Patent Publication Number: US-2006017303-A1

Title: Collapsible soft top cover and overhead rack sytem for a pickup truck

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      This invention relates to the field of soft top covers and overhead rack systems for pickup trucks.  
      2. Discussion of the Background  
      Soft top covers for pickup trucks are very popular to protect the bed and its contents from exposure to the elements and to provide a level of security. Equally popular are overhead racks for pickup beds to support camping, hunting, and other gear for recreation as well as commercial equipment such as ladders, pipes, lumber, and other loads. Such loads are often relatively heavy on the order of several hundred pounds or more. Presently, very few combinations of collapsible soft tops and supporting frame arrangements with overhead racks are available and in all known ones, their designs and operations are fairly complicated and difficult to use.  
      With this and other problems in mind, the present invention was developed. In it, a collapsible soft top is provided with a frame arrangement that not only supports the soft top but also supports overhead rack members wherein the soft top and frame arrangement including the overhead rack members can be easily and quickly folded or collapsed as a unit.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention involves an apparatus including a collapsible soft top and frame arrangement for the bed of a pickup truck or similar vehicle. The frame arrangement includes a plurality of support or bow members for the soft top and additionally has overhead rack members to carry loads such as ladders, pipes, lumber, and gear trays. The frame arrangement is designed to carry relatively heavy loads (e.g., 300-350 pounds) and can include angle pieces for additional strength and stability. In use, the soft top and frame arrangement can be quickly and easily collapsed as a unit to uncover the bed of the pickup truck. Conversely, it can just as quickly and easily be extended to cover the bed and to carry loads on the overhead rack members.  
      The front and rear portions of the soft top include securing arrangements to extend respectively across the vehicle tailgate and front wall in sealing engagements. The frame arrangement also includes an additional bow member to incrementally adjust the tension in the fabric of the soft top as needed and desired to maintain a tight fit on the frame arrangement. The soft top further includes side panels and specially designed attachments for the upper edge portion of each side panel. The upper attachments have at least two, substantially rigid retainers that can pivot relative to each other as the soft top is folded or collapsed.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view, of the soft top and frame arrangement of the present invention in an extended position covering the bed of the pickup truck with various loads supported on the overhead rack members of the frame arrangement.  
       FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  with the loads removed from the overhead rack members.  
       FIG. 3  illustrates the soft top and frame arrangement of the present invention in a collapsed position uncovering the bed of the pickup truck.  
       FIG. 4  is a view similar to  FIG. 3  with the soft top removed for clarity showing the frame arrangement of the present invention.  
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIGS. 2 and 6 .  
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 2   
       FIG. 7  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the circled area of  FIG. 5 . It is also a view taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 .  
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the frame arrangement of the present invention.  
       FIG. 9  illustrates a portion of the front support or bow member and the removable angle piece that may be included for additional support and stability.  
       FIG. 9 ( a ) is a view taken along line  9 ( a )- 9 ( a ) of  FIG. 9 .  
       FIG. 10  is a view of one side of the rear support or bow member and the overhead rack member and tensioning member mounted on it.  
       FIG. 11  is a view taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 9 .  
       FIG. 12  is a view taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 9 .  
       FIG. 13  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the circled area of  FIG. 6  illustrating the manner in which the front edge portion of the soft top is removably secured in place over the front wall of the pickup truck.  
       FIG. 14  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the circled area of  FIG. 6  illustrating the manner in which the rear edge portion of the soft top is removably secured in place over the tailgate of the pickup truck.  
       FIG. 15  illustrates the manner in which the tension in the fabric of the soft top can be selectively adjusted.  
       FIG. 16  is a sequential view of how the legs of the tension member for the soft top can be incrementally lengthened to adjust the tension in the soft top.  
       FIG. 17  is a side elevational view of the soft top and one of the removal window panels in it.  
       FIG. 18  is a view taken along line  18 - 18  of  FIG. 17 .  
       FIG. 19  is a view of the partially collapsed soft top and frame arrangement with the side panel removed.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      As best seen in  FIGS. 1-3 , the apparatus of the present invention includes a collapsible soft top  1  for a pickup truck or similar vehicle  2 . The pickup truck  2  as shown in  FIG. 3  has a rear bed  4  with spaced-apart side walls  6  and a front wall  8  which extend upwardly from the bed  4 . The soft top  1  in turn is mounted on a collapsible frame  3  (see  FIG. 4 ) that includes the illustrated, three support or bow members  5  and overhead rack members  7 .  
      In use as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the apparatus of the soft top  1  and frame arrangement  3  can be moved from a collapsed position substantially uncovering the pickup truck bed  4  ( FIG. 3 ) to an extended position ( FIG. 2 ) covering the bed  4 . In the extended position of  FIG. 2 , loads such as the illustrated ladder  10 , pipe  12 , lumber  14 , and gear tray  16  of  FIG. 1  can then be carried on the overhead rack members  7 . In particular, the frame arrangement  3  of the present invention is specifically designed to be able to carry fairly heavy loads (e.g., 300-350 pounds) as in  FIG. 1 . However, the frame arrangement  3  is still capable of being easily and quickly collapsed ( FIG. 3 ) without having to remove the soft top  1 . Conversely, the collapsed soft top  1  and frame arrangement  3  of  FIG. 3  can be equally as quickly and easily extended to again cover the pickup bed  4  and position the rack members  7  to carry the overhead loads such as  10 ,  12 ,  14 , and  16  of  FIG. 1 .  
      More specifically, the frame arrangement  3  (which is shown for clarity without the soft top  1  in  FIG. 4  and then with the soft top  1  in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) includes a plurality of support or bow members  5  and overhead rack members  7 . Each support member  5  as illustrated in  FIG. 5  has an inverted, substantially U-shape with spaced-apart legs  5 ′ and a base  5 ″ extending therebetween. The soft top  1  in turn is positioned on the support members  5  over the bases  5 ″ ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ). The soft top  1  then extends not only laterally between the pickup side walls  6  and across the bed  4  ( FIG. 5 ) but also front-to-back or lengthwise between the support members  5  ( FIG. 6 ).  
      Each support leg  5 ′ as shown in  FIG. 7  (which is a view taken from the circled area of  FIG. 5  and along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 ) is mounted on a respective side wall  6  of the pickup truck  2 . This can be done directly but in the illustrated embodiment of  FIGS. 5-7 , this mounting is accomplished using a rail  11 . The rails  11  can be removably attached in any number of manners to the side walls  6  including by the illustrated clamps  13  of  FIG. 6 . With the rails  11  attached to the side walls  6  or even before being attached, the protruding members  15  on each end of the support legs  5 ′ can be positioned as in  FIG. 7  in the channel  17  of the rail  11 . The protruding members  15  in this regard can either be slid into the open front end  17 ′ of the channel  17  ( FIG. 8 ) or moved laterally in  FIG. 8  through one of the enlarged cut-outs  19 . Regardless and once received in the channel  17 , the stem  21  ( FIG. 7 ) of each protruding member  15  is then slid along the channel  17  until received in a predetermined position in a notch such as  23  ( FIG. 8 ) in the side piece of the channel  17 . A bolt  25  or similar device (see again  FIG. 7 ) can be subsequently passed through the hollow stem  21  of the protruding member  15  and tightened into the stationary nut  27  in an opposing side piece of the channel  17 . In this manner, each leg  5 ′ of the support members  5  is securely held in place atop the rail  11  and side wall  6 .  
      Each support member  5  and particularly the front and rear support members  5  as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 6  can optionally have angle pieces  31  if desired for additional support and integrity. That is, each overhead rack member  7  and the underlying support member  5  are preferably aligned substantially in a common vertical plane (e.g., V-V in  FIG. 6 ). Consequently, there is little if any torque from the weight of the static loads on the rack members  7  tending to rotate the underlying support members  5  forwardly or rearwardly (e.g., about a horizontal axis in the vertical plane V-V). Nevertheless, the angle pieces  31  can be added if desired to further increase the stability of the loaded support members  5 , particularly to limit front-to-back movement or sway of the support members  5  during acceleration and deceleration of the pickup truck  2 . Preferably, the pieces  31  extend generally at an acute angle (e.g., 45 degrees to the vertical plane V-V in  FIG. 6 ) substantially between the support leg  5 ′ and the side wall  6 .  
      The optional angle pieces  31  are further illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . As shown, each piece  31  has a lower end like the end of each support member  5  in  FIG. 7  with a protruding member  15 . As in  FIG. 7 , each protruding member of the angle piece  31  can be received and bolted in a predetermined notch like  23  in rail  11 . Additionally, the upper end of each angle piece  31  has a flange  33  ( FIG. 9 ) that can be releasably attached to the leg  5 ′ of the support member  5 . The attaching arrangement is specially designed so that the angle piece  31  can be detached from the support member  5  without having to remove the soft top  1 . In doing so, the bolt  25  of the lower end of each angle piece  31  (see again  FIG. 9 ) is removed and the two bolts  35  at the upper end of the angle piece  31  are loosened. The angle piece  31  can then be manually manipulated to align the enlarged, lower holes  37  in the flange  33  with the smaller nuts on the bolts  35 . The flange  33  and upper end of the angle piece  31  can subsequently be removed from engagement with the bolts  35  and the lower end of the angle piece  31  slid along the channel  17  in rail  11  to an enlarged cutout  19  ( FIG. 9 ) and removed. Alternatively, the protruding member  15  of the angle piece  31  in  FIG. 9  could be made without the head  21 ′ on the stem  21  (see also  FIG. 7 ). In this manner, once the bolt  25  of the protruding member  15  in  FIG. 9  is removed and the two bolts  35  loosened, the angle piece  31  can be simply moved laterally to remove its stem  21  from the rail channel  17  (versus sliding the stem  21  along the channel  17  to the enlarged notch  19 ).  
      With the angle pieces  31  so removed, the frame arrangement  3  can be easily and quickly collapsed to the position of  FIG. 3  without having to remove the soft top  1 . The soft top  1  and frame arrangement  3  can thus be moved as desired from the extended position of  FIGS. 2 and 6  to the collapsed position of  FIG. 3 . In the collapsed position, the legs  5 ′ of the three bow members  5  are preferably in predetermined locations with the respective stem members  21  in the front three notches  23  in the rails  11 . In the extended position ( FIG. 6 ), the rear support or bow member  5  is spaced from the front support member  5  and from the front wall  8  of the pickup truck  2 . In this position, the soft top  1  substantially covers the bed  4  of the pickup truck  2 . Conversely, in the collapsed position of  FIG. 3 , the soft top  1 , rear support member  5 , and the overhead rack member  7  thereon are all positioned substantially adjacent the front support member  5  and front wall  8 . The bed  4  of the pickup truck  2  is then open or exposed. Preferably, the seal member  55  engages the top of the tailgate  20  as shown but could engage other portions of the tailgate  20  (e.g., inside wall) if desired.  
      Whether or not the optional angle pieces  31  are used, areas of the soft top  1  of  FIG. 9  are preferably pinched or clamped between the leg  7 ′ of each rack member  7  and the underlying leg  5 ′ of the support member  5 . In the illustrated embodiment of  FIGS. 11 and 12 , this is accomplished using the three bolts  35 ,  35 , and  35 ′. Fewer bolts can be used but in the illustrated version in which the optional angle pieces  31  are used, only the lower two bolts  35  as indicted above need be loosened to remove each angle piece  31 . The upper bolt  35 ′ then maintains the soft top  1  at all times securely pinched or clamped between the legs  7 ′ and  5 ′ of the overhead rack member  7  and underlying support member  5  ( FIG. 12 ) and does so independently of whether the angle pieces  31  are in place. In the illustrated embodiment of  FIGS. 11 and 12 , a flexible gasket G (e.g., rubber) is provided on the outside of the soft top  1  in the pinched or clamped area between the legs  51  and  7 ′. The gasket G helps to protect and strengthen the clamped area of the fabric of the soft top  1  and also aids in forming a seal where the bolts  35 ,  35 ′ pass through the fabric.  
       FIGS. 13 and 14  illustrate the arrangements by which the front and rear edge portions  41  and  43  of the soft top  1  are removably secured in place over the front wall  8  and the tailgate  20 . Substantially in the manner of co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,888, the rear edge portion  43  of the soft top  1  ( FIG. 14 ) includes a substantially rigid, elongated member  45  attached to the rear panel  48  or main body of the soft top  1 . This can be done in any number of ways including the illustrated one with the dowel piece  47  on the flap  49  received in the C-shaped sleeve  51  in the elongated member  45 . In operation, the U-shaped channel between the legs  53  of the member  45  in  FIG. 14  is mated in the U-shaped clips  45 ′ on the rear of each rail  11  (see also  FIG. 10 ). The elongated member  45  is then supported on the pickup side walls  6  rearwardly of the support member  5  to extend between the side walls  6  above the closed tailgate  20 . A flexible and resilient seal member  55  is also provided on the elongated member  45  to engage the closed tailgate  20  as in  FIG. 14 . It is noted that the illustrated embodiment has three bow members  5 . However, the middle bow member  5  could be removed if desired or if the bed  4  is relatively short. Similarly, a fourth or more bow members  5  could be added if the bed  4  is longer.  
      Like the rear edge portion  43  of the soft top  1 , the front edge portion  41  in  FIG. 13  is attached to an elongated member  57  (e.g., by the dowel  59  on the flap  61  received in the C-shaped sleeve  63 ). However, unlike the rear edge portion  43  and U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,888, the front edge portion  41  is removably secured to the legs  5 ′ of the front support or bow member  5 . More specifically and as best seen in  FIG. 9 , a horizontally extending flange member  65  is attached to the bottom or free end of each leg  5 ′. Each flange member  65  then extends toward the other leg  5 ′ and is receivable between the legs  67  ( FIG. 13 ) of the horizontally extending, U-shaped channel in the elongated member  57 .  
      In this manner, the front edge portion  41  of the soft top  1  is supported to extend between the legs  5 ′ of the front support member  5  across the pickup truck  2 . Additionally, the elongated member  57  of  FIG. 13  is provided with a descending, flexible and resilient seal member  69  to sealingly engage the front wall  8  of the pickup truck  2 . A weatherproof barrier is thereby created between the front edge portion  41  of the soft top  1  and the front wall  8 . The securing structure for the front edge portion  41  is thus self-contained and easily and completely removed with the front support or bow member  5 . This is particularly advantageous as no securing structure for the front edge portion  41  need be attached or added to the main body of the pickup truck  2  as all of the securing structure is part of the frame arrangement  3  for the soft top  1 . Also, if the spacing between the front portion  41  of the soft top  1  and the cabin of the pickup truck is fairly tight as in  FIG. 6 , the sealing engagement of the member  69  and front wall  8  can be accomplished by simply sliding the front bow  5  forward to the position of  FIG. 13  with the elongated member  57  already attached.  
      In  FIGS. 15 and 16 , a feature of the present invention is illustrated in which the tension in the soft top  1  can be adjusted. Such adjustment in the tension in the fabric of the flexible soft top  1  (e.g., vinyl, canvas) is often desirable to compensate for wear and temperature changes that can affect the fit of the soft top  1  on the frame arrangement  3 . Temperature changes in particular may affect the tension in the soft top  1  several times even during the same day. In this regard, an additional or tension member  30  (see also  FIGS. 4 and 6 ) is provided. The tension member  30  as illustrated in  FIG. 4  has an inverted, substantially U-shape with spaced-apart legs  30 ′ and a base  30 ″ extending therebetween. The legs  30 ′ are respectively mounted to the legs  5 ′ of the rear support member  5  in  FIGS. 4 and 15  for movement about the pivotal axis  32  ( FIG. 15 ). The pivotal axis  32  is fixed relative to the rear support member  5  and each leg  30 ′ is selectively adjustable in length along its axis  34 . In the illustrated embodiment of  FIGS. 15 and 16 , this adjustment of the legs  30 ′ to extend for different lengths along the respective axes  34  is accomplished by moving the telescoping sections  36  and  38  relative to each other. In the preferred embodiment, this adjustment is done in predetermined increments by first manually depressing the spring-biased detent  40  mounted in the inner section  36 . The outer section  38  ( FIG. 16 ) can then be axially moved to selectively align the detent  40  with the spaced-apart holes  42 ,  42 ′, and  42 ″ in the outer section  38 .  
      In this manner, the length of each leg  30 ′ of the additional or tension member  30  along the axis  34  is selectively adjustable in predetermined increments. In doing so, the base  30 ″ on the tension member  30  in turn is selectively moved in predetermined increments relative to the rear support member  5  in  FIG. 15 . The result is that the tension in the soft top  1  between the secured front and rear portions  41  and  43  of  FIGS. 6, 13 , and  14  can be adjusted as needed or desired.  
      The legs  30 ′ as indicated above are preferably pivotally mounted at fixed locations along the legs  51  of the rear support member  5 . Consequently, as the lengths of the legs  30 ′ of the tension member  30  are adjusted, the legs  30 ′ can also pivot as needed against the friction fit at  32  in response to any movement or tension changes in the soft top  1 . As for example and in the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 15 , the soft top  1  has a substantially horizontal roof section  1 ′ joined at the junction area  44  to a downwardly extending rear section  1 ″. The base  30 ″ of the tension member  30  can then be positioned substantially at the junction area  44  as shown and can move with the junction area  44  as the tension in the soft top  1  is adjusted. Although the operation of the tension member  30  is illustrated with the collapsible soft top  1  of the present invention, it can equally be used to tension any soft top that is secured at front and rear locations relative to the pickup truck  2  or other vehicle.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 17 , the soft top  1  of the present invention preferably includes front and rear window panels  46  and  48  which can be removable as can the side panels  50  (e.g., window, mesh, or solid fabric). The removal of the panels  50  in the side portion of the soft top  1  can be accomplished in a number of manners but in the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 17 , the retainer arrangement for the upper edge portion of each side panel  50  has been specially designed to accommodate the folding or collapsing nature of the soft top  1 . More specifically, each side panel  50  as shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18  can have any number of known vertical attachments along their sides (e.g., snaps or the illustrated zippers  52  in  FIG. 17 ). Similarly, the side panel  50  can have any number of known lower attachments (e.g., snaps or the illustrated belt  54  and groove  56  one of  FIG. 18 ). This is the case because the vertical attachments along the sides essentially move with the collapsing support members  5  ( FIG. 19 ) and the lower attachment on the panel  50  (e.g., belt  54 ) is removed with the panel  50 . However, the upper attachment on the soft top  1  for the upper edge portion of the removed panel  50  must be able to fold and collapse with the soft top  1 .  
      This upper attachment could be, for example, snaps or other arrangements that would fold with the soft top  1 . However, the preferred upper attachment of the present invention includes the substantially rigid and elongated J-shaped retainers  60  of  FIGS. 17 and 18  that are mounted (e.g., sewn) to the soft top  1 . In use, the mating J-shaped retainer  60 ′ of the panel  50  ( FIG. 18 ) can be axially aligned with and slid along the mating retainers  60  on the soft top  1  for a quick and easy attachment (versus for example snaps). Removal in turn is just as easy and quick. The interlocking retainers  60  and  60 ′ also form a substantially weatherproof seal (versus for example snaps).  
      Other advantages of the elongated J-shaped retainers  60  and  60 ′ include the lower cost of materials and manufacture (versus for example zippers). However, as indicated above, any such rigid retaining arrangement must be able to fold or collapse with the soft top  1 . To accomplish this with the elongated, J-shaped retainers  60  of the present invention, at least two of them are provided which are slightly spaced from each other at the gap  62  in  FIG. 17 . The gap  62  in turn creates a hinge or pivotal area for the rigid retainers  60 . In operation, the rigid retainers  60  can be aligned in the open position of  FIG. 17 . In this position, the respective axes  64  and  66  of the rigid retainers  60  are substantially collinear to receive the mating retainer  60 ′ of the panel  50 . Thereafter, with the panel  50  removed, the retainers  60  can be moved to the partially folded or collapsed position of  FIG. 19  and on to the fully folded or collapsed position of  FIG. 3  in which the axes  64  and  66  of  FIG. 19  would be substantially adjacent and substantially vertically parallel to each other. In the preferred embodiment, the collapsed retainers  60  can be subsequently folded inwardly and upwardly with the rest of the soft top  1 . The folded retainers  60  and collapsed soft top  1  can then be held up by straps  68  or other means out of the way of the view of the driver through the window panel  46  of  FIG. 3 .  
      The above disclosure sets forth a number of embodiments of the present invention described in detail with respect to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in this art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, other structural arrangements, and other embodiments could be practiced under the teachings of the present invention without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the following claims.