Hard truck bed cover

• US 6,340,194 B1
• Filed: 05/15/2000
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stk Llc
• Original Assignee: Stk Llc
• Inventors: Muirhead, Scott A. W., Buckingham, Kent E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pape, Joseph D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coletta, Lori L
• Application Number:
  US09/571,043
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 296/100.01, 296/100.02, 296/100.06, 296/100.07, 296/100.08, 296/100.1, 296/100.03, 296/100.04, 296/100.05, 296/191
• US Class Current: 296/100.06
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/1621 hinged on one side

Abstract

A hard cover for the open bed of a pickup truck is thermoformed from two sheets of heat deformable plastic material. The top sheet has a slightly crowned surface and four depending walls defining a perimeter lip corresponding to the top ledge of a pickup truck bed. The bottom sheet reinforces the top sheet and is itself slightly crowned and includes four walls. The bottom sheet includes prop support members which depend below the margin defined by the perimeter lip of the hard cover. The perimeter lip of the hard cover may be adapted to reside within a range of similarity sized pickup truck bed rail margins, so that one hard cover can be utilized on several truck models. The hard cover may also be associated with a molded platform that overlays and closely conforms to the bed rails of a truck bed to provide a protective truck bed cover assembly. The molded platform is provided with a channel to receive the lip of the hard cover to provide a seal. The hard cover is releasibly attached to the molded platform, and the molded platform itself is adapted for direct installation to the truck bed. The molded platform is an intermediate interface between the hard cover and the truck bed. The molded platform protects the truck bed rail against damage when the present hard cover is supported upn the truck bed.

Claims

1. A rigid cover assembly for an open bed of a pickup truck, the rigid cover comprising:

A first sheet of heat deformable plastic having a slightly crowned surface and four depending walls defining a perimeter lip;

A second sheet of heat deformable plastic having a slightly crowned surface and four depending walls defining a perimeter lip;

Whereupon the slightly crowned surface and depending walls of the second sheet are included depending structures, which depending structures comprise;

a perimeter ledge supporting a gasket interfacing with a top surface margin of the open bed of said pickup truck,

a plurality of depending ribs arrayed to rigidify said slightly crowned surface, and

opposed prop supports that depend below a margin defined by the perimeter lip;

Wherein portions of the slightly crowned surfaces and the four depending walls of said first and second sheets achieve interfacial contact when deformed to produce said rigid cover.

2. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 1, wherein ball studs associated the opposed prop supports depend downward from said rigid cover to a distance below fixed ball studs supported upon an inside margin of the open bed, the arrangement creating a constant downward closing force when said rigid cover is closed, thus preventing said heat deformable plastic comprising said rigid cover from deflecting away from the top surface margin of the open bed of said pickup truck.

3. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 1, wherein the depending structures of the second sheet include a depending front retaining wall which said depending front retaining wall prevents the rigid cover from advancing forward from an operable condition.

4. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 1, wherein the depending structures of said second sheet include a lock assembly housing, said lock assembly housing shielding a lock assembly from exposure to disruptive influences.

5. A rigid cover assembly for open beds of a plurality of pickup truck vehicles, wherein the open beds are defined by an outside wall, an upper bed surface and an inside wall, the rigid cover comprising:

A twin sheet construction of heat deformable plastic, wherein a top sheet and a bottom sheet of said heat deformable plastic are fused together to form the rigid cover having a downward extending front wall, back wall and opposed side walls, the four walls defining a perimeter lip selectively arranged to substantially reside within a pluralistic margin defined by a narrowest and a widest bed surface margin of said plurality of said pickup truck vehicles;

Such that the front wall of said rigid cover is wider than the back wall of said rigid cover, and the opposed side walls of said rigid cover become narrower from the rigid cover front wall to the rigid cover back wall in accordance with the pluralistic margin of said upper bed surface of said plurality of pickup truck vehicles.

6. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 5, wherein the second sheet is interrupted about a perimeter margin where said second sheet transitions from a center portion defined by a slightly crowned surface with an array of depending ribs to said depending four walls to provide a hollow section strengthening and maintaining said perimeter lip in a fixed position.

7. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 5, wherein said second sheet overlays a reinforcement insert member during deformation of said sheet over a thermoforming mold to support said first and second sheets a fixed distance apart.

8. A rigid cover assembly for an open bed of a pickup truck vehicle, the rigid cover assembly comprising:

A rigid cover comprising an overlaying first surface and four depending walls selectively fused to portions of an underlying second surface and four depending walls, wherein the second surface is interrupted by depending rib structures; and

A molded platform, comprising a front wall member and opposed side wall members. which molded platform installs upon an upper margin of the open bed, the molded platform engaging said rigid cover for operable use upon said pickup truck vehicle, such that said rigid cover does not directly interface with said open bed.

9. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 8, wherein said front wall and opposed side wall members of the molded platform include an open channel that receives the four depending walls of the rigid cover.

10. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 8, wherein a hinge element upon said second sheet adjacent a front rigid cover wall interfaces with a hinge element upon said molded platform to hingedly engage said rigid cover to said molded platform.

11. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 8, wherein a two-point lock assembly residing between said first and second sheets interfaces with locking means upon said opposed side wall members to lock said rigid cover to said molded platform.

12. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 8, wherein opposed prop support structures depending from said second sheet and opposed Drop support means of said opposed side wall members engage opposed gas props to support said rigid cover in an open position upon said molded platform.

13. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 8, wherein opposed prop support structures depending from said second sheet and opposed prop support means of said opposed side wall members engage opposed gas props to support said rigid cover in a closed position upon said molded platform.

14. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 8, wherein the molded platform includes a tailgate member, said tail gate member attaching to said rigid cover.

15. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 8, wherein end margins of the opposed side wall members overlap opposed end margins of the front member adjacent a front wall of the truck bed to cover the front wall and opposed side walls of the open bed of said pickup truck vehicle.

16. A rigid cover assembly for a truck bed having an open interior bordered by four rails, the rigid cover comprising:

A first sheet of plastic providing an exterior surface having a slightly crowned central body covering the open interior and four depending walls overlapping the four rails; and

Fused to portions of an interior surface of the first sheet a second sheet of plastic, said second sheet of plastic including an array of depending ribs adjacent the slightly crowned central body forming rigidifying hollow sections, and a stepped perimeter adjacent a border area intermediate the slightly crowned central body and four depending walls, said stepped perimeter forming a rigidifying hollow margin maintaining the four depending walls a fixed distance apart and supporting a gasket compressible upon the four rails of the truck bed.

17. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 16 wherein the stepped perimeter of the second sheet forming the rigidifying hollow margin comprises a vertical section and a horizontal section, the vertical section extending downward from the slightly crowned central body to the horizontal section, which horizontal section is positioned a fixed distance above the four rails so that the gasket is the only aspect of the rigid cover communicating with the four rails of the truck bed.

18. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 16 wherein the second sheet of plastic includes a retaining wall adjacent a front bed rail in a position intermediate the array of depending ribs and the stepped perimeter, said retaining wall extending downward to a point below the front bed rail preventing the rigid cover from shifting forward upon the truck bed.

19. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 16 wherein the second sheet of plastic includes a lock assembly housing adjacent a tail gate rail in a position intermediate the array of depending ribs and the stepped perimeter, said lock assembly housing extending downward into the open interior to shield a lock assembly from shifting cargo carried within the truck bed.

20. A rigid cover assembly as in claim 16, wherein a coil spring is provided, the coil spring having a first extended end cooperating with a front wall of the truck bed and a second extended end cooperating with the interior surface of the rigid cover, the coil spring providing a lifting action upon the rigid cover when opposed lock members supported upon said rigid cover adjacent a tail gate of the truck bed are disengaged from opposed lock member receiving ends supported upon opposed side walls of said truck bed.

21. A rigid cover assembly for an open bed of a pickup truck, the rigid cover comprising:

A first sheet of heat deformable plastic;

The first sheet having a slightly crowned surface and four depending walls defining an exterior perimeter lip;

A second sheet of heat deformable plastic;

The second sheet includes a slightly crowned central body portion having an array of depending ribs arranged to rigidify and maintain the slightly crowned central body portion of the second sheet in a fixed position adjacent the first sheet, four depending walls defining an interior perimeter lip, and a hollow portion formed at a margin where the slightly crowned central body portion transitions into said four depending walls defining said interior perimeter lip, the hollow portion being provided to rigidify and maintain the four depending walls defining interior perimeter lip in a fixed position; and

Wherein said first and second sheets of heat deformable plastic achieve interfacial communication there between where said slightly crown central body portion and said four depending walls of said second sheet are not interrupted by said array of depending ribs and said hollow portion.

22. A rigid cover as in claim 21, wherein a horizontal section of the hollow portion of said second sheet supports a compression gasket, the compression gasket arranged and configured to communicate with top surfaces of a front rail, opposed side rails and a tailgate of the open bed of the pickup truck to provide a water tight seal.

23. A rigid cover assembly for an open bed of a pickup truck, the rigid cover comprising:

A first sheet of plastic having a slightly crowned convex exterior surface and four depending walls defining a exterior perimeter lip;

A second sheet of plastic having;

A slightly dished concave exterior surface defining a central body portion, wherein the central body portion is interrupted by a plurality of structures depending therefrom, said structures comprising depending rib elements arranged to maintain said slightly dished concave exterior surface in a fixed position adjacent the slightly crowned convex exterior surface when under a load; and

Four depending walls and intermediate said four depending walls and said slightly dished concave exterior surface a hollow section there between, said hollow section arranged to strengthen and maintain said four depending walls in a fixed position adjacent the exterior perimeter lip when under a load.

24. A method providing a constant closing force upon a rigid cover of heat deformable plastic in a closed position upon a truck bed comprising a front inside bed rail, opposed inside bed rails and a tailgate, the method comprising:

Providing two gas props including a pressurized tube having a fixed stud receiving end, a thrusting rod received by said pressurized tube having a moving stud receiving end, a compressed length and an extended length;

Providing the rigid cover of heat deformable plastic with opposed prop supports positioned adjacent the opposed inside bed rails, the opposed prop supports depending downward to a point extending below a lower margin defined by the opposed inside bed rails;

Affixing one moving ball stud upon each of the opposed prop supports on a side adjacent the opposed bed rails, such that the moving ball studs upon the opposed prop supports are resting below the lower margin defined by the opposed inside bed rails when the rigid cover is in a closed position;

Affixing one fixed ball stud upon each of the opposed inside bed rails in a position intermediate the front inside bed rail and the moving ball stud, said position for the fixed ball studs being determined as a horizontal distance equal to or slightly greater than the compressed length of a one of said two gas props as said moving ball stud traverses adjacent the opposed inside bed rails; and

Attaching the fixed stud receiving ends of the gas props to the fixed ball studs and the moving stud receiving ends of the gas props to the moving ball studs, such that when the rigid cover is partially closed the moving stud receiving ends compress to a point where the fixed ball studs and the moving ball studs are aligned parallel adjacent the opposed inside bed rails and such that when the rigid cover is completely closed the moving stud receiving ends extend down to a point where the moving ball studs reside below the fixed ball studs adjacent the opposed inside bed rails, the arrangement providing a constant extending force closing the rigid cover upon the truck bed.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the opposed prop supports include a rigid channel member adjustably receiving the moving ball studs, the rigid channel member allowing the moving ball studs to be laterally positioned thereupon allowing for a greater or a lesser rigid cover open height upon the truck bed.

26. A plurality of standard pickup truck model sizes having open beds, characterized in that the open beds are bordered by front rails, opposed side rails and tail gates that are substantially similar in over-all front-to-back length and side-to-side width, are covered by a one standard model size rigid cover, the one standard model size rigid cover comprising:

A top sheet of plastic providing an exterior surface having a slightly crowned central body covering open beds and four depending walls residing within a top margin defined by a juxtaposed plurality of front rails, opposed side rails and tailgates associated with the open beds of the plurality of standard pickup truck model sizes;

Fused to portions of an interior surface of the top sheet of plastic a bottom sheet of plastic substantially the same size and having the same over-all dimension of the top sheet of plastic, whereupon the bottom sheet of plastic there is included an array of depending ribs underlying the slightly crowned central body, said depending ribs forming hollow sections rigidifying the slightly crowned central body thereby maintaining a desired shape of the exterior surface of the top sheet;

Fused to portions of the interior surface of the top sheet of plastic in a bend region where the slightly crowned central body transitions into the four depending walls are additional elements of the bottom sheet of plastic, said additional elements include a stepped perimeter comprising four depending wall sections, which wall sections are fused to the four depending walls of the top sheet of plastic providing a double walled perimeter lip, and horizontal sections and vertical sections, which horizontal sections and vertical sections combine at a joining margin to define a hollow structure adjacent the bend region, which hollow structure braces said double walled perimeter lip and maintains a desired shape in the bend region of the top sheet of plastic;

Said double walled perimeter lip characterized in that it includes a front wall adjacent front rails, opposed side walls adjacent opposed side rails and a rear wall adjacent tail gates, said double walled perimeter lip is contiguous the slightly crowned central body; and

A slightly crowned central body portion adjacent the front wall wider than a slightly crowned central body portion adjacent the rear wall, and slightly crowned central body portions adjacent the opposed side walls narrowing from the front wall to the rear wall, such that only the front wall and the rear wall are parallel.

27. A system to attach a rigid cover over a front rail and opposed side rails of an open bed of a pickup truck, the system comprising:

a rail kit assembly including a front rail member and opposed side rail members, wherein said front rail member and opposed side rail members interface at end margins adjacent the front rail, said rail kit assembly overlapping said front rail and opposed side rails of the open bed of the pickup truck;

a rigid cover including a central body portion, a front depending wall, opposed side depending walls and a rear depending wall;

said front rail member and said opposed side rail members of the rail kit assembly including a channel, said channel positioned and configured to receive said front depending wall and opposed side depending walls of said rigid cover; and

wherein at least said opposed side rail members of said rail kit assembly are removably attached by fastening means to said opposed side rails of the open bed to attach said rigid cover over the open bed of a pickup truck.

28. A system as in claim 27, wherein a hinge element associated with the front rail member of said rail kit assembly cooperates with a hinge element associated with the rigid cover adjacent the front depending wall, said hinge elements allowing the rigid cover to be moved between open and closed positions upon the rail kit assembly over the open bed of the pickup truck.

29. A system as in claim 27, wherein said rigid cover is removably disengagable from said rail kit assembly to provide a partially open pickup truck bed for the transportation of cargo.

30. A system as in claim 27, wherein the channel of said rail kit assembly is open at least at one end thereof to allow rainwater to exist said channel.

31. A system as in claim 27, wherein the rail kit assembly overlaps the front rail and the opposed side rails of the open bed of the pickup truck to protect painted metal surfaces thereof.

32. A system as in claim 27, wherein an inside vertical surface of the opposed side rail members include a rigid channel member having means to receive a plurality of adjustable tie down hooks for securing cargo within the open bed.

33. A system as in claim 27, wherein an interior surface of the central body portion includes opposed depending prop support structures that extend below the opposed side rails members, said opposed depending prop support structures and said opposed side rail members including studs receiving a pair of pneumatic cylinder props, said pneumatic cylinder props provided maintaining said rigid cover in a closed position and lifting said rigid cover to an open position relative the rail kit assembly over the open bed of the pickup truck.

34. A system as in claim 27, wherein an interior surface of the central body portion of the rigid cover include rigid channel means receiving opposed accessory hold down cross members supporting elongated light-weight cargo upon the interior surface of said rigid cover.

35. A system as in claim 27, wherein a coil spring is provided, the coil spring having a first extended end cooperating with the front wall of the open bed and a second extended end cooperating with a lower surface of the rigid cover, the coil spring providing a lifting action upon the rigid cover when opposed lock members supported upon said rigid cover adjacent a tail gate of the open bed are disengaged from opposed lock member receiving ends supported upon the opposed side rail members.

36. A system as in claim 27, wherein there is provided the following:

a plurality of rail kits assemblies, each one of said plurality of rail kit assemblies being configured and adapted to cover a specific make and model of pickup truck, said plurality of rail kit assemblies each include a channel; and

a single rigid cover, the perimeter lip of said single rigid cover configured and adapted to be received within the channel of each of said plurality of rail kit assemblies.