Abstract:
A hard cover is easily installed, removed, replaced, and inspected on the open bed of a pickup truck. The hard cover is a unitary thermoformed sheet material mounted on a rail frame assembly secured to side walls of the truck bed. The hard cover is hingedly connected by a bar fastened to the cover and extending into a slot of a bracket connected to the frame assembly. The bar is pivotal on the bracket to move the cover between open and closed positions over the bed of the pickup truck. The hinged connection of the bar to the bracket is released by manually disconnecting the bar from the cover, permitting the bar to be released from the bracket only after the bar is disconnected from the cover.

Description:
SUBSTITUTE SPECIFICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of non-provisional application Ser. No. 09/785,835 filed Feb. 20, 2001 abandoned, entitled “Hard Truck Bed Cover” of provisional application No. 60/185,852 filed Feb. 29, 2000. 
    
    
     CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a tonneau cover releasably attached to a bed of a pickup truck and, more particularly, to rigid cover assembly releasably attached and pivotally mounted above the bed of a pickup truck. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Pickup truck vehicles are used for both work-related activities and personal transportation. A pickup truck cargo bed provides carrying space for both work-related and personal cargo. In order to prevent cargo carried inside the cargo bed from being damaged by weather or from being stolen, protective covers are commonly installed to cover the open cargo bed. 
     As pickup truck vehicles are used for a variety of purposes, it is often desirable to remove the hard cover from the pickup truck for an open cargo bed. Typical configurations allow the hard cover to be removed from a frame assembly mounted on the truck sidewalls and provide a partially open cargo bed. Alternately, the hard cover and frame assembly are removed for a completely open cargo bed. 
     Fiberglass molded covers in particular have been used extensively in recent years for the above noted purposes. The fiberglass molded cover is typically unitary in construction and requires a number of mechanical systems for proper operation upon the cargo bed of the pickup truck. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,079,989 and 5,688,017 disclose frame assemblies that include fiberglass molded covers, a hinge apparatus that opens and closes the fiberglass molded cover for access to the cargo bed, a lock apparatus to secure the fiberglass molded cover in a closed position, and a counter balance apparatus to support the fiberglass molded cover in an open position. The frame assembly is typically attached to the cargo bed by tool-operated clamps, and the hard cover is attached to the frame assembly in a secondary operation. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,017 also discloses a permanently mounted cover. The fasteners must be repeatedly removed and reinstalled, which results in wear on the fiberglass composite structures. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,525 discloses a hinge apparatus that includes a moving hinge part attached to the hard cover and a fixed hinge part that is mounted to the frame assembly. The moving hinge part is typically rotated to a vertical orientation where it is disengaged from the fixed hinge part. The fiberglass molded cover is rotated into a substantially perpendicular (or vertical) position, relative the cargo bed. The hard cover is released from the frame assembly at the hinge apparatus. Such hinge apparatus is referred to as “rotate to release” hinge apparatus within the industry. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,681 discloses a fixed bracket and a frame assembly. The bracket receives a tab extending from the hard cover in a position between a cover front wall and a passenger cabin. The bracket receives a moving tab to rotate the hard cover between open and closed positions. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,429 discloses a bracket and a tab. The bracket is connected to the cover, and the tab is connected to the frame assembly. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,698 also discloses an assembly having a “rotate to release” hinge. The “rotate to release” hinge assemblies have a critical limitation. The thickness of the cover is limited by the distance between the end of the cabin and the point of rotation of the cover. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,632,522, 5,971,446, 6,221,290 and 6,273,491 disclose complicated and costly hinges that facilitate the removal of the thermoplastic hard cover for an open cargo bed. 
     In addition, rigid and heavily weighted hard covers also suffer from improper alignment. Metal hinge hardware may bend and distort when the hinge is cyclically loaded from repeated rotation of the cover. Misaligned covers also abrade painted surfaces of the cargo bed. Improper sealing due to misaligned covers introduces rainwater, cleaning fluids, pollens, dust, debris and mud into the cargo bed. Also, misaligned covers are also more likely to fail catastrophically. 
     There is need for a “no-drill” and a “no-tool” method of attaching a hard cover to a pickup truck bed. The “no-drill” and “no-tool” method should be easy to use and convenient to allow operator access to an open truck bed and to close the truck bed when desired. The tonneau cover should be fabricated of a thermoformed material that is efficiently engaged to a rail assembly above the truck bed to simplify removal and reinstallation of the cover. In addition, the equipment for installing the hard cover must be securely engaged on the pickup truck to assure safe operation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention there is provided a rigid cover assembly for a pickup truck having a cabin and an open bed defined by a front wall and two opposing side walls. A frame assembly includes a front rail member detachably positioned on the front wall and a pair of side rail members detachably positioned on the side walls. A rigid cover is movable between an open position providing access to the bed and a closed position on the frame and forming a top for covering the bed in the closed position. A bracket having a slot is releasably connected to the front wall. A bar having a tabbed end portion is inserted in the slot to releasably connect the bar to the bracket. The bar also includes a flat end portion having a pair of bores therethrough. A manually adjustable fastening mechanism is retained on the cover above the open bed and extends through the bores to releasably connect the bar to the cover. With the bar tabbed end portion positioned in the bracket slot, the cover is pivotally movable with the bar between the open and closed positions. 
     Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rigid cover assembly for a pickup truck having a cabin and an open bed defined by a plurality of walls. A frame has a plurality of members detachably positioned on the walls. A bracket having a slot is connected to one of the frame members. A rigid cover is supported by the frame and movable between an open position and a closed position for covering the bed and having a front section with a recess. A bar has a tabbed end portion inserted in the slot to releasably connect the bar to the bracket and a flat end portion having a bore therethrough and positioned in the cover front section recess. A manually adjustable fastening mechanism releasably connects the bar to the cover with bar tabbed end portion positioned in is the bracket slot for pivotal movement of the cover with the bar between the open and closed positions. 
     Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rigid cover assembly for a pickup truck having a cabin and an open bed defined by a plurality of walls. A frame having a plurality of members is detachably positioned on the walls. A bracket having a slot is detachably connected to one of said members. A rigid cover is movable between an open position and a closed position on the frame and forms a top for covering the bed in the closed position. A bar has a tabbed end portion inserted in the slot to releasably connect the bar to the bracket and a flat end portion. Means is provided for releasably attaching the bar flat end portion to the cover with the bar tabbed end portion positioned in the bracket slot for pivotal movement of the cover with the bar between the open and closed positions. 
     A principal object of the present invention to provide a pivotally supported hard cover releasably connected to a cargo bed of a pickup truck. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide tonneau cover hinge apparatus that does not require holes to be drilled in the cargo bed or the cover for attachment of the cover to the bed. 
     A further object of the present invention to provide a hard cover assembly for a pickup truck that is easily installed and removed above the cargo bed of a pickup truck without the use of tools. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide for a hard cover on the cargo bed of a pickup truck a frame assembly that remains installed on a cargo bed while the hard cover is removed to permit access to an open cargo bed. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a semi-flexible and lightweight tonneau cover for the cargo bed of a pickup truck where the cover is manually connected free of tools to the cargo bed. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide a hard cover for the cargo bed of a pickup truck where the cover is securely, pivotally connected to the cargo bed and releasably disengaged from the cargo bed by hand without the use of any tools. 
    
    
     These and other objects of the present invention will be more completely disclosed and described in the following specification, accompanying drawings, and appended claims. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hard cover in an open position on the cargo bed of a pickup truck. 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view in side elevation of a front wall of the pickup truck cargo bed, illustrating a hinge connection of the hard cover to the front wall. 
     FIG. 3 is an isometric exploded view of a passenger side rail frame assembly for attachment to the hard cover. 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view in side elevation of a side wall of the pickup truck and a perimeter lip of the hard cover, illustrating the connection of the perimeter lip to the channel of the rail frame assembly shown in FIG. 3 on the side wall. 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the hinge apparatus of the hard cover, illustrating the pivotal positions of a hinge bar. 
     FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view in side elevation of a prior art release hinge mounted on the truck side wall, illustrating pivotal movement of a cover assembly about the hinge. 
     FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the hard cover, illustrating the inside structure of the hard cover. 
     FIG. 8 is a fragmentary isometric view of the hard cover shown in FIG. 1, illustrating prop components for supporting the hard cover in an open position above the cargo bed. 
     FIG. 9 is a fragmentary isometric view of the clamped connection of the rail frame assembly to the truck side wall. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cargo bed of a pickup truck, illustrating the hinge bar attached to the rail frame assembly mounted on the truck side walls. 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 10, illustrating the driver side rail frame positioned on a truck side wall. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 10, illustrating the complete rail frame assembly mounted on the truck side walls. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated in phantom a pickup truck generally designated by the numeral  10 . The pickup truck includes a cabin  12 , a flat bed  14 , and an open cargo area  16 . The cargo area  16  is defined by the flat bed  14  and a plurality of side walls  18 ,  20 , and  22  extending upwardly from the bed  14 . 
     In accordance with the present invention, a cover assembly generally designated by the numeral  24  is pivotally mounted on the side walls  18 ,  20 , and  22  to move between open and closed positions above the cargo area  16 . The cover assembly  24  is supported by a rail frame assembly generally designated by the numeral  26  on the side walls  18 ,  20 , and  22 . The cover assembly  24  includes a rigid thermoformed cover  28 . As shown in FIG. 2, a hinge bracket  30 , a hinge bar  32 , and a manually adjustable fastening mechanism  34  releasably engage the cover assembly  24  to the side walls of the pickup truck above the cargo bed  14 . The rail frame assembly  26 , as shown in FIG.  1  and FIGS. 10-12, includes a plurality of elongated rail members  36 ,  38 , and  40  detachably mounted on top of the side walls  18 ,  20 , and  22 , respectively, of the truck cargo area  14 . 
     The rigid cover  28  mounted on the side walls is pivotal between an open position, shown in FIG. 1, and a closed position, shown in FIG.  2 . The open position provides easy access to the bed  14 ; while, the closed position prevents access to the bed  14 . The cover  28  pivots from the open position (FIG. 1) to the closed position (FIG. 2) and vice versa. In the closed position, the cover  28  fastens to the rail frame assembly  26  and thereby encloses the open bed  16 . In this manner any contents positioned on the bed  14  are secured. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the cover  28  is a thermoformed sheet which attaches to the rail frame assembly  26  through the fastening mechanism  34 , which is retained on the inside surface of cover  28 , hinge bracket  30 , and the hinge bar  32 . The bracket  30  is immovably secured to the front rail member  38  of the frame assembly  26  which is mounted on the front wall  20  of the truck. The bracket  30  is operable as a fixed hinge component. The bar  32  is L-shaped and includes a tabbed end portion  44  having an extended tab  46  and an elongated flat end portion  48  having spaced apart holes  50 ,  52 . The tab  46  extends through a slot  54  in the bracket  30 , as shown in phantom in FIG.  5 . The fastening mechanism  34  retainer on the cover  28  extends through the holes  50 ,  52  in the bar  32  to releasably receive and thereby attach the bar  32  to the cover  28 . With the bar  32  attached to the cover  28  and the tab  46  positioned in the bracket slot  54 , the bar  32  rotates relative to the fixed hinge bracket  30 . In this respect the bar  32  operates as a moving hinge component. 
     The cover  28 , as shown in FIG. 2, includes a top section  56  and a bottom section  58 . Preferably, the hard cover  28  is thermoformed and fabricated of thermoplastic materials. Other alternative materials suitable for fabrication of the cover  28  include thermosetting plastic in a composite with fiberglass, metal, and other man-made materials. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the cover bottom section  58  includes a molded platform generally designated by the numeral  60  for receiving the hinge bar  32  and includes a recessed portion  64  positioned adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the cover  28 . The recessed portion  64  extends from a front wall  68  to an end wall  70  between side walls  62  and a bottom wall  63 . The dimension of the recessed portion  64  corresponds to the length of the flat end portion  48  of the bar  32 . A shoulder  72  protrudes from the front cover wall  68  to receive the end of the bar flat end portion  48 . 
     The platform  60  shown in FIG. 2 is positioned substantially horizontally when the cover  28  is closed. In the closed position, the flat end portion  48  of the bar  32  is received in the recessed portion  64  in a position substantially perpendicular to the bracket  30 . 
     The fastening mechanism  34  includes in one embodiment a U-shaped connector  66  positioned above bottom wall  63  having projecting stud threaded end portions  74 ,  76 . Studs  74 ,  76  releasably engage the respective ends of the U-shaped connector  66  and include threaded ends which extend through holes  50 ,  52  in the hinge bar  32 . Individual threaded bolts and like fastening devices are used in place of the U-shaped connector  66  to connect the hinge bar  32  to the cover  28 . The threaded ends of studs  74 ,  76  are engaged by hand-operated fasteners, such as wing nuts  78 ,  80  and the like, to releasably connect the bar  32  to the cover  28 . With this arrangement the bar  32  is restrained from moving relative to the cover  28  when the cover  28  is pivoted between the open and closed positions. Also, the tab  46  remains in the hinge bracket slot  54  during the pivotal movement of the cover  28 . 
     In operation, tightening nuts  78 ,  80  on the studs  74 ,  76  of fastener  66  seats the hinge bar  32  within the recessed portion  64  of the cover  28 . The U-shaped fastener  66  with the wing nuts  78 ,  80  facilitate hand connection of the cover  28  to the fixed hinge bracket  30 . The combination of fastener  66  and wing nuts  78 ,  80  provides a “no-tool” installation. The installation is accomplished manually. A truck owner can easily manipulate the hand-operated fasteners to conveniently remove, replace, and inspect the hard cover assembly. This is accomplished by the releasable connection of the hinge bar  32  to the cover  28  and the pivotal movement of the hinge bar  32  on the hinge bracket  30 . 
     The cover  28  is fabricated with the U-shaped fastener  66  positioned in the recessed portion  64  of the molded platform  60 . The dimensions of the platform  60  are sufficient to completely receive lengthwise the fastener  66  with threaded ends of the fastener extending through the bottom wall  63  in the platform  60 . The fastener ends are connected to the studs  74  and  76 . The studs  74  and  76  extend through holes  50  and  52  of bar  32  to threadedly receive the wing nuts  78 ,  80 . For ease of hand manipulation, the distance between the holes  50 ,  52  is greater than the length of the head of each wing nut  78 ,  80 , permitting the wing nuts  78 ,  80  to be rotated without interference, as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     In accordance with the present invention as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wing nut fasteners  78 ,  80  are manually tightened on the U-bolt stud ends  74 ,  76 . The stud ends  74 ,  76  are visible and reachable by hand from the side of the truck when the cover  28  is in an open position, supported either manually or by props  94 ,  96  as shown in FIG.  1 . The props  94 ,  96  are mounted at their bases on the truck sidewalls  18  and  22  and connected at their extensible end portions to the cover  28 . The fasteners  78 ,  80  are manually adjusted by rotation. In the preferred embodiment, fasteners  78 ,  80  are provided with hand knobs. The hand knobs are easily manipulated from the side of the truck without the use of tools. Manual manipulation provides quick removal of the cover  28  from the movable hinge bar  32 . 
     The hinge bar  32  is disconnected from the cover  28  by releasing the wing nuts  78 ,  80  from the stud end portions  74 ,  76 . The bar end  48  is withdrawn from the stud ends  74 ,  76 . This releases the bar  32  from connection to the cover  28 . 
     The cover platform  60  provides an additional benefit in high temperature environments. The thermoplastic cover  28  can deform due to creep or similar temperature induced deformation. The dynamic and static loading provided by the opening and closing of the cover can lead to deformation. However, the platform  60  radiates stress over a substantial portion of the cover  28 . 
     As further shown in FIG. 1, the rail frame assembly  26  releasably attaches to the pickup truck sidewalls  18 ,  20 , and  22 . The rail frame assembly  26  includes three members, a front rail member  38  and two opposing side rail members  36 ,  40 . The rail members  36 ,  38 ,  40  are molded to receive the cover  28  over the flat bed  14  and close the open bed  16 . The members  36 ,  38 ,  40  include shelves  98 ,  100 ,  102  respectively to support the cover  28  in a closed position. 
     Now referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is illustrated the rail member  40 , which is releasably attached to a sidewall  22 . The side wall  22  includes a vertical rail portion  103 , a horizontal rail portion  104 , and a downwardly extending lip portion  105 . As shown in FIG. 3, the rail member  40  includes sub-rail frame  108  and an exterior frame  110 . The sub-rail frame  108  includes side panels  112 ,  114  and top panels  116 ,  118 . The side panel pairs  112 ,  116  and  114 ,  118  are connected at a right angle. The side panel  112  and top panel  116  of rail frame  108  are positioned in overlying relation with truck side wall rail portion  103  and  104 , respectively. The slotted fixed hinge bracket  30  is immovably fixed to the side panel  112  and is mounted to receive the tabbed end  44  of the bar  32 . 
     The exterior frame  110  shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is made from molded thermoplastic and is shaped to overlie the sub-rail frame  108  and receive the cover  28 . The exterior frame  110  releasably attaches to the sub-rail frame  108  and overlies the fixed hinge bracket  30 , as shown in FIG.  2 . As shown in FIG. 4, the frame  110  includes a channel  102  that receives a down turned lip  107  of hard cover  28  when closed. Channel  102  also acts as a rain gutter to channel water away from the inside of the truck bed  14 . The channel  102  is open toward the front and rear of the vehicle to enable the run-off of water. The molded rail frame  110  also includes a plurality of clamp positioning pockets  111 , a slot  113  to receive a lock bracket  115 , a fixed prop bracket emboss  117  to accommodate prop bracket block  119 , and an elevated pocket  121  to receive the opposed ends of the front wall member  38 . 
     As further illustrated in FIG. 4, cover  28  rests upon flexible sealing member or gasket  120 . Sealing member  120  compresses against a ledge  123  of the exterior frame  110  when the cover  28  is closed, forming a water resistance seal. The lip  107  of cover  28  extends into the U-shaped channel  120  when the cover  28  is closed. In the preferred embodiment, the width of the channel  102  is substantially greater than the width of the lip  107 . The substantial difference in width allows the lip  107  to rest in the channel  102  without touching an inside wall  132  or an outside wall  134  of the channel  102 . However, the dimensions of the lip  107  and channel  102  are not critical. From the channel wall  134 , the frame  110  extends in a down turned lip  130  which is molded to conform to the contour of the lip portion  105  of the truck side wall  22 . In this manner, the plastic rail frame  110  has the appearance of being an integral part of the truck bed  14 . 
     Now referring to FIG. 5, the movable hinge bar  32  is illustrated as a substantially L-shaped flat rectangle member formed by the end portion  48  and tabbed end portion  46 . However, the shape of bar  32  and the respective end portions  46  and  48  is not critical as long as the tabbed end portion  46  is shaped to be received in slot  54  of hinge bracket  30 . This assures that the end portion  46  is releasably engagable with the bracket  30 . 
     In accordance with the present invention, the extended end  48  of the bar  32  has a predetermined length that allows the end  48  to be visible and accessible when in the horizontal position, as shown in phantom in FIG.  5 . The extended length of the bar  32  enables a user to manually attach and detach the bar  32  on the cover  28  without the use of tools. The predetermined length and position of flat end  48  of bar  32  allows manipulation of wing nuts  78  and  80  on the threaded ends of the studs  74 ,  76  extending from U-bolt  66  when the bar  32  is in an upright position. The cover  28  is supported manually or by props  94 ,  96 , as shown in FIG. 1, in an upright position. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a prior art mechanism for pivotally connecting a hard cover assembly  136  over the bed of a pickup truck by a conventional butt piano hinge  138 . The piano hinge  138  includes a fixed hinge portion  140  and a movable hinge portion  142 . The hinge  138  pivotally connects a hard cover  144  to a side wall frame  146  of the truck. The fixed hinge portion  140  is connected to the frame  146 . The movable hinge portion  142  is attached to the cover  144 . As shown in FIG. 6, the thickness of the cover  144  is limited by the distance between the cabin  12  and pivot point  148  of the hinge  138 . 
     As shown in FIG. 6, cover  144  cannot have a thickness greater than the distance between the cabin  12  (or the end wall) and the pivot point  148 . The movable hinge portion  142  attaches by a fastener  150 , such as a screw, to the cover  144 . However, the fastener  150  cannot be manually adjusted by hand or by a screwdriver when the cover  144  is attached to the side wall frame  146  because of the limited space available under a raised cover. Even in the raised position, as shown in phantom in FIG. 6, insufficient clearance is provided between the raised cover  144  and frame  146  to obtain access to rotate the fastener  150  by hand or by a tool. 
     Referring now to FIG. 7, an underside  152  of the cover  28  is shown in more detail. The underside includes raised sections or ribs  154 . The cover  28  also includes a back wall  156  and downwardly extending tailgate member  158 . The tailgate member  158  attaches to the back wall  156  through conventional fastening devices. For example, a plurality of thumbscrews  160  are inserted through corresponding predrilled holes  162 , which align when the tailgate member  158  is in contact with the back wall  156  for assembly. Thumbnuts  164  are threaded onto the thumbscrews  160  to complete the attachment of the back wall  156  to the tailgate member  158 . 
     Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 8, there is illustrated the connection of props  94  and  96  to the cover  28  and side rail members  36  and  40  through conventional fastening devices. As shown in FIG. 8, the prop  96  has ball sockets  168 ,  170  at its end portions. The ball socket  170  engages a stud  172 , which is supported by a bracket  174 . Bracket  174  attaches to cover  28  with rear piece  176 , the thumbscrews  178  and thumbnuts  180 . As shown in FIG. 1 the opposite end of prop  94  on side wall  22  includes ball socket  168  which is connected to a prop bracket  169  attached to the side rail member  40 . Prop  96 , shown in FIG. 8, is attached to side rail member  36  on side wall  18  in a similar manner. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the cover  28  is supported by props  94 ,  96  when the cover is in an open position. The cover  28  is maintained in the closed position by a lock assembly (not shown) located on a top surface  182  of the cover  28 . A lock handle (not shown) actuates locking means  184  generally adjacent tailgate pillars  186  beside a tailgate opening  188 . The props  94 ,  96  also support the cover in the open position to provide easy access to cargo. The props  94 ,  96  also allow easy access to the fastening mechanism  34  and the bar  32 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 10-12, there is illustrated the installation of the rail frame assembly  26  on the truck side walls. Elongated side rail member  36  is detachably connected to the sidewall  18  of the pickup truck  10 , as shown in FIG.  11 . As shown in FIG. 9, the attachment of side rails  36  and  40  is accomplished by a clamp  181 . A manually adjustable knob  183  engages and disengages the clamp  181  to the side wall  18  and  22  without the need for tools. As shown in FIG. 12, front rail member  38  and side rail member  40  are installed in a similar manner to truck sidewalls  20  and  22 , respectively. 
     Pivotal engagement of the movable hinge bar  32  to the fixed hinge bracket  30  is shown in FIGS. 5 and 10. The bar  32  is releasably attached to the bracket  30  closely adjacent to the truck side wall  18  for ease of no-tool assembly and disassembly of the cover  28  over the truck bed  14 . The bar  32  is pivotally movable about fixed hinge bracket  30  between a vertical position and a horizontal position, as shown in FIG.  5 . The positioning of the bar  32  adjacent to the side wall facilitates attachment of the cover  28  to the bracket  30 . In the vertical position shown in FIG. 10, the flat end  48  of the bar  32  is substantially perpendicular to the flat bed  14 . The tab  46  extending from tabbed end portion  44  of the bar  32  is inserted through the hinge slot  54  in the bracket  30 . The tab  46  slides through the slot  54  until the flat elongated end portion  48  is sufficiently close to the bracket  30  to allow the bar  32  to rotate. In this position the flat end  48  of the bar  32  is substantially parallel to the flat bed  14  when the bar  32  is in a horizontal position, as shown in phantom in FIG.  5 . The cover  28  is in the closed position above the truck bed  14  in this position. 
     In accordance with the present invention, the hard cover  28  rotates between a closed position (FIG. 2) and an open position (FIG. 1) above the cargo bed  14  along the front wall  20  of the truck behind the passenger cabin  12 . The degree of rotation, in one example, ranges between about 15 to 30 degrees. The open position (FIG. 1) is preferably between about 18 and 22 degrees to assure unimpeded access the full depth of the cargo bed  14 . 
     The hard cover  28  is releasable from its hinged connection to the truck front wall  20 . The hard cover  28  is pivoted to the open position (FIG. 1) to detach the hinge bar  32  from the hard cover  28 . When the bar  32  is disconnected, the cover  28  is removed from the bed  14 . The bar  32  is then free to rotate to the vertical position (FIG.  5 ). In this position, the tab  46  slides out of the slot  54  in the bracket  30 . Thus, the hard cover  28  is first released from the bar  32  and then the bar  32  is released from the bracket  30 . This is all accomplished by hand without the use of tools. 
     When the moving hinge bar  32  is engaged to the cover  28  and the fixed hinge bracket  30 , the hinge bar  32  is prevented from rotating to a 90° position shown in FIG. 5, which would allow the bar  32  to disengage the bracket  30 . The moving hinge bar  32  is prevented from rotating to the 90° position because the truck cabin  12  obstructs forward pivotal movement of the cover  28 . The front wall of the cover  28  collides with the cabin  12  before the hinge bar  32  reaches the 90° position. The position of the prior art connection for the cover shown in phantom in FIG. 6 corresponds to the position of the cover  28  when it is pivoted upwardly into contact with the cabin  12 . In other words, the cabin  12  stops pivotal movement of the cover  28  to the position where the tab  46  of bar  32  slides out of bracket slot  54  and releases the cover  28  from connection to the truck front wall  20 . 
     In accordance with the present invention, the cover  28  is released from an open position above the truck bed  14  by disengaging the fasteners  78 ,  80  that connect the bar  32  to the cover  28 . This is carried out manually without the use of  5  tools. When the bar  32  is disconnected from the cover  28 , the bar  32  slides freely out of the bracket slot  54 . 
     In operation, attachment of the cover  28  to the bar  32  is facilitated when the flat end portion  48  of the bar  32  is in a horizontal position. The cover  28  is aligned and the fastening mechanism  34  attaches the cover  28  to the bar  32 . The thickness of the cover  28  restricts the rotation of the cover  28  and the bar  32 . In the preferred embodiment, the cover  28  is positioned between 15 to 30 degrees from the horizontal plane of the flat bed  14  in the closed position. The cover  28  is positioned between 68 to 72 degrees from the horizontal plane of the flat bed in the open position. 
     As shown in FIG. 5, the bracket  30  is stationarily positioned on truck end wall  20 . More specifically as shown in FIG. 3, the bracket  30  is connected to the top panel  118  of the sub-rail frame  108 . The bracket  30  can also be mounted directly on the end wall  20  of the pickup truck  10 . 
     According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle, preferred construction, and mode of operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiments. However, it should be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.