Patent ID: 9707833
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: B60J

Claim:
1. A pivoting joint of a retractable cover system for covering an opening of a pickup truck box, the pivoting joint of the retractable cover system comprising: a first bracket member that is fixed to an end portion of a first panel of the retractable cover system, the first bracket member including an aperture defining a pivot surface; a second bracket member that is fixed to an end portion of a second panel of the retractable cover system, the second bracket member including a through hole defining a piloting portion; a monolithic shaft extending along an axis from a first end to a second end, the axis defining a pivot axis of the pivoting joint, the monolithic shaft including a pilot mounted within the piloting portion, and a radially-extending spacer portion fixedly positioned on the monolithic shaft between the first bracket member and the second bracket member thereby spacing the first bracket member and the second bracket member from each other, the monolithic shaft including a pivoting portion disposed at the first end coaxially received within the aperture and rotatably connected to the pivot surface of the first bracket member, and the monolithic shaft including a guide element mount disposed at the second end; and a guide element mounted on the guide element mount of the monolithic shaft; wherein the spacer portion abuts and is fixedly mounted to the second bracket member; wherein the guide element and the spacer portion are positioned on opposite sides of the second bracket member from each other; and wherein the guide element guides the axis of the monolithic shaft along a path as the retractable cover system is moved between a deployed configuration and a stowed configuration.