Flexible sheet cover apparatus

Cover apparatus for use with a load-carrying box on a land vehicle, the box having a floor, a pair of parallel side walls extending upward from the floor, a front wall and a back wall extending upward from the floor, the front and back walls being coupled to the pair of side walls to form a generally rectangular container, the container having an upper perimeter defined by a top edge of each of the walls encompassing an open top, the apparatus comprising:

• a flexible sheet cover having a first end secured adjacent a top edge of one of the walls and a second end;
• a roller attached to the second end of the flexible sheet cover, the roller having opposite ends projecting beyond the top edges of a selected two non-contiguous walls forming the load-carrying box;
• a motor coupled to the roller for rolling and unrolling the flexible sheet cover;
• an arm having a first end coupled to the roller and a second end, the arm including a slot;
• and a pin coupled to the load-carrying box and engaged in the slot to define a pivot for the arm so that the roller can remain in constant contact with the top edges of the selected two non-contiguous walls forming the load-carrying box as the flexible sheet cover is rolled on and off the open top.

A load-carrying box on a land vehicle comprising:

• a floor, a pair of parallel side walls extending upward from the floor, a front wall and a back wall extending upward from the floor, the front and back walls being coupled to the pair of side walls to form a generally rectangular container, the container having an upper perimeter defined by a top edge of each of the walls encompassing an open top, a flexible sheet cover having a first end secured adjacent a top edge of one of the walls and a second end, a roller attached to the second end of the flexible sheet cover, the roller having opposite ends projecting beyond the top edges of a selected two non-contiguous walls forming the load-carrying box, a plurality of bows positioned in spaced parallel relation to the top edges of the selected two non-contiguous walls across the open top, the bows having ends coupled to another two of the walls forming the load-carrying box, a motor coupled to the roller for rolling and unrolling the flexible sheet cover along the bows and the top edges of a selected two non-contiguous walls, an arm having a first end coupled to the roller and a second end, the arm including a slot, and a pin coupled to the load-carrying box and engaged in the slot to define a pivot for the arm so that the roller can remain in constant contact with the top edges of the selected two non-contiguous walls box and the bows as the flexible sheet cover is rolled on and off the open top.