초록 ▼

A carrier system and method for assisting in handling cargo of a vehicle. A carrier container includes an interior storage space surrounded by a front side facing the rear of the vehicle, rear, left, right, and bottom sides, and an open top that allows access to the interior storage space with a lid

A carrier system and method for assisting in handling cargo of a vehicle. A carrier container includes an interior storage space surrounded by a front side facing the rear of the vehicle, rear, left, right, and bottom sides, and an open top that allows access to the interior storage space with a lid that closes and opens the top. A carrier support structure mounted to the carrier container is inserted into the hitch of the vehicle and holds the top surface of the container flush with the cargo bed of the vehicle. The lid is opened to deploy a ramp stored inside which is anchored to the container so that it is flush with the top surface of the container and reaches the ground. The lid is closed and a bridge plate commonly hinged with the lid is deployed over any gap between the cargo bed and the container top, providing a continuous surface between the cargo bed and the ground for use by pets for ingress and egress of the vehicle and for handling cargo.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A carrier system for use with a vehicle to assist with handling cargo of the vehicle, the vehicle having a cargo bed at a rear of the vehicle and an opening through which the cargo may be removed from and loaded into the vehicle, the carrier system comprising: a carrier container including an int

1. A carrier system for use with a vehicle to assist with handling cargo of the vehicle, the vehicle having a cargo bed at a rear of the vehicle and an opening through which the cargo may be removed from and loaded into the vehicle, the carrier system comprising: a carrier container including an interior storage space surround by a front side facing the rear of the vehicle, a rear side, a left side, a right side, a top side, and a bottom side, at least one of the rear, the left, the right and the top sides being an open side and allowing access to the interior storage space;a carrier support structure having a first end configured to connect to the vehicle and a second end connected to the carrier container, the carrier support structure being configured to hold the carrier container in a selected position relative to the cargo bed of the vehicle;a bridge device mounted adjacent to the top side of the carrier container, the bridge device having a deployed configuration in which the bridge device forms a bridge over a gap between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the top side of the carrier container, the bridge device having a width in its deployed configuration that spans the distance between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the top side of the carrier container; anda ramp having a first end configured to engage the carrier container and a second end configured to engage the ground surface thereby providing a sloped surface between the top side of the carrier container and the ground surface. 2. The carrier system of claim 1 wherein the interior storage space of the carrier container is sized to receive and store an entirety of the ramp when it is not deployed. 3. The carrier system of claim 2 wherein; the ramp comprises two hingedly-connected segments collapsible between a compact configuration and an extended configuration; andthe interior storage space of the carrier container is sized to receive and store the ramp inside the interior storage space when the ramp is in its compact configuration. 4. The carrier system of claim 1 wherein the carrier support structure comprises a height adjustment mechanism positioned between the first and second ends of the carrier support structure, the height adjustment mechanism operable to move the carrier container relative to the first end and selectively position the top side of the carrier container relative to the cargo bed of the vehicle. 5. The carrier system of claim 4 wherein the height adjustment mechanism operable to move the carrier container relative to the first end and selectively the top side of the carrier container flush with the cargo bed of the vehicle. 6. The carrier system of claim 1 further comprising a carrier container lid positionable in a closed configuration in which the carrier container lid covers the open side and an open configuration in which the carrier container lid uncovers the open side thereby allowing access to the interior storage space. 7. The carrier system of claim 6 wherein the carrier container lid is pivotally mounted to the carrier container. 8. The carrier system of claim 7 wherein the carrier container lid is pivotally mounted to the carrier container at the top side. 9. The carrier system of claim 8 wherein the bridge device and the carrier container lid are pivotally mounted together to the carrier container. 10. The carrier system of claim 1 further comprises a hinge assembly configured to attach the bridge device to the carrier container with the bridge device being in both the deployed and non-deployed configurations. 11. The carrier system of claim 1 wherein the carrier container includes a sill disposed along a respective one of the rear, the left and the right sides, the first end is configured to engage the sill while the second end is engaged with the ground surface. 12. The carrier system of claim 1 further comprises a work surface: wherein the carrier container includes a mounting device configured to accept and secure the work surface adjacent to at least one of the left side of the carrier container, the right side of the carrier container, and the rear side of the carrier container and does not reside on the top surface of the carrier container, and a support device located and configured to extend under the work surface to thereby provide vertical support to any work being performed on the work surface. 13. The carrier system of claim 1 wherein the ramp includes retractable legs attached at its second end which, when extended, raises the second end up from the ground surface thereby lessening the slope of the ramp in relation to the top of the carrier container. 14. The carrier system of claim 7 wherein the open side of the carrier container is the top side of the carrier container, the carrier container lid and the bridge device are pivotally mounted to the front side of the carrier container with the carrier container lid covers the top side in a closed configuration and the bridge device rests on the carrier container lid in its non-deployed configuration. 15. The carrier system of claim 1 wherein the open side of the carrier container is one of the left and right sides of the carrier container, wherein the interior storage space of the carrier container includes a track affixed to the carrier container upon which the ramp is slidably disposed and accessible through the open side, wherein the ramp slides along the track out of the container and the ramp deploys from the open side. 16. The carrier system of claim 1 wherein the bridge device is pivotally-mounted adjacent to the top side of the carrier container. 17. A carrier system for use with a vehicle to assist with handling cargo of the vehicle, the vehicle having a cargo bed at a rear of the vehicle and an opening through which the cargo may be removed from and loaded into the cargo bed of the vehicle, the carrier system comprising: a carrier container including an interior storage space surrounded by a front side facing the rear of the vehicle, a rear side, a left side, a right side, an open top side, and a bottom side, the carrier container comprising a carrier container lid positioned to cover the open top side;a carrier support structure having a first end configured to connect to the vehicle and a second end connected to the carrier container, the carrier support structure being configured to hold the carrier container in variable selected positions relative to the cargo bed of the vehicle;a bridge device mounted to the top open side of the carrier container, the bridge device having a deployed configuration in which the bridge device forms a bridge over a gap between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the top side of the carrier container, the bridge device having a width in its deployed configuration that spans the distance between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the top side of the carrier container;a ramp having a first end configured to engage the carrier container and a second end configured to engage a ground surface thereby providing a sloped surface between the top side of the carrier container and the ground surface. 18. The carrier system of claim 17 wherein the vehicle has a back hitch at the rear of the vehicle, the first end of the carrier support structure has a tongue sized and configured to be received by a receiver opening of the back hitch. 19. A method for handling cargo of a vehicle, the vehicle having a cargo bed at a rear of the vehicle and a opening through which cargo may be removed from and loaded into the cargo bed, the method comprising: connecting a first end of a carrier support structure to the vehicle such that the carrier support structure holds a carrier container in a selected position relative to the cargo bed of the vehicle;positioning the carrier container adjacent the opening, the carrier container including an interior storage space surrounded by a front side facing the rear of the vehicle, a rear side, a left side, a right side, a top side, and a bottom side, one of the top, the left, the right and the rear sides of the carrier container being open and allowing access to the interior storage space, the carrier container comprising a lid that covers the open side, the carrier container and being supported by the carrier support structure having a first end configured to connect to the vehicle and a second end connected to the carrier container;adjusting a height of the top side of the cargo container in relation to the cargo bed of the vehicle;deploying a bridge device mounted to the top side of the carrier container, the bridge device having a deployed configuration in which the bridge device forms a bridge over a gap between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the top side of the carrier container, the bridge device having a width in its deployed configuration that spans the gap between the cargo bed of the vehicle and the carrier container; anddeploying a ramp having a first end engaged with the carrier container to secure the ramp thereto wherein, the ramp having a second end configured to engage a ground surface. 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of deploying the ramp comprises: removing the ramp from the interior storage space of the carrier container through the open side. 21. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of deploying a ramp open comprises opening either the left and right sides of the carrier container which is the open side. 22. The method of claim 19 further comprising: opening the lid of the carrier container, removing the ramp from the carrier container, closing the lid of the carrier container. 23. The method of claim 19 wherein the deploying the bridge device includes pivoting the bridge device from a non-deployed configuration in which the bridge device is adjacent to the top side to the deployed configuration.