Hard truck bed cover

• US 20010038225A1
• Filed: 02/20/2001
• Published: 11/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Muirhead, Scott Arthur William
• Original Assignee: Muirhead, Scott Arthur William
• Inventors: Muirhead, Scott Arthur William
• Application Number:
  US09/785,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20010038225A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/100.06
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/1621 hinged on one side

Abstract

A hard cover assembly for the open bed of a pickup truck is provided comprising a rigid cover and a rail kit. A rigid cover, with a crowned central body portion, constructed out of thermoplastic having a relatively high coefficient of linear thermal movement is used for operation within an outdoor environment having a wide range of temperature variation. A rail kit comprising molded thermoplastic members configured to closely conform to and protect the truck bed rails is combined with the rigid cover to provide a complete hard cover assembly. The molded thermoplastic members of the rail kit include a channel receiving a depending perimeter lip of the rigid cover. The channel is developed to accommodate the linear thermal movement of the rigid cover and may be further adapted to limit the full linear thermal expansion of the rigid cover thereby causing the crowned central body portion to deflect upwards. A lock assembly is provided to lock the rigid cover in a closed position under the full range of temperature variation. The hard cover assembly is installed onto the bed rails by means of hand adjustable fasteners. In particular, the rail kit is mounted directly to the bed rails by a plurality of hand clamps that can be inspected and adjusted by the vehicle owner to ensure safe operation. The rigid cover is hinge mounted to the rail kit using hand knobs so that the vehicle owner can conveniently install and remove the rigid cover for different cargo carrying needs.

Claims

1. A rigid cover assembly for a pickup truck with an open bed defined by a front wall and opposed side walls, the rigid cover assembly comprising:

A rigid cover having by a slightly crowned central body portion and a front depending margin, and adjacent the front depending margin at least one threaded stud;

A rail assembly composed of a front wall member, opposed side wall members and at least one slotted bracket, said members being developed to detachably rest upon said corresponding front wall and opposed side walls of said open bed, and said slotted bracket being juxtapositioned adjacent said threaded stud; and

A hinge bar comprising a short bend portion and an extended flat portion, the extended flat portion having at least one opening;

Wherein the short bend portion of the hinge bar is received by the slotted bracket of the rail assembly, the extended flat portion of the hinge bar receives the threaded stud of the rigid cover through the opening, the hinge bar thereby detachably joining said rigid cover to said rail assembly for relative movement of said rigid cover upon the open bed to the pickup truck.

2. A rigid cover assembly as in

claim 1

wherein the at least one threaded stud is a segment of a U-bolt.

3. A rigid cover assembly as in

claim 1

wherein said threaded stud is a segment of a U-bolt and there is least one U-bolt having two threaded stud segments adjacent the front depending margin of the rigid cover.

4. A rigid cover assembly as in

claim 3

wherein the extended flat portion of the hinge bar includes two openings receiving two threaded stud segments of the U-bolt.

5. A rigid cover assembly as in

claim 1

wherein the hinge bar is restrained from releasing the received threaded stud by means of a manually adjusted pass-through threaded hand knob.

6. A rigid cover assembly as in

claim 1

wherein the rigid cover has a molded platform depending from an interior surface adjacent the front depending margin to receive the hinge bar, the molded platform comprising a shoulder defining a hinge bar recess, the recess restricting movement of the hinge bar, and sloping walls radiating outward from the shoulder to the interior surface to widely distribute stresses upon the slightly crowned central body portion of the rigid cover.

7. A rigid cover assembly as in

claim 6

wherein the molded platform defines a hollow structure receiving a captive segment of the threaded stud, the hollow structure being reinforced with a plate, the plate restraining the captive segment from movement and providing extra strength to molded platform.

8. A locking apparatus for a rigid cover composed of a plastic material having a relatively high coefficient of linear thermal movement for a pickup truck with an open bed defined by a front wall, opposed side walls and a tailgate, the locking apparatus comprising:

An exteriorly visible central body having a rotating action, the central body receiving a key to selectively enable and disable the rotating action;

An interiorly visible cam linkage affixed to the central body, the interior cam linkage being selectively rotatable;

Two laterally extending members, the members being attached at first ends to the cam linkage and adjacent second ends thereof to holders restraining the second ends of the members in fixed position; and

Two striker plates with elongated member receiving elements, one striker plate being attached to each one of the opposed side walls of the open bed of the pickup truck nearby the tailgate, the two striker plates receiving and releasing the second ends of the two laterally extending members upon selective rotation of the central body in widely varying temperature environments.

9. A locking apparatus of

claim 8

wherein the elongated member receiving element of the striker plate is adapted to receive the second end of the laterally extending member in temperature extremes ranging from −

40°

F. to +160°

F.

10. A locking apparatus of

claim 8

wherein the laterally extending member is a rod.

11. A locking apparatus of

claim 8

wherein the cam linkage and the first ends of the laterally extending members are contained within a plastic housing depending from an interior surface of the rigid cover, the plastic housing including a removable panel providing access to said cam linkage for adjustment and repair.

12. A method for hand fastening a rigid cover upon a pickup truck with an open bed frame bordered by a front wall and opposed side walls, the method comprising the steps of:

Providing a rigid cover with at least two widely separated threaded studs adjacent a rigid cover front margin;

Providing a molded bed frame cover comprising a front rail segment, opposed side rail segments and at least two brackets adjacent the front wall, the molded bed frame cover concealing the open bed frame;

Providing a plurality of molded clamp positioning pockets upon the opposed side rail segments;

Providing a plurality of hand tightenable clamps;

Providing two hinge bars having a first bent end projectable through the bracket and a second flat end with an opening to receive the threaded stud;

Providing at least two hand knobs receiving the threaded studs;

Placing said molded bed frame cover upon the open bed frame;

Placing said hand tightenable clamps in the molded clamp positioning pockets;

Tightening said hand tightenable clamps to hand fasten the molded bed frame cover to the open bed frame;

Positioning said rigid cover upon the molded bed frame cover where the threaded studs aligned with the brackets adjacent the front wall;

Inserting the bent ends of the hinge bars through the brackets and the threaded studs through the openings of the flat ends of the hinge bars; and

Tightening said hand knobs upon the threaded studs engaging the hinge bars intermediate the rigid cover and the molded bed frame cover, the bent ends of the hinge bars engaging the brackets allowing the rigid cover to be moved into open and closed positions upon the truck bed.

13. The method of

claim 12

further comprising the steps of routinely inspecting the hand tightenable clamps insuring the molded bed frame cover is securely hand fastened to the open bed frame for safe operation of the pickup truck.

14. The method of

claim 12

further comprising the steps of routinely inspecting the hand knobs restraining the hinge bars to insure the rigid cover is securely hand fastened to the molded bed frame cover for safe operation of the pickup truck.

15. The method of

claim 12

further comprising the steps of providing said plurality of hand tightenable clamps comprising a first clamp segment defining a “

U”

shape with claw teeth at a first end and a ball stud at a second end and a slotted opening intermediate the ends thereof, a second clamp segment defining a “

U”

shape with claw teeth at a first end and a ball socket at a second end and a threaded opening intermediate the ends thereof, and a plurality of hand knobs having a projecting threaded element the threaded element projecting through the slotted opening of the first clamp segment for receipt within the threaded opening of the second clamp segment, the hand knobs being hand tightenable to compress the claw teeth of the first and second clamp segments restraining the molded bed frame cover upon the open bed frame of the pickup truck.

16. The method of

claim 12

wherein the opposed side rail segments of the molded bed rail cover are provided permanently affixed thereto rigid frame members, the rigid frame members comprising rigid segments adjacent the molded clamp positioning packets, the rigid segments being juxtapositioned adjacent the opposed side walls when said molded bed rail cover is positioned upon said open bed frame, the rigid segments being compressed against said opposed side walls when said hand tightenable clamps are tightened to hand fasten the molded bed rail cover to the open bed frame of the pickup truck.

17. The combination of a rigid cover and a molded rail kit for the open bed of a pickup truck, the combination comprising:

A rigid cover constructed out of a plastic material exhibiting a relatively high coefficient of linear thermal movement operating within an environment having a relatively wide temperature variation including a low temperature extreme and a high temperature extreme, the rigid cover being characterized by a central body portion and four depending walls terminating in a perimeter lip; and

A molded rail kit detachably mounted upon the open bed to cover a front bed rail and opposed side bed rails, the molded rail kit having a channel defined by an interior wall, an exterior wall and a traversing section there between, the channel receiving the perimeter lip of the rigid cover, and the traversing section being adapted in interior wall to exterior wall width to accommodate the linear thermal contraction of the central body portion of the rigid cover at said low temperature extreme and the linear thermal expansion of the central body portion of the rigid cover at said high temperature extreme.

18. The combination of

claim 17

, wherein the channel of the molded rail kit is adapted to accommodate the perimeter lip of the rigid cover as a result of the linear thermal movement of the central body portion between the temperature extremes of −

40°

F. to +160°

F.

19. The combination of

claim 17

, wherein the perimeter lip of the rigid cover occupies a position substantially intermediate the interior wall and the exterior wall of said channel at a medium ambient temperature of 60°

F.

20. The combination of

claim 17

, wherein the central body portion of the rigid cover has a slightly crowned exterior surface and the perimeter lip is received by a channel comprising an interior wall, a transverse section and an exterior wall, the exterior wall occupying a position adjacent the perimeter lip limiting the linear thermal displacement of the perimeter lip within the channel and causing the slightly crowned exterior surface of the central body portion to expand upward in response to elevated temperature extremes.

21. The combination of

claim 17

, further comprising:

A rigid cover with a lock mechanism having actuating means generally positioned in the central body portion nearby a tailgate of the truck bed and latching means projecting beyond the perimeter lip;

A molded rail kit with an elongated bracket operable to engage the latching means when said actuating means urges said latching means into a locked position;

Wherein said elongated bracket of said molded rail kit is adapted to receive said latching means as said linear thermal movement of said rigid cover occurs during wide temperature variation.

22. The combination of

claim 17

, further comprising:

A lock mechanism including a lockable pop-up T-handle, a cam, and two rods projecting to opposed side wall margins adjacent the perimeter lip of the rigid cover;

An elongated rod bracket affixed to the molded rail kit comprising a horizontal flat portion extending laterally a distance greater than the range of lateral movement of said rods associated with said linear thermal movement of rigid cover;

Wherein rod ends are urged below said horizontal flat portion when said T-handle is actuated to prevent said cover from moving from a closed position to an open position upon said pickup truck.