Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a cover assembly for a ~ruck body9 and
in particular to a self-rolling cover for an open top truck body
The patent art contains many examples of covers or cover assem-
bl;es for open top truck bodies, including those disclosed by ~.S. Paten~s Nos.
759,62~, issued to N. Nicolai on May 10, 1904; 3,179,464, issued to F. M.
Mc~urney et al on April 20, 1965; 3,366,41~, issued to A. L. Thompson et al on
January 30, 1968; 3,964,7~1, issued to R. R. Fenton on June 22, 1976; 4,030,780,issued to R. H. Petretti on June 21, 1977; 4,032,186, issued to P. A. Pickering
et al on June 28, 1977; and 4,067,603, issued to R. R. Fenton on January 10,
1978. In general, the supports and the mechanisms for retracting and extending
the covers are somewhat complicated, and consequently expensive to produce and
install. Moreover, in every case, it is necessary to provicle a source of power
or a strong winding device to move the cover between the retracted position, in
which the truck body is uncovered and the extended position, in which the truck
body is covered.
The object of the present invention is to solve, or at 1east allevi-
ate some of the problems encountered with available truck body covers by
providing a relatively simple, at least partially self-rolling cover assembly
for a truck body.
Accordingly, the invention relates to a cover assembly for an open
top truck body comprising cover means including sheet means for covering open
top of the truck body, spring means attached to said sheet means biasing said
sheet means to a rolled or retracted position, and draw string means for causing`said spring and sheet means to unroll to an extended position, whereby, when the
cover is placed on a truck body with one end of the sheet means and spring meansattached to one end of said body, the sheet means and spring means normally
assume the retracted position, and pulling of said draw string means causes the
spring and sheet means to assume the extended position in which the sheet means
covers the truck body.
In a further aspect of the invention, the cover assembly includes
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cover support means for mounting on the open top of a truck body, said support
means may include a truss extending transversely of the open top of said truck
body and transversely extending rods supported by said truss, whereby said
truss and rods define a slightly domed support for the cover.
The invention will now be described in grea~er detail with refer-
ence to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preFerred embodiment oF
the invention, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of a truck body with a
cover assembly in accordance with the present invention mounted thereon, with
a cover in the retracted position;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the ~ruck body and cover assembly of
Figure 1, with the cover in the extended position;
Figure 3 is a plan view of a cover For use in the cover assembly of
Figures 1 and 2, and
Figure 4 is a perspective view from above o~ the truck body and
cover assembly of Figure 1, with the cover in the extended position, i.e. cover-ing the truck body.
: With reference to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the
cover assembly of the present invention includes a support in the form of
elements which are mounted on an open top truck body 1. The truck body l is
defîned by a bottom wall 2, side walls 3, front wall 4, and rear wall 5. As
best illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the support members include a truss 6 ex-
tending transversely of the open top 7 of the truck body 1, between the centers
of top edges 8 of the side walls 3. Ends 9 of the truss 6 are connected to such
top edges 8 by screws 10. The centers of a pair of longitudinally extending
guide and support rods 11 are supported by the truss 6 near each side thereof,
approximately one quarter the distance in from each side wall 3 of the truck
body 1. The ends of the rods 11 are mounted in brackets 12 on the front and
rear end walls 4 and 5, respectively of the truck body 1. A plurality of ad-
ditional support rods 13 extend transversely of the truck body 1 between the
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side walls 3. The rods 13, which are located between the truss 6 and the end
walls 4 and 5, extend over the longitudinally extending rods 11.
The truss 6, and the rods 11 and 13 form a generally curving, sub-
stantially convex frame work, which preferably domes at the top center oF the
truck body 1 for supporting a cover generally indicated at 15 in Figures 1, 3,
and 4. The cover 15 is a rectangular sheet 16 of tarpaulin with eyelets 17
along each side for securing the sheet in the extended position (Figure ~) over
the open top 7 of the truck body 1. The front end 18 of the sheet 16 is securedto the front ~ of the truck body 1 by straps 19. As illustrated in Figure 3,
a pair of substantially flat, elongate coil springs 20 are sewn into the sheet
16. One end of each spring 20 may be secured to the top eclge o-f the front wall4 of the truck body 1 by a bracket 21 (Figure 1). The springs 20 extend longi-
tudinally of the cover 15 for biasing the sheet 16 into the retracted or rolled
position (Figure 1).
Rods 22 (one shown) are, in the preferred embodiment, also sewn into
pockets 23 in the sheet 16. The rads 22 extend transversely of the sheet for
facilitating the formation of a roll 24. While the drawings show rods 22 near
rear end 25 only of the sheet, such rods are advantageously provided along the
length of the sheet 16. At~he rear end 25 of the sheet 16, the rods 22 are
close to each other, but there are larger spaces between such rods 22 at the
front end 18 of the sheet. It will be appreciated that as the sheet 16 rolls
forwardly from the rear end 25, the rods 22 form a core in the same manner as
a cardboard core in a roll of paper or carpet. Also sewn into the sheet 16 on
the ends of the rods 22 are plastic end cap or tubes 26 (one shown) which reducethe possibility of tearing the sheet 16 during rolling or unrolling ~retracting
or extending). Helical springs 27 with hooks 28 at their outer free ends are
provided on the ends of some of the rods 22 which project outwardly through the
sheet 16 so that the ends of the roll 23 formed by the sheet 16 in the retractedposition can be folded to form a tidy roll.
In the embodiment, according to Figure 1, cover 15 in its retracted
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pocition, forms a roll which sits on top of the truck body. However, it is to
be accepted that in certain circumstances, it may be required tc position the
roll in an out-of~the-way location, for example, between the cab of the vehicle
and the truck body in the case of a separate tractor trailer combination. In
this case, it would simply be necessary to replace brackets 21 with a hinge
member which would permit the cover 15, in its rolled state, to be pivoted
about the hinge member into a stored position. This would also provide For un-
obstructed access to the interior of the tractor or trailer body.
In the preferred embodiment, rings 29 are provided on the rearmost
transverse rod 22 -For securing a pair of draw strings or ropes 30 to the rod.
The draw strings 30 extend around pulleys 31 on the top edge of the rear wall
5 of the truck body 1, and around pulleys 32 on the top edge of one side wall 3
of the body 1 to cleats 33 near the Front oF such side wall 3 for securing the
cover 15 in any position. In the extended position (Figure 4) the sides and
rear end 25 of the sheet 16 are held down by standard rubber straps 34.
In operation, with the cover 15 in the closed or extended position
(Figure 4), the draw strings 30 are released from the cleats 33 and slowly Fed
out to permit the sheet 16 to roll to the retracted or rolled position (Figure
1). During rolling, the sheet 16 under the action of the springs 20, rolls in-
to roll 24 at the front oF the truck body. The springs 30 are secured around
; the cleats 33, and the truck body 1 is Filled, i.e. w;th grain. Upon completion
of a filling operation, the strings are disconnected from the cleats 33 and
pulled to cause the sheet 16 to unroll to the extended position. The strings
30 are again secured around the cleats 33, and the sides and rear end 25 of the
sheet 16 are secured to the truck body using the straps 34.
Thus, there has been described a relatively simple, self-rolling
cover for an open top truck body. While the sheet has been defined as being
tarpaulin, it will be appreciated that other materials can be used in the cover
sheet.
Further modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention
will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing descrip-
tion. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only
and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art, the manner of
carrying out the invention. It is further understood that the fom of the in-
vention herewith shown and described is to be talcen as the presently preferred
embodiment. Various changes may be made in -the shape, size and general arrange-
ment of components, for example, equivalent elements may be substituted for
those illustrated and described herein, parts may be used independently of the
use of other features, all as will be apparent to one skilled in the art after
having the benefits of the description of the invention.
