Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
20~osl~
1 IMPROVEMENT IN PICKUP BOX COVERS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to covers for the cargo bed
of a pickup truck, more particularly to such a cover
consisting of a plurality of rigid panels which may be
folded accordion style to uncover the interior of the cargo
- space.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The cargo space of the conventional pickup truck
is open and, therefore, unprotected from the weather. This
can be a serious problem in the case of various types of
cargo. This problem has been addressed in a number of ways
in the past. One solution has been to provide a flexible
cover of watertight material such as canvas which has been
treated with a moisture sealing material or a plastic.
Means are provided on the sides of the cargo space to tie
down the cover. In this arrangement, access to the cargo
space is attained by detachment and removal of the flexible
cover.
Another solution has been to provide a rigid roof
structure which is placed over the cargo bay and bolted,
clamped or otherwise rigidly secured to the cargo bay. This
type of structure normally has a rear door which is
positioned above and cooperates with the tailgate of the
cargo space. Access to the cargo area of the truck bed is
exclusively through the rear opening provided by pivoting
the rear door and tailgate panel to open position.
A still further solution has been a flexible cover
supported on rigid cross pieces which are mounted on rails
secured to the sides of the cargo space for fore and aft
- ~01091S
1 movement. This latter type of cover can be folded forwardly
against the rear wall of the vehicle cab to expose the cargo
bay.
Each of these solutions has a number of variations
incorporating the basic structural and functional principles
described above. All of them have the disadvantage of
complexity, operational inconvenience and relatively high
cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a plurality of low
silhouette panels which are relatively lightweight and can
be quickly and easily folded, one upon the other, to expose
the top of the cargo bay and just as easily be unfolded to
cover the cargo bay. Only the forward one of the panels
needs to be secured to the vehicle because the low
silhouette eliminates the problem of opening of the cover
due to lifting of the panels by the vehicle's slip stream
even at high speeds. Further, the invention provides a low
silhouette barrier which acts as a shield to protect the
closed cover from laterally acting forces, such as cross
wind, trying to dislocate it sideways. Because of its
construction and low silhouette, the individual panels can
be relatively lightweight, thus, making it readily
maneuverable by a single operator. Because of its low
silhouette, even when folded into cargo bay open position,
it provides a compact stack which is not, or only slightly,
affected by the vehicle's slip stream and r~m~; nC below the
vehicle's rear window and, thus, does not obstruct it.
The invention provides an improved seal at the
joints between each of the panels to make the cover form a
truly watertight seal. It also provides an improved gasket
arrangement to prevent moisture finding its way into the
- 3 - 20lo9lS
1 cargo bay from the space between the wind guard which
extends along the side of the truck adjacent the ends of the
panel. It also provides better sealing means at the ends of
the hinges to further isolate the interior of the cargo bay
from the exterior elements to which the truck can be
expected to be exposed.
The invention disclosed in this application
provides a panel construction which has an improved moisture
seal between the cover and the truck body and permits the
cover to be so folded that even more of the cargo bay can be
exposed when needed. It also provides an improved weather
seal at the hinges.
These and other improvements and advantages of the
invention by those skilled in the art of convenience
accessories for pickup trucks upon reading the following
drawings and description of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a fragmentary oblique side view of a
pickup vehicle with the cover of this invention illustrated
in extended condition in solid lines and in folded condition
in broken lines (side wind barrier omitted);
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the cover in
extended condition ~with wind barrier omitted);
Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating
the folding of one form of the cover;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view
through one side of the truck body illustrating a modified
construction for this invention installed in cargo
compartment closing position;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the angle forming a
wind barrier and equipped with a moisture excluding gasket;
- ' 20lo~S
1 Fig. 6 illustrates the same wind barrier as Fig. 5
with a modified gasket construction;
Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the bottom face of
the cover at one of the second or third hinges;
Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along
the plane VIII-VIII of Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along
the plane IX-IX of Fig. 7;
Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the
panel joint of Fig. 9 illustrating the structure when the
panels are folded into storage position;
Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to
Fig. 9 but illustrating the hinged joint where the hinge is
on the interior of the cover when the cover is closed;
Fig. 12 is a elevational view of the hinge joint
illustrated in Fig. 11 when the panels are folded to
storage;
Fig. 13 is a fragmentary end view of the panels
illustrated in Fig. 11 as the panels appear when pivoted to
partially folded position;
Fig. 14 is a fragmentary, side elevation view of a
vehicle equipped with a cover of a modified construction;
Fig. 15 illustrates the cover shown in Fig. 14 in
folded position;
Fig. 16 illustrates the cover shown in Figs. 14
and 15 pivoted into storage position;
Fig. 17 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional
view of a means for securing the anchor panel of the cover;
Fig. 18 is a sectional view of a modified
construction for the panels; and
Fig. 19 is a modified construction for an
attachment of the anchor panel.
--5-- 2Ol09lS
1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The numeral 10 indicates a conventional pickup
truck equipped with a cab 11 and a cargo bed or area 12
having a pair of sides 13 and a fold-down tailgate. Mounted
over the otherwise open top of the cargo space of the cargo
bed is the cover 20 which, in Fig. 1, is illustrated in
extended or cargo space closing position in solid lines and
in retracted or cargo space open position in broken lines
(Fig. 1).
The cover 20 consists of several,
preferably four, identical panels 21a, b, c and d which are
joined to each other by hinges 22. The hinges 22 each have
a central pin 23 (Figs. 9 and 11) about which the leaves of
the hinge pivot. The hinges are secured to the covers by
suitable fastener means such as screws. The hinges joining
panels 21a and 21b and 21c and 21d are arranged with the
central pin 23 of the hinge extending along one lateral edge
of a panel and centered in the plane of the adjacent surface
of the panel. The central pin of the hinge between the
panels 21b and 21c is displaced slightly below the lower
surface of the panels (Fig. 11). Thus, adjacent panels fold
in opposite directions (Fig. 3).
To protect the cover from cross wind, a generally
L-shaped angle 30 is secured to the top of the sides 13 of
the cargo bed to serve as a shield for the edges of the
panels. In this improved construction, the angle 30 can be
an aluminum extrusion with its upright leg 31 slightly
inwardly inclined to partially close the gap between it and
the ends of the adjacent panels. For the purpose of giving
it a smooth top surface and also stiffen it, the end of the
leg 31 can be provided with a bead 32.
(1~ 22~915
1 The leg 33 of the angle is provided with an
inverted T-shaped channel 34 to mount a resilient gasket 35.
The gasket has an upst~n~i ng finger 36 and a base flange 37
which is seated in the lower portion of the channel 34. By
properly ~;~e~cioning the channel and the gasket and using a
material having some lubricious surface characteristics, or
is coated with a lubricious material for purposes of
installation, the gasket can be assembled to the angle 30 by
sliding it lengthwise of the channel. Fig. 6 illustrates a
modified construction in which the base flange 37 of the
gasket is only partially recessed into the top surface of
the bottom leg of the angle 3Oa. In this case, the gasket
is bonded to the angle 30 by any suitable weather resistant
bonding agent, the choice of which will depend upon its
ability to adhere to both aluminum and the plastic from
which the gasket 35 is extruded. Various adhesives suitable
for this purpose are commercially available.
The angle at which the finger 36 extends upwardly
will, in part, depend upon the resilience of the gasket.
The important point is that it form a seal with the closed
cover. It is important that the finger 36 be inclined
outwardly, thus providing a seal which is particularly
resistant to moisture migration between the seal and the
cover. To avoid accumulation of moisture within the angle
30 between the upright leg 31 and the gasket 35, drain
openings 39 may be provided at suitable spacings at the base
of the upright leg 31 (Fig. 4). These openings may be
inclined rearwardly in an outward direction to create an
outward flow pattern.
To further resist moisture penetration at the
hinges between the panels, the hinges 22 which pivot about
an axis which is exterior of the cover when the cover is
2olo9ls
1 extended and flat on the truck body are exteriorly covered
by a flexible plastic jacket 40 (Figs. 9 and 10). Fig. 10
greatly exaggerates the space between the panels when they
are folded for storage. This jacket preferably has reverse
flanges 41 along its edges to seat over and around the ends
of the leaves of the hinges 22. These flanges 41 positively
anchor the longitllA; n~ 1 edges of the jacket to the hinge.
This construction, coupled with the jacket being positioned
between the leaves of the hinges and the panels to which the
hinge is attached provides a positive anchor for the jacket.
This is important because it has been discovered that
without this anchor the jacket 40, over a period of time due
to opening and closing of the cover, may work its way out of
the clamp between the hinge and the cover and ultimately
cease to function as a watertight seal. The flanges 41 have
proven to be a positive anchor against this occurring.
The preceding description deals with the situation
which exists between panels which fold by one of them being
pivoted up and over the other about a hinge pin which is
external of the cover when the cover is e~t~n~eA to enclose
the cargo bay. A different arrangement exists when the
panels are folded about a hinge which must have its pivot
axis below the panel (Figs. 8 and 11-13).
In this panel joint, a flexible seal member 50 is
mounted between the hinge 51 and the panels. The seal
member 50 has a portion 52 which becomes wedged between the
panels when the cover is in extended position. In this
position, it also becomes clamped between the panels when
they are in aligned position (Fig. 11). The manner in which
the seal moves as the panels are folded is illustrated in
Fig. 13.
201091S
1 Because the hinge 51 extends inwardly from the
panels when they are aligned, this hinge cannot extend to
the ends of the panels where it would interfere with the
panels laying flat on the gasket 35 at the sides 13 of the
cargo bay. To overcome this problem, where the hinge
terminates, an inverted U-shaped gasket 55 is provided (Fig.
- 8). Since there is no hinge or other pressure creating
medium in this area, a compressible member 53, such as a
rubber gasket, is provided. This is bonded to one leg of
the gasket 55 and is of a thickness such that when the
panels are aligned, it is compressed as illustrated in Fig.
8.
The panels 21 are of a l~mi n~r construction having
inner and outer sheets 42 and 43 and a core 44 of rigid
foam. The inner and outer sheets are preferably of aluminum
and are bonded to the core. In the construction herein
illustrated, each panel is surrounded by a C-shaped frame 45
which protects the edge of the core and adds further
rigidity to the panels. The frame 45 can be secured by
suitable adhesives to both the facing sheets and to the core
which in the construction described in Canadian Patent
Number 1,317,333 provides a panel having a thickness of from
about 2/3 of an inch to slightly more than 1 inch.
Figs. 14-16 illustrated a modified construction
for the cover. This particular construction is designed for
those applications in which additional access to the truck's
cargo bay is desired. In this case, the anchor panel 60
adjacent the cab has a width of only 4 or 6 inches,
depending upon the length of the cargo bay. The cover is
then provided with 4 additional panels 61a, b, c and d
hinged to each other in a manner similar to the cover
illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be observed from Fig.
- q
2010915
1 15 that panels 61a, c and d are of the same width while
panel 61b is shorter to provide space for the lock keeper 62
when the panels are pivoted to cargo bay open position. The
lock keeper provides a means for locking the cover in closed
position as disclosed in Canadian Patent Number 1,317,333. As
in the case of the cover construction illustrated in Fig. 1,
the panels are joined by hinges arranged so that the panels
can first be folded into a stack 64, as illustrated in Fig.
15, then the stack 64 pivoted into temporary vertical
storage position, as illustrated in Fig. 16. This provides
the additional access certain activities require.
The anchor panel 60 has the same construction as
the other panels except its width and the thickness of its
lower face sheet, lengthwise of the cargo bed, is only 4 to
6 inches. It can be secured by means of a bolt 67 adjacent
each end which cooperates with an inverted, U-shaped bracket
68, one leg of which seats behind the depending flange of
the side wall 13 of the cargo bay (Fig. 17). The other leg
of the bracket seats against the lower face of the panel.
The panel is secured by tightening the nut 69 on the bolt
67. Also, this arrangement makes it a simple and quick
operation to either mount or remove the entire cover
assembly.
An alternate construction for mounting the anchor
panel 60 is illustrated in Fig 18. In this arrangement, a
bolt 70 is mounted through the lower face member 71 of the
panel with its head 72 bearing against the upper face of the
bottom sheet 73 of the panel and embedded in the foam core
74 of the panel. The bolt should be of the carriage bolt
type with a square shank portion seated in a punched, square
hole in the panel so it will be anchored against rotation.
The bolts 70 are preferably aligned with the sides of the
- 2010915
1 cargo bay and are seated in suitable openings in the sides
and secured by nuts installed from beneath the flanges of
these sides.
Fig. 19 illustrates a further construction for
anchoring the panel 60. In this construction, a hole 75 is
provided through the peripheral frame of the anchor panel.
The portion 75a of this hole in the upper flange of the
frame is large enough to pass the fastener 76 and its upper
head 77. The hole is provided through the lower flange of
the panel frame, the leg 33 of the angle 30 and the flange
13 of the truck body and side is smaller than the portion 75a. The fastener
also has a lower frusto-conical shaped member 79, which seats against
the lower face of the flange 13 on the truck body. The
lower one of the members 79 threadedly engages the anchor
member and when tightened secures the panel firmly to the
truck body. The access opening 75a in the top surface of
the panel can be closed by a snap-in plug 80.
All of the above constructions make it possible to
remove entirely the cover if desired. At the same time,
almost the entire cargo space is open and unobstructed when
the cover is open.
Fig. 18 also illustrates a modified construction
for the anchor panel. This modified construction utilizes a
laminated panel having a top surface formed of a sheet 85 of
25 gauge (0.021") aluminum sheet and a bottom sheet 73 of
O.25" aluminum with an 0.25" core 74 of polystyrene foam.
This construction provides a rigid, weather resistant,
lightweight panel having a very low silhouette which will
form a very compact stack when the top is folded to expose
the cargo bay. This panel is more rigid than those
previously described because of the thickness of the bottom
sheet. However, it still retains the laminated, sandwich
20~091.S
1 construction which gives it resistance to gradually becoming
concave due to protracted usage on vehicles travelling poor
highways or other surfaces which subject it to repeated and
severe vertical movement or vibration of the type which over
a period of time will result in permanent deflection of the
panel. Such deflection will not only interfere with proper
drainage of rain water, it will cause serious difficulty
with operation of the hinges, and thus, of opening and
closing the cover.
Irrespective of whether the panel construction
illustrated in Fig. 4 or that illustrated in Fig. 18 is
used, the panels, when in storage position illustrated in
Fig. 15, are of a total thickness such that they will not
obstruct the vehicle's rear window.
Having described a preferred embodiment of this
invention and various modifications thereof, it will be
understood that other modifications of this invention can be
made. Such modifications are to be considered as included
in the hereinafter appended claims unless the language
thereof specifically excludes them.
