Abstract:
A storage box includes steps thereon for access to a rear deck of a highway truck tractor. A pivotally mounted front door panel selectively spans an access opening at the front of the storage box and supports a middle step thereon for movement with the front door panel between open and closed positions across the access opening. A lower step and an upper step are supported fixedly on the storage box respectively below and above both the front opening and middle step. The configuration of the steps maximises the access opening covered by the front door panel for easy access to the interior of the storage box while furthermore permitting ergonomic spacing of the steps relative to one another so that users can ascend and descend the steps with a safe, comfortable, and uniform stride.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims foreign priority benefits from Canadian Patent Application 2,534,019 filed Jan. 16, 2006. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a storage box for mounting on a truck, and more particularly relates to a storage box including steps thereon for access to a rear deck of a highway truck tractor. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    On large vehicles, for example highway truck tractors, steps are commonly provided to give the user access to the cabin or to the rear deck of the vehicle. Furthermore it is common to provide the steps in the form of a step box including a storage compartment therein for the user to store tools and the like as desired. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,191 to Brady, U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,167 to Barnhardt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,788 to Joubert and U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,657 to King et al. disclose various examples of storage compartments in association with access steps on large vehicles. None of the prior art however is arranged to provide ergonomically positioned steps relative to one another which are aligned and supported on a box for mounting as an accessory onto a highway truck tractor to provide access to the rear deck while taking advantage of maximum storage. In addition to a lack or ergonomically positioned steps in the prior art, the access opening in the prior art is typically limited in size and requires an awkward lid which is unhinged or which pivots in an obstructive manner relative to the access opening. 
         [0005]    A commonly manufactured design of step or storage boxes involves a multi-step box in which access to the hollow interior is provided by a door panel mounted between an adjacent pair of the steps. In this manner the steps must be awkwardly positioned to maximize the size of the access opening, or alternatively the size is limited when the steps are more closely placed to one another in a more consistent ergonomic pattern. Various manufactures of such prior art step boxes in which the door panels are mounted between adjacent steps include Highway Products Inc. of White City, Oreg.; Ace Manufacturing Inc of Saskatoon, Canada; Magnum Trailer and Equipment Inc. of Abbotsford, Canada; Ali Arc Industries of Winnipeg, Canada; Wood&#39;s Logging Supply Inc. of Longview, Wash.; Merritt Equipment Company of Henderson, Colo.; Taylor Wings Inc. of Rancho Cordova, Calif.; Alum-Line Inc. of Cresco, Iowa; Pro-Tech Industries of Vancouver, Wash.; and Aero Industries Inc. of Indianapolis, Ind. Each of the designs of storage and step boxes of the above noted manufactures however includes the limitations noted above of awkward step placement and limited access opening. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a storage box for mounting on a truck, the storage box comprising: 
         [0007]    a main body including a bottom wall, a rear wall, and side walls surrounding a hollow interior of the body and a front opening opposite the rear wall for providing access to the hollow interior of the body; 
         [0008]    a front door panel pivotally supported on the main body for movement between a closed position spanning the front opening and an open position in which the front opening is substantially unrestricted; 
         [0009]    a lower step supported below the front opening; 
         [0010]    a middle step supported on the front door panel for movement with the door panel between the open position and the closed position, the middle step being positioned above the lower step in alignment therewith in the closed position of the front door panel; and 
         [0011]    an upper step supported above the middle step in alignment with the lower and middle steps in the closed position of the front door panel. 
         [0012]    By mounting a middle step on a door pivotally supported on a storage box with one step thereabove and one step therebelow, an ergonomic spacing of the steps can be realised while further permitting the access opening into the interior storage to be maximized unlike any of the prior art noted above. In particular supporting the lower step below the front opening on the main box increases the flexibility of use as an awkwardly sized door spanning the full front of the box as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,191 to Brady noted above is not required. 
         [0013]    Typically, the storage box is mounted on a highway truck tractor having a chassis supporting a rear deck thereon in which the main body is supported on the chassis at one side of the truck adjacent the rear deck. 
         [0014]    Preferably both the upper step and the lower step are fixedly mounted on the main body. 
         [0015]    The front door panel is preferably pivotally supported on the main body for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis at a bottom end of the front door panel. The middle step may thus engage the lower step and support the door panel thereon in the open position. The horizontal axis is preferably substantially centered in a vertical direction between the lower step and the middle step in the closed position of the front door panel. The lid may accordingly be pivotal through approximately 180 degrees from the closed position to the open position. 
         [0016]    The middle step is preferably centered in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction between the lower step and the upper step in the closed position of the front door panel for optimum ergonomic placing of the steps relative to one another. 
         [0017]    The front door panel may include an upper front wall portion which fully spans upwardly and rearwardly from the middle step to the upper step in the closed position of the front door panel. 
         [0018]    The front door panel may also include a lower front wall portion extending downwardly and forwardly from the middle step towards the lower step in the closed position of the front door panel. 
         [0019]    More particularly, the front door panel may comprise: 
         [0020]    a bottom end pivotally supported on the main body about a horizontal axis above the lower step; 
         [0021]    a lower front wall portion extending from the bottom end of the door panel to the middle step which is positioned upwardly and rearwardly from the bottom end of the front door panel in the closed position of the front door panel; and 
         [0022]    an upper front wall portion extending from the middle step to a top end of the front door panel which is positioned upwardly and rearwardly from the middle step in the closed position of the front door panel. 
         [0023]    Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the storage box; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a sectional side elevational view of the storage box according to  FIG. 1  with the front door panel shown in the closed position; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a schematic sectional view of the storage box of  FIG. 1  with the front door panel shown in an open position; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the storage box according to  FIG. 1  in the open position; 
           [0028]      FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  are respective side elevational, top plan and front elevation views of the storage box according to  FIG. 1  in the open position; 
           [0029]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the storage box; 
           [0030]      FIG. 9 ,  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11  are respective side elevational, top plan and front elevational views of the storage box according to  FIG. 8 ; and 
           [0031]      FIG. 12  is a sectional view along the line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 11 . 
       
    
    
       [0032]    In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    Referring to the accompanying figures there is illustrated a storage box generally indicated by reference numeral  10 . The box  10  is particularly suited for a highway truck tractor of the type having a chassis supported on wheels for rolling movement in a forward working direction. The storage box  10  is mounted at its rear end  12  to the side of the chassis of the truck for access to a rear deck of the truck. The front end  14  of the storage box thus faces laterally outwardly from the truck. Though various embodiments are shown in the accompanying figures, the common features of the storage box  10  will first be described herein. 
         [0034]    The box  10  includes a main body which is generally rectangular in shape. The body includes a rear wall  16  at the rear end which is rectangular and vertically oriented to span a full height and a full width at the rear of the storage box. A bottom wall  18  is provided which is also rectangular but is horizontally oriented to extend fully from the rear end  12  to the front end  14  so as to join with the rear wall  16  at the rear end. 
         [0035]    The main body also includes a pair of side walls  20  which are parallel to one another and spaced apart by the full width of the box. The side walls are vertically oriented and perpendicular to the bottom and rear walls to which they are joined to. The main body further includes a fixed front wall  22  which is also vertical and rectangular but extends upwardly from the bottom wall  18  at the front end  14  of the box only approximately one quarter a height of the rear wall  16 . The side walls  20  extend from the rear wall forwardly beyond the front wall to respective step mounting portions  20 A which support a lower step  24  spanning therebetween. The lower step  24  extends horizontally a full width of the storage box at the front end  14  thereof so as to be fixed in relation to the walls of the main body at the bottom end of the box. 
         [0036]    The main body also includes a top wall  26  which is rectangular in shape and which spans horizontally from the rear wall  16  at the top end thereof forwardly to a free edge which is approximately only a third along the length of the bottom wall  18  in the horizontal direction. The top wall  26  spans the full width of the storage box  10  and supports an upper step  28  fixedly mounted thereon. The upper step  28  fully spans the length and width of the top wall  26  of the storage box and is similarly horizontally oriented. 
         [0037]    The main body includes a hollow interior  30  for storage of various items therein as desired by the user. The hollow interior is defined by the surrounding walls of the main body and is accessed through an access opening  32  formed at the front end  14  of the storage box. The access opening  32  spans from the top end of the fixed front wall  22  to the front edge of the top wall  26  at the top end of the box. 
         [0038]    A front door panel  34  is provided for spanning the access opening  32  in a closed position thereof to selectively fully enclose the hollow interior  30  of the storage box. The front door panel  34  is pivotally supported on the main body for pivotal movement from the closed to an open position in which the access opening is substantially unobstructed by the front door panel  34 . 
         [0039]    A set of leaf hinges  36  are mounted at horizontally spaced positions along the top edge of the fixed front wall  22  forming the bottom peripheral edge of the access opening  32 . The leaf hinges  36  pivotally support the front door panel  34  on the main body of the storage box for pivotal movement about a common horizontal pivot axis of the hinges which spans laterally between the opposing side walls  20  of the storage box. 
         [0040]    The front door panel  34  is accordingly pivotally mounted at its bottom end  38  at the top of the fixed front wall  22  below the access opening  32 . The panel includes a lower front wall portion  40  which extends upwardly and rearwardly at an incline from the bottom end  38  to a middle step portion  42  of the panel. The middle step portion  42  is substantially horizontally oriented and extends rearwardly from the lower front wall portion  40  to an upper front wall portion  44  positioned rearwardly therefrom. The middle step portion  42  mounts a middle step  45  thereon having a similarly dimensioned tread surface as the upper and lower steps fixedly supported on the main body of the storage box. Accordingly the middle step  45  also spans a full width of the storage box. 
         [0041]    The upper front wall portion  44  extends upwardly at a slight rearward incline from the rear of the middle step portion  42  of the panel, and the middle step  45  supported thereon, to the top end  46  of the panel. The top end  46  of the front door panel terminates at the front edge of the upper step  28  at the top end of the storage box so that the top end  46  is positioned upwardly and rearwardly in relation to the middle step. 
         [0042]    In this configuration the middle step  45  is coupled to the front door panel  34  for movement therewith between the open and closed positions. In the closed position, the door panel  34  resultingly includes front wall portions which extend both upwardly and rearwardly from the middle step  45  and downwardly and forwardly from the middle step  45  so as to maximize the size of the front door panel  34  and accordingly maximize the possible size of the access opening  32  in the front end of the storage box. 
         [0043]    The side walls  20  forming the main body of the storage box include respective upper edges  48  which have a contour following the front door panel  34  in the closed position thereof. 
         [0044]    Each of the steps  24 ,  28  and  45  include a tread surface  49  comprising a horizontal plate member having gripping apertures formed therein. The tread surface  49  is spaced slightly above the portion of the front door panel or main body upon which the step is mounted by respective vertical depending flanges along both front and rear sides of each tread surface  49 . The depending flanges provide strength to the tread surface  49 . 
         [0045]    The middle step  42  is positioned on the front door panel so that an upper tread surface of the middle step is positioned both vertically and horizontally centered between the upper tread surfaces of the upper and lower steps. This ergonomic positioning of the steps is achieved due to the placement of a middle step on the front door panel with the upper and lower steps positioned above and below the front access opening  32  respectively. 
         [0046]    The upper front wall portion  44  substantially fully spans between the middle step and the upper step to maximize the access opening towards the top end of the storage box. The lower front wall portion  40  extends forwardly and downwardly approximately only halfway in the vertical direction to the lower step from the middle step so that the hinge axis at the bottom end  38  of the front door panel is approximately vertically centered between the upper tread surface of the lower step and the middle step. By centrally locating the hinges&#39; axis between the lower and middle steps, when the front door panel is pivoted forwardly and downwardly from the closed position towards the fully opened position, the middle step engages the lower step and rests the front door panel upon the lower step once the front door panel has been pivoted through approximately 180 degrees between the closed and open positions. 
         [0047]    The access opening  32  includes a peripheral lip  50  which surrounds the opening and projects outwardly and forwardly from a plane of the opening. The front door panel has a corresponding depending peripheral flange  52  which is suitably arranged for overlapping the peripheral lip of the opening about a full exterior of the opening in the closed position of the front door panel to provide some protection to the hollow interior from the elements. 
         [0048]    The front door panel further includes an integral latch member  54  which restricts access to the interior of the storage box by unauthorized persons. The latch  54  is formed in the upper front wall portion  44  for selectively engaging a latch beneath the lip on the opening at the upper edge adjacent the upper step. The integral latch  54  includes a conventional keyed locking mechanism. 
         [0049]    With reference now more particularly to  FIGS. 1 through 7 , a first embodiment of the storage box is illustrated in which the width of the box between the opposing side walls is approximately twelve inches so that the resulting storage box is longer from front to rear than in a lateral direction between the opposed side walls. In this instance two leaf hinges  36  are provided spaced apart from one another, adjacent opposing sides of the storage box. 
         [0050]    Alternatively, as shown in  FIGS. 8 through 12 , the storage box may be much wider, in the order of three feet wide between the opposing side walls so that the resulting storage box is wider in the lateral direction between the opposing side walls than it is between the front and rear ends of the box. In this instance, three leaf hinges  36  are provided at evenly spaced positions along the horizontal pivot axis of the front door panel. 
         [0051]    As described herein the storage box  10  is particularly advantageous as compared to known designs of storage boxes and step boxes for trucks in that the positioning of a middle step on a front door panel between upper and lower steps permits the steps to be placed ergonomically at a uniform stride when either ascending or descending the steps to the rear deck of the truck. This greatly improves operator safety, as well as comfort and convenience, since the operator may stride more confidently with the expectation of a natural tread position. The configuration of the front door panel also permits a wide throat access opening into the storage compartment within the hollow interior of the box. This is accomplished by positioning the hinges below the middle step, thereby placing the middle step on the front door panel rather than on the main body. When the front door panel is opened, the middle step is resultingly positioned so as to be inverted above the lower step to support the door in an out-of-the-way position below the access opening. The large access opening is thus unobstructed and a convenient access path is provided since the door drops out-of-the-way of the user. The storage box as described herein is also particularly advantageous in that the steps forming the tread surfaces are welded onto the main body by hidden plug welds to improve the appearance of the product and improve the durability. Stainless steel leaf hinges are provided to support the front door panel on the main body rather than typical piano hinges to offer customers superior long term reliability. 
         [0052]    Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.