Patents by Inventor William F. Clelland

William F. Clelland has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5112082
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1992
    Assignee: Ryder Truck Rental, Inc.
    Inventor: William F. Clelland
  • Patent number: 5076639
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Assignee: Ryder Truck Rental, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter W. Jewett, Marc A. Clark, William F. Clelland
  • Patent number: 5069497
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1991
    Assignee: Ryder Truck Rental, Inc.
    Inventor: William F. Clelland