Truck lights

A retractable truck light assembly for trucks that provides increased lighting and visibility when a truck is towing a trailer. The truck light assembly includes a retractable light housing that is affixed to the truck bed side wall. The housing further includes a pivotal mount whereby the truck light housing swivels outward from the truck body to an extended position and swivels inward to the truck body to a retracted position. The truck light assembly also includes an adjustable rod attachable to the truck bed side wall. The adjustable rod includes a concave receptor shaped and positioned to receive the truck light housing in its retracted position such that the truck light housing does not substantially protrude beyond the aerodynamic plane of the truck bed side wall. In the preferred embodiment, the truck light system includes a pair of truck light assemblies for positioning on the driver and passenger sides of the truck, respectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to
 exterior lights for vehicles, more particularly, to a retractable light
 assembly for trucks.
 2. Description of Prior Art
 Typically, trucks employ additional rearward lighting for increased motor
 vehicle safety and visibility when towing trailers for carrying additional
 cargo, boats, recreational vehicles, and the like. Historically,
 additional rearward lighting for trucks has been achieved by electrically
 connecting trailer lights to the truck's existing built-in lighting
 system. This solution has been problematic because of the additional time
 required for connecting and disconnecting trailer lights. Furthermore, the
 risk of misconnection and/or malfunction of the trailer lights is not
 readily observable by the operator of the vehicle. Thus, trailer lighting,
 being both time consuming and introducing possibility of error,
 inadequately addresses the problem of providing convenient and reliable
 additional rearward lighting for trucks towing trailers. Therefore, there
 remains a need for effective and efficient additional rearward lighting
 for trucks.
 Additionally, prior art lighting for use on vehicles have attempted to
 provide additional lighting for cars and trucks whereby additional lights
 are incorporated in luggage rack bars and light bars extending the length
 and/or width of the vehicle. These prior art solutions introduce the use
 of a fixed light bar mounted onto the roof or rear end of the vehicle.
 Because these light bars extend substantially either the length or width
 of the vehicle, they must be permanently attached to the vehicle, or
 require significant time to attach and detach. Furthermore, the size,
 shape, and position of these prior art light bars substantially alter and
 diminish the aerodynamics of the vehicle, with or without trailer in tow.
 Also, the prior art light bars do not extend far enough away from the body
 of the vehicle to ensure increased visibility, and therefore safety. Thus,
 there remains a need for effective and efficient additional rearward
 lighting for trucks.
 CONCISE EXPLANATION OF PRIOR ART
 U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,006 to Gustav E. Arndt discloses a pickup bed protector
 with a red taillight lens and a yellow side light lens with strap tie down
 means.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,760 to Herb Izuno, Assignee Paccar, Inc. of Bellevue,
 Wash. discloses a turn signal assembly that is built into the body of the
 truck.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,400 to Joseph E. Currie discloses an optical fiber
 illuminating device that can be mounted on the bed of a pickup truck and
 includes brake lights, parking lights and turn signals.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,521 to Richard C. Hathaway, Merl K. Bridges and Donald
 R. Klein, Assignee CR&I, Inc. of Greenville, Ohio is a vehicle modular
 rail system that supports accessories on a pickup truck bed.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,083 to Lawrence D. Rich, Assignee LTC Roll &
 Engineering Co., of Mt. Clemens, Mich. is a combination luggage rack and
 concealed lights for vehicle roof which pivots outwardly when the lights
 are turned on.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,270 to John David Ricker and Kim S. Ricker is a quick
 connect and disconnect light bar for container trucks.
 Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,164 to Gabriel Eidelman, Assignee Gabriel
 Eidelman of Rockville, Md. is a safety light marker system for motor
 vehicles that are mounted on the sides and the roof of such vehicle.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention is directed to a truck light assembly, more
 particularly, for a retractable light assembly for trucks that provides
 increased rearward lighting and visibility when a truck is towing a
 trailer. The truck light assembly includes a retractable light housing
 that is affixed to the truck bed side wall. The housing further includes a
 pivotal mount whereby the truck light housing swivels outward from the
 truck body to an extended position and swivels inward to the truck body to
 a retracted position. The truck light assembly further includes an
 adjustable rod attachable to the truck bed side wall. The adjustable rod
 includes a concave receptor shaped and positioned to receive the truck
 light housing in its retracted position such that the truck light housing
 does not substantially protrude beyond the aerodynamic plane of the truck
 bed side wall. In the preferred embodiment, the truck light system
 includes a pair of truck light assemblies for positioning on the driver
 and passenger sides of the truck, respectively.
 Thus, the present invention provides a retractable light assembly for
 trucks having increased safety via increased rearward lighting and
 visibility when a truck is towing a trailer.
 Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention is to provide a
 retractable light assembly for trucks that increases rearward lighting and
 visibility when a truck is towing a trailer.
 Another object of the present invention to provide a retractable light
 assembly for trucks that does not substantially diminish the aerodynamics
 of the truck body, with or without the trailer in tow.
 Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable light
 assembly that easily and quickly retracts and extends via pivotal
 connection with the truck bed wall.
 Another object of the present invention to provide a detachable light
 assembly for mounting onto and into a removable and adjustable truck light
 rod that is removably attached to the truck bed wall and/or body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 As best seen in FIG. 1, a truck light assembly 10 includes a light housing
 12 for protectively enclosing a light 14 electrically connected to
 function simultaneously with the truck's existing rearward lights (not
 shown). The truck light assembly indicated generally at 10, is removably
 attached to the truck body 18 at a top horizontal plane of the truck bed
 side wall 22. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the truck light
 assembly 10 includes an adjustable connector rod 20 that is directly
 attached to the truck body. The connector rod has a forward end 44 and a
 rearward end 46 that are removably attached to the truck body via
 connectors 30A, 30B, respectively. The additional truck lights 14 are
 electrically connected to the truck light wiring via electrical wiring 32.
 In a preferred embodiment, the truck light housing 12 is pivotally
 connected with the connector rod 20 so that the housing 12 swivels between
 a retracted position, as shown in FIG. 1, and an extended position, as
 shown in FIG. 2. The connector rod 20 further includes a concave receptor
 21 shaped and positioned for receiving the housing 12 in its retracted
 position such that the forward side 13 of the housing is substantially
 parallel with the longitudinal axis of the connector rod 20 and the truck
 side wall 18, so as to have minimal impact on the aerodynamics of the
 truck.
 In a preferred embodiment, the connector rod is substantially cylindrical.
 Alternatively, the connector rod may have a rectangular, triangular, or
 multi-faced cross-section to provide lightweight strength and stability.
 Referring now to FIG. 2, in a preferred embodiment, the truck light
 assembly 10 is pivotally extended away from the retracted position in the
 concave receptor 21 so that the light housing 12 is substantially
 perpendicular to the truck side wall 22 with the forward housing surface
 13 facing the front of the vehicle and the light 14 facing rearward so as
 to be visible from a following vehicle behind the truck.
 Also in a preferred embodiment, the light housing 12 further includes a top
 light 14A and a bottom light 14B. Preferably, top light 14A and bottom
 light 14B are different colors and function independently of each other.
 Also, preferably, top light 14A corresponds to and simultaneously
 functions with a brake light and turn signal of the truck (not shown) and
 bottom light 14B corresponds to and simultaneously functions with a
 back-up or reverse light of the truck (not shown). Preferably, the top
 light 14A is red; the bottom light 14B is white. Additionally, in a
 preferred embodiment, the connector rod 20 includes a brake light 24 and a
 back-up light 26 that correspond to, are colored like, and function
 simultaneously with lights 14A and 14B, respectively.
 Referring now to FIG. 3, in a preferred embodiment, the connector rod 20
 includes two concentric sections 40, 42 wherein a first section 40 has a
 female end 41 having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of
 the male end 43 of the second section 42 of the connector rod, for
 securedly and adjustably receiving the second section 42 of the connector
 rod 20. Once the first and second sections 40, 42 respectively, have been
 positioned at a predetermined setting to fit the truck bed side wall 18,
 the sections are secured with a locking device 34A, 34B respectively, for
 securing the connector rod 20 to the truck. In a preferred embodiment, the
 locking device is a key lock that provides security against theft.
 The foregoing preferred embodiments describe and illustrate a driver side
 truck light assembly. The present invention is directed toward a
 symmetrical light system wherein a similar passenger side truck light
 assembly, in mirror image to the driver side truck light assembly, is
 constructed and positioned to function equivalently from the opposite side
 of the truck body.
 The terms "forward", "rearward", "left", "right" "upwardly", "downwardly"
 and so forth have been used herein merely for convenience to describe the
 present invention and its parts as oriented in the drawings. It is to be
 understood, however, that these terms are in no way limiting to the
 invention since such invention may obviously be disposed in different
 orientations when in use.
 The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways
 than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and
 essential characteristics of such invention. The present embodiments are,
 therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not
 restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency
 range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.