Background of Problem:
Hy-Tech Plating employs 2 full size cargo vans & a medium size box truck to provide pick-up & delivery services to local customers. Increasing Bay Area traffic was adding to travel times, & the limited floor space of the cargo vans (unlike the box truck) would often get filled with cargo after just one or two pick-ups. Once full, the vans were forced to return to Hy-Tech Plating for unloading. Many days there was not enough time remaining to send them out again, resulting in lost revenue & upset customers.

Product Solution:
To help Hy-Tech Plating avoid the added expense of replacing the cargo vans with box trucks, Hy-Tech Plating developed a product that nearly doubles each van’s useable cargo capacity. This is accomplished by providing an additional 32 square feet (4’ x 8’) of load carrying/height adjustable cargo carrying area.

Product Description:
The product is a 4'x8' shelf supported by four Stanchions. Each Stanchion houses a 250 lb. capacity electronic linear actuator, which allows a fully loaded shelf to be raised & lowered by a push button wireless controller. A standard size van with the product installed can safely carry four full size pallets (or multiple combinations of pallets & cargo) by essentially doubling the van's useable "floor space".

How it works: Each Stanchion houses a 250 lb. capacity electronic linear actuator, which allows a fully loaded shelf to be raised & lowered by a push button wireless controller. Power is supplied from the vehicles battery.

What makes it novel: A standard size van with the product installed can safely carry four full size pallets (or multiple combinations of pallets & cargo) by essentially doubling the van's useable "floor space". No other van product on the market accomplishes this.

Product Model Specifications:
Product Name: Electronically Actuated Lift Shelf (EALS).
Product Models: EALS-30
EALS-40
Vehicle Applications: Standard Size Late Model Cargo Vans used for carrying miscellaneous freight on pallets or in boxes.
Shelf Deck Dimensions: 4' wide x 8' long.
Vertical Travel: EALS-30: 30 Inches (for standard roof vans).
EALS-40: 40 Inches (for tall roof vans).
Load Capacity (Static): 1,000 lbs.
Load Capacity (Dynamic): TBD.
Control: Push Button Wireless Remote
Production Strategy: Unlike the two existing prototypes (EALS-30 & EALS-40), which house an off-the-shelf Linear Actuator inside each formed sheet metal Stanchion, production models will utilize the inside wall surfaces of the formed Stanchion Tube (as opposed to the extruded center structural member currently tasked with guiding the actuator traveler, for an integrally designed Stanchion/Actuator Assembly, greatly reducing Bill of Material Costs & assembly complexity.

Product Installation: A unit properly designed for ease of assembly can be successfully installed into a full size cargo van or short box truck by two installers working together for ½ days time.

Product Applications: Owners & operators of full size cargo vans’ & short box trucks used for local hauling of miscellaneous freight consisting of a mixture of boxes & pallets will be the primary benefactors of the product.