Hinged Cover for a Pickup Truck Bed

A system for enclosing a bed of a pickup truck, comprising:

• a base assembly;
• the base assembly operably connected to a front end of the bed of the pickup truck;
• a cover assembly;
• the cover assembly pivotally connected to a top of the base assembly;
• a hinge assembly;
• the cover assembly configured to pivot via the hinge assembly between a closed position and an open position;
• at least one rail;
• the at least one rail operably connected to the base assembly and extending from the base assembly toward a rear region of the bed of the pickup truck;
• wherein the at least one rail engages the bed at a location rearward of the front end of the truck bed and is configured to transmit forces generated by the cover assembly into the bed at the rearward location, thereby reducing a point load along the bed rails bed as compared to a system in which the base assembly engages only the front end of the bed.

A system for enclosing a bed of a pickup truck, comprising:

• a base assembly;
• the base assembly operably connected to a front end of the bed of the pickup truck;
• a cover assembly;
• a hinge assembly;
• the hinge assembly operably connected to a top of the base assembly and a front end of the cover assembly;
• the hinge assembly positioned adjacent a top of the pickup truck;
• wherein the cover assembly is configured to pivot at the front end via the hinge assembly between a closed position and an open position;
• at least one rail;
• the at least one rail operably connected to the base assembly and configured to engage the bed at a plurality of locations spaced along a length of the bed of the pickup truck;
• a linear actuator;
• the linear actuator operably connected to the base assembly and the cover assembly;
• wherein the linear actuator is configured to selectively move the cover assembly between the closed position and the open position;
• at least one biasing member;
• the at least one biasing member operably connected to the base assembly and the cover assembly;
• wherein the at least one biasing member is configured to apply a biasing force on the cover assembly toward the open position when the cover assembly is not secured in the closed position;
• wherein the at least one rail is arranged to transfer a load and a bending moment generated by the cover assembly to the bed at the plurality of locations such that the load and the bending moment are distributed along the length of the bed.

A method for enclosing and opening a bed of a pickup truck, comprising:

• installing a base assembly having at least one rail extending along a length of the bed of the pickup truck, wherein the base assembly is operably connected to a front end of the bed of the pickup truck;
• assembling a cover assembly having a front panel, a rear panel, opposing side panels, and one or more roof panels;
• pivotally connecting the front panel of the cover assembly to the base assembly using a hinge assembly;
• moving the cover assembly from a closed position to an open position by lifting the rear panel of the cover assembly upwards to pivot the cover assembly with respect to the base assembly;
• moving the cover assembly from the open position back to the closed position by lowering the rear panel to pivot the cover assembly with respect to the base assembly;
• and
• transferring and evenly distributing, via the at least one rail of the base assembly, a load and bending moment generated by the cover assembly in the open position to the bed at a plurality of locations along the length of the bed.