Patent ID: 9296285
Filing Date: 2016-03-29
CPC Classification: B60J,B60P,B62D

Claim Text:
1. A retractable cover system adapted to cover a pickup truck box when in a deployed configuration and adapted to retract to a stowed configuration, the retractable cover system comprising: a first rail; a second rail; a plurality of first rolling guide elements, the first rolling guide elements supported and guided along a first path by the first rail; a plurality of second rolling guide elements, the second rolling guide elements supported and guided along a second path by the second rail; a plurality of panels extending along a width between a first side and a second side, each of the first sides supported by a respective one or more of the first rolling guide elements and, in turn, by the first rail and each of the second sides supported by a respective one or more of the second rolling guide elements and, in turn, by the second rail, each of the panels extending along a respective length between a respective front and a respective back, and the panels of adjacent pairs of the panels pivotally attached to one another at a corresponding pivot of a plurality of pivots, the pivots each including a first pivot joint member and a second pivot joint member, the first pivot joint member connected to one of the first rolling guide elements and the second pivot joint member connected to one of the second rolling guide elements; and at least one connecting structure that structurally connects the panels of at least one of the adjacent pairs of the panels when the retractable cover system is in the deployed configuration and does not connect the panels of the at least one of the adjacent pairs of the panels when the retractable cover system is in the stowed configuration.