US 4,823,707 AGranted

Apparatus for covering an open-topped vehicle

OwnerH. Allen Salsbury, Gary E. Wymerinventors

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Abstract

An open-topped vehicle, such as a freight vehicle, is covered by a single-use covering which includes a cage having a standard length and adjustment elements for taking up the difference between the cage length and the length of the vehicle. The cage includes cover supporting ribs that are spaced apart from each other according to preset distances. The covering also includes a flexible cover that is shrinkable and self-weldable upon the application of heat thereto, and is attached to the vehicle by multi-ply end joints which are formed by welding a first portion of the cover to a second portion of the cover to form a hem with a line located inside the hem. The line is attached to the vehicle. Patches can also be placed in locations on the cover needing additional, multi-ply protection.

Claims15

Dependent claims

In combination with a normally open-topped vehicle inherently having upstanding side walls and end walls, a removable covering means comprising:

(a) a flexible cover having ends and sides;
and
(b) a cover supporting means for supporting said flexible cover in covering relation with respect to the open-topped vehicle, said cover supporting means including:
(1) a plurality of removable rib supporting brackets mounted on the side walls of the vehicle, with brackets on each vehicle side wall being adjustably longitudinally spaced apart from each other and each bracket on each vehicle side wall having a corresponding bracket on the other vehicle side wall to form cooperative pairs of brackets;
(2) a cover supporting rib associated with each cooperative pair of brackets, each cover supporting rib extending across the vehicle between the side walls of the vehicle and having an end connected to each of the brackets of each cooperative pair of brackets;
(3) a flexible ridge line means extending axially of the vehicle between the end walls of the vehicle for supporting said flexible cover and for establishing preset spacings between adjacent cover supporting ribs, said ridge line means having ends, with each ridge line means end being connected to one of the vehicle end walls, said ridge line means including a plurality of rib attaching means thereon for fixedly attaching said ribs to said ridge line means whereby said ribs are axially supported at said rib attaching means, said rib attaching means being spaced apart from each other along the length of said ridge line means a predetermined distance so that upon attaching said ribs to said ridge line means by said rib attaching means, said preset spacing between adjacent cover supporting ribs is established;
and
(4) cover attachment means for attaching said flexible cover to said cover supporting means.

5 more elements

A covering means for an open-topped vehicle having side walls and end walls and which is subject to having a variety of axial lengths as measured between the end walls thereof, the covering means including:

(a) a flexible cover having ends and sides and which is formed of a material which is shrinkable and self-weldable by the application of heat thereto;
(b) a cover supporting means for supporting said flexible cover in covering relation on the open-topped vehicle, said cover supporting means including:
(1) a plurality of rib supporting brackets which are adapted to be longitudinally movably mounted on the side walls of the vehicle;
(2) a plurality of cover supporting ribs each of which is sized to extend across the vehicle from one vehicle side wall to another vehicle side wall and each of which includes opposite ends connected to a respective cooperative pair of brackets, said cover supporting ribs and said rib supporting brackets being adapted to form a cover supporting cage on the vehicle which cage has a predetermined axial length measured with respect to the axial length of the vehicle;
and
(3) a flexible ridge line means for supporting said flexible cover and for establishing preset spacings between adjacent supporting ribs when such supporting ribs are mounted on the vehicle, said ridge line means having ends and a plurality of rib attaching means for fixedly attaching said ribs to said ridge line means whereby said ribs are axially supported at said rib attaching means, said rib attaching means being space apart from each other along the length of said ridge line means at predetermine distances so that upon attaching said ribs to said ridge line means by said rib attaching means, preset spacings between adjacent ribs are established;
(c) an adjustment and cover supporting means having means for setting a distance between an end rib of said cover supporting ribs and end wall of the vehicle which distance corresponds to a predetermined portion of the difference between the overall axial length of the vehicle and the axial length of said cage whereby variations in vehicle axial length can be accounted for by said adjustment and cover supporting means so that the preset spacings between adjacent ribs is amenable for use on a wide variety of vehicles;
(d) cover attachment means for attaching said flexible cover to the vehicle, said cover attachment means including end truss means for attaching said flexible cover ends to the end walls of the vehicle;
and
(e) said flexible cover having an axial length as measured between the ends thereof that is sufficient to exceed the axial length of any vehicle on which it will be used by an amount sufficient to form a flap that is sized and dimensioned to be folded back upon itself with an end truss means captured therein so said cover can form a double ply joint with said end truss means inside when heated to weld the flap to the remainder of the flexible cover.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.