Utility cage for vehicles

A utility cage for vehicles is particularly shaped half octagon upwardly from a wide horizontal base. The cage is primarily designed for use on the bed of a pickup truck and has adjustable attachment fittings compatible with stake apertures in the pickup truck bed side walls. The cage has tubular frame support members and tubular framed panels fully covered on one side by expanded metal material. Conformingly shaped side panels removably pivotally attached to a frontal end panel and rear support members can be exchanged, reversed, and turned over for placement into a variety of use positions. A rear panel is upwardly hinged to the rear support members for opening, closing or removal. A reinforced removable top panel can be used as a secondary bed in a pickup truck, as a loading ramp, or as a table-like extension the pickup truck tailgate. The side panels can be turned upwardly and a covering placed over the caged area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to cages and utility cargo racks for the beds of 
pickup trucks and trailers. The present invention is particularly directed 
towards a multipurpose, hinged framed cage and utility rack designed for a 
variety of uses including a loading ramp, a protective cage for animals 
and a theft resistant enclosure for articles left in the bed of the 
vehicle. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A variety of livestock cages and utility racks for pickup trucks have been 
in use for some time. One principal problem arising with the use of these 
devices is the absence of security locking features and their limited 
range of use. Although utility and cargo racks for trucks are useful for 
hauling long items such as lumber or ladders, and stock racks are useful 
for transporting livestock, they are generally limited to their specific 
uses. This is quite obvious from an examination of past art patents. 
To examine pertinent past art patents, GAU 312 was considered, and a search 
was conducted in the following classes and subclasses: 119/82, 7, 8, 9, 
10, 11, 12, 15, 17; 296/100, 10, 106, 120A; and 180/289. In relationship 
to our invention, the following patents were noted as being most 
pertinent: 2,043,858; 2,909,387; 3,428,359; 3,456,977; 3,923,334; 
3,930,680; 3,989,148; 4,284,303; and 4,668,002. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,043,858 teaches a cover far a truck that covers all open 
areas including the top. The top is shown to pivot open in the FIG. 3 
illustration. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,680 teaches a truck with mesh panels that enclose the 
back area of the truck. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,148 teaches mesh sides for a pickup in which one side 
panel can be used as a ramp. 
The other patents are cited to show what is representative in the art. 
Most of the cage-like covers shown for use on the bed of a pickup truck or 
a trailer were either too low profile for animal use or if large enough, 
required considerable superstructure or solid backing limiting usefulness 
of the caging and detracting from structural appearance. 
When using a cage and utility covering for a pickup truck bed, the shaping 
of the support members and the cage frame is a primary factor if multiple 
use of the cage sections is to be adequately accomplished. For example, 
using a unreinforced side panel as a drive up ramp as shown in U.S. Pat. 
No. 3,989,148 provides a ramping member ok but on a very unsubstantial 
support. To load a small tractor would require additional supports. A 
machine of any useful size and power would bend the supports and would 
probably be large enough so it wouldn't fit in the cage area as 
illustrated. 
Although U.S. Pat. No. 2,043,858 illustrates a side cage structure which 
pivots open horizontally, the invention does not use cage frame shape for 
any other utility, and the cage sides hang freely down and must be hooked 
to prevent swinging. 
A complete cage frame for the back of a large truck is disclosed in U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,930,680. For security, a solidly retained frame of this nature 
is criterion for the purpose. For versatility, a light weight, easily 
mounted and unmounted cage structure is far better for use on a pickup 
truck bed. 
All of the cages shown for pickup truck bed or trailer use either had short 
horizontal panels or had an unnecessary vertical brace half way along the 
panel. To prevent possibly head injury to any animals being transported 
inside our cage, we have avoided vertical supports except at the very ends 
of the cage structure. None of the devices illustrated in past art patents 
seen used any kind of cage shaping to provide a multiple of uses for the 
side and top panels nor were any structural provisions made for easy 
assembling and mounting or for disassembly for transporting or storage. 
As will be shown further in the specification which follows, our invention 
not only overcomes major disadvantages seen in all patent disclosures of 
pertinent truck bed caging devices but utilizes the cage structure in new 
and unique ways. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In practicing our invention we have developed an easily assembled and 
easily installed cage for vehicles, primarily for use on the bed of a 
pickup truck. The unique shape of the side cage panels allows them to be 
pivoted upwardly as a raised top closure for the cage, turned over and 
swung downwardly as horizontally aligned extended side carriage or work 
racks, and swung inside the truck bed as a raised second deck. A roof 
panel, specially framed and reinforced, can be used as a top cage covering 
for carrying ladders and materials to a job site, can be fastened as a 
raised bed to the truck bed inside frame, can be used as a rear extension 
to the truck bed with one end supported on a pedestal, or can be used as a 
loading ramp at the rear of the pickup of sufficient length to provide an 
easy-up incline. The roof panel is of sufficient strength to support 
considerable weight. 
The half octagonal shape of the front and rear framing members produces a 
pleasing appearance in the cage structure. This frame shape is the primary 
unique factor of the invention. The particular shaping of the cage 
structure and the pin hinging allows pivotal panels to be interchanged, 
reversed, turned over, and used for a variety of purposes. The shape 
design also works well for the top hinging of a similarly configured back 
panel and for security fitting of extended material on the lower leading 
edge of a like front panel. Both side panels and the back panel are 
removably hinged to the frame, the side panels by self-locking removable 
pins. The back panel is hingedly attached upwardly by strap and tubular 
hinging to a horizontally aligned section of supporting frame members. The 
supporting frame members are sectional for easily dismantling, fit 
directly or have adjustable auxiliary structure to align with stake 
apertures in the horizontal truck bed shoulder of various pickup truck 
beds into which the lower ends or the auxiliary pins are inserted. 
The side panels of our cage can be turned and pivoted upwardly to form a 
somewhat peaked roof frame. Over the roof frame and cage support members, 
a waterproof covering can be attached to provide a weather resistant 
shelter for the pickup truck bed. 
Therefore, a principal object of our invention is to provide a utility cage 
with carrier provisions for use on the bed of a pickup truck. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a cage suitable to 
accommodate one or a few untethered animals protected in the bed of a 
pickup truck. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a security and work 
covering for the bed of a pickup truck which is cage-like having pivotal 
and removable side and top panels with the panels being capable of being 
repositioned for a variety of uses. 
Other objects and the many unique advantages of the invention will become 
obvious from a reading of the specification and considering numbered parts 
therein in the light of similarly numbered parts shown on the drawings.

DRAWING REFERENCE NUMERALS 
10 cab end front cage panel 
12 tailgate end rear cage panel 
14 driver left side cage panel 
16 passenger right side cage panel 
18 front cage panel framing 
20 rear cage panel framing 
22 side cage panel framing 
24 expanded metal caging material 
26 right rear cage support member 
28 left rear cage support member 
30 angle-forming horizontal side panel brace 
32 angled side panel pivotal hangers 
34 rear cage panel hinge bar 
36 female attachment ends 
38 male attachments ends 
40 pickup truck 
42 pickup truck bed 
44 truck side walls 
46 truck tailgate 
48 strap and tube hinge fittings 
50 attachment tabs 
52 locking hinge pin apertures 
54 locking hinge pin 
56 S-type hangers 
58 side wall inserts 
60 offset side wall inserts 
62 support rod 
64 pedestal 
66 security front panel extension 
68 waterproof covering 
70 directional arrows 
72 padlock 
74 reinforced top cage panel 
76 top panel frame 
78 top panel longitudinal support members 
80 top panel handle openings 
82 cover attachments 
84 frame attachment clip 
86 illustrative ladder 
88 ring 
90 spring biased ball bearings 
92 wide bed pickup truck 
94 narrow bed pickup truck 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings at FIG. 1. The disassembled parts of the 
invention are shown placed for assembly and are described as positioned in 
the drawings. A first end cage panel member designated cab end front cage 
panel 10, illustrated at FIG. 1 A, is a half octagonal shaped member 
formed of front cage panel framing 18 and covered by expanded metal caging 
material 24. Expanded metal cage material 24, is angled outward below the 
lower horizontal section of front cage panel framing 18 and forms security 
front panel extension 66. Towards the corners on the upper horizontal 
section of front cage panel framing 18, locking hinge pin apertures 52 are 
opened and side wall inserts 58 are attached downwardly to extending ends 
at the lower corners of front cage panel framing 18. FIG. 1 B shows driver 
left side cage panel 14 which is formed as a single panel of expanded 
metal caging material 24 affixed to side cage panel framing 22. Both 
vertical ends of side cage panel framing 22 extend upwardly above the top 
horizontal frame and are formed into angled side panel pivotal hangers 32. 
Locking hinge pin apertures 52 pass through the ends of angled side panel 
pivotal hangers 32 positioned for pin-hinging by locking hinge pin 54 
inserted and attached through locking hinge pin apertures 52 in front cage 
panel framing 18. It is noted that locking hinge pin 54 has a ring 
attached through an aperture at one end, see FIG. 14, to prevent 
pull-through and snap-in ball bearing stops towards both ends to retain 
the pin in locking hinge pin apertures 52 and acts as a pin hinge allowing 
pivotal movement of the attached members. Angle-forming horizontal side 
panel brace 30 is affixed in driver left side cage panel 14 approximately 
a third of the way upwardly from the lower horizontal member of side cage 
panel framing 22 shaping driver left side panel 14 to conform with the 
frame shape of cab end front cage panel 10. 
Passenger right side cage panel 16 is shown in FIG. 1 at F and is 
essentially a reversed version of driver left side cage panel 14. The same 
framing and frame designation numbers, attachment features and feature 
designation numbers, and bracing and bracing designation numbers are used 
in both passenger right side cage panel 16 and driver left side cage panel 
14 as the two sides turned end for end are actually interchangeable. 
At C in FIG. 1, left rear cage support member 28 is illustrated. Along with 
right rear cage support member 26, shown at F in FIG. 1, when both are 
upwardly attached to rear cage panel hinge bar 34, FIG. 1 D, these two 
members support the full cage structure adjacent the tailgate end of a 
pickup. Both rear cage support members, 26 and 28, are fitted downwardly 
to side wall inserts 58 retained by locking hinge pins 54 through locking 
hinge pin apertures 52. In FIG. 1 at G, support rod 62 is illustrated. 
Support rod 62 has reversed right angled tip ends and is useful for 
holding opened panels of the cage in fixed positions, see FIG. 3 and FIG. 
6. 
A second end cage panel member is designated tailgate end rear cage panel 
12 and is shown in FIG. 1 at D. Attached by strap and tube hinge fittings 
48 to rear cage panel hinge bar 34, tailgate end rear cage panel 12 is 
shaped to conform with cab end front cage panel 10 and the angled 
structural shape produced when rear cage support members 26 and 28 are 
attached to rear cage panel hinge bar 34. Both ends of rear cage panel 
hinge bar 34 are shaped into female attachment ends 36. The upper ends of 
both right rear cage support member 26 and left rear cage support member 
28 are formed into male attachment ends 38. These male and female fittings 
attached by locking hinge pin 54 through apertures 52 connect rear cage 
panel hinge bar 34 to the rear cage support members 26 and 28. The pin 
hinging and angled shape of the entire cage structure is extremely 
important for utility functions of which this device is capable and are 
described further on in the specification. 
FIG. 2 is a rear view of a pickup truck 40. Rear support members 26 nd 28 
are attached upwardly to rear cage panel hinge bar 34 and are fastened to 
the top of truck side walls 44 by side wall inserts 58. Side wall inserts 
58 fit into the standard stake apertures in the top of truck side walls 
44. Side cage panels 14 and 16, in this assemblage, are pivotal and can be 
raised or lowered as indicated by directional arrows 70. Tailgate end rear 
cage panel 12 is hingedly attached along the upper horizontal section of 
rear cage panel framing 20 to to rear cage panel hinge bar 34 by strap and 
tube hinge fittings 48. This allows tailgate end rear cage panel 12 to be 
swung upward as shown in FIG. 3 or swung downward and locked by attachment 
tabs 50 as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, a downwardly fastening of side cage 
panels 14 and 16 is illustrated with the side cage panels useful for work 
surfaces, tool containers, or external cargo carriers. The FIG. 3 
illustration shows passenger right side cage panel 16 retained in a 
horizontal position by support rod 62. 
Another useful positioning of side cage panels 14 and 16 is shown in FIG. 
4. Truck tailgate 46 is opened and tailgate end rear cage panel 12 is 
unfastened and placed in the tailgate position blocking entrance and exit 
to pickup truck bed 42. The side cage panels 14 and 16 are swung inward, 
fastened together, and formed into a raised cargo support area well above 
pickup truck bed 42 which is also useful for tools or cargo with the side 
cage panels in this position. Repositioning the cage panels for a variety 
of different uses is easily accomplished by simply removing locking hinge 
pins 54, repositioning angled side panel pivotal hangers 32 to line up 
various locking hinge pin apertures 52 and inserting locking hinge pins 
54. In all illustrations, directional arrows 70 indicate direction of 
movement either way. 
In FIG. 5, a partial right hand corner view of the truck side wall 44 with 
the utility cage of the invention installed illustrates a locking method. 
The shackle of padlock 72 is attached through the rings of the locking 
hinge pins 54 at the corner of the cage and locking padlock 72 secures the 
cage structure. 
FIG. 6 is a side elevation of pickup truck 40 with the utility cage 
installed. The vertical sections of front cage panel framing 18 and side 
cage panel framing 22 are adjacently aligned. The side view shows a 
substantially rectangular driver left side cage panel 14 covered by 
expanded metal caging material 24. Inside along a lower section, 
angle-forming horizontal side panel brace 30 longitudinally supports the 
cage frame. The forward extension of expanded metal caging material 24 
below front cage panel framing 18 forming security front panel extension 
66 is shown by dotted lines in FIG. 6. The vertical rear section of side 
cage panel framing 22 is adjacent vertical left rear cage support member 
28. The cage structure is fastened to rest atop of truck side walls 44. 
Tailgate end rear panel 12 is in the opened position retained by support 
rod 62. 
Reinforced cage top panel 74 is shown in a prospective illustration on top 
the cage frame structure in FIG. 7. Reinforced cage top panel 74, a 
substantially rectangular configuration, is framed by top panel frame 76 
and strengthened by top panel longitudinal support members 78. Attachment 
tabs 50 locked on by locking hinge pins 54 releasably hold reinforced cage 
top panel 74 positioned. Two centrally aligned openings one towards each 
ends in reinforced cage top panel 74 form top panel handle openings 80 
used for lifting and repositioning reinforced cage top panel 74. As 
illustrated in FIG. 8, reinforced cage top panel 74 can be positioned for 
use as a ramp at the rear of pickup truck 40. Reinforced cage top panel 74 
is sufficiently strong to support considerable weight on a low-angled 
upgrade and attachment tabs 50 with locking hinge pins 54 installed can be 
used to retain the ramp in position against pickup truck bed 42. 
FIG. 9 reveals another unique application of the present invention. Side 
cage panels 14 and 16 unfastened, inverted, and refastened are angled and 
attached upwardly to form a roof-like support over which waterproof 
covering 68 can be fitted. Cover attachments 82 hold waterproof covering 
68 in place. The side view of pickup truck 40 in FIG. 10 further 
illustrates the upward positioning of side cage panels 14 and 16. 
In FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 additional useful applications of reinforced cage 
top panel 74 is disclosed. The partial view of pickup truck 40 in FIG. 11 
shows truck tailgate 46 opened horizontally and reinforced cage top panel 
74 affixed as a horizontally positioned work surface continuation 
supported at the end by pedestal 64. The perspective view of the bed area 
of pickup truck 40 in FIG. 12 illustrates use of the reinforced cage top 
panel 74 as a lengthwise railing-height decking over pickup truck bed 42 
between truck side walls 44. 
The back of the cab area of pickup truck 40 is illustration in part at FIG. 
13 in a perspective view. Tailgate end rear cage panel 12 is shown 
attached to cab end front cage panel 10 for disassembled transporting. 
Tailgate end rear cage panel 12 is retained by two types of fittings 
designated S-type hangers 56 and frame attachment clips 84. The S-type 
hangers 56 hook through the expanded metal caging material 24 on both 
panels to hold them together. The frame attachment clips 84 snap over the 
frames 18 and 20 to secure the frames. Enlargements of both the S-type 
hangers 56 and the frame attachment clips 84 are shown in the drawings at 
FIG. 13. 
The locking hinge pin 54, used exclusively for locking cage members 
together and for the pivotal hinging of the cage panels, is illustrated at 
FIG. 14. A ring 88 affixed through an aperture at one end of pin 54 is 
used as a locking means and as a stop preventing locking hinge pin 54 from 
being pulled on through locking hinge pin apertures 52. Spring biased ball 
bearings 90 partly protruding through the wall surface one adjacent each 
end of locking hinge pin 54 prevent vibrational dispositioning of locking 
hinge pin 54 when it is installed in locking hinge pin apertures 52. 
FIG. 15 is illustrative of the utility cage installed on a wide pickup 
truck 92. Offset side wall inserts 60 are turned extended part outward to 
fit the stake apertures in truck side walls 44 and effect attachment of a 
standards sized utility cage. Side cage panels 14 and 16 have been 
detached, turned around, and reattached to produce yet another function of 
the present invention. With side cage panels 14 and 16 installed as 
illustrated in FIG. 15, a concave cargo or equipment are is produced 
paralleling truck side walls 44. As shown, illustrative ladder 86 can be 
carried in the concave cargo space. FIG. 16 is illustrative of the utility 
cage assemblage installed on a narrow bed pickup truck 94. Offset side 
wall inserts 60 have been turned with the extensions inward to fit a 
standard sized cage to stake apertures in the narrower truck side walls 
44. 
The utility cage for vehicles constituting the present invention is easy to 
assemble and install. Actually the cage can be assembled during 
installation. Cab end front cage panel 10 is attached adjacent the cab of 
pickup truck 40 (FIG. 6) by inserting side wall inserts 58 into the front 
stake apertures in truck side walls 44. The cage structure goes together 
as indicated in FIG. 1 by directional arrows 70. The upper ends of rear 
cage support members 26 and 28 are inserted into the tubular ends of cage 
panel hinge bar 34 with tailgate rear cage panel hingedly attached by 
strap and tube hinge fittings 48. The assembled rear structure is mounted 
on truck side walls 44 by side wall inserts 58 in stake apertures in truck 
side walls 44 adjacent truck tailgate 46. Driver left side cage panel 14 
is attached by locking hinge pin 54 through locking hinge pin apertures 52 
upwardly at the rear to left rear cage support member 28 and again at the 
front upwardly to front cage panel framing 18 similarly. Passenger right 
side cage panel 16 oppositely similarly attached. The utility cage for 
vehicles of the present invention is assembled, installed on the pickup 
truck, an ready for use. Animals or cargo can be carried safely inside the 
cage and locking is effected as previously described. 
For top closure and additional security, reinforced cage top panel 74 can 
be installed and locked in the opened space at the top of the cage between 
side cage panels 14 and 16. Cargo or tools can be carried on top of the 
cage structure with reinforced cage top panel 74 installed. Top panel 74 
is also useful as an internal raised decking and as a loading ramp as 
described. 
Although we have supplied considerable details of our invention in the 
specification, it is to be understood that in practice we may modify the 
design and change the structure somewhat so long as changes made do not 
depart from the intent of the scope of the appended claims.