Abstract:
A rack with retractable drawers for the bed of a pick-up includes a rack adapted to be supported by the side wall; a drawer brace held by the rack above the truck bed; and a drawer attached to the drawer brace. The drawer extends from and retracts into the rack so as to be accessible from outside of the truck bed. One or more drawers may extend out the sides of the pickup or out the tail gate area.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to truck accessories, and more specifically, to a rack with retractable drawers for the bed of a pick-up truck. 
     Current drawers for trucks take up the entire bed, and may be limited in what they can contain. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for a rack with drawers for trucks that can be easily removed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a device for a truck having a bed with a side wall includes: a rack adapted to be supported by the side wall; a drawer brace held by the rack above the truck bed; and a drawer attached to the drawer brace; wherein the drawer extends from and retracts into the rack so as to be accessible from outside of the truck bed. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a storage device for a pickup truck having a bed with a side wall includes: a rack adapted to be supported by the side wall and to fit within a topper of the truck bed; a drawer brace held by the rack above the truck bed; a drawer attached to the drawer brace; and a plurality of legs adapted to support the rack so that the drawer is held above the truck bed. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts an embodiment of the present invention used with a pickup truck; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  depicts the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with the drawer slid out; 
         FIG. 4  depicts a front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  depicts a side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  depicts a second embodiment of the present invention used with a pickup truck; 
         FIG. 7  depicts a perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  depicts the embodiment of  FIG. 6  with the drawers slid out; and 
         FIG. 9  depicts a front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. 
     Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention generally provides a rack with retractable drawers suspended over the bed of a pick-up truck on the side walls or rails of the truck bed box. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may congregate all tools and supplies in one place, and keep them secure so that they are not damaged or lost. The tools may be accessible from outside the truck box using a retractable drawer system. 
     An embodiment of a storage rack may be suspended above the bed of a pick-up truck supported on the side walls or rails of the bed box. This configuration may keep the bed clear of obstacles and miscellaneous materials so that other items can be easily loaded and unloaded. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the present invention may include a rack  10  to allow a human person to contain and access items from outside the box of a pick-up truck  40 . A rack  10  may be supported by both side walls  42  of the box of the truck  40 , to lift the rack  10  above the bed  44  of the pick truck box. Embodiments of a rack  10  may fit inside a topper  46  (cap or shell) of the truck  40 , protected from the elements such as rain or snow. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 2 , an embodiment of the present invention may include a rack  10  having legs  12  to support the rack  10  above the bed of the pick-up truck box on the side walls of the box of the truck. Frame supports  28  may separate the legs  12  and maintain support for the rack  10  over the bed or box of the truck. One or more leg braces  14  may spread the legs  12  and frame supports  28  as a unit and provide rigidity. An embodiment of the rack  10  may be adjustable to fit truck box widths in a range of, for example, 40″-78″. 
     An embodiment may include a rack  10  to accommodate one or more drawers  16  supported by drawer supports  22  attached to the frame supports  28  and legs  12 . The drawer supports  22  may be separated by drawer spreaders  20  which work in conjunction with drawer braces  18 . The rack  10  may be adjustable for height by leg adjusters  24 . The adjusters  24  may adjust the height of the rack  10  above the bed of the truck box from, for example, 0.5″ to 6″. The rack  10  may comprise metal, square and rectangular tubing ranging in size from, for example, 0.75″-2″ and other metal components to complete the rack  10 . The drawer  16  may fit within the rack  10  surrounded by the drawer support  22 , drawer brace  18  and drawer support spreader  20 . The drawer  16  may be mounted to the drawer brace  18  using a drawer slide  26 , and the appropriate metal fastening items. The slide may allow the drawer  16  to be extended and retracted from the rack  10 . The drawer  16  may be locked in the extended or retracted position by a drawer lock. This action allows the person to remain outside the box of the truck, extend the drawer  16 , access the contents of the drawer  16 , and then retract it into the rack  10 . This action can be accomplished from either the side of the truck or the back of the truck at the tail gate. The drawer  16  may comprise any hard, supportive material known in the art, including but not limited to wood, metal and plastic. The drawer  16  may be shaped as a square or rectangle. 
     As depicts in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  5 , an embodiment of a rack  10  may include a drawer  16  that slides in and out. The drawer  16  may have a bottom 22″-27″ by 20″-29″ with (4) sides 3″-8″ in height. The drawer  16  may contain items for the person elevated above the bed of the truck box, leaving space to contain other larger items that are less likely to be scattered about and hard to retrieve without the person climbing into the box of the truck. 
     In an embodiment, the legs  12  may be connected to the frame support  28  above the drawer support  22 , and the legs may be spread apart for width by the drawer support spreader  20  and leg brace  14 . Connections may be performed by welding or other attachment mechanisms. The legs  12  may be welded to the frame support  28  at an angle, and typically a 110-120 degree angle. The leg brace  14  and drawer support spreader  20  may be welded to the legs and frame support  28  at 90 degree angles. The drawer  16  may be connected to the drawer brace  18  by metal and wood screws. The drawer  16  may be assembled preferably with glue and staples. 
     In an embodiment, the rack  10  may be suspended over the bed of a pickup truck. Within the rack  10  may be 1-2 drawers  16  mounted on drawer slides  26  allowing the drawer  16  to be extended or retracted in or out of the rack. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 6 , an alternate embodiment of the present invention may include a rack system  50  for a pick-up truck  40  supported by the truck side walls  42  to lift two racks  10  above the truck bed  44 . Embodiments of a rack system  50  include a storage device that may fit inside a truck topper  46 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 7 , an embodiment of a rack system  50  may include two racks  10 , each with legs  12 , slidable drawers  16 , and frame supports  28 . The rack system  50  may be supported by opposing side walls of the truck bed. The drawers may extend out the sides of the pickup. 
     In an embodiment, the person in the cab of the truck may be protected from the contents of the drawer by a head bump screen attached to the rack on the cab side of the rack. 
     An embodiment may provide a convenient way to secure and access items from outside the pick-up truck box. All the items remain contained under the truck topper yet elevated above the box of the truck in the rack. The person standing by the side of the pick-up truck may swing the wing window of the topper (cap or shell) open, allowing access to the rack. From the back of the pick-up truck, the person standing at the rear of the truck could open the back window of the topper (cap) and have access to the rack. Extending the drawer(s) over the rear end of the truck gives full access to the contents. The drawer(s) may be retracted into the rack under the truck topper for protection and safe travel. The human person no longer needs to crawl up into the box of the pick-up truck to search for the item desired. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.