Patent ID: 6257260
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
A retractable truck canvas comprising, in combination:a truck including a cab and a bed defined by a bottom with a peripheral side wall coupled to a periphery of the bottom and extending upwardly therefrom for defining an interior space and an upper peripheral edge;a pair of mounting channels each having a bottom wall mounted along a side extent ot the upper peripheral edge of the truck bed of the truck, the bottom wall having an upper surface, a pair of side walls coupled to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall each with side wall having an inwardly extending flange formed along an upper edge thereof for defining a slot, an outboard one of the inwardly extending flanges of each mounting channel having a plurality of equally spaced snap fasteners mounted thereon and each of the side walls of each mounting channel having a plurality of equally spaced apertures formed therein;a retractable frame assembly including a plurality of inverted U-shaped members each having a horizontally oriented upper portion and a pair of a vertically oriented side portions each having a lower end with a horizontally oriented cylindrical roller mounted thereon for being slidably situated within the slot of one of the mounting channels, the retractable frame further including a plurality of retractors mounted between the side portions of each inverted U-shaped member, each retractor including a pair of stationary hinges fixedly mounted on upper end of the side portions of adjacent inverted U shaped members, a pair of sliding hinges slidably coupled adjacent lower ends of the side portions of the adjacent inverted U-shaped members, and a pair of linear interconnects each pivotally coupled with respect to each other at a central extent thereof and further hingably coupled between the stationary hinges and the eliding hinges;a water-resistant canvas mounted on an outer surface of the inverted U-shaped members of the retractable frame assembly, the water resistant; canvas further including a pair of transparent panels with upper and side edges coupled to the upper portions and side portions of it frontmost and a rearmost one of the inverted U-shaped members of the retractable frame assembly;a plurality of pins for being removably inserted within the apertures of the mounting channels for fixing the inverted shaped members in place;a Y-shaped pull strap having a pair of upper ends mounted to the upper portion of the rearmost inverted U-shaped member of the retractable frame assembly for allowing a user to extend the retractable frame assembly by pulling lower end thereof; andwherein each of the flanges has a retaining member downwardly extending from an end opposite the respective sidle wall for maintaining contact between the roller and the upper surface of the base wall to resist tilting of the inverted U-shaped members with respect to the mounting channel.