Rail attachment system for tonneau cover

Tonneau means for covering the cargo area of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle has a pair of spaced sidewalls, each sidewall including an outside wall portion (30), a generally horizontal wall portion (32), and an inner downwardly-depending flange (34) extending from the horizontal wall portion in spaced relation to the outside wall portion, said flange having a lower edge spaced below the horizontal wall portion, and an inner face and an outer face, said tonneau means comprising:

• a flexible cover having side edges locatable above the spaced sidewalls so that said cover then extends over the cargo area located between the pair of spaced sidewalls;
• a frame including an elongated rail seatable on the horizontal wall portion of at least one of the vehicle sidewalls;
• said rail having an outer edge area located relatively far away from the cargo area, and an inner edge area located relatively near to the cargo area;
• means on the outer edge area of said rail for attaching the flexible cover to the rail;
• the inner edge area of said rail forming an upwardly facing groove (69);
• and means for removably clamping said rail to the horizontal wall portion of the associated sidewall;
• said clamping means comprising a first clip member, a second clip member, and a threaded connector means connected between the two clip members;
• said first clip member having a first leg formed with a hooked end engageable in said groove, and a second leg having localized engagement against the inner face of the associated downwardly depending flange at a flange engagement point;
• said second leg having a lower end portion located below the lower edge of said downwardly depending flange;
• said second clip member comprising a web portion, an upper leg engageable with the outer face of the downwardly depending flange above the flange engagement point of said second leg, and a lower leg having localized engagement with the lower end portion of said second leg;
• said threaded connector means being connected between the web portion of the second clip member and the second leg of the first clip member so that when the connector means is tightened, the hooked end of the first clip member opposes pivotal motion of the rail around the hooked end of the first clip member caused by the flexible cover.

Tonneau means for covering the cargo area of a vehicle, said vehicle having a pair of spaced sidewalls;

• each sidewall having an outside wall, an upwardly facing top surface (32) and an inner downwardly depending flange (34);
• said tonneau means comprising:
• a flexible cover having side edges locatable above the vehicle sidewalls so that the cover can extend over the vehicle cargo area;
• a frame including an elongated rail mounted on the top surface of each vehicle sidewall;
• each rail having an outer edge and an inner edge;
• means on the outer edge of each rail for releasably attaching an edge area of the flexible cover to the rail;
• the inner edge of each rail having a longitudinally extending slot presented to the cargo area;
• and
• a plural number of clamping assemblies for removably clamping each rail to an associated vehicle sidewall;
• each said clamping assembly comprising a first clip member, a second clip member, and a threaded connector means connected between the first clip member and the second clip member;
• each said first clip member comprising a one-piece structure having a first leg adapted to overlie the top surface of an associated vehicle sidewall, and a second leg adapted to extend downwardly alongside the depending flange of the vehicle sidewall;
• each said second clip member comprising a one-piece structure having an upper leg engagable with the downwardly depending flange of the vehicle sidewall, and a lower leg engagable with the second leg of the first clip member below the downwardly depending flange, the lower leg being spaced with respect to the outside wall of the associated vehicle sidewall;
• each said threaded connector means being adapted to extend through the second leg of the first clip member to force the two clip members into clamping engagement with the downwardly, depending flange on the associated vehicle sidewall;
• the first leg of each said first clip member having structure receivable into said longitudinally extending slot in a direction at right angles to the length of the slot to form an interlocking connection with the associated rail.