Retractable truck bed cover apparatus

An element for guiding and supporting the movement of a retractable cover for truck beds and the like, comprising:

• a side rail, including means for mounting said side rail along the top edges of the truck bed, wherein the side rail includes upper and lower portions which extend inwardly from the sides of the truck bed, the upper and lower portions including facing surfaces, each facing surface having a plurality of grooves therein, wherein the side rail includes a track portion defined in the lower portion to receive edge elements which extend from the end edges of the retractable cover and which are movable along the track portion;
• and
• a longitudinally extending strip of flexible material, positioned between two facing grooves in the upper and lower portions a relatively small distance from the edge elements.

An element for guiding and supporting the movement of a retractable cover for truck beds and the like, comprising:

• a side rail, including means for mounting said side rail along the top edges of the truck bed, wherein the side rail includes upper and lower portions which extend inwardly from the sides of the truck bed;
• a support member for receiving edge elements which extend from the end edges of the retractable cover, the support element being positioned interiorly of the side rail, wherein the support member extends the length of the side rail and is adjustable laterally so that the distance between an opposing support member in an opposing side rail is maintained constant over the length of the truck bed, even though the distance between the sides of the truck varies between the front and rear of the truck bed.

In a retractable cover for a truck bed and the like, a lateral slat forming part of the cover, comprising:

• an elongated, relatively narrow slat element which extends substantially between the respective sides of the truck bed when the cover is in position, the slat element including a depending groove-like receiving element along one side edge and a depending tubular-like element along the opposing side edge adapted to rotatably engage in the groove-like portion of an adjacent slat element, wherein the receiving element includes an inner surface and the tubular element includes an outer surface, the slat element further including a flexible member which extends substantially the entire length of the slat element for sealing the outer surface of the tubular element directly to the inner surface of the engaged receiving element, wherein a plurality of slats elements so fitting together form a cover which is flexible in its longitudinal direction.

An element of claim 17, wherein the tubular element includes a longitudinal opening along its length, wherein the flexible member is positioned partially within the interior of the tubular element and is held therein but extends outwardly through the longitudinal opening sufficiently to sealingly contact the interior surface of the receiving element.