Abstract: A cargo truck is provided having a loading ramp assembly to aid in loading and unloading items from a cargo box on the truck. The loading ramp assembly is adjustable between a loading position wherein a ramp is provided between a deck of the cargo box and the ground, and a storage position to allow transport of the cargo truck. The loading ramp fits within a pocket between the truck frame and the cargo box when in the storage position. The pocket is formed by long C-shaped box sills that support the cargo box. The ramp is formed by two side rails, a ramp floor between the side rails, and support braces between the ramp floor and the side rails to prevent buckling of the side rails upon application of a load to the ramp. The braces extend below the bottom of the box sills when the ramp is in a storage position. The braces allow for lower profile side rails, thereby reducing the amount the cargo box must be raised above the truck frame to accommodate the ramp assembly.

Abstract: A controller for a strobe light on the back of the truck causes the light to flash whenever the truck's transmission is either in reverse or in park, and is contingent upon operation of hazard lights. The strobe light is placed in a location on the back of the truck where other lights are not normally found, such as on a centerline of the back panel of the truck, and approximately 40-inches off the ground. The strobe light has approximately half the brightness of a stop light and about one-third the brightness of turn signals, but it is attention getting because the light has a very sharp pulse form. The lens of the strobe light is amber, which matches the color of a caution light on most stop and go traffic lights and on the flashing direction signals. A control circuit for the strobe light includes a pair of switches which are operated responsive to a lighting of the clearance lights and a shifting of a transmission into either a park or a neutral position, respectively, for lighting the strobe light.

Abstract: A cargo vehicle includes a vehicle chassis and a body. The vehicle chassis has a pair of chassis frame rails to which the body is mounted. The body has a rear structural section and a front structural section. In the rear structural section, a pair of body longitudinal rails are mounted above the chassis rails. The body rails and the chassis rails are separated by a thin, vibration attenuating sheet of resilient material. A plurality of floor support members are mounted on and extend from the sides of the body and chassis rails, in contrast to prior art cargo vehicles which mounted the floor support members above the body rails. The thin, resilient separator material and the lowered floor support advantageously reduce the height of the cargo section floor. A ramp storage region is defined in the space within the body rails. In the front structural section, the ramp storage region is not required. A second pair of body longitudinal body rails is provided in the front section above the chassis rails.

Abstract: An improved parcel van provides two additional passenger seats within the cargo section of the van. A bulkhead wall defines an additional passenger seating area in the portion of the cargo section immediately adjacent the cab. The bulkhead separates the additional seating area from the remainder of the cargo section. The additional seating area includes a downwardly projecting channel running parallel to the long axis of the vehicle. The additional seats face inward toward the channel. The channel provides space for the legs of the additional passengers and creates a walkway between the cab section and the cargo section. The backs of the additional seats may be folded down so that a significant portion of the additional seating area may be used to store appropriately secured cargo when the additional seating is not required.

Abstract: A sliding parcel van door according to the present invention comprises a door panel, upper and lower tracks for supporting the door and permitting sliding movement thereof along a predefined path, and resilient seal members on first and second edges of the door. The door is disposed parallel to and a predetermined distance away from a supporting wall containing a passageway to be controlled by the door. The seal members are preferably resilient tubular members which extend from the door panel surface toward the supporting wall. A wedge-shaped jam is provided on each of the two vertical edges of the passageway facing the door. The supporting wall may have a wall treatment material, such as carpet or padding applied to the surface facing the door. A ridge on each jam extends forward of any wall treatment material. When the door is in its closed position, the wedge shaped jams engage and compress the tubular seal members, providing a force to hold the door in a secure, substantially non-vibrating position.

Abstract: A valve stem lock for motor vehicle tires comprises a plate member having a forked end for surrounding the base of the stem, and having a flange perpendicular to the plate formed with opposing pairs of locking projections for clamping onto a portion of the stem. One pair of the locking projections lies in the plane of the flange, and the other pair thereof is formed on a spring finger which extends toward the one pair of projections.