Tonneau cover securing mechanism having spring latch

A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a perimeter of a cargo box and tailgate of a pickup truck, the tonneau cover apparatus comprising:

• a flexible cover, the flexible cover having first and second ends;
• a support frame for attachment to the cargo box of the pickup truck, the first end of the flexible cover being attached to the support frame;
• an end plate, the end plate attached to the second end of the flexible cover, the end plate configured to cooperatively engage and pivot, with respect to the support frame, into and out of a fixed stretching position in which the flexible cover is stretched between the support frame and the end plate;
• an end plate engagement member, the end plate engagement member attached to the support frame, the end plate engagement member configured to engage and receive a portion of the end plate as the end plate is pivoted into and out of the fixed stretching position;
• a locking member, the locking member being operatively connected to the apparatus and movable between a first position and a second position;
• wherein the locking member prevents the end plate from being disengaged from the fixed stretching position when the locking member is in the first locking position;
• and
• a latching member, the latching member being movable between a first position and a second position;
• wherein the latching member prevents the end plate from being disengaged from the fixed stretching position when the latching member is in the first position, and wherein the end plate can be disengaged from, the fixed stretching position when the locking member is in the second locking position;
• and the latching member is in the second position;
• the latching member having a thinned portion where the latching member is relatively more flexible than it is in other portions of the latching member, the latching member having first and second ends, the first end being secured to the support frame such that the second end can bend with respect to the first end proximate the thinned portion, thereby enabling the second end to move from a first position, in which the latching member prevents the end plate from being disengaged from the fixed stretching position, to a second position in which the end plate can be disengaged from the fixed stretching position.

A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a perimeter of a cargo box and tailgate of a pickup truck, the tonneau cover apparatus comprising:

• a flexible cover, the flexible cover having first and second ends;
• a support frame for attachment to the cargo box of the pickup truck, the first end of the flexible cover being attached to the support frame;
• an end plate, the end plate attached to the second end of the flexible cover, the end plate configured to cooperatively engage and pivot, with respect to the support frame, into and out of a fixed stretching position in which the flexible cover is stretched between the support frame and the end plate;
• and
• a latching member, the latching member being made of a resilient, flexible polymeric material and having first and second ends, the first end being attached to the support frame, the latching member being biased toward a first position in which the second end of the latching member prevents the end plate from being disengaged from the fixed stretching position;
• wherein the end plate can be disengaged from the fixed stretching position when the latching member is in a second position, the first and second ends having first and second upper surfaces, respectively, the first and second upper surfaces being generally flat surfaces lying generally in first and second planes, respectively, wherein the latching member is preloaded such that the first and second planes lie at an angle to one another of less than 180 degrees when the latching member is unattached and no force is applied to the latching member.

A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a perimeter of a cargo box and tailgate of a pickup truck, the tonneau cover apparatus comprising:

• a flexible cover, the flexible cover having first and second ends;
• a support frame for attachment to the cargo box of the pickup truck, the first end of the flexible cover being attached to the support frame;
• an end plate, the end plate attached to the second end of the flexible cover, the end plate configured to cooperatively engage and pivot, with respect to the support frame, into and out of a fixed stretching position in which the flexible cover is stretched between the support frame and the end plate;
• and
• a latching member, the latching member having a thinned portion where the latching member is relatively more flexible than it is in other portions of the latching member, the latching member having first and second ends, the first end being secured to the support frame such that the second end can bend with respect to the first end proximate the thinned portion, thereby enabling the second end to move from a first position, in which the latching member prevents the end plate from being disengaged from the fixed stretching position, to a second position in which the end plate can be disengaged from the fixed stretching position.

A method of securing an end plate of a tonneau cover apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a perimeter of a cargo box and tailgate of a pickup truck, the tonneau cover apparatus including:
• a flexible cover, the flexible cover having first and second ends;
• a support frame for attachment to the cargo box, the first end of the flexible cover being attached to the support frame;
• an end plate, the end plate being attached to the second end of the flexible cover and being configured to cooperatively engage and pivot with respect to the support frame, into and out of a fixed stretching position in which the flexible cover is stretched between the support frame and the end plate;
• and
• a latching member, the latching member being attached to the support frame;
• the tonneau cover apparatus further including an additional limitation selected from the group consisting of:
• (1) the latching member including an engagement portion extendable and retractable through an aperture in the support frame, the latching member being biased toward a first position in which the engagement portion extends through the aperture such that the latching member prevents the end plate from being disengaged from the fixed stretching position when the end plate is engaged with the support frame and placed in the fixed stretching position;
• wherein the end plate can be disengaged from the fixed stretching position when the latching member is in a second position in which the engagement portion does not extend through the aperture;
• (2) the latching member being made of a resilient, flexible polymeric material and having first and second ends, a first end being attached to the support frame, the latching member being biased toward a first position in which the second end of the latching member prevents the end plate from being disengaged from the fixed stretching position;
• wherein the end plate can be disengaged from the fixed stretched position when the latching member is in a second position, the first and second ends having first and second upper surfaces, respectively, the first and second upper surfaces being generally flat surfaces lying generally in first and second planes, respectively, wherein the latching member is preloaded such that the first and second planes lie at an angle to one another of less than 180 degrees;
• when the latching member is unattached to the support frame and no force is applied to the respective first and second upper surfaces of the respective first and second ends of the latching member;
• and
• (3) the latching member having a thinned portion where the latching member is relatively more flexible than it is in other portions of the latching member, the latching member having first and second ends, the first end being secured to the support frame such that the second end can bend with respect to the first end proximate the thinned portion, thereby enabling the second end to move from a first position, in which the latching member prevents the end plate from being disengaged from the fixed stretching position;
• to a second position in which the end plate can be disengaged from the fixed stretching position;
• and
• engaging the end plate with the support frame in such a manner as to secure the end plate in the fixed stretching position.