Abstract:
A Collapsible Bed Cap for Trucks is disclosed. The cover has a plurality of collapsible or sectioned ribs extending longitudinally along the length of the bed in order to provide structural rigidity to the cover. The cap or cover is sectional and detachable such that it can be disassembled and/or collapsed and then stored in a single bag. When assembled, the cover has a tight, aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing material cover to protect truck bed contents from environmental effects. The bed cover further has front and rear arches for strength; these arches are also collapsible for storage. Still further, the cover may be removed from a bed while assembled so that it might be converted into a free-standing awning.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates generally to vehicle accessories and, more specifically, to a Collapsible Bed Cap for Trucks 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Utility vehicles such as pickup trucks have become a mainstay of much of the delivery and construction industry. Many homeowners have also found the value in having an open-bedded utility vehicle. Once problem with pickups is that the open-topped bed permits the materials being carried to be exposed to the environment and/or to unauthorized individuals. 
   In order to cure this, hard covers and caps have been developed to seal the truck beds. The problem with these hard covers and caps is that they become permanent additions to the vehicle, thereby defeating the purpose of having an open bed. In response, there have been one or two devices created that can provide temporary covers for pickup truck beds. One example is the “camper top” described in Cornelius, U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,646, depicted in FIG.  1 . 
   The Cornelius “camper top”  10  is a lightweight assembly for attachment to the bed  22  of a conventional pickup truck  18 . The “top”  10  consists of a “space frame”  12  over which a (presumably) weatherproof skin of material is installed (not shown). The “frame”  12  consists of a pair of “longitudinal rails”  30  and  32 , and a “head rail”  44  that are attached to the upper edges of the bed  22 . Extending upwardly and interconnecting the “longitudinal rails”  30  and  32  are a “front hoop”  34 , and “intermediate hoop”  38 , and a “rear hoop”  36 . The three “hoops” are interconnected to one another by a plurality of “spreader bars”  54 . 
   The problem with the Cornelius “camper top”  10  is that it is not collapsible, and therefore suffers from similar deficiencies as the prior hard-shelled tops, namely that it either must become a permanent addition to the truck  18 , or it must be stored in an assembled state (which consumes a large amount of space). What is needed is a bed cap for pickup trucks that is lightweight, durable, yet collapsible as well, such that when not in use, it occupies a little storage space as possible. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Collapsible Bed Cap for Trucks. The cover should have a plurality of collapsible or sectioned ribs extending longitudinally along the length of the bed in order to provide structural rigidity to the cover. The cap or cover should be sectional and detachable such that it can be disassembled and/or collapsed and then stored in a single bag. When assembled, the cover should have a tight, aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing material cover to protect truck bed contents from environmental effects. The bed cover should have front and rear arches for strength; these arches should also be collapsible for storage. Furthermore, the cover should be removable from a bed while assembled so that it might be converted into a free-standing awning. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
       FIG. 1  perspective view of the Cornelius “camper top” installed on a conventional pickup truck; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the collapsible frame of the present invention assembled and installed on a conventional pickup truck; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a front arch assembly of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a partially exploded front view of the arch assembly of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of a rib of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a partially front view of an arch segment of the assembly of  FIGS. 3 and 4 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a partial cutaway side view of the arch segment portion of  FIG. 6 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a top view of portions of the frame of  FIG. 2  attached to a truck bed; 
       FIG. 9  is a partially cutaway side view of a truck bed wall assembly having a bed clamp assembly of the present invention attached thereto; 
       FIG. 10  is a partially exploded perspective view of the bed clamp assembly of  FIG. 9 ; 
       FIG. 11  is a cutaway side view of a corner member of the frame of  FIG. 2 ; and 
       FIG. 12  is a cutaway side view of a cover sheet attached to a portion of the frame of FIG.  2 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Collapsible Bed Cap for Trucks. 
   The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of FIG.  2 .  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the collapsible frame  100  of the present invention assembled and installed on the bed  22  of a conventional pickup truck  18 . It should be understood that the cover sheet for the frame  100  that completes the bed cap is not shown here in order to best illuminate the structure of the device. 
   The frame  100  comprises a front and rear arch assembly  102 A and  102 B, positioned at the front and rear ends of the bed  22 , respectively. The arch assemblies  102  are interconnected by a plurality of longitudinal ribs  104  attached to and extending therebetween. The frame  100  further comprises a pair of corner assemblies  106 A and  106 B extending between the front arch assembly  102 A and the rear arch assembly  102 B. As will be repeated below, each of the aforementioned elements are collapsible such that the frame  100  can be removed from the bed  22 , the elements be collapsed, and all parts stored in a single, condensed storage bag. Now turning to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , we can examine the details of the arch assemblies. 
     FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a front arch assembly  102 A of the embodiment of FIG.  2 . The assembly  102 A is arch-shaped to reach from the left to the right side of the truck bed. The assembly  102 A comprises a top segment  108  and a pair of side segments  110 A and  110 B on the right and left sides. On the backward-facing face of the assembly  102 A are disbursed a plurality of bores  112  for releasibly accepting the ribs and corner assemblies discussed above in connection with FIG.  2 . The assembly components are preferably constructed from a lightweight material, such as plastic or aluminum.  FIG. 4  provides further detail regarding the arch assemblies  102 . 
     FIG. 4  is a partially exploded front view of the front arch assembly  102 A of FIG.  3 . As shown, the side segments  110  are detachable from the top segment  108  in order to provide the collapsible functionality. The top segment  108  has a pair of pins  114  extending therefrom in opposing directions outward from the ends of the top segment  108 . The pins  114  are cooperatively designed with sockets  116  formed in the top ends of each side segment  110  to be accepted therein. Along the outer face of all three segments  108  and  110  are disbursed a plurality of attachment means  120 , such as conventional snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, or other devices. The attachment means  120  are provided to retain the cover sheet (not shown) snugly to the outer surface of the arches  102 . 
   In order to easily accommodate a variety of bed widths (i.e. for different manufacturers&#39; trucks), spacer members  118  may be provided to be placed onto the pins  114  between the top and side segments  108  and  110 . The insertion of the spacer members  118  will provide additional width to the standard bed cover without the need for additional modification. It should be apparent that the rear arch assembly is essentially identical in design to the front arch assembly  102 A, except that the bores  112  are directed towards the front of the bed, rather than towards the rear as here. If we now turn to  FIG. 5 , we can continue discussion of the novel elements of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5  is a side view of a rib  104  of the embodiment of FIG.  2 . These ribs  104  are designed to be lightweight and collapsible. To this end, the ribs  104  are telescoping; when collapsed, they are approximately one-half their extended length. The ribs  104  each comprise an inner tube  122 A, which is retractable into an outer tube  122 B. When the inner tube  122 A is extended, it is held in place by a conventional spring-loaded ball detent mechanism  126 . In order to collapse the rib  104 , it is a simple matter to depress the ball of the ball detent mechanism  126 , and then to slide the inner tube  122 A into the outer tube  122 B. Each of the tubes  122  has an end plate  124  attached to its distal end. The end plates  124  are provided to engage the bores (see  FIGS. 3 ,  4 ,  5  and  6 ) to firmly retain the ribs  104  to the two arch assemblies (see FIG.  2 ). Now turning to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , we can examine this structure. 
     FIG. 6  is a front view of a section of an arch segment of the assembly of  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The bores  112  formed in the arches are designed to cooperate with the end plates provided at each rib such that the end plates insert into an elliptical slot  128 , after which the rib is slid down in the engagement direction  130  until it is locked in place within the bore. In order to remove the rib from the arch, the rib need simply be forced in the direction opposite to the engagement direction  130  until the end plate will be permitted to be pulled out though the slot  128 .  FIG. 7  is a partial cutaway side view of the arch segment portion  110  of FIG.  6 . As you can see in more detail here, the slot  128  defines an enlarged portion adjacent to the bore  112 ; it is sized to accept the end plate therewithin until the end plate/rib is slid into the bore  112 , after which the end plate is firmly retained in place. 
   In another embodiment, the ribs  104  (see  FIG. 5 ) will simply have the ball detent arrangement at their ends, rather than the depicted end plates  124 . In this embodiment, the slot-and-bore arrangement in the arch segments will be unnecessary (see FIGS.  6  and  7 ), and the arch segments will simply include bores formed therein to accept the rib ends, as well as apertures or depressions in the wall of the bore that will cooperate with the springloaded balls extending outwardly from the ends of the ribs. Furthermore, in yet another embodiment, the ribs (see  FIG. 5 ) will be sectional rather than telescoping; in other words, each rib will comprise two or more detachably interconnected segments that can be dismantled from one another for collapsing. This embodiment provides the desired collapsibility while reducing the cost of the ribs. We shall now turn to  FIG. 8  to examine how the assembly attaches to the truck bed. 
     FIG. 8  is a top view of portions of the frame of  FIG. 2  attached to a truck bed  22 . The front and rear arch assemblies  102  are actually held in their respective places by ribs  104 . The ends of the ribs  104  are inserted into bores (see above) formed in the arch assemblies  102 , and then the two lowest ribs  104  are attached to the rim of the bed  22 . The bottom longitudinal ribs  104  are attached to the bed  22  at two or more points by bed clamp assemblies  132 , as discussed below in connection with FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 9  is a partially cutaway side view of a truck bed wall assembly  134  having a bed clamp assembly  132  of the present invention attached thereto. The truck bed depicted here has an inner wall  136  and an outer wall  138 , which meet at the top to form a rim  140  and a lip  142 . While a double-walled bed wall assembly  134  is pictured here, it is not meant to limit the application of the present invention to such designs; the device will work just a suitably on a single-walled bed. 
   As shown, each bed clamp assembly  132  releasibly attaches to the rim  140  of the bed by operation of a U-shaped member  148  engaging the lip  142  of the bed. The U-shaped member is attached to a rib-retaining member  144  by a bolt  150 , such as the “butterfly” bolt shown here. The bolt  150  is in threaded engagement with the U-shaped member  148 . The rib-retaining member includes a rib bore  146  formed therethrough for accepting (and clamping down) a rib therein. Clearly, when the bolt  150  is tightened sufficiently, the rib residing in the rib bore  146  will be clamped securely to the rim  140  where the U-shaped member  148  engages the lip  142 .  FIG. 10  seeks to further clarify the design. 
     FIG. 10  is a partially exploded perspective view of two parts of the bed clamp assembly  132  of FIG.  9 . As discussed above, the U-shaped member  148  has a threaded bore  154  formed therein to engage the bolt (see above). Correspondingly, there are a plurality of apertures  152  formed in the rib-retaining member  144  through which the bolt (see above) can pass in order to engage the U-shaped member  148 . The different apertures correspond to different truck bed and lip designs; the user need simply select the aperture for the bolt that best fits with his or her vehicle. 
     FIG. 11  is a cutaway side view of a corner member  156  of the frame of FIG.  2 . The corner members  156  are provided to give the edges of the assembled cover rounded edges, for the purposes of durability, aesthetic attractiveness, and reduced aerodynamic drag. The corner members  156  are usually broken up into two or three segments along the longitudinal length of the cover so that they can pack easily when the cover is collapsed. Each member  156  comprises an inner bore configured to accept a rib  104  therein, either by sliding the rib  104  into the end of the member  156 , or by simply snapping it in from the concave inside surface of the member  156 . When the cover is collapsed, the corner member encasing the outer tube of the rib (see  FIG. 5 ) may be left on the tube; the corner member encasing the inner tube of the rib  104  is simply slipped off prior to retracting the inner tube into the outer tube. In their preferred form, the corner members  156  will be made from molded or extruded plastic or other lightweight, durable material. Finally turning to  FIG. 12 , we can examine how the cover for the frame attaches to the frame. 
     FIG. 12  is a cutaway side view of a cover sheet attached to a portion of the frame of FIG.  2 . The cover sheet  158  is made from a substantially rectangular sheet of durable material that is typically weather-resistant. As discussed above, it will attach at its front and rear edges (not shown) to the front and rear arches (see  FIG. 2 ) by a plurality of attachment means disbursed along these edges (e.g. snaps, hook-and-loop fasteners, etc.). The section between the front and rear arch assemblies will attach to the frame by wrapping under the bottom ribs  104 A (also  FIG. 8 ) and then attaching to the next rib  104 B above the bottom rib  104 A. The edge of the sheet  160  (i.e. the longitudinal edge) has a plurality of straps  162  dispersed along its length; these are conventional “bungee cords” or other strap mechanism adequate to provide biasing force on the edge  160  such that the sheet  158  is held in a taut condition over the frame. The sheet  158  is sized such that there is sufficient overextension of the edge  160  (i.e. beyond the bottom rib  104 A) to accommodate wider truck beds. At the end of each strap  162  is a hook  164  for hooking over the rib  104 B. This design has proven to provide a sleek and smooth outer surface to the bed cover that inhibits flapping even in strong winds. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , it should also be understood that in some versions, detachable front and rear covers will be provided to substantially cover over the openings created at the front arch assembly and the rear arch assembly; these front and rear covers will be made from flexible, durable (and possibly transparent) material. 
   As an added beneficial mode of use, it has been demonstrated that once assembled, the cover can be removed from the truck bed by easily loosening the bed clamp assemblies (see FIG.  9 ). Next, four of the ribs can be snapped out of the front and rear arch assemblies, and they can be reinserted into vertical bores formed in the bottom of the side segments of the arch assemblies. Doing this creates a free-standing (and easily collapsible) awning for use at picnics and other outdoor gatherings. When the gathering is finished, the ribs can be reinserted into their normal position interconnecting the front and rear arch assemblies, and the cover can be reattached to the truck bed. 
   Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.