COLLAPSIBLE COVER HAVING MID-GATE FOR PICKUP TRUCK

Abstract: A collapsible canopy type cover (C) for the rearwardly extending bed (B) of a pickup truck (T). The cover (C) includes fore and aft hard shell portions (6, 14) respectively with a flexible cover (9) therebetween supported by ribs (8). The aft hard shell portion (14) and the ribs (8) are slidably disposed upon a pair of tracks (2) supported upon the upper longitudinal edges of the truck bed. A security mid-gate (40) may be removably affixed at approximately the mid-section of the truck bed to extend from the rear of the aft hard shell section (14) of the top to the bottom of the truck bed to provide a secure space in the truck bed when the flexible cover (9) is in its collapsed or stowed position. Appropriate latch units (17) are provided to secure the cover in either its open or collapsed position.

Description: "COLLAPSIBLE COVER HAVING MID-GATE FOR PICKUP TRUCK" TECHNICAL FIELD The invention pertains to the general field of truck bed covers and more particularly to a collapsible cover assembly which fits over the bed of a pickup truck. The cover may be secured in a collapsed or extended position to selectively uncover or cover the bed of the pickup truck. BACKGROUND ART The prior art disclosed various types of longitudinally collapsible covers attached to the bed of a pickup truck. The covers are designed to cover the entire truck bed or alternatively may be collapsed and stowed in the collapsed position to open the same for use as may be desired for any particular application. A seaarch of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention however, the following U.S. patents were considered related: PATENT NO. INVENTOR ISSUED 3,201,171 wickard 17 August 1965 3,231,305 Beckman 25 January 1966 3,688,787 Feather 5 September 1972 3,901,548 seaman 26 August 1975 4,252,363 Rodrigue 24 February 1981 Patents 3 , 201 , 1 71 ; 3 , 231 , 305; 3 , 688 , 787 and 3 , 901 , 548 each are directed to a collapsible cover structure which includes a flexible sheet material secured to a Plurality of inverted U-shaped ribs supported upon a track mechanism attached to the pickup truck bed so that the cover may be extended or retracted. Patent 4,252,363 is directed to a similar such structure which also includes fore and aft hard shell end portions which, when the cover is collapsed, form an enclosed space to protect the flexible material from adverse weather and environmental conditions. The aft portion is secured to the forward portion by a hook on each side to secure the same in its collapsed condition. The present invention is an improvement over the collapsible cover as illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 4,252,363 and the disclosure of that patent is incorporated herein by reference. The prior art collapsible covers for pickup trucks, including those ' disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. patents, are difficult to maneuver from either the extended or retracted position to the opposite position. Furthermore, when the cover is in its collapsed position, the entire area of the truck bed is open and non-secure. Additionally, when in the extended position, the flexible sheet material providing the collapsible cover is not tightly secured to the truck bed thereby allowing ingress of foreign materials such as snow, dirt and the like. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The collapsible cover assembly is slidably disposed to cover, in its extended position, the bed of a pickup truck. The edges of the collapsible cover are tightly secured to prevent ingress of foreign objects- during operation of the truck. The assembly includes a security mid-gate that is removably attached at the approximate mid-portion of the truck bed. The gate extends from the upper edges thereof downwardly to the bottom thereof and substantially mates with the cover. In its collapsed condition, the cover provides a secure area at the forward portion of the bed of the pickup truck. BRIEF DESCR IPTION OF THE DRAU1INGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective exploded view showing the collapsible cover constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; FIGURE 1A is a cross sectional view taken along lines 1A of FIGURE 1 (shown in the assembled position); FIGURE 2 is a partial perspective view showing the security mid-gate positioned in the truck bed; FIGURE 3 illustrates in a- fragmented and partial cutaway view, the installation of the mid-gate in the bed of a pickup truck; FIGURE 3A illustrates the details of the mid-gate attachment means; FIGURE 4 illustrates the tuck bed liner utilized in conjunction with the mid-gate; FIGURE 4A is a cross-sectional view further illustrating the construction of the mid-gate liner so as to receive the mid-gate; FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a glider which engages tracks upon which the cover of the present invention is mounted; FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a casing which receives the glider as illustrated in FIGURE 5; FIGURE 7A is a perspective front view of the attaching mechanism interconnecting ribs supporting the collapsible cover with the glider mechanism; FIGURE 7B is a perspective back view of the attaching mechanism; FIGURE 8 is an exploded view illustrating a latching mechanism used for securing the collapsible cover in its extended and/or retracted positions. FIGURE 9 is a perspective view showing the glider means attached to the tracks secured to the truck bed rails; FIGURE 10 is a sectional view showing the relative positions of the glider means, washer, spring, and the aft hard shell portion. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring now more particularly to .FIGURE 1, there is shown, in an exploded perspective view, a pickup truck T having a rearwardly extending bed B with front, rear and side walls and upper side edges s. The collapsible canopy cover σ shown in exploded view in FIGURE 1 is affixed to the upper side edges s of the bed B and is secured at the rear portion R of the cab of the truck T to thereby provide a seal between the cab and the forward area over the bed B of the truck. The cover σ may be collapsed or extended as desired for any particular application. As is more specifically shown in FIGURES 2, 3, 3A, 4 and 4A, there is provided at approximately the center of the bed B, a security mid-gate .40 (not illustrated in FIGURE 1 for purpose of clarity) which may be removably secured in place so that when the cover σ is in its collapsed and stowed position, the rear portion of the truck bed B remains open. The forward portion of the truck bed is maintained in a secure condition by the combination of the collapsed cover σ along with the mid-gate. Throughout the following description, duplicate parts are shown but will be referred to only once with the understanding that the same reference numeral will apply to the duplicate part wherein such exists. A set of tracks 2 along with a spacer gasket 1 are attached along the top side edges s of the bed B by the clamps 3 as shown in FIGURE 1. Each of the tracks 2, as shown in FIGURE 1A, define a longitudinally extending slot 2 on each side thereof, where on the outermost slot is located a groove 203 that retains a cable means or wire 21 described infra. Each slot also receives inwardly directed edges 202 and 204 of a glider means 18 which is retained internally within a glider casing 19 as also shown in FIGURE 1A. Additional gliders with a saddle mechanism attached thereto are illustrated at 4 in FIGURE 1 with the saddle more clearly illustrated in FIGURES 7A and 7B. The combination of the saddle and glider are affixed one at each end of the ribs 8 with the glider arms fitting within the opposed grooves of the tracks 2 as best shown in FIGURE 9. The glider means 18, as shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, is designed to operate in combination with the casing 19 which receives the rear fiber glass boot 14 to the tracks 2. The combination is designed to be self-adjusting to compensate for inconsistencies in the width between the track means secured to the truck bed rails s. The self-adjustment is accomplished by a lateral slot 95 that is cut into the metal casing 19 as best shown in FIGURE 9. The slot 95 allows the glide 18 and casing 19 to to displaced laterally, as shown at 93 in FIGURE 10, to thus compensate for the bed rail inconsistencies. Between the fiberglass boot 14 and the casing 19 is located a spring 91 and a washer 92 that are held in place by a bolt 90 and nut 98 combination as shown in FIGURE 10. The spring maintains the required tension and the washer 92 allows the casing to easily slide laterally while maintaining the bolt 90 and the spring 91 in a stationery position. Additionally, the bolt allows the casing 19 to self-adjust for a cambering motion 94 as also shown in Figure 10. A cab connecting boot 5 is inserted within a front opening disposed within the forward hard shell portion 6 to provide access to the cab of the truck T. A flexible cover 9 is attached to the ribs 8 and is also affixed to the fore hard shell portion 6 and the aft hard shell portion 14. Appropriate fastener means, such as illustrated at 12 and 13, is utilized to attach the cover 9 as is well known and for appropriate trimming to provide an attractive and weather-tight structure. Tension imparting means in the form of a spring mechanism 11 disposed within a casing is affixed to a wire 21 which is threaded through an appropriate loop in the periphery of the flexible cover 9. When the cover is in its extended position, the wire 21 is taut and is held securely within the outside groove of each of the tracks 2 to thus seal the lower edges of the flexible cover 9 to the sides of the truck bed B thus precluding ingress of unwanted materials. if desired, a wind deflector 15 may be affixed to the top of the aft hard shell portion 14 as is well known in the art. In addition thereto, a rear window 16 may be affixed to the aft hard shell portion 14. If desired, the window 16 may be completely removable to provide access for loading and unloading of the truck bed when the cover σ is in its extended position. An appropriate latch unit 17, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 8, is attached on each side at the lower portion of the aft hard shell portion 14. The latch unit is utilized to secure the flexible cover to the sides of the truck bed when the cover is in its extended position. The same latch mechanism 17 may also be utilized to secure the cover in place when it is in its retracted position in a similar manner. An appropriate bearing cartridge means 18 is utilized between the lower surfaces of the aft hard shell portion 14 and the track 2 to assist in the movement of the collapsible cover mechanism along the tracks during the retraction or extension thereof. By reference now more particularly to FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, the mid-gate assembly is shown in further detail. As is therein illustrated, the mid-gate 40 is seated upon a liner 42 which is inserted into and rests upon the deck of the forward portion of the bed B at a point intermediate with the front and rear walls of the pickup truck T. The liner 42 may be constructed of any desired material but preferably is a molded plastic material such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or the like as is illustrated at 44 in FIGURE 4A. As is also shown in FIGURE 4A, the liner 42 is formed with a recess 46 therein into which the lower end 48 of the mid-gate 40 is inserted when the mid-gate is in place as is shown in FIGURE 2. it should also be noted that the lower surface 50 of the liner is disposed above the bottom 52 of the bed of the pickup truck. The disposition of the liner 42 above the bottom 52 of the bed of the pickup truck defines a protected space. ithin this space, items may be stowed and kept dry from water, snow or other foreign materials that may fall into the rear section of the bed aft of the mid-gate 40, particularly when the cover σ is in its collapsed and stowed position. That is, a false bottom is provided so that, for example, water may freely move along the deck of the truck bed while items on top of the liner 42 remain isolated therefrom. The mid-gate 40 is held in place by a pair of latches 54 and -56 which engage a retention mechanism 58 (only one of which is shown in FIGURES 3 and 3A> attached to the inner surface of the truck bed B as is illustrated. The mid-gate 40 includes a side wall 60 surrounded by a flange 62. The latch 54 is affixed to the side wall 60. The flange is fitted within an opening 64 defined by the retention mechanism 58 when the mid-gate is inserted into the recess 46 and then rotated forwardly as is illustrated by the arrows 66 . once in position, the latches 54 and 56 are inserted into the retention mechanism 58 to thus retain the mid-gate 40 in a securely locked position. It will be apparent to those skilled iri the art, that the mid-gate 40 may be utilized with any of the collapsible retractable covers disclosed in the prior art. This utilization may be accomplished by placing the mid-gate at the terminus of the cover when it is in its stowed position providing a secure space at the forward end of the truck bed to receive various types of materials or objects such as tools, clothing, food or the like while still leaving the aft portion of the truck bed open and available for carrying other loads which do not need to be secured or which may be damaged by weather or environmental conditions. Preferably, however, the mid-gate 40 is utilized with a type of cover illustrated in FIGURE i which has the fore and aft hard shell portions 6 and 14, respectively, within which the collapsible portion of the cover is received when the cover is in its collapsed and stowed position. Thus, there is provided a hard shell cover which when fitted together seals and which, along with the mid-gate 40 secured in place, provides a well defined secured space. As is illustrated more fully in FIGURES 7A and 7B to which reference is hereby made, the saddle 70 includes an upstanding wall 72 defining an opening 74 wherein. A pair of inwardly directed legs 76 and 78 are connected to the wall 72. The lower surfaces of the legs 76 and 78 are affixed to a glider casing such as shown in FIGURE 6 by welding or the like within which in turn is received a glider such as illustrated in FIGURE 5. The ribs 8 are affixed to the saddle member 70 by appropriate fastening devices which pass through the orifice 74 to thereby secure the ribs and the flexible top 9 thereto. As is illustrated in FIGURE 8, the latch 17 includes an L-shaped bracket 80 and a spring steel strip 82 as well as the latch 84. The bracket 80 along with the latch and strip 82 are appropriately secured to the aft shell 14 by appropriate fasteners. The latch mechanism 84 is then utilized to secure- the cover σ in its extended or retracted positions by appropriate engagement with the bed B of the truck T to maintain the cover securely in either- the retracted or the stowed position. hile the invention has been described in complete detail and pictorially shown in the accompanying drawings, it is not to be limited to such details, since many changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and the scope thereof. Hence, it is described to cover any and all modifications and forms which may come within the language and scope of the claims.

Claims: 1. A collapsible canopy type cover for attachment to a rearwardly extending bed of a pickup type truck, said bed haying front, rear, and side walls, and a deck, where said cover may be extended over the truck bed or collapsed at a forward end of the truck bed, said cover comprising: A. track means secured to said truck bed; B. a plurality of rib means sideably supported on said track means; σ. flexible cover means affixed to said rib means; D. gate means extending between said side walls of said truck bed; and E. means for removably securing said gate means to said truck bed at a point intermediate said front and rear walls. 2. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 1 wherein said intermediate point is substantially at a terminus of said cover when said cover is in a collapsed position thereof. 3. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 2 wherein said cover further includes fore and aft hard shell portions secured to said flexible cover means, and said gate means is secured to said truck bed at a terminus of said aft hard shell portion. 4. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 3 further comprising a rear window affixed to the aft hard shell portion. 5. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 4 wherein said rear window is removable. 6. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 3 h further comprising a liner means disposed upon said deck portion of said truck bed and extending forward of said gate means. 7. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 6 wherein said liner means defines a surface disposed above and displaced from said deck to define a false bottom to at least a portion of said truck bed. 8. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 7 wherein said liner means defines a transverse recess across the liner and said gate means being received within said recess. 9. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 1 which further includes tension imparting means secured to a periphery of said flexible cover for tightly securing the periphery of said flexible cover to said side walls of said truck bed. 10. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 9 wherein said tension imparting means is a spring loaded cable means disposed within a casing provided at the periphery of said flexible cover means. 11. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 1 wherein said track means includes a longitudinally extending slot and said cable means are received within at least a portion of said slot. 12 12. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 11 wherein said track means includes two opposed longitudinally extending slots and said cable means are received within a groove located on the outermost slot. 13. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of glider means interposed between said rib means and said track means for facilitating reciprocal movement of said cover along said track means. 14. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 13 wherein said glider means further having a plurality of transverse slots therethrough and a plurality of bolts with mating nuts and springs with the bolts penetrating the slots and the springs displased over the bolts and nuts holding the cover to said glider means at a suitable angle for self-adjusting the glider means to compensate for inconsistencies in the width between the track means secured to the truck bed rails. 15. The collapsible cover as defined in claim 12 wherein said track means includes a separate track affixed to said side walls where each track includes a pair of opposed slots, said glider means each having a pair of inwardly directed flanges that are received within said slots.

Inventors: CHENG JOHN C, CHENG, JOHN, C.
Applicants: CHENG JOHN C, CHENG, JOHN, C.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B60P7
IPC codes: B60J7, B60P7