Mechanism for retaining the position of snap fasteners on a tonneau cover rail
OwnerDonald G. Wheatleyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tonneau cover for a pick-up truck cargo box in which a flexible cover of sheet-like material is attached to a frame with snap fasteners. The snap portions carried by the frame are slidable there along to change the position of the snap fastener. The snap fasteners include a protrusion, which engages the frame and creates sufficient force to prevent the snap fastener from sliding freely along the rail and losing their longitudinal location when the tonneau cover is not attached.
Claims46
A tonneau cover system for a cargo box of a pick-up truck, said tonneau cover system comprising:
- a generally rectangular frame defined by a plurality of elongated rails connected to one another at ends thereof;
- a flexible cover of sheet material;
- and
- a plurality of fasteners, each fastener including a first portion coupled to said cover and a second portion mounted to one of said rails, said first and second portions being releasably engageable with one another, said second portion having a cantilevered arm and a protrusion, said protrusion projecting toward said rail and being in engagement with said rail with sufficient force to prevent inadvertent movement of said second portion when said cover and said portion are not engaged therewith while still permitting intentional free sliding movement by an operator of said second portion along said rail.
A first half fastener for engaging a second half fastener and mounting a flexible cover to a frame of a tonneau cover for a cargo box of a pick-up truck, said first half fastener comprising:
- a base mountable with the frame for slidable movement therealong, said base including a cantilevered arm;
- an engagement part being releasable and engageable with said second half fastener;
- and
- a protrusion formed on said base and engageable with said frame, said protrusion being frictionally engageable with sufficient force to prevent inadvertent movement of said first half portion along said frame when the cover and the second half fastener are not engaged therewith while also permitting intentional free sliding movement of said first half fastener by an operator.
A tonneau cover system for a cargo box of a pick-up truck, said tonneau cover system comprising:
- a generally rectangular frame defined by a plurality of elongated rails connected to one another at ends thereof;
- a flexible cover of sheet material;
- and
- a plurality of fasteners, each fastener including a first portion coupled to said cover and a second portion mounted to one of said rails, said first and second portions being releasably engageable with one another, said second portion including a C-shaped base having opposed returnly bent ends and a central portion therebetween, a cantilevered arm and a protrusion, said protrusion projecting toward said rail and being in engagement with said rail with sufficient force to prevent inadvertent movement of said second portion when said cover and said portion are not engaged therewith while still permitting intentional movement by an operator of said second portion along said rail.
A first half fastener for engaging a second half fastener and mounting a flexible cover to a frame of a tonneau cover for a cargo box of a pick-up truck, said first half fastener comprising:
- a C-shaped base including returnly bent ends with a central portion therebetween and a cantilevered arm, said base mountable with the frame for slidable movement therealong;
- an engagement part being releasable and engageable with said second half fastener;
- and
- a protrusion formed on said base and engageable with said frame, said protrusion being frictionally engageable with sufficient force to prevent inadvertent movement of said first half portion along said frame when the cover and the second half fastener are not engaged therewith while also permitting intentional movement of said first half fastener by an operator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.