Patent ID: 8864208

Claim:
A panel locking structure for a cargo bed of a vehicle, comprising: a cargo bed having an openable and closable gate-type tail panel at a rear end of said cargo bed and a side panel adjacent to said gate-type tail panel in a width direction of the vehicle, said gate-type tail panel and said side panel being separate, discrete panels; and a panel locking mechanism for holding said gate-type tail panel in a closed position, said panel locking mechanism including: a locking lever pivotably supported on a rear surface of said gate-type tail panel via a bracket and a vertical support shaft, said rear surface of said gate-type tail panel having a bump located between said locking lever and a rear end surface of said side panel; a substantially U-shaped movable hook made of spring steel, said movable hook having a first end pivotably supported at a midsection of said locking lever, a second end opposite said first end, and a straight section; and a stationary hook fixed to said rear end surface of said side panel and configured to engage said second end of said movable hook; wherein, in a locked state in which said gate-type tail panel is in a closed position, a rear surface of said bump is within a plane of said rear end surface of said side panel, said second end of said movable hook is engaged with said stationary hook of said side panel and a pulling force is applied to said movable hook by pivoting said locking lever in a locking direction, a midsection of said straight portion of said movable hook with respect to a longitudinal direction of said movable hook directly presses onto said rear surface of said bump of said gate-type tail panel so as to press said gate-type tail panel in a forward direction of said cargo bed by a resilient force.