Abstract:
A foot assembly for use in adjusting the height of a truck bed divider. The foot assembly includes a body securable to a bottom rail of the truck bed divider that engages the bottom wall of the truck bed to assist in securing the divider within the truck bed. In order to adjust the height of the divider to accommodate truck beds including side walls of various heights, the foot assembly also includes one or more extensions that are releasably securable to the body of the foot assembly. The extensions serve to increase the overall height of the foot assembly so that the divider can be used with truck beds having higher side walls. The foot assembly and extensions are both formed of a resilient material that enables the foot assembly and/or extensions to frictionally engage the bottom wall of the truck bed to aid in securely positioning the divider within the truck bed.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to truck bed dividers, and more specifically to a truck bed divider including a height adjustment system. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Pickup trucks are often used to carry items from one place to another. The bed of the truck allows the items to be retained within the bed while the truck is moving. However, on many occasions, the items that are to be carried in the bed of the truck are not large enough to be securely retained within the truck bed by the walls of the bed without an additional securing structure. 
     As a result, a number of truck dividers have been developed that segregate the truck bed into sections that conform closely to the size of the items placed in the truck bed in order to more securely retain the items in the bed. These dividers generally include a rectangular panel or array of panels that extends across the truck bed between the side walls. The divider is secured to the side walls of the truck bed to maintain the divider in a stationary position while the truck is moving. Some dividers are designed to engage the bottom wall of the truck bed in order to retain the divider in a position perpendicular to the bottom wall while the truck is moving. This prevents the divider from swinging outwardly when contacted by one or more of the items retained by the divider, and allowing the items to slide beneath the divider, and possibly out of the truck bed. 
     Many truck bed dividers have been developed which utilize various configurations for segregating the interior of a truck bed. However, these truck bed dividers have each been designed for use with a specific type of pick-up truck. Therefore, the divider will most likely not be able to be utilized with a truck other than the specific type of truck for which the divider was designed. This presents many problems when the owner of a pick-up truck purchases a truck bed divider, as he or she must know the exact dimensions of the truck bed in order to find a truck bed divider which can be adequately secured within the interior of that particular truck bed. For example, on many occasions the feet attached to the bottom of a truck bed divider cannot adequately engage the bottom wall of a truck bed to prevent the divider from pivoting when in use. This is due to the fact that the height of the side walls of the truck bed may be greater than the height of the divider, which prevents the feet on the divider from properly engaging the truck bed. Alternatively, the divider may have a height greater than the truck bed, which prevents proper engagement of the divider latch mechanism with the side walls of the truck bed. 
     As a result, it is desirable to develop a truck bed divider including a height adjustment mechanism to accommodate for height differences in various truck beds. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a truck bed divider that includes an adjustable foot assembly capable of varying the overall height of the truck bed divider. 
     It is another objection of the invention to provide a foot assembly including a pair of extensions that are releasably attachable to the foot assembly in order to vary the height of the foot assembly and the divider. 
     It is still another object of the invention to provide a foot assembly capable of reliably securing the divider to the truck bed when using the foot assembly and the extensions, or the foot assembly alone. 
     It is still a further object of the invention to provide a foot assembly that is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to attach to a truck bed divider. 
     The present invention is an adjustable foot assembly for a truck bed divider used to vary the height of the divider depending upon the height of the truck bed in which the divider is positioned. The divider includes a panel having a generally rectangular shape that extends between the side walls of the truck bed. The panel includes a bottom edge or rail that is positioned slightly above, and extends along the bottom wall of the truck bed perpendicular to the side walls. 
     One or more resilient foot assemblies are attached to the bottom rail of the panel and contact the bottom wall of the truck bed to retain the panel in a position perpendicular to the side walls and bottom wall. Each foot assembly includes a body having an opening at one end that is adapted to engage the bottom rail of the panel. Opposite the opening, the foot assembly includes at least one bed engaging portion. Each bed engaging portion includes a number of grooves, knobs or other protrusions extending from the engaging portion that contact and frictionally engage the bottom wall of the truck bed in order to maintain the panel in a stationary position within the truck bed. 
     To adjust the height of the foot assembly to fit the height of a particular truck bed, the foot assembly also includes at least one extension that is releasably securable to the foot assembly. The extension is formed of a material similar to that used to form the body, and includes a securing means at one end and a bed engaging surface opposite the securing means. The securing means can be either a male or female portion of an interlocking mechanism for which the corresponding portion is disposed in the bed engaging portion of the body. The extension is engaged with the body such that the extension is disposed directly beneath the bed engaging portion of the body. In this configuration, the engaging surface of the extension contacts and engages the bottom wall of the truck bed in the same manner as the bed engaging portion on the body, while increasing the overall height of the foot assembly by the height of the extension. 
    
    
     Other objects and aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following drawings and detailed description. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The following drawings illustrate the best mode currently contemplated of carrying out the present invention. 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a truck bed divider including a number of the foot assemblies of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the truck bed divider and foot assemblies of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a partially exploded view of the foot assembly of FIG. 3 including the extensions attached to the foot assembly; and 
     FIG. 6 is an elevation view of the foot assembly and extensions of FIG. 5 attached to a truck bed divider. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawing figures in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the disclosure, a truck bed divider is indicated generally at  10  in FIG.  1 . The divider  10  is generally rectangular in shape and includes a top rail  12 , a bottom rail  14 , and a pair of side sections  16  connecting the top and bottom rails. The side sections  16  include outwardly extending shoulders  18  which provide clearance for wheel wells in the truck bed. Securing mechanisms  20 ,  22  are mounted to the upper ends of side sections  16 , and may be an adjustable, extendible and retractable latch mechanism as shown and described in copending application Ser. No. 09/838,643, filed Apr. 19, 2001, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     The top rail  12  and bottom rail  14  are all hollow tubes formed of a rigid, lightweight material capable of handling a large amount of stress. Examples of suitable materials include thermosetting plastics and metals. Preferably, the tubes forming the top rail  12  and bottom rail  14  are generally square in cross-section and are formed of anodized aluminum. The side sections  16  are formed of a glass-filled nylon. The top and bottom rails  12 ,  14  are attached to the side sections  16  in a conventional manner to form the divider  10 . 
     The divider  10  also includes a center rail  24  spaced between and extending parallel to the top rail  12  and bottom rail  14  between the side sections  16 . The center rail  24  is formed similarly to the top and bottom rails  12 ,  14 , and separates the divider  10  into an upper portion  26  and a lower portion  28 . Both the upper portion  26  and lower portion  28  include a pair of web sections  30  disposed between the top rail  12  and center rail  24 , and center rail  24  and bottom rail  14 , respectively. The web sections  30  prevent any items secured by the divider  10  from passing through the upper portion  26  or lower portion  28  of the divider  10 . The web sections  30  can be formed of either a flexible or rigid plastic material and include a number of apertures  32  to accommodate odd-shaped items and to reduce the overall weight and wind resistance of the divider  10 . Each web section  30  also includes a support  33  positioned opposite the side sections  16  that extends between either the top rail  12  or the bottom rail  14  and the center rail  24  to maintain the web sections  30  in an upright position and to provide additional support to the divider  10 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the divider  10  is positioned within a truck bed  34  including a bottom wall  36  and a pair of opposed side walls  38  extending upwardly from the bottom wall  36 . In this position, the securing mechanisms  20  and  22  are engaged with the side walls  38  and the bottom rail  14  is spaced a distance above the bottom wall  36  of the truck bed  34  by a number of foot assemblies  40 . 
     As best shown in FIGS. 3-4, each foot assembly  40  is connected to the bottom rail  14  and extends between the bottom rail  14  and the bottom wall  36 . Further, each foot assembly  40  is formed of a generally resilient material having a high coefficient of friction that is capable of deforming slightly to accommodate variations of the particular structure of the bottom wall  36  of the truck bed  34 , while retaining enough rigidity to adequately support the divider  10 . The preferred material for the assemblies  40  is a hard rubber. 
     The foot assemblies  40  each have a body  42  including a generally convex upper surface  44  and a generally flat lower surface  46  joined to the upper surface  44  at each end by a pair of short side panels  48 . The body  42  also includes a centrally-disposed opening  50  that extends completely through the body  42 . The opening  50  is generally square in shape and is dimensioned to receive the bottom rail  14  of the divider  10 . The opening  50  is dimensioned to be only slightly larger than the bottom rail  14  so that the body  42  does not easily slide with respect to the bottom rail  14 . Further, as best shown in FIG. 4, the bottom rail  14  is inserted completely through the opening  50  in the body  42  of each foot assembly  40 . When the lower pair of web sections  30  are joined to the bottom rail  14 , the convex upper surface  44  of each foot assembly  40  extending over the bottom rail  14  passes through a recess  52  formed above the bottom rail  14  by notches  53  located at each end of the web sections  30 . Foot assembly  40  can be moved within recess  52  to adjust the axial position of foot assembly  40  on bottom rail  14 . 
     Opposite the convex upper surface  44 , the flat lower surface  46  is separated into a pair of bed engaging sections  54  by a gap  56  disposed directly beneath the opening  50  and extending into the interior of the body  42 . Each bed engaging section  54  includes a slot  58  also extending into the body  42  generally perpendicular to the lower surface  46 . The slots  58  include a downwardly depending tongue  60  that divides the slot  58  into a pair of identical curved portions  62 . Furthermore, on either side of the slots  58 , each bed engaging section  54  includes a number of grooves  64  that extend laterally across the width of the lower surface  46 . The grooves  64 , as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, directly engage the bottom wall  36  of the truck bed  34  when the divider  10  is positioned within the truck bed  34 . 
     However, when the height of the side walls  38  of the truck bed  34  is such that the height of the body  42  is insufficient to engage the bed engaging sections  54  with the bottom wall  36 , a pair of extensions  66  can be secured to the bed engaging sections  54  on each body  42 . As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each extension  66  is generally rectangular in shape, including a top wall  68 , a bottom wall  70 , and a pair of side walls  72  joining the top and bottom walls. Both the top wall  68  and the bottom wall  70  include a plurality of grooves  74  that extend laterally across the width of the extension  66 . The extensions  66  are also formed of a resilient material that is either similar to, or more flexible than the material used to form the body  42 , such as a flexible rubber. 
     To attach each extension  66  to the corresponding bed engaging section  54 , each extension  66  includes a tab  76  extending upwardly from the top wall  68 . The tab  76  includes a channel  78  extending downwardly into the tab  76  that divides the tab  76  into a pair of curved sections  80 . The curved sections  80  and channel  78  on the tab  76  correspond in shape to the tongue  60  and curved portions  62  within the slot  58  in each bed engaging section  54  such that the tab  76  is slidably engageable into the slot  58 . Further, the grooves  74  disposed on the top wall  68  are aligned with the grooves  64  disposed on either side of the slot  58 . Therefore, when the tab  76  is slidably inserted into the slot  58 , the grooves  64  and  74 , respectively, are also slidably engaged with one another to assist in holding the extension  66  together with the bed engaging section  54 . 
     When the extensions  66  are secured to the bed engaging sections  54  on the body  42 , each foot assembly  40  is increased in height by the height of the extension  66 , not including the tab  76 . Also, when the extension  66  engages the bottom wall  38  of the truck bed  36 , the grooves  74  on the extension  66  opposite the tab  76  engage the bottom wall  38  in a manner identical to the grooves  64  on the bed engaging sections  54 . 
     In order to provide additional flexibility for each foot assembly  40 , each extension  66  also includes a central aperture  82  extending through each extension  66  between and parallel to the top wall  68  and bottom wall  70 . A pair of inserts  84 , which are formed of a more rigid material than the body  42  and extensions  66 , are positioned within opposite sides of the aperture  82  in order to increase the rigidity of the extension  66  when positioned against the bottom wall  36 . The inserts  84  can also be varied in length to change the additional amount of rigidity provided to the extensions  66 , or inserts  84  may be omitted altogether. 
     While the previous description discloses the best mode of currently practicing the present invention, other alternative structures and configurations may also be used. For example, the grooves  64  and  74  on the respective surfaces and/or walls of the body  42  and extension  66  can be altered to other functionally equivalent structures, such as knobs and dimples, or tongues and grooves in order to align the extension  66  with the body  42  as well as grip the bottom wall  36  of the truck bed  34 . 
     Further, the particular structures utilized to secure the extension  66  to the bed engaging sections  54  of the body  42  may comprise any functional equivalents of the slot  58  and tab  76  disposed on the body  42  and extension  66 , respectively. For example, the structure used to secure the extension  66  to the body  42  could include a snap fastener, or a hook and loop fastener. 
     While the body  42  is disclosed as defining an opening  50  that is completely enclosed, it is also contemplated that the body  42  may include a depression, or a partially enclosed opening that is shaped to receive the bottom rail  14  of the divider  10 . This opening may also include a means for securing the bottom rail  14  within the opening, such as a pair of opposed arms biased inwardly over the opening to enclose the opening, or a belt or strap releasably securable to opposite sides of the body  42  over the bottom rail  14  and through the recesses  52  defined by the web sections  34 . 
     The invention has been shown and described as including a pair of extensions  66  engageable with each body  42 . It should be understood that a single extension may be employed which extends outwardly in both directions from rail  14 , or that any other number of extensions may be used. 
     Various alternatives are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention.