Strap bracket for soft roll-up covers

A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of a pick-up truck, the perimeter of the cargo box including a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end, the perimeter of the cargo box defining an opening when the tailgate is in a closed position, 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;
• the support frame having a front bar to which the first end of the flexible cover is secured, the front bar having a channel extending for at least a portion of the length of the front bar, the front bar being attachable to the perimeter of the cargo box proximate the forward end when the tonneau cover apparatus is attached to the cargo box such that the flexible cover can cover the opening;
• a strap assembly secured to the front bar, the strap assembly including a strap bracket and a strap to secure the flexible cover in a rolled up configuration proximate the front bar when the flexible cover is not in use to cover the opening defined by the perimeter of the cargo box;
• the strap having first and second ends;
• the first end of the strap being available to secure the flexible cover to the front bar when the cover is in the rolled up configuration proximate the front bar;
• the second end being secured to the strap bracket and the strap bracket being secured within the channel.

A method of securing a flexible cover of a tonneau cover apparatus in a rolled up configuration proximate a forward end of a cargo box of a pick-up truck, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing the tonneau cover apparatus removably attachable about a top of a perimeter of the cargo box of the pick-up truck, the perimeter of the cargo box including a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end, 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 support frame having a front bar to which the first end of the flexible cover is secured, the front bar being attachable to the perimeter of the cargo box proximate the forward end when the tonneau cover apparatus is attached to the cargo box;
• and
• a strap assembly;
• the strap assembly including
• a buckle insertion member;
• a strap bracket and a strap to secure the flexible cover in the rolled up configuration proximate the front bar when the flexible cover is not in use to cover an opening defined by the perimeter of the cargo box;
• the strap having first and second ends;
• the buckle insertion member being secured to the first end of the strap;
• the strap bracket being attached to the front bar;
• the strap bracket including a buckle insertion receiving member and a bracket member, the bracket member having a strap receiving member and a receiving end, wherein a second end of the strap is secured to the strap bracket proximate the strap receiving member and the buckle insertion receiving member is operatively connected with the receiving end of the bracket member in a manner that restricts the movement of the buckle insertion receiving member such that the buckle insertion receiving member resists movement forward of the front bar of a rolled up segment of the flexible cover when:
• (a) the rolled up segment is secured to the front bar by the strap;
• (b) the buckle insertion member is secured to the buckle insertion receiving member and (c) the support frame is secured to the cargo box;
• and
• securing the rolled up segment of the flexible cover to the front bar when the rolled up segment of the flexible cover is in a rolled up configuration proximate the front bar by wrapping the strap at least partially around the flexible cover and inserting the buckle insertion member into the buckle insertion receiving member to secure the strap to the buckle insertion receiving member.

A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of a pick-up truck, the perimeter of the cargo box including a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end, the perimeter of the cargo box defining an opening when the tailgate is in a closed position, 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;
• the support frame having a front bar to which the first end of the flexible cover is secured, the front bar having a channel extending for at least a portion of the length of the front bar, the front bar being attachable to the perimeter of the cargo box proximate the forward end when the tonneau cover apparatus is attached to the cargo box such that the channel is accessible from an underside of the front bar when the support frame is attached to the cargo box;
• a strap assembly secured to the front bar, the strap assembly including a strap bracket and a strap to secure the flexible cover in a rolled up configuration proximate the front bar when the flexible cover is not in use to cover the opening defined by the perimeter of the cargo box;
• the strap having first and second ends;
• the first end of the strap being available to secure the flexible cover to the front bar when the cover is in the rolled up configuration proximate the front bar;
• the second end being secured to the strap bracket and the strap bracket being secured within the channel.

A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of a pick-up truck, the perimeter of the cargo box including a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate when the tailgate is secured in a closed position adjacent to the respective sidewalls, the tailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end, the perimeter of the cargo box defining an opening when the tailgate is in a closed position, 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;
• the support frame having a front bar to which the first end of the flexible cover is secured, the front bar having a channel extending for at least a portion of the length of the front bar, the front bar being attachable to the perimeter of the cargo box proximate the forward end when the tonneau cover apparatus is attached to the cargo box such that the flexible cover can cover the opening and the channel is accessible from an underside of the front bar when the support frame is attached to the cargo box;
• a strap assembly secured to the front bar, the strap assembly including a strap bracket and a strap to secure the flexible cover in a rolled up configuration proximate the front bar when the flexible cover is not in use to cover the opening defined by the perimeter of the cargo box;
• the strap having first and second ends;
• the first end of the strap being available to secure the flexible cover to the front bar when the cover is in the rolled up configuration proximate the front bar;
• the second end being secured to the strap bracket, which is at least partially secured within the channel.