Load bearing tonneau cover with integral track, improved latch to vehicle and custom frame attachment
First Claim
1. A tonneau cover, said tonneau cover comprised of:
- a plurality of tonneau sections, wherein each of the tonneau sections is constructed using friction stir welds, each of the tonneau sections including a hinge knuckle at each edge where it is joined to an adjacent tonneau section, each of the hinge knuckles being joined to the respective tonneau sections using friction stir welding, and having a semi-circular element in the hinge knuckle;
a rubber hinge connection between each of the adjacent tonneau sections, wherein each of the rubber hinge connections is disposed within the semi-circular element of two hinge knuckles;
a rod that is inserted into circular elements of the rubber hinge connection so as to expand the rubber hinge connection and hold it securely within the semi-circular elements in order to secure the rubber hinge connection between each of the adjacent tonneau sections; and
an integral track disposed along at least a portion of the tonneau cover, wherein the integral track provides a plurality of attachments points along a length thereof.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for providing a folding load bearing hard tonneau cover, wherein each folding section is constructed using friction stir welds for strength, stiffness and visual appeal, wherein edge extrusions may include an integral attachment track which is capable of sustaining high tie down loads, wherein a spring loaded latching system has the strength to react the moments generated by heavy loads on top of the tonneau cover, wherein installation does not require modification to the bed but instead uses a 2 bolt attachment system, and wherein the tonneau cover may carry heavy loads on top that are easy to secure, and wherein a custom carrying frame is easily attachable to the tonneau cover to enable large and heavy loads, even some that are longer than the pick-up bed, to be carried on the tonneau cover while enabling use of the pick-up bed for other cargo.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A tonneau cover, said tonneau cover comprised of:
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a plurality of tonneau sections, wherein each of the tonneau sections is constructed using friction stir welds, each of the tonneau sections including a hinge knuckle at each edge where it is joined to an adjacent tonneau section, each of the hinge knuckles being joined to the respective tonneau sections using friction stir welding, and having a semi-circular element in the hinge knuckle; a rubber hinge connection between each of the adjacent tonneau sections, wherein each of the rubber hinge connections is disposed within the semi-circular element of two hinge knuckles; a rod that is inserted into circular elements of the rubber hinge connection so as to expand the rubber hinge connection and hold it securely within the semi-circular elements in order to secure the rubber hinge connection between each of the adjacent tonneau sections; and an integral track disposed along at least a portion of the tonneau cover, wherein the integral track provides a plurality of attachments points along a length thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for manufacturing a tonneau cover, said method comprised of:
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providing a plurality of tonneau sections, wherein each of the tonneau sections is constructed using friction stir welds, each of the tonneau sections including a hinge knuckle at each edge where it is joined to an adjacent tonneau section, each of the hinge knuckles being joined to the respective tonneau sections using friction stir welding, and having a semi-circular element in the hinge knuckle; providing a rubber hinge connection between each of the adjacent tonneau sections, wherein each of the rubber hinge connections is disposed within the semi-circular element of two hinge knuckles; and inserting a rod into each of the circular elements of the rubber hinge connection so as to expand the rubber hinge connection and hold it securely within the semi-circular elements in order to secure the rubber hinge connection between each of the adjacent tonneau sections; and disposing an integral track along at least a portion of the tonneau cover, wherein the integral track provides a plurality of attachments points along a length thereof.
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Specification