Abstract:
A cargo bar having reduced costs due in part to being constructed from square tubes and due to being collapsible to a length that fits a 4 foot pallet so as to facilitate shipping and storage. Pressure induced extension of the cargo bar against opposed truck walls is provided by a rack and pinion gear arrangement, the rack teeth provided on a first tube wall and the pinion teeth provided on a pivotal lever mounted to a second tube. The bar ends have pressure pads that will conform to side walls of a truck or van and the tube interior is alternately fitted with retractable track pins that extend through the pads and retract behind the pads to accommodate different cargo bar systems.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a cargo bar that is installed between the side walls of vans and trucks to stabilize a load being hauled.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The cargo bar is an elongate tube having a pressure pad at each end. The length is adjustable to adapt to the distance between walls and includes a lock for locking the tube length at an adjusted position. In use, a truck or van is partly loaded, front to back, and a cargo bar is placed against the partial load and extended between the side walls. The bar is extended to force the pads into tight engagement with the side walls and locked to secure the bar at that position. The partial load is thereby tightly held in place to avoid shifting as the van or truck is driven to a port of destination.  
           [0003]    The present invention is intended to improve on the existing cargo bars in at least three categories.  
           [0004]    Bar Length  
           [0005]    The distance between the side walls of the van is about 8 feet. The bar length prior to the extension needs to approximate that length to provide convenient handling and installation. One needs to be able to place one end of the bar with the pad abutted against a side wall and then the bar is extended to place the other pressure pad at th other side wall. Whereas the different containers have similar but not the same width, the collapsed bar length is typically on the order of 7 feet (e.g., 7′ 2″ to 7′ 4″) with a foot or so of available extension. However, the 8 foot length is cumbersome for handling, shipping and storage of large quantities of the cargo bars, i.e., as the product moves from the factory to the truck owner/user. Whereas 4 foot pallets are common for handling quantities of products in general, the 7 foot length cargo bars hang about 1½ feet off both ends of a standard 4 foot pallet adding to the cost of handling, shipping and storage.  
           [0006]    Bar Weight and Cost  
           [0007]    The bar is subject to substantial stress and the bar must be anchored securely in place against the wall to avoid being dislodged by a shifting load. Most prior bars are cylindrical tubes constructed of steel that is both heavy and expensive. It is desirable to maintain the bar strength but to lessen the cost.  
           [0008]    Gripping Mechanism  
           [0009]    Gripping is provided by the pressure pads as discussed. The pads are flat and rigid with a configured elastomeric gripping surface. The pads are extended against the walls by a ratchet mechanism that is cumbersome and heavy. The gripping surface of the pads may not be secure in part because the walls against which the pads are pressed become slightly bowed under the pressure and this results in a curved wall surface with less surface area of the flat pressure pads being in contact with the wall. It is desirable to provide a pressure pad that more tightly abuts the wall and with a less cumbersome and more secure mechanism for extending the bar.  
         BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The preferred embodiment of the invention is made of three square tubes that are assembled in telescoping relation. All three tubes are less than four feet in length and when assembled and in a collapsed condition do not exceed four feet in length. The square tubes are inherently stronger and can be made lighter with a thinner wall material to substantially reduce the cost. The first and second tube sections are provided with a lock mechanism that locks the first and second tube sections together in an extended relation. The extended position will likely be the preferred position and likely maintained throughout use in mounting and demounting the bar for securing a load. The telescoping action between the first and second tube sections is intended primarily to facilitate shipping and handling. However, the option of collapsing the bar to 4 feet is available simply by depressing the locking pins.  
           [0011]    The second and third tubes remain in telescoping relation with the second tube section. A lever is mounted at the end of the second tube section into which the third tube moves in and out. The lever carries an elliptical pinion gear with peripheral teeth positioned for engagement with rack-like teeth formed in the corresponding side of the third tube and along a substantial length thereof. With the lever pivoted to its full unlocked position, the pinion teeth are disengaged from the rack teeth and the third tube can be fully extended into contact with a van or truck wall. The lever is pivoted to cause engagement of the pinion teeth with the rack teeth and as the lever continues to pivot, the third tube is forced outwardly into tight engagement with the wall. The elliptical configuration assures secure engagement of the teeth at the point of greatest resistance. A latch mechanism is engaged by the lever upon full extension to maintain the right engagement with the walls. A release is engaged by the user to achieve unlocking and removal of the bar as desired.  
           [0012]    The pressure pads of the preferred embodiment have a rigid center defined by the cross section of the tube, but the side areas surrounding the centers are adapted to slightly bow under the pressure of the lever induced extension. Thus, as the track or van wall is bowed, the bowed configuration is matched by the pressure pads to provide full surface-to-surface engagement.  
           [0013]    The pads are provided with a nesting arrangement to enhance stacking of the multiple cargo bars for shipping and storage. A second embodiment of the cargo bar includes extendable pins that penetrate through the pad center to engage tracks mounted to the track or van walls as an alternate application of the cargo bars. Other improvements will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description having reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1A illustrates in perspective view a quantity of cargo bars in accordance with the invention as stacked on a pallet, and FIG. 1B is a top view and FIG. 1C is a front view showing in greater detail the nesting arrangement of the cargo bars as stacked in FIG. 1A;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a rear view of a truck box containing a partial load and a cargo bar in accordance with the invention secured to the walls of the truck box to secure the partial load.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a cargo bar in accordance with the present invention, and FIG. 3A is a top view of a cargo bar section as viewed on view lines  3 A- 3 A of FIG. 3;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a view showing the components of FIG. 3 in assembled relation as when stored and shipped;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a view showing the components of FIG. 3 in assembled relation as when securing a partial load in a truck box;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5A is a section view as taken on sections lines  5 A- 5 A of FIG. 5 and FIG. 5B is an alternate view of FIG. 5A, i.e., showing the lock disengaged and engaged;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the mechanism for tightening the cargo bar in a truck box and FIGS.  6 A- 6 E sequentially illustrate the cargo bar of FIG. 5 in the process of being secured to the walls of a truck box by the mechanism of FIG. 6; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIGS. 7, 7A,  8  and  8 A are views illustrating an alternate embodiment of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1A schematically illustrates a number of cargo bars  10  loaded on a pallet  12  following manufacture. The loaded pallets are conveyed through commerce in the usual manner, i.e., stacked together on the pallet and the loaded pallets transferred to a warehouse, subsequently loaded onto trucks and hauled to a point of distribution. There it may be stored for a period of time and then shipped to a retail outlet or directly to a trucking company. FIGS. 1B and 1C are top and front views where it can be seen that the pressure pads  14  have protrusions  16  and mated recesses  18  that interfit to facilitate stacking of the cargo bars on the pallet  12 .  
         [0023]    It is desirable that the cargo bars fit a 4 foot pallet which is common for moving products through commerce and the present invention provides for shortening of the cargo bar length for shipping purposes to accommodate the conventional length of a pallet, i.e., four feet. The ability to load the bars on a 4 foot pallet results in reduced cost in shipping and storing of the cargo bars.  
         [0024]    Reference is now made to FIG. 2 illustrates the use of the cargo bar of the invention for its intended purpose, i.e., securing loads. Illustrated is a truck box  20  in which freight items  21  are loaded. It is desirable upon many occasions to secure such partial loads against undesired shifting. The width of the box  20  is in the order of 8 feet between walls  22  and it is typically desirable that the bars  10  are sufficiently long to approximate the width (e.g., about 8 feet in length) but with a telescoping tube end  28  that is extended into abutting engagement with the opposing walls  22 . More precisely, the bar length is forcibly extended to exert pressure against the walls and prevent dislodgement.  
         [0025]    It will thus be understood that the cargo bar  10  is first desired to be a length of no greater than 4 feet to fit onto the pallet  12  but then when put in use, to have an approximate permanent length of about 8 feet for ready mounting to the width span of a truck box.  
         [0026]    Reference is now made to FIGS.  3 - 5 . FIG. 3 shows three tubes which include an outside or large tube  24 , a middle tube  26  that is slidable inside the large tube  24 , and an inside tube  28  that is slidable inside the middle tube  26 . As noted, tube  24  includes a pressure pad  14  at its distal or outside end and a hole  30  strategically placed near its opposite end. The middle tube  26  is sized to fit inside tube  24 . Tube  26  has a spring loaded pin  32  at its inserted end that is sized to fit hole  30  of tube  24 . At the opposite end, tube  26  is fitted with a lever  34  pivotally mounted to a bracket  36  at the tube end. Tube  28  is sized to fit inside tube  26  and its distal end is fitted also with a pressure pad  14 .  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 illustrates the tubes  24 ,  26  and  28  as assembled into its fully collapsed relation and as so assembled is sized to fit a conventional pallet, e.g., 4 feet in length and width. The pin  32  is compressed into tube  26  as seen in FIG. 5A. FIG. 5 illustrates the cargo bar in a second assembled relation for operative use, i.e., securing a load as illustrated in FIG. 2. As will be noted, tube  26  is extended from tube  24  to a position whereat pin  32  is protruded into hole  30  (the position of FIG. 5B). This provides sufficient overlap to insure a rigid tube length from pad  14  on tube  24  to bracket  36  on tube  26 . The tube  28  can be positioned at any position of extension from tube  26  as will now be explained.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 3A illustrates a top view of tube  28  taken on view lines  3 A- 3 A of FIG. 3. Rack-like teeth  38  are provided as a double row of teeth along a substantial portion of the length of tube  28  as seen in FIG. 3A. The rack-like teeth  38  are engaged by pinion teeth  40  of lever  34  as seen in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6A, the lever  34  is pivoted to its initial position where the pinion teeth  40  are not engaged with the teeth  38  of tube  28 . The tube  28  can now be extended to a desired position of extension, i.e., substantially the distance between the side walls  22 .  
         [0029]    As the lever  34  is raised or pivoted to its inboard position (see FIG. 6B), the teeth  40  engage teeth  38  and continued pivoting of lever  34  causes the pinion teeth  40  to sequentially engage rack teeth  38  and force further outward or extended movement of tube  28  relative to tube  26  as illustrated by the arrows  49  in FIG. 6.  
         [0030]    With reference to FIGS.  6 C- 6 E, it will be noted that locking slot  42  on lever  34  engages lock stem  44  on latch  46  to force pivoting of latch  46  against the bias of spring (not shown) until the stem  44  is caused to seat in slot  42  by spring action of the spring. At this point the spring holds the stem  44  in slot  42  and the lever  34  is locked into the position of FIG. 6E. Unlocking is achieved by pressing latch  46  downward against the bias of the spring (note arrow  50 ). As previously discussed, the pinion teeth  40  are configured somewhat elliptical and as the lever is pivoted from the position of FIG. 6C to FIG. 6E, a progressively greater force is exerted by the pinion gear against the rack teeth to insure a forced engagement of teeth  40  with teeth  38 .  
         [0031]    Reference is now made to FIGS. 7, 7A,  8  and  8 A illustrating an alternate embodiment of the invention. Whereas the cargo bar is typically designed to establish gripping through compression of pressure pads against the truck or van box walls, an alternate design is the provision of spaced horizontal tracks secured or formed in the side walls of the truck or van at frequent intervals along the length of the truck box. In this alternative embodiment, the pressure pads are augmented with retractable pins that fit the horizontal track. The pins need only extend into the tracks where they are supported at a desired elevation by the track. Pressure gripping is less necessary and the general structure of a track system of load securement is known to the art.  
         [0032]    The alternate embodiment of FIGS. 7A and 8 provides for adaptation of the preferred embodiment disclosed in FIGS.  1 - 6  to also function in the track-type system of load securement. With reference to FIG. 7, it will be noted that a metal track pin  52  (configured to fit the track) is inset into the tube  54 . Pressure pad  56  is thus available for gripping a side wall in the manner discussed above. However, should the cargo bar be applied to a track or van box equipped with the guide tracks, the track pins are extended from the tube  54  as shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0033]    As noted, the track pins  52  include a mounting slot  58  that permits sliding of the track pin relative to mounting pin  60 . The track pin  52  is mounted on a cylindrical slide member  62  contained in the tube  54 . A rod  68  connected to slide member  62  extends laterally through a J slot  64  in tube  54 . A compression spring  66  urges the slide member  62  and thus the track pin  52  through a hole in the pad  56  as illustrated in FIG. 8. The J slot  64  is shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A. It will be observed that the rod  68  is located at the bottom of the J slot in FIGS. 7 and 7A (to the left) and the rod  68  is located at the top of the J slot in FIGS. 8 and 8A (ro the right). This positioning is accomplished manually. The rod  68  is manually forced down the tube slot and against the spring pressure of spring  66  to withdraw the track end  52  as shown in FIGS. 7 and 7A. The spring urges the rod against the short side of the J slot to retain the track pin in the withdrawn position. Again by manual movement, the rod  68  is forced down around the curve of the J slot to the long side where the spring now urges the rod  68  to the top of the slot with the track pin  52  extended as shown in FIG. 8. Readers will appreciate that a similar arrangement is provided at both ends even though shown for one end only in FIGS. 7 and 8.  
         [0034]    It will be appreciated that the preferred embodiment of the invention employs three tube components to enable reduction of the bar length to a length suitable for handling and storing of the bars on a conventional 4 foot pallet. However, a number of the improvements as explained apply to a bar having two tube sections or components. Such would not fit the 4 foot pallet but can include the improved pressure pads, square tube configuration, the rack and pinion lever mechanism and the conversion of the bar to the track type cargo bar as viewed in FIGS. 7 and 8.  
         [0035]    The invention encompasses the broad definition of the claims appended hereto with the understanding that the claim terms are intended to have their common meaning is understood generally by persons in the art. In particular, the invention is not limited to the embodiments herein disclosed.