Patent ID: 7625034

Claim:
A cargo vehicle enclosure, comprising: a rearward end portion; and opposite left and right sidewalls extending to the rearward end portion in horizontally spaced-apart vertically extending positions; wherein the left sidewall includes a left rearward corner portion; wherein the right sidewall includes a right rearward corner portion; and wherein the left and right rearward corner portions define left and right air passageways that direct air flowing rearwardly alongside the left and right sidewalls toward a region behind the rearward end portion of the enclosure; wherein at least the left rearward corner portion includes a vertically extending left rearward corner post component and a vertically extending left deflector component that cooperatively define the left air passageway; wherein at least the left air passageway extends along a circularly shaped path, as viewed in a horizontal cross sectional plane through the left rearward corner portion, from a left inlet end that faces forwardly to a left outlet end that faces toward the region behind the rearward end portion of the enclosure; wherein the left corner post component has a generally planar inwardly directed surface, a curved outwardly directed surface, and a nonuniform thickness between the inwardly and outwardly directed surfaces as viewed in a horizontal cross sectional plane through the left rearward corner portion, said nonuniform thickness including: a first thickness of the left corner post component at the left inlet end of the left air passageway at which the outwardly directed surface of the left corner post component lies within a plane containing a left sidewall exterior surface; a second thickness of the left corner post component at which the outwardly directed surface of the left corner post component lies laterally inward of the plane containing the left sidewall exterior surface; a third thickness of the left corner post component at which the left corner post component lies laterally outward of the plane containing the left sidewall exterior surface; and a fourth thickness of the left corner post component at the left outlet end of the left passageway at which the outwardly directed surface of the left corner post component lies laterally inward of the plane containing the left sidewall exterior surface; whereby the curved outwardly directed surface of the left corner post component facilitates defining the left air passageway within vehicle width limitations.