Patent attributes
An airflow control tailgate to be substituted for the original solid tailgate that is typically found at the rear of the body of a pick-up truck to enclose the flat bed thereof. The tailgate includes a plurality of motor controlled panels that are rotated on a respective plurality of pivot rods between a closed orientation in side-by-side alignment with one another to an open orientation in spaced, parallel alignment with one another by which to control the stream of air rushing over the cab and across the bed when the truck is in motion. A motor is coupled to the pivot rods by way of a clutch assembly and a gear rack, such that a rotation of the motor causes a linear displacement of the gear rack and a corresponding rotation of the pivot rods for rotating the panels between the closed and open orientations. One of the pivot rods carries a blocking dog which is rotated with the pivot rod relative to a blocking tab that projects from a handle in order to engage the blocking tab and thereby prevent the handle from being manipulated so that the tailgate cannot be rotated from the raised position to the lowered position when the panels are in the open orientation.
