the brackets26. A padlock (not shown) is used to releasably lock the toolbox in the brackets26.

Referring toFIG. 5, alternative lock assembly includes L-shaped brackets39. One arm40of each bracket39is spot welded or otherwise connected on the rear wall14of the casing10near a corner thereof. When the casing10is slid into the brackets26, the other arms41of the brackets extend through the slots36. Holes43in the arms41define loops for receiving a padlock to lock the toolbox in the brackets26.

Because the tailgate7of most pickup trucks is not exactly horizontal in the open position (FIGS.1and2), i.e. the tailgate is inclined slightly upwardly and rearwardly, it would not be possible to open the drawer18if the casing10was mounted directly on the floor of the truck box. Accordingly, a platform defined by a plurality of transversely and longitudinally extending metal strips45and46, respectively, is provided on the bottom of the casing10. The strips45and46are welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of the casing10. Of course, by suitably constructing the casing10, e.g. with a thicker base, the platform can be dispensed with. However, it is more practical to provide a platform connected to the bottom of a more conventional casing10.

With the above described toolbox construction and the location of the toolbox on a truck, access to the drawer18is denied until the tailgate is opened. Thus, a locked tailgate and a locked toolbox provide a double measure of security. When the toolbox is mounted in the brackets26, the bolts holding the brackets in position are not accessible.