Patent Publication Number: US-7581756-B2

Title: Universal cab guard

Description:
This application is a division of prior application Ser. No. 10/934,418, filed Sep. 7, 2004, and now U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,585, which claims benefit of Ser. No. 60/501,079, filed on Sep. 9, 2003. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention pertains to guards for mounting behind truck cabs, and more particularly, it pertains to adjustable cab guards for mounting to various models of pickup trucks. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Loose objects carried in a pickup truck box can shift toward the front of the truck box and be projected through the rear window of the truck cab when the pickup truck comes to a sudden stop or decelerates quickly. It is therefore desirable to protect the rear cab window, and the passengers of a pickup truck, from such loose objects carried in the truck box A cab guard is also advantageous for protecting the cab window from damage due to careless handling of long objects in and out of the truck box. 
   Pickup trucks have different dimensions from one model to another and from one year of manufacture to another in a same model. Therefore, most cab guards used in the past were custom made by the truck owners to fit their own trucks. Few manufacturers have introduced cab guards to be sold as after-market accessories. However, these cab guards are also limited as to the models of pickup trucks on which they can be mounted. 
   Examples of cab guards of the prior art being sold as after-market accessories are described in the following documents:
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,824 issued to Thomas K. McIntosh on Sep. 16, 1986;   U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,497 issued to Gilbert Jayne on Sep. 19, 1989.   

   Although the prior art cab guards deserve undeniable merits, it is believed that a need still exists for an universal cab guard that can be fitted to most North American pickup trucks now in service, without modification to the truck itself. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In the present invention, there is provided a cab guard that is adjustable widthwise to accommodate various sizes of pickup trucks, and in which a brake light window is adjustable up and down to align with the courtesy brake light behind the truck cab. 
   In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cab guard for a pickup truck, comprising; a horizontal base member made of square hollow structural material; an upright structure extending upward from the horizontal base member, and two anchor brackets for attachment to the sides of a pickup truck box. Each of the anchor brackets has a stem made of square hollow structural material and an anchor plate extending at right angle from the stem. Each stem is telescopically engaged in one end of the horizontal base member. The cab guard also comprises a pair of J-shaped hooks extending through the anchor plates and having means for attachment to the stake pockets of a pickup truck box for retaining the anchor plates to the sides of the pickup truck box. The universal cab guard is mountable to the front stake pockets of a pickup truck box and is adjustable to match the width between the stake pockets. It is believed that the universal cab guard according to the present invention is mountable to most North American pickup trucks now in use, without modification to the truck. 
   In another feature of the present invention, the upright structure has a thickness that is smaller than the thickness of the horizontal base member. The upright structure is affixed to the horizontal base member with the front plane thereof being even with the front side of the horizontal base member. The anchor plate in each anchor bracket extends at right angle with the stem from one side of the stem. Each stem has a thickness which is a same dimension as the thickness of the upright structure. Each stem is telescopically engaged in one end of the horizontal base member, with the anchor plate extending parallel with the upright structure along the rear side of the upright structure. 
   The cab guard with the above-described mounting of the anchor brackets constitutes a compact arrangement which is easily handled, packaged and shipped to a buyer. 
   This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof in connection with the attached drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     One embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views, and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a rear view of the universal cab guard according to the preferred embodiment; 
       FIG. 2  is an end view of one of the anchor brackets in the universal cab guard; 
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of the anchor bracket; 
       FIG. 4  is a partial perspective rear and side view of a truck box showing the stake pocket in the front right side of the box; 
       FIG. 5  is a partial cross-section view of a truck box showing an anchor bracket and a J-shaped hook extending into a stake pocket of the truck box; 
       FIG. 6  is a partial side view of a pickup truck showing the preferred universal cab guard mounted in a conventional manner on the pickup truck box; 
       FIG. 7  is another partial side view of a pickup truck showing the preferred universal cab guard mounted on the pickup truck box behind a roll-over bar; 
       FIG. 8  is a partial perspective view of the brake light window in the preferred universal cab guard; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an alternate structure for the anchor bracket; 
       FIG. 10  is a rear view of the universal cab guard in a packaged mode; 
       FIG. 11  is a cross-section view through the horizontal base member of the universal cab guard as seen along line  11  in  FIG. 10 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will be described in details herein one specific embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an example of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated and described. 
   The preferred universal cab guard  20  comprises a horizontal base member  22  made of square hollow structural steel 2″×2″× 3/16″ wall thickness. In use, this horizontal base member  22  spans along the width of the truck box over the front edge of the truck box, behind the cab. 
   An upright structure  24  extends from this base member  22  to cover most of the rear side of the cab, and especially the rear window of the truck cab. A pair of anchor brackets  26  are telescopically mounted into the ends of the base member  22 , and are adjustable sideways relative to the base member  22 . Each anchor bracket  26  has a square stem  28  and a slotted anchor plate  30  extending at right angle from the stem  28 , from the end of the stem. Each anchor plate  30  is welded to the outside surface of the stem  28  such that its longitudinal axis is offset and at right angle from the longitudinal axis of the stem, as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   A pair of J-shaped hooks  32  are inserted into the slots  34  of the anchor plates  30  and into the holes  36  normally found in the stake pockets  38  of a pickup truck, as shown in  FIG. 4 , to retain the anchor plates  28  and the entire cab guard  20  to the sides of the truck box, as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   Because of the telescopic arrangement of the anchor brackets  26 , the cab guard is adjustable to fit most half-ton and quarter-ton North American pickup trucks with stake pockets presently in service. It is believed that only two sizes of cab guards, as described herein, are needed to fit all North American pickup trucks with stake pockets presently in operation. For conventional half-ton trucks, the preferred length ‘A’ of the horizontal base member  22  is 36 inches, and the length ‘B’ of the stem member  28  is 22 to 24 inches. The preferred stem member  28  is made of hollow structural steel 1½ inches by 1½ inches by ⅛ inch wall thickness. 
   Referring particularly to  FIG. 5 , each of the anchor plates  30  has a preferred thickness of ⅜ inch and has a rubber pad  40  bonded to its bottom side. These pads  40  have a preferred thickness of about ⅛ inch and prevent a metal-to-metal contact between the cab guard  20  and the truck box. 
   A pair of set screws  42  are used to lock the stem members  28  inside the horizontal base member  22 . These set screws  42  are mounted on the top of the base member  22  whereby their tightening raises the base member  22  above a plane defined by the bottom surfaces of the anchor plates  30 , such that the cab guard  20  does not touch the front edge of the truck box, as illustrated by gap ‘C’ in  FIG. 5 . When the horizontal base member is made of a material having a 3/16 inch wall thickness, and the total thickness of the anchor plate with its rubber pad is ½ inch, then the gap ‘C’ is about 5/16 inch. This gap ‘C’ also contributes to preventing a metal-to-metal contact between the cab guard  20  and the truck box. 
   The slotted anchor plates  30  are advantageous for providing adjustment in the mounting of the cab guard  20  at a desired distance from the cab, as shown in  FIG. 6 . The symmetrical arrangement of the anchor brackets  26  is also advantageous for allowing a reverse installation thereof in the base member  22 , for mounting the cab guard  20  backward, on a pickup truck that has a roll-over protection bar  50  bolted to the frame of the truck for example, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
   The upper portion of the upright structure  24  comprises a brake light window  60  which is mounted between two upright members  62 . The brake light window is made of a light metal frame  64  with two web plates  66  covering portions of the frame  64  on each end of the frame. A piece of transparent plastic material  68  such as LEXAN™ is affixed to both web plates  66  by screws  70  to cover the central portion of the brake light window. The transparent piece  68  is removably mounted to the web plates  66  such that it can be replaced if required. 
   Preferably, the transparent piece  68 , has a logo, a crest  72  or other advertising message printed, affixed or engraved thereon or cut out from it, as illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 8 . 
   The preferred brake light window  60  has a slotted angle  74  on each end. These slotted angles  74  are used to adjustably retain the brake light window  60  to the upright members  62  by bolts  76  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The brake light window  60  is thereby adjustable up and down to fit different truck cabs having a courtesy brake light at different places relative to the front end of the truck box. 
   Another optional accessory consists of a louver panel  78  mounted below the brake light window  60 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . This louver panel  78  is also preferably adjustably mounted to the upright members  62  in a similar manner as the brake light window  60 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 9 , the anchor plate  30  may be replaced by a channel member  80  as illustrated, when the cab guard  20  is installed on a truck box also having a tool box mounted to the edges of the truck box. The tool box can be repositioned over the channel members  80  and fastened to the upper flanges of the channel members. 
   Another optional feature on the universal cab guard  20  comprises metal rings  82  affixed to the anchor brackets  26  as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . These metal rings  82  are useful for tying down a load in the truck box. 
   As mentioned, the stem  28  of each anchor bracket  26  is made of square hollow structural steel 1½″×1½″×⅛ wall thickness. Also as mentioned, the longitudinal axis of each anchor plate  30  is offset from the longitudinal axis of its corresponding stem  28 . These anchor brackets  26  can thereby be installed in various orientations in the horizontal base member  22 , and more particularly, they can be installed in a compact packaged mode as illustrated in  FIG. 10 . The advantage of this orientation is that the anchor plates  30  are oriented in a same plane as the upright structure  24 , and forms with the upright structure a compact arrangement. 
   In order to obtain this compact arrangement, the front plane of the upright structure  24  is welded even with the front side of the base member  22 , as illustrated in  FIG. 11 . When the anchor plates  30  are in this orientation, the total thickness of the cab guard  20  is only about 3/16 to ¼ inch more than the thickness of the base member, as illustrated by dimension ‘D’ in  FIG. 11 . This compact arrangement is advantageous for packaging the cab guard in a cardboard box, for shipping the cab guard, for storing it in a warehouse, or for displaying the cab guard in a store. The delivery of the preferred cab guard to a customer is effected with the cab guard in the compact arrangement as shown in  FIG. 10 , with a pouch  84  containing the J-shaped hooks  32  and a mounting instruction leaflet, attached to any convenient location along the upright structure  24 . 
   The upright members  62  are preferably made of hollow structural steel 1½″×1½″×⅛″ wall thickness. The horizontal structural components  90  of the upright structure  24  are preferably made of steel flat bar 1½ inch wide by ¼ inch thick. The brake light window frame  64  is preferably made of steel flat bar 1 inch wide by ⅛ inch thick. A cab guard made of steel as described herein weights about 53 lbs. 
   As to other manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description and accompanying drawings, and accordingly further discussion relative to the manner of usage and operation of the invention would be considered repetitious and is not provided. 
   While one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein above, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications, alternate constructions and equivalents may be employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the above description and the illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims.