Lock for retractable truck bed covers
AssigneeThe Eastern Company
InventorMichael O. Misner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lock for a retractable cover which overlies a bed of a pickup truck has a cover-connectable housing and a handle that pivots relative to the housing for clamping a pointed tip of a flexibly mounted fastener into engagement with a nearby member such as a guide rail extending along one side of the bed of a pickup truck to retain a housing-connected retractable cover in a chosen position. A push button trigger pivoted on the handle is depressable to unlatch the handle and thereby release the clamping action of the handle. A torsion spring biases the trigger relative to the handle. A compression spring biases the handle relative to the housing. A leaf spring flexibly mounts the fastener on the handle. A key-operated plug assembly may retain the trigger in a latched position.
Claims20
A lock comprising a housing;
- a handle that is pivotally connected to the housing for movement between a closed position wherein the handle positions a pointed tip of a fastener carried by the handle to engage with a surface along which the housing is movable, and an open position that positions the pointed tip out of engagement with the surface;
- a torsion spring interposed between the handle and the housing biasing the handle toward the open position;
- a trigger pivotally connected to the handle for movement between an unlatched position wherein the trigger disengages a formation of the housing, and a latched position wherein the trigger engages the formation to retain the handle in the closed position;
- a compression spring interposed between the trigger and the handle for biasing the trigger toward the latched position;
- and a stiff yet bendable leaf spring connected to the handle and biasing the pointed tip of the fastener into engagement with the surface when the handle is in the closed position.
A lock having a housing;
- a handle that pivots relative to the housing between a closed position overlying the housing, and an open position extending away from the housing;
- a torsion spring interposed between the handle and the housing and biasing the handle toward the open position;
- an L-shaped trigger that pivots relative to the handle between an unlatched position disengaging a formation of the housing, and a latched position engaging the formation of the housing to releasably retain the handle in the closed position;
- a compression coil spring interposed between the trigger and the handle and biasing the trigger toward the latched position;
- and a leaf spring connected to the handle and flexibly supporting a fastener having a pointed tip relative to the handle.
A lock having a recess-defining housing mountable on a closure that is movable along a guide rail, a handle pivotally connected to the housing and movable relative thereto toward and away from a closed position overlying the recess, a trigger pivotally connected to the handle and movable relative thereto toward and away from a latched position where the trigger retains the handle in the closed position, with the handle supporting a leaf spring that carries a threaded fastener and deflects when the handle is in the closed position to biasingly clamp a tip of the threaded fastener into engagement with the guide rail to prevent relative movement of the closure and the guide rail.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.