Aerodynamic storage unit for truck bed

An aerodynamic storage unit is designed for a truck bed with a load floor that extends between a pair of longitudinal side walls. This storage unit has an inner wall which is spaced apart from one of the pair of longitudinal side walls so that a storage space is defined between the inner wall and the side wall. The inner wall member has a lower edge located on the load floor and an upper edge which is joined to the side wall. At least a portion of the inner wall member between the upper and lower edges is outwardly inclined. At least one access opening is provided in the inner wall. A door is located in the access opening. The door has a lower edge which is connected to the inner wall using a hinge, and an upper end. The lower end of the door is closer to the load floor than the upper end of the door. The operates to open inwardly so that the storage space can be accessed through the opening when the door is opened.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of an aerodynamic storage unit according to the present invention is shown. A truck 10 has a cab 12 and a bed 14 with two sides 15 that run front to rear and are spaced apart so as to define a load floor 18 . In this embodiment, each of the sides 15 of the truck 10 are formed as aerodynamic storage units 16 according to the present invention. That is, the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 , is an original equipment aerodynamic storage unit system which takes the place of traditional sides on a pickup truck bed. Therefore, the sides and aerodynamic storage unit will be used interchangeably for this embodiment. For ease of description, the load floor 18 of the bed 14 is defined as having a front edge 22 at the front wall 23 , adjacent the cab 12 of the truck 10 . The load floor 18 extends rearwardly from the front edge 22 to a rear edge 24 which is generally parallel to the front edge 22 and spaced therefrom by a distance of several feet, typically 6 or 8 feet. Therefore, the length of the load floor 18 is defined as the distance between the front edge 22 and the rear edge 24 . The load floor 18 extends widthwise between a pair of side edges 26 which are generally parallel to one another and perpendicular to the front 22 and rear 24 edges. Normal pickup truck beds have wheel wells which extend upwardly from their load floor to allow clearance for the rear wheels of the truck. The side-to-side distance between the wheel wells is typically at least four feet in order to allow 4×8 foot sheets of building materials to be stacked flat on the load floor. Similarly, it is preferred that the side edges 26 of the load floor 18 be spaced at least four feet apart so that a truck 10 including the aerodynamic storage units 16 retains the ability to transport sheets of building material. As shown, the truck bed 14 includes two aerodynamic storage units 16 with one arranged lengthwise at each side edge 26 of the load floor 18 . The aerodynamic storage units 16 each include inner walls 20 which extend generally upwardly from the side edges 26 of the load floor 18 . Each aerodynamic storage unit 16 also includes outer walls 28 which are spaced from the inner walls 20 and help to define the sides of the truck 10 . Therefore, the outer walls 28 would typically be painted body color to match the remainder of the truck 10 . The inner walls 20 and outer walls 28 are joined to one another by top surfaces 30 . Together, the inner walls 20 , outer walls 28 and top surfaces 30 cooperate to define an interior storage space inside each of the storage units 16 . As shown, at least a portion of the inner wall is inclined outwardly. Preferably, the outward incline is at least 10 degrees relative to the vertical. Alternatively, the outward incline may be only five degrees or may be more than 10 degrees. A pair of access openings 32 are defined in each of the aerodynamic storage units 16 to allow access to the storage space defined therein. As shown, the openings 32 in the inner wall 20 of each of the aerodynamic storage unit 16 can extend partially around into the top surfaces 30 . Doors 34 are positioned in each of the openings 32 , such that they open inwardly towards the center of the load floor 18 . The doors 34 are pivotally connected with the remainder of the aerodynamic storage unit 16 near the bottom of the doors 34 , adjacent the load floor 18 . Referring now to FIG. 2 , the inner wall 20 , openings 32 and doors 34 are again shown. Also shown in this figure is a wheel well 36 which is defined within the interior of the aerodynamic storage unit 16 . As shown, the wheel well 36 takes part of the interior storage space within the storage unit 16 . That is, the wheel well 36 extends upwardly into the bottom of the storage unit 16 . The doors 34 and openings 32 are positioned such that they access storage space primarily forwardly and rearwardly of the wheel well 36 . This allows for efficient space utilization. Referring now to FIG. 3 , details of the doors 34 will be discussed in more detail. Each door 34 has an upper edge 38 and a lower edge 40 . The doors 34 are interconnected with the remainder of the aerodynamic storage unit 16 by hinge 42 adjacent the lower edge 40 of the door 34 . A latch 44 is also shown for latching the door 34 in its closed position. As will be clear to one of skill in the art, the latch 44 may be any of many different designs, including locking and non-locking latches. Also, the latch 44 may be positioned in different locations than the location shown. Also shown in FIG. 3 , the aerodynamic storage unit 16 includes a bottom surface 46 which cooperates with the inner wall 20 , outer wall 28 and top surface 30 to define an interior storage space 48 within the aerodynamic storage unit 16 . Also as shown, the door 34 may include a storage bin 50 defined on its inner surface so as to reside in the interior storage space 48 when the door 34 is closed. The storage bin 50 is preferably shaped so as to take advantage of most of the interior storage 48 . Items to be stored may be placed inside the storage bin 50 , which has an upper opening 52 . When the door 34 is tilted inwardly towards the center of the load floor 18 , items stored in the storage bin 50 are easily accessible through the upper opening 52 . Items stored in storage bin 50 may be accessed either over the side of the truck or from inside the bed. That is, when the door 34 is opened, the opening 52 in the storage unit 50 faces upwardly allowing access from either inside or outside the truck bed. Also, because the door 34 tilts inwardly, rather than upwardly, it does not interfere with anything placed above the side of the truck, such as a cap, Tonneau cover, or fifth-wheel trailer. Each door 34 preferably includes a gas-filled strut 35 to assist in opening and closing the door 34 . Referring now to FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the door 34 does not include a storage bin, as in the previous embodiment. Instead, items to be stored are placed in the interior storage space 48 . Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 , the storage units 16 are designed so as to be aerodynamic. As shown, the inner wall 20 of each storage unit 16 is generally outwardly sloped and curves into the top surface 30 so as to give a smoothly curved surface that is both aerodynamically efficient and aesthetically pleasing. As shown in FIG. 1 , the storage units 16 each include a rear face 54 which includes lights 56 such as tail lights and backup lights. In addition, the rear face 54 may include vents 57 to allow air to flow out of the unit 16 . The vents 57 may be designed as one way vents to prevent contamination from flowing into the unit 16 . Also shown in FIG. 1 , the truck bed 14 preferably does not include a traditional tailgate. Removal of the tailgate provides aerodynamic advantages by preventing air from being trapped and swirled in the bed. The shape of the storage unit 16 enhances this benefit. Traditionally, removing the tailgate is disadvantageous because items being stored in the bed 14 of the truck 10 could fall off the rear edge 24 of the load floor 18 while the vehicle is being driven. Because the storage unit 16 provides areas to store items, small items will typically not reside on the load floor 18 and therefore the tailgate is not required to retain them. Referring now to FIG. 5 , an alternative tailgate arrangement for use with various embodiments of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, a tailgate 60 is stored inside the load floor 18 of the truck bed 14 when not in use, as shown by the solid lines. When the tailgate 60 is needed, it is pulled out of the load floor 18 as shown by the dotted lines and folded upwardly against the rear face of the bed 14 . Referring back to FIG. 1 , an optional tailgate 60 is shown located below the load floor 18 . As will be apparent to one of skill in the art, the tailgate 60 is shaped such that it mates with the rear faces 54 of the aerodynamic storage units 16 . This arrangement allows the tailgate to be stored during normal usage of the truck 10 and to move so as to close off the rear of the load floor 18 when necessary. Referring again to FIG. 1 , the aerodynamic storage units 16 may be designed in a variety of ways. As shown, the outer walls 28 have a relatively vertical appearance designed to maximize the interior space 48 . Alternatively, the aerodynamic storage unit 16 may be designed so as to utilize normal exterior sheet metal so that the outer walls 28 are actually the same as the exterior sheet metal of a normal truck bed. In this way, a truck may be offered with and without the interior bed storage units 16 , with each variety having the same exterior appearance. Referring now to FIG. 6, a stamping 62 is shown for use with existing truck side panels. Stamping 62 includes the inner walls 20 of the storage units as well as the load floor 18 . The stamping 62 may be provided to manufacturers so that they may attach their exterior sheet metal thereto. For this purpose, the stamping 62 is provided with outer flanges 64 to which the normal exterior sheet metal may be welded or otherwise attached. Thus far, the aerodynamic storage units have been discussed as original equipment units which would be installed at the factory and integrated with either new or existing sheet metal. A storage unit according to the present invention can also be provided as an after-market retrofit to allow owners of existing trucks to modify their truck bed to provide the advantages of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 7, a portion of a load floor 70 and side wall 72 of an existing truck bed are shown. As shown, the side wall 72 includes a tail light 74 . A wheel well 76 extends upwardly from the load floor 70 and inwardly from the side wall 72 . In this embodiment, the aerodynamic storage unit 78 includes an inner wall 80 which extends upwardly and outwardly from the existing load floor 70 and curves so as to join the top of the side wall 72 . A door 82 is positioned in the inner wall 80 , similar to the earlier embodiments. An owner of an existing truck may add the storage unit 78 to provide additional storage and may then remove the tailgate, or leave it down, to gain additional aerodynamic benefits. Obviously, as with the prior embodiments, the storage unit 78 may come in a variety of configurations, such as with or without a storage bin on the door 82 . Thus far, the aerodynamic storage units have been discussed as having a pair of doors. However, other variations are possible on each of the embodiments thus far discussed. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , each aerodynamic storage unit may include one large door 84 instead of two small doors. As another alternative, as shown in FIG. 9 , the storage units may not include doors and instead include openings 85 in the inner wall of the storage unit so that items 86 to be stored may be placed in through the openings 85 and rest therein. Obviously, the openings 84 or 85 may be of various shapes and sizes. Alternatively, each storage unit may include one door and one opening instead of two openings. If one door and one opening is combined in the storage unit, it is preferred that the door be positioned towards the front half of the storage unit and the opening without a door be positioned towards the rear. As discussed earlier, with reference to FIG. 1 , the rear face of each storage unit may include vents to allow air to flow out of the storage unit. These vents are particularly important with the embodiment of FIG. 9 . The vents allow air to flow into the openings 84 and out through the vents thereby reducing turbulence in the truck bed. As yet another embodiment, the inner wall may include no openings and be designed to provide just the aerodynamic benefits without the storage benefits. For example, a storage unit may be installed on one side of a bed and a matched aerodynamic inner wall installed on the other. This would provide aerodynamic and aesthetic benefits where less storage is required. As will be clear to one of skill in the art, many variations on the above discussed embodiments may be made. For example, while it is envisioned that the various components of the storage units be made from steel or other metal, they may alternatively be made from plastic such as sheet molding compound or out of any other material suitable to the task. Also, many variations, other than those discussed, may be made on the configurations of the doors and openings of the storage units. For example, two openings may be provided in the inner wall of the storage unit with only one of the openings having a door with the other opening remaining open. Also, the aerodynamic storage unit may be designed for specific applications, such as to store specific types of tools or materials. The doors and openings may be varied in shape, size and configuration so as to suit a variety of tasks. Also, the storage units may be provided in a modular fashion such that doors with storage bins may be later added to units that originally had openings, and vice versa. As another alternative, electrical power may be provided to outlets inside the storage units so that various tools and accessories may be powered therein. Also, accessories such as radios may be integrated with the storage units. Also, while the present invention has been discussed for use with trucks, the present invention may also be modified for use with other vehicles, such as cars. As discussed earlier, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a stowable tailgate is provided for use with the aerodynamic storage units. This enhances the aerodynamic benefits while still allowing use of the tailgate when needed. Referring to FIG. 10, a first embodiment of a stowable tailgate 90 is shown. A truck 92 is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 10 and has a load floor 94 . An upper mounting plate 96 is mounted under the load floor 94 . Though not shown, a corresponding lower mounting plate is mounted a short distance below and parallel to the upper mounting plate 96 so as to define a space therebetween. The stowable tailgate 90 is hingedly interconnected with a support plate 98 which is sandwiched between the upper mounting plate 96 and the lower mounting plate. The support plate 98 includes a tab 100 that projects into a slot 102 in the upper mounting plate 96 . With the tailgate 90 in its downward position, as shown, it may be pushed into the space between the upper mounting plate 96 and the lower mounting plate. The support plate 98 moves with it thereby moving the tab 100 to the rear of the slot 102 . In FIG. 10 , the tab 100 is shown in its rearmost position, where the tab would be located with the tailgate fully stowed. This embodiment of a stowable tailgate merely illustrates one possible approach to providing such a tailgate. Preferably, the tailgate 90 may also be removable, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B . That is, an outer ring 104 may be mounted to the rearmost edge of the support plate 98 with a corresponding pivot tab 106 on the tailgate 90 being received therein. Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13 , an alternative approach to providing a stowable tailgate 108 is shown. A support frame 110 is provided which is designed to be mounted to the under side of the load floor of a pickup truck bed. The support frame has a pair of longitudinal support rails 112 which are parallel to one another and spaced apart by approximately the width of the tailgate 108 . The tailgate 108 is hingably interconnected with a transverse support bar 114 which extends between and is supported by the support rails 112 . Engagement members 116 extend from each end of the support bar 114 and pass around the support rails 112 . To stow the tailgate 108 , it is pushed towards the support frame 110 such that the support bar 114 slides along the support rails 112 . This stowage operation is best shown in FIG. 13 . To further guide the support bar 114 as it travels along the rails 112 , a scissor mechanism 118 is provided. The scissor mechanism 118 consists of two scissor links 120 which each interconnect with the ends of the support bar 114 . The links 120 cross one another and engage slots 122 in the rear of the frame 110 . Though not shown, the links 120 are either interconnected such that their pivot point may move or slots are provided in the support bar 114 . As shown in FIG. 12 , with the tailgate in a non-stowed position, the links 120 form an “X” with the links close to perpendicular to one another. As the tailgate is stowed and the support bar 114 moves rearwardly, the links are pivoted such that they move to a position much closer to parallel to one another, as shown in FIG. 13 . As will be clear to those of skill in the art, the scissor mechanism 118 may in addition include springs or other assistance devices to assist in stowing and unstowing the tailgate 108 . Also, preferably, a closure plate of some type is provided below the support frame 110 for sealing the stowage mechanism from road debris. This helps the tailgate to remain stowable under all conditions. As will be clear to one of skill in the art, the present invention may be modified in various ways without departing from the intent or teachings of the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing specification and drawings should be interpreted broadly.