Abstract:
A truck bed cover lock having two locking units positioned to interact with the existing latch locks present on most bed covers. Each locking unit contains an actuator which is electronically connected to the existing or added on electric locks in a truck. When the door locks in the truck are electrically locked the actuators extend a sliding latch into position behind the latch locks present on the bed cover thereby preventing the bed cover from being opened. Conversely, when the truck locks are electrically unlocked the actuators retract the sliding locks and permit the bed cover to be opened. The invention may be an OEM (factory) item, or an aftermarket item.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/352,574, filed Jan. 31, 2002. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to automatic truck locks, in particular to an automatic electric locking device for truck bed covers. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Many pickup truck users, in an effort to secure and protect valuables stored in their truck beds from the elements or theft, have installed rigid covers which enclose a truck&#39;s bed. These covers are typically referred to as cargo covers or tonneau covers. These covers ordinarily must be manually locked and unlocked in order for them to perform as desired. Manual locking often involves using a key to engage two different locking mechanisms located on the bed cover near the back quarter panels of most trucks. The locking mechanisms most often consist of a rotating barrel and an attached latch. The user must use a key to rotate the barrel until the attached latch swings into a locked or unlocked position. This process is time consuming and bothersome, especially in inclement weather or when making a multitude of short trips to load or unload cargo. 
     There is, therefore, a need for an automatic mechanism for locking and unlocking truck covers which saves time and effort and can be controlled from a truck&#39;s cab. The present invention fills this need by incorporating an automatic locking and unlocking mechanism into a truck&#39;s existing electric door locking system. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,691 discloses an automatic lock for a truck toolbox. The present invention differs from the &#39;691 device in that the present invention is designed for a trunk bed cover, not a tool box; the method of lock actuation is different; and control of the present invention, unlike the &#39;691 device, is integrated into the existing electronic locking system in the truck. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,835 discloses an automatic alarm and locking system for a truck toolbox. This system, unlike the present invention, is not connected to the existing electric locks of a truck, and is not designed to operate the dual locking mechanism present in a truck bed cover. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,921 discloses a lifting device for a truck bed cover. This device is not designed for locking a truck bed cover into place, nor is it connected to the electric locking system present in the truck. 
     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The truck bed cover lock system has two automatic locking units. Each locking unit has a two-wire universal lock actuator with a telescoping arm. The actuator is mounted to a flat rectangular back plate. The back plate is mounted to a truck rail support which is typically located on the inside portion of a truck&#39;s bed rail adjacent to the tailgate. The actuator arm is connected to a sliding latch and functions to move the latch between locked and unlocked positions. When in the locked position the latch is in close connection with the existing key lock latch on the truck bed cover. A two-wire cord connects each actuator to a truck&#39;s electric door lock circuit. 
     When current is applied to a truck&#39;s electric door locking circuit, current also flows to the actuators in such a way that when a truck&#39;s doors are electrically locked, the actuators move the sliding latches into the locked position. Likewise, when a truck&#39;s doors are electrically unlocked the actuators function to move the sliding latches into the unlocked position. 
     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide the operator of a truck having a bed cover with the convenience of electric bed cover locks. 
     It is another object of the invention to allow the operator of a truck equipped with a bed cover the convenience of unlocking and locking the doors of his truck and the bed cover at the same time. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a system which will secure a truck bed cover when the driver of the truck locks the truck doors either manually or with a remote control. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a truck bed cover lock according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a truck bed cover lock. 
     FIG. 3 is a front view of the internal components of a truck bed lock in the locked position. 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the internal components of a truck bed lock in the unlocked position. 
     FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the electronic connections involved with the present invention. 
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is a truck bed cover lock which can function with one, but has preferably two, locking units. Each locking unit  10 , as seen in FIG. 1, is located on the rear inside portion of a truck bed rail. The locking units are designed to interact with the rotating latch locks  12  present on nearly all truck bed covers  14 . The cover  14  is shown in the open position in FIG.  1 . When the bed cover  14  is in its closed position (resting against the truck bed rails), a sliding latch  18  (discussed below) in each locking unit  10  can be moved into a locked position behind each rotating latch lock  12 , thereby preventing the bed cover  14  from returning to its open position. FIG. 1 shows the sliding latches  18  extended and the bed cover  14  open for illustration purposes only. Ordinarily the sliding latches  18  would be retracted when the cover  14  is open. 
     As seen in FIG. 2, each locking unit  10  has a housing  15  with a front surface, top surface, back surface and two end surfaces. The housing  15  may be made from a steel angle  16 , two end plates  17  and  19 , and a back plate  26 . The angle  16  forms the top surface and the front surface of the housing  15 . Welded to or formed with one end of the front surface of angle  16  is a flat rectangular steel end plate  17  which forms one of the end surfaces. There is a gap defined between end plate  17  and the top flange of angle  16  to allow the sliding latch  18  to emerge from the interior of the housing  15 . A second rectangular end plate  19  of steel is welded to or formed with angle  16  to form the second end surface of the housing  15 . Two bolts  20   a ,  20   b  extend through holes defined in the front surface of angle  16  and secure angle  16  to the rectangular back plate  26 . The bolts  20   a ,  20   b  also secure a universal lock actuator  22  (discussed below) inside the housing  15 . Back plate  26  has a ledge defined thereon extending longitudinally which forms a guide which supports the downwardly extending flange of sliding latch  18  and ensures that the latch slides smoothly, remains level, and is properly positioned between the end plate  17  and angle  16 . 
     FIG. 3 shows the internal components of a locking unit  10 . A two wire universal lock actuator  22  is secured to the back plate  26 . Universal lock actuators (ACT2) are well known in the art and may be purchased from a number of sources, including GNU Industries, Inc., Slickcar.com, or Autotech.com. The actuator  22  has a telescoping arm  23  which functions to move the sliding latch  18 . 
     The sliding latch  18  preferably is an angle made of steel with a connection cylinder  21  attached to one end and a slot defined in the flange which is parallel to back plate  26  adjacent the other end of latch  18 . The telescoping arm  23  of the actuator  22  connects to the connection cylinder  21  of the sliding latch  18 . Two studs  28  are welded to the back plate  26  and have threaded ends which extend through the slot in the sliding latch  18 . A washer  30  is positioned over the threaded ends of the studs  28 . Two nuts  32  are screwed onto the threaded ends of the studs  28  and secure both the washer  30  and the sliding latch  18  to the back plate  26 , but there is a sufficient gap between the washer  30  and back plate  26  for latch  18  to slide therebetween. 
     The back plate  26  is folded onto itself in such a way that the folded edge of the back plate  26  forms a guide rail  34  for the sliding latch  18 . Alternatively, a flat plate may be welded to back plate  26  to define the ledge or guide rail  34 . The guide rail  34  functions to guide and support the sliding latch  18 . The back plate  26  is secured to the truck bed rail support  38  with two Allen screws  40   a ,  40   b.    
     In operation, the actuator alternates between locked and unlocked positions. FIG. 3 shows the internal components of the truck bed cover lock in the locked position. The telescoping arm  23  is fully expanded and the sliding latch  18  is positioned near the left edge of the support rail  34 . FIG. 4 shows the internal components of the truck bed cover lock in the unlocked position. The telescoping arm  23  is in the retracted position and the sliding latch  18  is positioned drawn back from the end of the support rail  34 . 
     Conventional truck bed covers are equipped with a pair of cylinder locks at opposite corners of the truck cover. Each cylinder lock has a barrel-type cylinder with a tongue latch at the bottom of the barrel which rotates to engage and disengage a keeper when a key is inserted into the cylinder and rotated. When the lock units  10  of the present invention are installed, the existing lock keepers are removed and replaced with the lock units  10 . The existing cylinder lock is maintained in the locked position, the key lock being unused with the present invention, so that the tongue latch is always pointing towards the truck rail or sidewall. When the lock unit  10  is in the locked position, the top flange of the angle-shaped sliding latch  18  is moved to a position above the tongue latch of the truck cover&#39;s conventional cylinder lock, so that the cover cannot be raised. When the lock unit is in the unlocked position, the top flange of the sliding latch  18  is retracted, so that it is no longer interposed between the truck cover and the tongue latch, and the cover is free to be raised. In this manner the tongue latch of the cylinder locks act as fixed position keepers which coact with the sliding latches  18  of the lock unit  10 . Alternatively, an L-shaped or U-shaped bracket may be attached to the bottom surface of the truck cover with one of the flanges directed towards the truck rail on which the lock unit  10  is mounted in order to provide a fixed mount keeper which coacts with the sliding latch  18  in similar fashion. 
     A two wire electric cord  44  extends from the back of each actuator  22  and passes through a hole defined in the back plate  26 . FIG. 5 diagrams the connections made between the automatic bed cover locking units  10  and a vehicle&#39;s electric door locks  46  and control circuits  48 . The electric cord  44  connects the automatic locking units  10  in parallel with the electric door locks  46 . The cord  44  preferably travels under the bed rail to the back wall of the cab, from the cab down through the bed to the truck frame, from the frame to a position under the cabin, and from the under the cabin to the electric door lock circuit  46 . The exact pathway traveled by the wire is not critical to the present invention and any pathway could be used so long as the actuator cord  44  is connected to the electric door lock circuit  46 . The door locks  46  are connected to a control circuit  48  which is connected to the door lock buttons  50  located inside the truck. The control circuit  48  may also be capable of receiving signals from a remote control device, such as a key fob. The control circuit  48  is connected to a power source  52  such as a vehicle alternator or battery. 
     When the electric door locks  46  in a truck are activated to lock or unlock a door lock  46 , the actuators  22  in each locking unit  10  are simultaneously activated such that when the truck door locks  46  are electrically locked, the actuator arms  23  extend the sliding latches  18  into their locked positions. Conversely when the electric door locks  46  are electrically unlocked, the arms  23  of the actuators  22  in each locking unit  10  move their sliding latches  18  into the unlocked position. The present invention may also be manually operated by grasping and moving an extension of connection cylinder  21  which extends through the open bottom of housing  15  below angle  16  and serves as a manual release lever, and which can extend or retract arm  23  and will thereby move the attached latch  18 . 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.