Pickup bed tonneau cover mounting
OwnerJames A. Nettinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for releasably attaching the marginal edges of a flexible cover to the end and sidewalls of a pickup truck bed includes a bar and channel clamp member depending adjacent the pickup bed inner sidewall flange and supporting elongated rails on the upper limit of the respective end and sidewall. The rails being provided with opposing lateral coextensive slots receiving fastening members securing the clamp members and cover thereto in a manner which fulcrums the clamp members against the sidewalls inner surface to assist in maintaining the cover taut.
Claims25
A cover attachment apparatus for a vehicle bed having a sidewall which has a generally horizontal top portion and an inner downward depending flange, comprising:
- an elongated rail means, adapted to overlie said sidewall top portion, for supporting a cover over said vehicle bed;
- and
- clamp means for clamping said rail means to said sidewall, said clamp means including:
- an upper portion adapted for attachment to said rail means;
- an upwardly open throat means for receiving said flange of said sidewall;
- and
- a lower portion having a lateral arm means extending outwardly for engaging an inward facing surface of said sidewall.
A cover attachment apparatus for a vehicle bed having a sidewall which has a generally horizontal top portion and an inner downward depending flange, comprising:
- an elongated rail means, adapted to overlie said sidewall top portion, for supporting a cover over said vehicle bed;
- and
- fulcrum clamp means for clamping said rail means to said sidewall, said clamp means including:
- an upper end portion adapted for attachment to said rail means;
- an offset upwardly extending leg laterally offset from said upper end portion to define an upwardly open throat means for receiving said flange of said sidewall, said offset leg having an upper end means for engaging a bottom surface of said top portion of said sidewall;
- and
- a horizontal flange means projecting inward from said offset leg for engagement with an outward facing surface of said flange of said sidewall;
- and
- wherein said rail means and said clamp means are so arranged and constructed that when said rail means is placed on top of said top portion of said sidewall and said flange of said sidewall is received in said upwardly open throat means of said clamp means and said upper portion of said clamp means is rigidly fastened to said rail means, said flange of said sidewall is held between said upper end portion of said clamp means and said horizontal flange means of said offset leg and said top portion of said sidewall is clamped between said rail means and said upper end of said offset leg.
A cover attachment apparatus for a vehicle bed having a sidewall with a generally horizontal top surface comprising:
- a flexible cover;
- an elongated rail means, adapted to overlie said sidewall top surface, for supporting said cover over said vehicle bed, said rail means having an outer laterally open slot defined therein;
- connector means, operably associated with said rail means, for connecting said rail means to said sidewall;
- and
- a plurality of two-part fastener means for fastening said cover to said rail means, each of said fastener means including:
- a first part fixed to said cover;
- and
- a second part slidably received in said open slot of said rail means.
A cover attachment apparatus for a vehicle bed having a sidewall with a generally horizontal top surface, comprising:
- an elongated rail means, adapted to overlie said sidewall top surface, for supporting a cover over said vehicle bed, said rail means having a cross-sectional shape including:
- a generally horizontal base having an inner vertically upward turned edge;
- a top wall having an inner vertically downward turned edge, thus defining an inner laterally open slot between said inner edges of said base and said top wall;
- a vertical web connecting said base and said top wall outward of said inner edges, thus defining a substantially rectangular cross section longitudinal passage between said web, said inner edges, said top wall and said base, said passage having a vertical height between said top wall and said base greater than a vertical height of said inner laterally open slot;
- and
- a plurality of connector means for connecting said rail
- means to said sidewall, each of said connector means having an upper end portion attached to said rail means by a nut and bolt assembly, one of said nut and a head of said bolt being slidably non-rotatably received in said substantially rectangular cross section longitudinal passage with said bolt extending through said inner laterally open slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.