Abstract:
A tonneau cover assembly is securable to a vehicle having a cargo bed defined by a pair of opposing sidewalls extending between a fixed forward wall and a movable rear tailgate. The tonneau cover assembly includes a plurality of rigid panels. The panels are securable to the sidewalls for covering the cargo bed. An attachment bracket couples one of the panels to the tailgate to provide a loading ramp that extends between the cargo bed and ground. The tonneau cover assembly includes at least one elongated stiffener bracket that is attachable to the plurality of panels. The elongated stiffener bracket locks the panels in the ramp position during use as a loading ramp to the cargo bed.

Description:
BACKGROUND ART  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention relates to a tonneau cover and loading ramp device. In particular, this invention relates to a tonneau cover that may be used as a loading ramp device.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Pickup trucks are among the most popular vehicles on the market. Accessories for the customization of pickup trucks are becoming increasingly popular as people try to add individual taste and uniqueness to an otherwise common vehicle. However, these accessories may inhibit functionality of the pickup truck. It is beneficial therefore, to provide pickup truck owners accessories that are functional as well as stylish.  
           [0005]    Pickup trucks are also known for their versatility in cargo carrying capacity. Tonneau covers are often incorporated which sit on top of the cargo bed of the pickup truck to provide cover storage within the cargo bed. However, tonneau covers inhibit large items from being loaded into the cargo bed. Further, it can be very difficult, due to a high floor height of the cargo bed, to load a pickup truck when the cargo is bulky and/or heavy, such as refrigerators, stoves, all terrain vehicles (ATVs), and the like. Therefore, it would be beneficial if a tonneau cover could be easily removed from the cargo bed and used as a loading ramp for loading large items into the cargo bed and then be stored in the cargo bed so as to minimize the intrusion to the carrying capability of the pickup truck.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,673 discloses a folding ramp for a pickup truck. The folding ramp stows in the liftgate of the pickup truck. Therefore, the folding ramp does not have additional use when there is no need to roll an item off the cargo bed onto the ground. The added weight due to the folding ramp is undesirable, especially when the functionality of the folding ramp is used occasionally.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    A tonneau cover assembly is securable to a vehicle having a cargo bed defined by a pair of opposing sidewalls extending between a fixed forward wall and a movable rear tailgate. The tonneau cover assembly includes a plurality of rigid panels. The panels are securable to the sidewalls for covering the cargo bed. An attachment bracket couples one of the panels to the tailgate to provide a loading ramp that extends between the cargo bed and ground. The tonneau cover assembly includes at least one elongated stiffener bracket that is attachable to the plurality of panels. The elongated stiffener bracket locks the panels in the ramp position during use as a loading ramp to the cargo bed. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    Advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the pickup truck with the tonneau cover attached atop the cargo bed;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a partially exploded isometric view of the pickup truck and the tonneau cover in the ramp position;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a cutaway isometric view of the side bracket attached to the sidewall of the truck with the tonneau cover and the stiffener attached thereto;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a partially exploded section view of the hinge and seal attaching to the tonneau cover;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a side view with the tonneau cover covering the cargo bed and folding together;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a section view of the tonneau cover latch in three positions and the stiffener bracket in relation to the tonneau cover;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is a section view of the front bracket and the tonneau cover attaching thereto;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 is a side view of the tonneau cover hooking to the tailgate of the vehicle in the ramp position; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 is a partially exploded view of the tonneau cover storage brackets as attach to the side bracket.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]    Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle is generally shown at  32 . The vehicle, a pickup truck  32 , has a cargo bed  34  generally extending from behind a passenger cab  36  of the pickup truck  32  and including two opposed and generally parallel sidewalls  38 ,  40  interconnected and spaced apart by a fixed forward wall  42  and a movable rear tailgate  44 . The tailgate  44  has a J-shaped flange  46  attached thereto.  
         [0019]    Still referring to FIG. 1, the tonneau cover  10  of the invention is generally illustrated. The tonneau cover  10  generally includes a plurality of panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 , side brackets  20 ,  22 , a plurality of hinges  21 , and a front bracket  29 . As shown in FIG. 2, the tonneau cover  10  additionally includes stiffeners  23 ,  25  and a plurality of latches  27 . Referring again to FIG. 1, the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  are comparable in design, therefore one panel  18  will be described. The panel  18  is generally planar and includes front, rear, and opposing side edges  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 . The panel  18  is generally solid in construction. The panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  may be made of any suitable material such as metal, FRP or other known foam composite constructions. Preferably, the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  are equally sized and have a width less than the width of a cargo bed  34  and have textured surfaces for aiding traction when in use as a loading ramp. The combined length of the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  are such that the cargo bed  34  is fully covered by the tonneau cover  10  when in a covering position as shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, the panel  18  has a J-shaped flange  31  extending upwardly from the rear edge  26  as shown in FIGS. 2, 7, and  8 .  
         [0020]    Referring to FIG. 2, the side brackets  20 ,  22  are mirror images of each other. Thus, the invention  10  will be described in relation to the side bracket  20 . The side bracket  20  is elongated and extends the length of wall  38 . As shown in FIG. 3, the side bracket  20  has a generally H-shaped cross section having two generally vertical walls  52 ,  54  interconnected by a generally horizontal flange  56 . The vertical wall  52  further includes a horizontal flange  57  extending from a first end  58  located at generally the middle of the wall  52  to a second distal end  60 . The second distal end  60  is interconnected to the vertical wall  52  by an upwardly arcuate wall  62 . The vertical wall  54  has a first end  64  and a second distal end  66 . Near the first end  64 , an upwardly facing L-shaped flange  68  extends the length of bracket  20 . The second end  66  is curved away from wall  52  to approximately a horizontal position for attachment of a bulb seal  69 . The side bracket  48  further includes a J-shaped attachment bracket  70  partially positioned between the walls  52 ,  54  with the lower hook part of the J-shape extending beyond wall  52  for securing the side bracket  48  to the vehicle sidewall  38 .  
         [0021]    Referring to FIG. 4, the hinges  21  of the tonneau cover  10  are shown in detail. The hinges  21  can be of any type of hinge mechanism, i.e., multiple hinge, piano hinge, or similar, as known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The hinges  21  each include a first bracket member  72  and a second bracket member  74 , which are pivotally interconnected. The hinges  21  fixedly attach to and interconnect each of the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  such that the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  may fold on top of one another in a Z-fold fashion, as shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, the panels  12  and  14  will be referenced. Referring again to FIG. 4, a seal  76  including a flexible water resistant material, such as rubber or a like material, is positioned between the hinge  21  and the panels  12 ,  14  for preventing water from entering the cargo bed  34 .  
         [0022]    Referring to FIG. 2, the stiffeners  23 ,  25  have a generally F-shaped cross section and are of a length to cover and surpass the interconnection of the hinges  21  to the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  for strengthening and reinforcement of the hinges  21 . More specifically, referring to FIG. 6, the stiffeners  23 ,  25  include a generally vertical wall  78  extending from a first end  80  to a distal second end  82 . The first end  80  of the wall  78  has a generally perpendicular flange  84 , which extends therefrom. A similar flange  86  is spaced apart from the flange  84  such that the flanges may be placed over the side edges of the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 . The second end  82  includes a J-shaped flange  88  that extends outward of the wall  78  in the same direction as the flanges  84 ,  86  and opens toward the flanges  84 ,  86 . The flange  88  allows for stowage of the stiffeners  23 ,  25  along the side brackets  20 ,  22  by interlocking to the flange  68 , as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0023]    Referring to FIG. 2, the latches  27  are shown as attached to panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  on edges  28 ,  30 . The latches  27  are identical for each panel  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  along the same edge  28  and are mirror images of the latches  27  on the opposing edge  30 . Therefore, the latches  27  will be described referring to panel  12 , edge  28  in FIG. 6. The latch  27  is generally L-shaped and is pivotally interconnected to the panel  12 . The latch  27  is shown in the open position at A, the latched position at B and the edge position at C. The open position A is for removing and placing the tonneau cover  10  on the cargo bed  34 . The latched position B is for locking down the tonneau cover  10  to the side brackets  20 ,  22 . The edge position is for protecting the tonneau cover  10  from the stiffeners  23 ,  25  when in the ramp position.  
         [0024]    As shown in FIG. 7, the front bracket  29  has a generally h-shaped cross-section and is positioned on and extends the length of the forward wall  42 . The bracket  29  has a vertical wall  90  including a first end  92  and a second distal end  94 . Toward the first end  92 , there exists a generally horizontal flange  96 , which extends inward of the cargo bed  34 , i.e., toward the tailgate  44 , then turns downwardly into a generally vertical flange  97  so as to encapsulate the forward wall  42 . Furthermore, a second flange  98  is generally spaced evenly between the first end  92  and the second end  94 . The flange  98  likewise extends inward for providing support for the tonneau cover  10  and for fixedly attaching a bulb seal  100  for preventing water from entering the cargo bed  34 . The second end  94  curves inwardly toward the cargo bed  34  and forms a J-shaped receptacle hook  102  for securing the tonneau cover  10  via the flange  31  located on the panel  18 .  
         [0025]    Referring now to FIG. 9, storage brackets  104 ,  106  are shown. The storage brackets  104 ,  106  are mirror images of each other and therefore, only the bracket  104  will be described. The bracket  104  has a generally planar rectangular base  108  including front, rear, and opposing side edges  110 ,  112 ,  114 ,  116 . Front, rear, and sidewalls  118 ,  120 ,  122  extend in a generally vertical direction from the base edges  110 ,  112 ,  114  to a distal edge  130 ,  132 ,  134 . The rear wall  120  includes a tab  136  which projects generally perpendicularly from the rear wall  120  and extends the length of the rear wall  120  and projects beyond the sidewall  122  for attaching the storage bracket  104  to the side bracket  48  via an attachment fastener  138 . Specifically, the tab  136  and the side bracket  48  each have a hole  140 ,  142  which may be aligned for the insertion of the attachment fastener  138 . A hole  142  in the side bracket  48  is located in two locations such that each storage bracket  104 ,  106  may be fastened to the side bracket  48  at distance to allow the tonneau cover  10  to be stowed. The tonneau cover  10  is in the stowed position, as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 9. Furthermore, the attachment fastener  138  is such that it easy allows for the attachment or removal of bracket  104 . Additionally, a retainer strap  140  is removably attached to the front wall  118  and the rear wall  120  such that it allows for the vertical retention of the tonneau cover  10  when placed within the storage brackets  104 ,  106 .  
         [0026]    In operation, the tonneau cover  10  is shown latched to and covering the cargo bed  34  in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 6, the latches  27  on each panel  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  may be released from the corresponding side bracket  48 ,  50  and rotated into the edge position, as shown at C in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, for protecting the tonneau cover  10  and creating a flush panel. The panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  of the tonneau cover  10  may then be folded together in a consecutive Z-fold fashion along the hinges  21  attached to each panel as shown in FIG. 5. The tonneau cover  10  may be removed from the cargo bed  34 , as shown in FIG. 7 and the tailgate  44  may be lowered into an open position as shown in FIG. 2. The tonneau cover  10  may then be inverted and the flange  31  on panel  18  is engaged with the corresponding flange  46  of the tailgate  44  as shown in FIG. 8. The tonneau cover  10  may then be unfolded and extended downwardly to the ground as shown in FIG. 2. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that ground is whatever surface to which the tonneau cover  10  may extend, depending on the location of the pickup truck  32 . The stiffeners  23 ,  25  may be removed from the sidewall brackets  18 ,  20  and engaged along the opposing side edges  28 ,  30  of the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 . Specifically, the flanges  84 ,  86  of the stiffeners  23 ,  25  are placed over the side edges  28 ,  30  of the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  and across each hinge  21  interconnecting the panels  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  to form a single rigid panel for use as a loading ramp between the tailgate  44  and the ground or other surface adjacent the tailgate  44 .  
         [0027]    Alternatively, when the tonneau cover  10  is folded and removed from the cargo bed  34 , the tonneau cover  10  may be stowed between the storage brackets  104 ,  106  which may be attached to the side bracket  48 , as shown in FIG. 9. More specifically, the storage brackets  104 ,  106  are positioned such that the opening in the tab  136  and the opening in the side bracket  48  align and the tab  136  is resting on flange  68  of the side bracket  48 . The attachment fastener  138  is then inserted through both openings and secures the storage brackets  104 ,  106  to the side bracket  48 . The tonneau cover  10  may be placed in the storage brackets  104 ,  106  and the retainer strap  140  is connected to the rear walls and front walls  118 ,  120  of the storage brackets  104 ,  106  for stowing the tonneau cover  10  therein.  
         [0028]    The invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.  
         [0029]    Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.