Truck ramp storage system

A mechanism for preventing removal of a ramp from its storage space beneath the floor of a truck body when the door for the truck body opening is latched closed. The ramp is insertable into and is removable from the ramp storage space through an opening beneath the truck body opening. The door latching mechanism includes a latch bolt movably mounted on the door and engagable with a catch pin in the truck body floor. The latch bolt carries a pawl which is engagable with a portion of the ramp to prevent removal of the ramp when the ramp is properly stored. The pawl also prevents the latch bolt from engaging the catch pin if the ramp is improperly stored.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention is concerned with the security and safety with which a ramp 
for loading and unloading a truck is stored within the truck. 
BACKGROUND ART 
It has been common practice for sometime in the truck rental industry to 
supply a ramp with the truck to facilitate loading and unloading the 
truck. A significant advance was made in this art when the inventors 
recognized the possibility of providing a storage space for the ramp 
beneath the truck floor between the longitudinal frame members of the 
truck chassis. 
Storage of the ramp in the frame of the truck offers several advantages. 
Such storage is outside the body of the truck and therefore does not 
occupy valuable cargo space nor interfere with articles stored in the 
truck body. Furthermore, this storage arrangement positions the ramp at 
the rear of the truck immediately beneath the floor of the truck body 
where it is accessible to the user who merely needs to withdraw the ramp 
from its storage space and place it in use. 
Representative prior art arrangements for frame storage of ramps are 
disclosed in a series of three U.S. Patents granted to John C. Abromavage 
and Henry S. Shattles, namely: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,511,393 granted May 12, 
1970 for "RAMP ASSEMBLY"; No. 3,559,826 granted Feb. 2, 1971 for 
"AUTOMOTIVE CHASSIS"; and 3,713,662 granted Jan. 30, 1973 for "CHASSIS 
WITH STORAGE SE". 
All of the aforementioned Abromavage et al patents disclose releasable 
latches for locking the ramp in its stored position to prevent accidental 
dislodgement of the ramp when the truck is moved. There are no provisions, 
however, for locking the latches themselves. Consequently, with the 
arrangements of the '826 and '662 patents the ramps are exposed to theft 
when the truck is left unattended. In the '393 patent a rather elaborate 
and costly set of pivoted arms prevent the ramp from becoming completely 
detached from the truck. 
Theft of loading ramps has become a major problem for truck rental fleets. 
For ease of handling such ramps are usually made of aluminum which has 
considerable scrap metal value and encourages theft. 
Now, it has long been the practice to provide a lockable latch for the 
access door of rental trucks. U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,978 granted June 26, 
1973 to Vernon O. Smith et al for "LATCH AND LOCK STRUCTURE" discloses 
such a latch. 
So far as is known, however, the door latch lock has not been employed to 
secure and prevent theft of a loading ramp aside from locking the ramp 
inside the cargo space. And the latter expedient uses valuable cargo 
space. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
This invention interconnects the door latch and a ramp movement blocking 
member in such a manner that when the door is latched the ramp, if 
properly stored, is blocked against removal from its storage space beneath 
the floor of the truck. When the user locks the door latch he 
automatically locks the ramp in storage. A further feature of this 
interconnection is that improper storage of the ramp prevents engagement 
of the door latch thus providing the user with a warning that the ramp is 
improperly stored.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
Referring particularly to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 11 designates a 
truck body having a cargo storage space 12 therein. Access to the storage 
space 12 is provided by a rear opening 13 in the truck body which is 
opened and closed by an upwardly acting door 14. 
Cargo storage space 12 has a floor 15 beneath which is a storage space 16 
for a loading and unloading ramp 17. Storage space 16 is open at its rear 
end to permit ramp 17 to be slid rearwardly of the truck and out of the 
storage space. In use, one end of the ramp 17 rests on the rear edge of 
the cargo space floor 15 and the other end rests on the ground. After the 
truck is loaded or unloaded the ramp 17 is returned to its storage space 
16. 
A typical storage ramp 17 is some 180 inches long by 24 inches wide and 
comprises some 100 pounds of aluminum. As such it is a tempting objective 
for theft simply for its scrap value. The principal objective of this 
invention is the prevention of theft of these ramps. This is accomplished 
by modifying the door latch mechanism customarily provided for the cargo 
space access door 14. 
The door latch mechanism is identified generally in the drawing by 
reference numeral 18. The latch mechanism 18 comprises a latch bolt 19 
pivotally carried by a mounting plate 20 secured to the door 14 near its 
lower edge. Latch bolt 19 is manipulated by a handle 21 which is also 
pivotally mounted on plate 20. Handle 21 and latch bolt 19 of latch 
mechanism 18 are movable from an open, or unlatched, position shown in 
FIG. 1 to a closed, or latched, position shown in FIG. 2. 
When the latch mechanism 18 is latched a hook 22 on latch bolt 19 is 
positioned beneath a catch pin 23 carried in the chamber of a rectangular 
casing 24 imbedded in the floor 15 of the cargo storage area. Hook 22 has 
a slightly cammed inner surface 25 which causes the door 14 to be drawn 
down tightly against the floor 15 when the latch mechanism 18 is swung to 
its latched position and the hook engages catch pin 23. 
Latch mechanism 18 may be locked in its latched position by a lock 26 which 
engages handle 21 and holds it in the latched position shown in FIG. 2. 
Latch 26 is manipulated by a removable key 27. 
The latch mechanism 18 thus far described is conventional and resembles in 
large measure the latch mechanism disclosed in the aforementioned Smith et 
al '978 patent. 
In accordance with this invention the latch mechanism 18 is modified to 
interconnect that mechanism with means for preventing removal of the ramp 
17 if it has been properly stored and the latch mechanism is latched. This 
is accomplished by the simple expedient of providing a ramp blocking pawl 
30 on the outer surface 31 of latch hook 22. With latch hook 22 in its 
latched position (FIG. 2) pawl 30 extends downwardly from the hook, out 
the bottom of catch pin casing 24 and into the ramp storage space 16. In 
this position pawl 30 is received in a recess, or detent, 32 in the 
beveled rear edge 33 of ramp 17 and prevents rearward movement of the 
ramp. With latch mechanism locked by lock 26 ramp 17 cannot accidentally 
or intentionally be removed from its storage space 16. 
The interconnection described above also gives a warning to the user that 
he has not properly stowed the ramp 17 in its storage space 16. If the 
ramp 17 is only partially inserted into space 16 so that the condition 
illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 exists the pawl 30 will strike the main body 
of the ramp 17 preventing the latch mechanism 18 from being latched. When 
the latch mechanism 18 is jammed open the user knows that he has not 
properly stored the ramp. Only with the ramp fully in place in compartment 
16 will the detent 32 be in proper position to allow hook 22 to swing 
beneath pin 23 and latch the door closed.