Patent Publication Number: US-2023138645-A1

Title: Truck bed closure

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/516,121, filed on 2021 Nov. 1, the entire contents of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND 
     The various aspects and embodiments described herein relate to a truck bed closure. 
     Trucks are one of the most popular types of vehicles being sold in the United States and abroad. Users will accessorize the truck with a variety of functional components in order to fit their lifestyle and needs. However, in doing so, they may add certain functionality but also disable other functional aspects of the truck. 
     Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improvement in accessorizing trucks. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The various aspects and embodiments described herein address the deficiencies discussed above, discussed below and those that are known in the art. 
     A truck bed closure is disclosed herein which has a closure that may be moved between two configurations—a storage configuration wherein the closure is not disposed over the truck bed, and an extended configuration wherein the closure is disposed over the truck bed. The closure may extend across a width of the truck bed from one sidewall to another sidewall, and may block a user from accessing a portion of the truck bed from a location above the truck bed when the closure is moved to the extended configuration. When the closure is moved to the extended configuration, the truck bed closure may form a closed interior volume with the truck bed acting as a floor of the closed interior volume. The closure may be disposed under the roof of the cab in the storage configuration, and above the roof of the cab in the extended configuration, to form a closed interior volume that extends above the roof of the cab. When the closure is moved to the storage configuration, a full length of the truck bed may be accessible from a location above the truck bed. The closure may move between the configurations along a track or a rail that extends across the width of the truck bed. 
     The truck bed closure may have a front frame with an upper front track and a rear frame with an upper rear track. The front frame may be located above a front portion of the truck bed and the rear frame may be located above a rear portion of the truck bed. Opposing sides of the closure may be mechanically coupled to the upper front track and the upper rear track such that the closure spans the length of the truck bed. The closure may be configured to move along the upper front track and the upper rear track when being moved between the storage configuration and the extended configuration. The closure may be extended from the right sidewall to the left sidewall or from the left sidewall to the right sidewall depending upon the configuration. 
     The front frame and the rear frame may be shaped in an arc to match the shape of the roof of the truck cab, allowing for the extended closure be arch-shaped to closure the truck bed. The front frame and rear frame may be attachable to the truck in any suitable manner, for example by coupling to the rear surface of the truck cab, or by coupling to an upper surface of the sidewalls of the truck bed. The front frame may be attachable to a front section of the left sidewall and to a front section of the right sidewall, whereas the rear frame may be attachable to a rear section of the left sidewall and to a rear section of the right sidewall. The front frame and the rear frame may be attachable to the truck, for example by attaching to the cab of the truck or to the sidewalls of the truck bed such as the stake pockets at the top sides of the left and right sidewalls. Alternatively, the front frame and/or the rear frame may be integrated to the truck. For example, the front frame may be integrated into the rear wall of the cab of the truck, and the rear frame may be integrated into the sidewalls of the truck. The front and rear frames may also be removable from the left and right sidewalls. For example, the front and rear frames may be attached to the left and right sidewalls with a quick detach latch. The quick detach latch may only require one or two movements (e.g., push lever or button, pull lever or button, push-pull lever and/or button, pull-push lever and/or button) to detach. 
     The front frame and the rear frame may have a track that the closure follows when being moved between the storage configuration and the extended configuration. The closure may have one or more sliders that may be mounted to the tracks to help the closure slide between the storage configuration and the extended configuration. The closure may comprise any suitable material, such as a flexible fabric that unrolls into the extended configuration and rolls up into the storage configuration, or may comprise a plurality of rigid slats that are rotatably joined together by strut joints. A closure storage box may be used to house a portion of the closure when the closure is moved to the storage configuration. For example, a closure storage box may have a pin with a spring that biases the pin to pull the end of the closure to wrap the closure around the pin, allowing for the pin to naturally pull the closure into a storage configuration wrapped around the pin. A locking mechanism may be used to hold the closure in the extended configuration to prevent the spring from pulling at the end of the closure when the locking mechanism is engaged. 
     Alternatively, the closure storage box may be disposed along a sidewall and the base of the truck bed to hold a closure comprising a plurality of slats that are joined together by strut joints. The storage box may also have a lower front track and a lower rear track that may be used to guide the closure in and out of the storage box when moving the closure between the storage configuration and the extended configuration, respectively. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a truck having an embodiment of a retractable closure; 
         FIG.  2    is a zoomed-in view of a portion of the retractable closure of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is a zoomed-in view of a portion of the retractable closure of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    shows a perspective view of the truck of  FIG.  1    when the retractable closure is deployed and as a rear window is being attached; 
         FIG.  5    shows a perspective view of the truck of  FIG.  4    having the rear window installed in the rear frame of the retractable closure; 
         FIG.  6    shows a cross-sectional view of a storage box of the retractable closure of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  7    shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative storage box for a retractable closure; 
         FIG.  8    shows a perspective view of a truck having an alternative embodiment of a retractable closure using the alternative storage box of  FIG.  7   ; 
         FIG.  9    shows a perspective view of the truck of  FIG.  8    when the retractable closure is deployed; 
         FIG.  10    shows a perspective view of a truck having an alternative embodiment of a retractable closure; 
         FIG.  11    shows a perspective view of the truck of  FIG.  10    when the retractable closure is being deployed and a rear window is being attached; and 
         FIG.  12    shows a cross-sectional view of the storage box of the retractable closure of  FIG.  10   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, a truck  100  has a cab  20  having a rear window  37  shown in  FIG.  1   . Behind the truck cab  20 , the truck  100  may have a truck bed  21  formed by a left sidewall  22 , a right sidewall  24 , a cab wall  26 , and a tailgate  56 . A retractable closure  140  may extend from a closure storage box  130 , such that the retractable closure  140  may be moved between an extended configuration outside the storage box  130  and closing the truck bed  21  shown in  FIG.  4   , and a storage configuration stored largely within the storage box  130  shown in  FIG.  6   . When the retractable closure  140  is retracted into the storage box  130  in its storage configuration shown in  FIG.  6   , a user may have full access to the truck bed  21  of the truck  100  shown in  FIG.  1   . When the retractable closure  140  is pulled out of the storage box  130  in its extended configuration shown in  FIG.  4   , a user may have a protected interior volume that is formed under the closure  140  to protect any items placed in the truck bed  21  of the truck  100 . In this manner, the retractable closure  140  may provide for full access to the truck bed  21  when the retractable closure  140  is in the storage configuration and may provide for a protected interior volume of the truck bed  21  when the retractable closure  140  is in the extended configuration. 
     The retractable closure  140  may be disposed to be movable on tracks. For example, shown best in  FIG.  3   , the front frame  120  may have a track  122 , and the rear frame  110  may have a track  112 . The front and rear edges of the retractable closure may be disposed to follow the track  122  and the track  112 , respectively, when a user moves the retractable closure  140  between the storage configuration and the extended configuration. As shown in  FIG.  1   , the tracks  122 ,  112 , may extend between the right sidewall  24  to the left sidewall  22  to allow the closure  140  to closure an entire section of the truck bed  21  between the sidewalls  22 ,  24  when the closure  140  is extended via the tracks  112 ,  122 . Each track,  112 ,  122  may each comprise a groove or a recess within which an edge of the closure  140  may be inserted into, which provides a guide for a user that pulls or pushes the handle  144  of the closure  140 . A slider, such as the slider  148  shown in  FIG.  3   , may mate with the track  122  to help the edge of the closure  140  follow the track  122  when being moved between the storage configuration and the extended configuration. Such a slider may be particularly useful when the closure is made of a flexible material that may fold if the edges of the closure  140  are not coupled to the tracks  122 ,  112 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   , the retractable closure  140  may have a latch  142  that is sized and disposed to mate with the recess  152  shown in  FIG.  2   . The latch  142  and recess  152  may cooperatively operate as a locking mechanism to lock the retractable closure  140  in place relative to the left sidewall  22  when the retractable closure  140  is fully extended as shown in  FIG.  4   . While the retractable closure  140  is shown in  FIGS.  1  and  4    as being extendable from the right sidewall  24  to the left sidewall  22 , the retractable closure  140  may be configured to extend from the left sidewall  22  to the right sidewall by reversing the closure storage box  130  and coupling the storage box  130  to the left sidewall  22 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  4   , the rear frame  110  may have an inner recess  116  that is shaped to accept an edge  38  of a rear window  39 . The rear window  39  may be detachable and attachable to the rear frame  110  depending upon need. When attached, the rear window  39  may be pivoted up and held up with a telescoping member. The recess  116  of the rear frame may hold the rear window  39  in place relative to the rear frame  110  to close an opening to the protected interior volume that is formed under the closure  140  to protect items placed in the truck bed  21 . Alternatively, the rear frame  110  may be formed to be integral with the rear window  39 . As shown in  FIG.  5   , when the closure  140  is extended via the rear frame  110  and the front frame  120  to closure the truck bed  21 , and the rear window  39  is coupled to the rear frame  110 , the closure  140  and the rear window  39  may block access to the protected interior volume that is formed under the closure  140  to protect items placed in the truck bed  21  (shown in  FIG.  4   ). 
     As shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG.  6   , the closure  140  may be rolled up in the storage box  130  of  FIG.  1    in a rolled-up storage configuration. The closure  140  may be rolled up around a pin  138  (see  FIG.  6   ) having a spring  139  that is biased to pull the closure  140  into the rolled-up storage configuration shown in  FIG.  6   . When a user pulls on the handle  144  with a force greater than the bias of the spring  139 , the force unrolls the closure  140  about the pin  138  counterclockwise (as shown in  FIG.  6   ) through the gap  132  in the storage box  130 . The user may pull the handle  144  until the closure  140  fully extends to the extended configuration (see  FIG.  4   ) and may engage the latch  142  (see  FIG.  3   ) to mate with the recess  152  (see  FIG.  2   ) to lock the closure  140  in place relative to the left sidewall  22  (see  FIG.  4   ) of the truck  100 . When a user disengages the latch  142 , the natural bias of the spring  139  (see  FIG.  6   ) may then roll the pin  138  clockwise (as shown in  FIG.  6   ) to pull the closure  140  into the storage box  130  through the gap  132  to the storage configuration. While a spring  139  is shown to pull the closure  140  to the storage configuration, other methods of rolling the closure  140  about the pin  138  may be used. For example, a user may manually roll the closure  140  about the pin  138 , or may turn a crank coupled to an axis of the pin  138  to roll the closure  140  about the pin  138 . 
     As shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG.  7   , an alternative closure  150  may be stored in the storage box  130 , having a magnet  152  that may be coupled to the end of the closure  150 . The magnet  152  may be made to have a width that is wider than the gap  132  of the storage box  130 , which may prevent the magnet  152  from entering the storage box  130  when the spring  139  pulls the closure  150  into the storage configuration shown in  FIG.  7   . As shown in  FIG.  8   , the magnet  152  may be sized and disposed to magnetically couple with the matching ferrous plate  154  disposed along the top of the left sidewall  22  of the truck  100 . As shown in  FIG.  9   , when a user fully extends the closure  150  via the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110 , the magnet  152  and the ferrous plate  154  may mate with one another to hold the closure  150  in place relative to the left sidewall  22 . 
     An alternative closure  160  is shown in  FIG.  10   , used to closure the truck bed  21  of the truck  100 . The closure  160  may comprise a series of slats  162  (shown in  FIG.  12   ) that are rotationally coupled to one another via strut joints  163 . A user may apply force to the handle  161  of the closure  160  to move the closure  160  in and out of the storage box  170 . When the closure  160  moves out of the storage box  170 , the closure may traverse between the storage configuration shown in  FIG.  12    and the extended configuration shown in  FIG.  11    by traveling along the front track  122  and the rear track  112  formed in the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110 , respectively. When the user fully extends the closure  160 , the closure  160  may closure the truck bed  21  of the truck  100  as shown in  FIG.  11   . 
     The closure  160  may be configured to be movable between the extended configuration shown in  FIG.  11    and the storage configuration shown in  FIG.  12    by sliding along the upper front track  122  of the front frame  120  (see  FIG.  10   ), the lower front track  182  of the lower front frame  180  (see  FIG.  11   ), the upper rear track  112  of the rear frame  110  (see  FIG.  10   ), and the lower rear track  192  of the lower rear frame  190  (see  FIG.  11   ). A storage box  170  (see  FIG.  10   ) may be positioned along the perimeter of the truck bed  21  to hold the closure  160  in its storage configuration within the storage box  170 , best shown in  FIG.  12   . A user may pull on the handle  161  of the closure  160  to pull the closure  160  from the storage box  170  to extend the closure  160  to the extended configuration shown in  FIG.  11    and may push on the handle  161  of the closure  160  to push the closure  160  into the gap  172  of the storage box  170  to move the closure  160  into the storage configuration shown in  FIG.  12   . 
     The closures  140  ( FIG.  5   ),  150  ( FIG.  9   ) and  FIG.  160    ( FIG.  11   ) are discussed herein in relation to a truck  100 , respectively. However, it is also contemplated that the closures  140 ,  150 , and  160  may also be mounted to any type of vehicle having a cargo area with an open top area. By way of example and not limitation, the closures  140 ,  150 , and  160 , respectively, may also be mounted to a golf cart having an open cargo area or container behind the passenger area. Additionally, the closures  140 ,  150 , and  160  may be mounted to a container having an open top. 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  1 - 2   , a first embodiment of an extendible closure  140  is shown for a truck  100  having a cab  20 . Behind the truck cab  20 , the truck  100  may have a truck bed  21  formed by a left sidewall  22 , a right sidewall  24 , a cab wall  26 , and a tailgate  56 . As discussed above, the closure  140  may be mounted to other types of vehicles as well as to a container. In this regard, the walls of such a container may be the functional equivalent of the left sidewall  22 , right sidewall  24 , cab wall  26 , and tailgate  56 . The truck cab  20  may also have a cab window  37  located above the cab wall  26  to form a barrier between the truck bed  21  and the cab  20 . 
     The truck  100  may have a front frame  120  and a rear frame  110 . The front frame  120  may be mounted to a front portion of the left sidewall  22  and to a front portion of the right sidewall  24 . The rear frame  110  may be mounted to a rear portion of the left sidewall  22  and to a rear portion of the right sidewall  24 . The front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  may be attached to the left sidewall  22  and the right sidewall  24  in any suitable manner, for example by using screws, nails, adhesives, or slidable tracks that lock into place using a friction fit locking mechanism or a lock. The front and rear frames  120 ,  110  may be attached to the left and right sidewalls  22 ,  24  at the stake pockets of the left and right sidewalls  22 ,  24 . The front frame  120  may also be, or may alternatively be, attached to the cab  20 . Such an embodiment may be useful where the cab  20  is integral to the left sidewall  22  and the right sidewall  24 . The front frame  120  may have a front track  122  and the rear frame may have a rear track  112 . The edges of the closure  140  may be sized and disposed to mate with both the front track  122  and the rear track  112  such that the front track  122  and the rear track  112  guide the closure  140  as the closure  140  slides between the storage configuration and the extended configuration. 
     The front and rear frames  120 ,  110  may also be removable from the left and right sidewalls  22 ,  24 . For example, the front and/or rear frames may be attached to the left and right sidewalls with a quick detach latch. The quick detach latch may only require one or two movements (e.g., push lever or button, pull lever or button, push-pull lever and/or button, pull-push lever and/or button) to detach. 
       FIG.  3    shows a close-up of the closure  140  with a handle  144  that helps a user to pull the closure  140  out from the gap  132  of the storage box  130  in order to extend the closure  140  over the truck bed  21  (see  FIG.  2   ) via the front track  122  and the rear track  112 . The front track  122  may comprise a recess that is sized to mate with a slider  148  (see  FIG.  3   ) of the closure  140  and help guide the closure  140  between the storage configuration and the extended configuration. An opposing slider (not shown) may be used to mate the opposing edge of the closure  140  with the track  112  of the rear frame  110 . 
     The sliding track  122  may have one or more races. Each race of the sliding track  122  may be attached to the slider  148  of the closure  140 . The slider  148  may comprise one or more tongues and the sliding track  122  may comprise one or more grooves that receive the tongue(s) of the slider  148 . Alternatively, the slider  148  may comprise a groove that receives a tongue of the sliding track  122 , or the slider  148  and the track  122  may comprise a ball bearing engagement between the two so that the weight of the closure  140  does not hinder sliding movement along the front frame  120 . A matching slider (not shown) may be used to attach the opposite edge of the closure  140  to the rear track  112  of the rear frame  110 . Any suitable sliding engagement mechanism may be used between the closure  140  and the front track  122  of the front frame  120  and the rear track  112  of the rear frame  110 . For example, an edge of the closure  140  may be shaped to have a width that is slightly smaller (e.g., 1 or 2 mm smaller) than the width of a recess of the track  122 . which may allow the edge of the closure  140  to simply slide along the recess of the track  122  when a user pulls or pushes on the handle  144  of the closure  140 . The track  122  of the front frame  120  may be parallel to the track  112  of the rear frame  110  to allow the closure  140  to be aligned between the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  when the closure  140  is moved between the storage configuration and the extended configuration. 
     The front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  may each be fabricated from a rigid tubular material. While the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  are shown in  FIG.  1    as having an arched shape, the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  may be shaped to have any suitable shape to closure the truck bed  21  of the truck  100 , such as a rectangular shape or a trapezoidal shape. Contemplated materials for the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  include, but are not limited to, fiberglass, carbon fiber, aluminum, metal, plastic, or solid bar. The front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  may be fabricated from a material that can withstand wind and driving forces due to the truck  100  driving on the freeway at speeds of up to 65-90 mph and cornering. 
     The closure  140  may have a latch  142  that is sized to mate with the recess  152  shown in  FIG.  2    along the top edge of the left sidewall  22  of the truck  100 . The latch  142  is shown in  FIG.  3    as extended from an edge  143  of the closure  140 , but the latch  142  may be configured to rotate between the extended configuration shown in  FIG.  3    to a recessed position folded within a recess of the edge  143  by engaging a rotational mechanism in the handle  144 . The latch  142  (see  FIG.  3   ) and the recess  152  (see  FIG.  2   ) may cooperatively form a locking mechanism that may be used to hold the closure  140  in place relative to the left sidewall  22  of the truck  100 , such that the closure  140  is not easily pulled from its extended configuration to the storage configuration. A user may engage and disengage the latch  142  by operating a rotational locking mechanism in the handle  144  that rotates the latch  142  between a locked position and an unlocked position. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates the truck  100  when a user fully extends the closure  140  and locks the latch  142  with the recess  152 . The closure  140  may have a left window  146  and a right window  147  that are made of a transparent material, such as a transparent plastic, that may allow a user to look into the truck bed  21  when the closure  140  is fully extended over the truck bed  21 . A rear window  39  may be configured to mate with the rear frame  110  by having an edge  38  that fits within a recess  116  of the rear frame  110 . When the rear window  39  is coupled to the rear frame  110 , the truck bed  21  may be fully enclosed, as is shown in  FIG.  5   , by the closure  140  having left window  146  and right window  147  (shown in  FIG.  4   ), and the rear frame  110  having the window  39 . 
     The closure  140  may be fabricated from one or more flexible materials, such as a flexible plastic, vinyl, canvas, or cloth, to allow for the closure  140  to roll up through the gap  1132  of the storage box  130  shown in  FIG.  3   . The closure  140  may comprise a plurality of windows, such as the left window  146  and the right window  147  shown in  FIG.  4   , which may be made of the same, or different, materials as the rest of the closure  140 . For example, the body of the closure  140  may be made of a flexible, opaque cloth, while the left window  146  and the right window  147  may be made of a flexible, transparent or translucent plastic. While only one closure  140  is shown as being extended from the right sidewall  24  to the left sidewall  22 , a plurality of closures may be extended from the right sidewall  24  to the left sidewall  22 , positioned parallel to one another between a plurality of frames extended between the left sidewall  22  and the right sidewall  24 . The closure  140  and the frames  110  and  120  when in the deployed state shown in  FIGS.  4  and  5    may be waterproof so that rainwater does not and cannot enter the truck bed area  21 . To this end, the junctions between the closure  140  and the frames  110  and  120  may have rubber seals or other sealing mechanisms for keep the water out of the truck bed area  21 . The inner recess  116  of the rear frame  110  and the upper edge of the tailgate  56  may also have a rubber seal or other sealing mechanisms to help to waterproof the seal about the rear window  39  to prevent water from entering the truck bed area  21 . 
     The closure  140  may be sufficiently wide enough in order to engage both the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110 . More particularly, the closure  140  may form a watertight seal along the topsides of the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  to provide a dry interior volume over the truck bed  21 . The closure  140  may have a rubber seal along the outer peripheral edges that engage the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  to form such a watertight seal. The rubber seal may form a valve about the sliders of the closure  140 , such as the slider  148  of the closure  140  shown in  FIG.  3   . 
     The closure  140  may be configured to roll up into the storage box  130  in the configuration shown in  FIG.  6   . The storage box  130  may have a width  134  and a height  135  suitable to allow for a flexible closure  140  that extends across the front frame  120  and the rear frame  110  of  FIG.  1    to fit within the storage box  130  in a rolled-up storage configuration. The storage box  130  may have a width of at least 3 inches and a height of at least 3 inches to accommodate such a closure  140 . The closure  140  may have a gap  132  in the storage box  130  that allows a section of the closure  140  to unroll through the gap  132  to the extended configuration shown in  FIG.  5   . The perimeter of the gap  132  may have cushions about the edges of the gap  132  to prevent the closure  140  from catching or tearing along the edges of the gap  132  as it is moved between the storage configuration and the extended configuration. For example, rubber cushions could be attached to the edges of the gap  132  to provide a cushion to protect the closure  140  while it is moved between configurations. 
     The closure  140  may be rolled up around a pin  138  having a spring  139  that is biased to pull the closure  140  into the rolled-up storage configuration shown in  FIG.  6   . The spring  139  may comprise a flexible metal that stretches to allow the pin  138  to fully unroll and allow the closure  140  to be extended to its full extended configuration as shown in  FIG.  5   . The spring  139  may be biased to pull the closure  140  back to its original configuration rolled up about the pin  138 . As such, when a user pulls on the handle  144 , the force of the user pulling upwards on the handle  144  may unroll the closure  140  about the pin  138  counterclockwise (as shown in  FIG.  6   ) through the gap  132  in the storage box  130 . As the closure  140  continues to unroll, the force about the spring  139  may increase due to the stretching that occurs to the spring  139  as the closure  140  continues to unroll. The user may pull the handle  144  until the closure  140  fully extends to the extended configuration shown in  FIG.  4    and may engage the latch  142  shown in  FIG.  3    to mate with the recess  152  shown in  FIG.  2    to lock the closure  140  in place. The latch  142  may be configured to withstand the pulling force of the spring  139  on the closure  140  when the closure  140  is fully extended out of the storage box  130 . While only one latch  142  is shown in  FIG.  3    and one recess  152  is shown in  FIG.  2   , a plurality of latches and recesses may be used to provide for a plurality of locking mechanisms between the closure  140  and the left sidewall  22  to hold the closure  140  in the extended configuration shown in  FIG.  4   . 
     When a user disengages the latch  142  of  FIG.  3    from the recess  152  of  FIG.  2   , the spring  139  of  FIG.  6    may then exert its biasing force to roll the pin  138  clockwise (as shown in  FIG.  6   ) to pull the closure  140  in through the gap  132  in the storage box  130  to the storage configuration shown in  FIG.  6   . Spring  139  may be configured to only partially roll the pin  138  clockwise, allowing for the handle  144  to stick out of the gap  132  of the storage box when the biasing force of the spring  139  is fully spent and there is no longer a biasing force pulling the closure  140  to roll clockwise (as shown in  FIG.  6   ). While a latch and recess is shown as the locking mechanism used to latch the closure  140  to the left sidewall  22  in place, other locking mechanisms may be used, such as a deadbolt or a threaded screw locking mechanism. 
       FIG.  7    shows an alternative locking mechanism with a closure  150  having a magnet  152  coupled to an end of the closure  150 . The magnet  152  may be configured to have a width that is wider than the gap  132  of the storage box  130 , which may prevent the magnet  152  from entering the storage box  130  when the spring  139  pulls the closure  150  into the storage configuration shown in  FIG.  7   . Since the magnet  152  has a width that is larger than the width of the gap  132  of the storage box  130 , the spring  139  may be biased to fully pull the closure  150  into the storage box  130 , as the end of the closure  150  with the magnet  152  is in no danger of being pulled into the storage box  130 . When the spring  139  pulls the closure  150  clockwise, the magnet  152  may abut against the exterior surface of the storage box  130  about the gap  132 , preventing the magnet  152  from entering the gap  132 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  8   , the magnet  152  may extend across a length of the closure  150  from edge to edge. Alternatively, the magnet  152  may extend across only a portion of the length of the closure  150 , or a plurality of magnets may be disposed along the edge of the closure  150 . The magnet  152  may be sized and disposed to magnetically couple with the ferrous plate  154 , which may be attached to a top edge of the left sidewall  22 . For example, if the ferrous plate  154  has a magnetic charge, then the magnet  152  may have a north pole oriented towards the tailgate  56  of the truck  100  and a south pole oriented towards the cab wall  26  of the truck  100 , whereas the ferrous plate  154  may have a south pole oriented towards the tailgate  56  of the truck  100  and a north pole oriented towards the cab wall  26  of the truck. Or vice versa. Where the ferrous plate comprises a non-magnetic material that has no polarity, the magnet  152  may simply be configured to couple to the ferrous plate  154  by being disposed to have surface areas that abut one another when the closure  150  is pulled to the extended configuration. For example, the magnet  152  may be configured to have at least 20 sq. in., 30 sq. in, or 50 sq. in. of surface area that abuts the ferrous plate  154  attached to the top edge of the left sidewall  22 . 
     When a user pulls the closure  150  towards the extended configuration via the front track  122  of the front frame  120  and the rear track  112  of the rear frame  110 , the magnet  152  may be pulled towards the ferrous plate  154  via a magnetic force. As shown in  FIG.  9   , the magnet  152  may magnetically attach to the ferrous plate  154  via a magnetic connection, holding the closure  150  in place relative to the left sidewall  22 . When a user wishes to move the closure  150  from the extended configuration shown in  FIG.  9    to the storage configuration shown in  FIG.  7   , the user may then detach the magnet  152  from the ferrous plate  154  and allow the spring  139  shown in  FIG.  7    to pull the closure  150  into the storage box  130 . The magnet  152  may be an electromagnet that activates or deactivates when a user activates a switch, such as the switch  151  shown in  FIG.  7   . The switch  151  may comprise a push button, that may connect or disconnect the electromagnet  152  from a power supply. When a user pushes the button  151 , the electromagnet may deactivate, allowing the user to easily disengage the magnet  152  from the ferrous plate  154  and allow the closure  150  to return back into the storage box  130 . 
     While  FIG.  9    shows that element  152  is a magnet and element  154  is a ferrous plate, element  154  may be a magnet and element  152  may be a ferrous plate, or both elements  152  and  154  may comprise magnets to hold the closure  150  in the extended configuration. While the closure  150  is shown as being deployed out of the storage box  130  from the right sidewall  24  to the left sidewall  22  to allow for the magnet  152  to mate with the ferrous plate  154 , the closure  150  may be deployed from the left sidewall  22  to the right sidewall  24  by reversing the storage box  130  and attaching it to the left sidewall  22 , and coupling the ferrous plate  154  to the top edge of the right sidewall  24 . While only one closure  150  is shown as being extended from the right sidewall  24  to the left sidewall  22 , a plurality of similar closures may be extended from the right sidewall  24  to the left sidewall  22 , positioned parallel to one another between a plurality of frames extended between the left sidewall  22  and the right sidewall  24 . The closure  150  and the frames  110  and  120  when in the deployed state shown in  FIG.  9    may be waterproof so that rain water does not and cannot enter the truck bed area  21 . To this end, the junctions between the closure  150  and the frames  110  and  120  may have rubber seals or other sealing mechanisms for keep the water out of the truck bed area  21 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  10   , an alternative truck  100  may have a closure  160  comprising a series of slats  162 . The slats may be rigid, in contrast to the flexible closure  140  of  FIG.  1    and closure  150  of  FIG.  8   . The configuration of the rigid slats  162  may be seen more clearly in the cross-sectional view of closure  160  in  FIG.  12   , which shows each slat  162  rotatably coupled to an adjoining slat via a strut joint  163 . Each slat  162  may be configured to rotate about a strut joint by at least 20, 30, 40, or even 45 degrees to allow for the closure  160  to be extendible along the upper front track  122  of upper front frame  120  and the upper rear track  112  of the upper rear frame  110 . The strut joints  163  may have a slider, similar to the slider  148  of  FIG.  3   , which ensures that the strut joints follow the upper front track  122  and the upper rear track  112  while a user moves the closure  160  between the storage configuration shown in  FIG.  12    and the extended configuration shown in  FIG.  11   . 
     Since the closure  160  comprises a series of rigid struts, the storage box  170  that holds the closure  160  may be configured to wrap around the perimeter of the truck bed  21 , as shown in  FIG.  12   . The storage box  170  may comprise a width  174  and a height  175  which allows for the storage box  170  to hold a volume that may comfortably hold a closure  160  that extends over a truck bed  21 , such as a width of at least 50 inches, and a height of at least 20 inches. The storage box  170  may have a gap  172  that allows the slats of the closure  160  to enter the storage box  170  when a user moves the closure  160  into the storage configuration shown in  FIG.  12   . The gap  172  may have a width  173  of at most 1 inch to allow for the slats to flex while entering the storage box  170  due to vibrational forces. 
     As shown in  FIG.  11   , the storage box  170  may have a lower front frame  180  and a lower rear frame  190  that may be used to guide the closure  160  into place inside the storage box  170 . The lower front frame  180  may have a lower front track  182  (shown in  FIG.  11   ), similar to the upper front track  122  of the upper front frame  120  (shown in  FIG.  10   ), and the lower front frame  190  may have a lower front track  192  (shown in  FIG.  11   ), similar to the upper rear track  112  of the upper rear frame  110  (shown in  FIG.  10   ). The lower front track  182  may be juxtaposed with the upper front track  122  to allow for a slider coupled to the lower front track  182  to slide into the upper front track  122  when a user moves the closure  160  towards the extended configuration, and for a slider coupled to the upper front track  122  to slide into the lower front track  182  when a user moves the closure  160  towards the storage configuration. Likewise, the lower rear track  192  may be juxtaposed with the upper rear track  112  to allow for a slider coupled to the lower rear track  192  to slide into the upper rear track  112  when a user moves the closure  160  towards the extended configuration, and for a slider coupled to the upper rear track  112  to slide into the lower rear track  192  when a user moves the closure  160  towards the storage configuration. 
     While the closures  140  ( FIG.  1   ),  150  ( FIG.  8   ), and  160  ( FIG.  9   ) are shown here as extended from a right sidewall  24  to a left sidewall  22 , retractable closures may be used that extend from the left sidewall  22  to the right sidewall  24  by reversing the design and orientation of the storage boxes  130  and  170 , respectively, about the truck bed  21 . While only one closure is shown that extends across an entire length of the truck bed  21 , a plurality of closures may be used by disposing a plurality of frames across the length of the left sidewall  22  and the right sidewall  24  to closure different sections of the truck bed  21  between the cab wall  26  and the tailgate  56 . While the closure  160  is shown as being deployed out of the storage box  170  from the right sidewall  24  to the left sidewall  22 , the closure  160  may be deployed from the left sidewall  22  to the right sidewall  24  by reversing the configuration of the storage box  170  relative to the left sidewall  22  and the right sidewall  24 . The closure  160  and the frames  110  and  120  when in the deployed state shown in  FIG.  11    may be waterproof so that rain water does not and cannot enter the truck bed area  21 . To this end, the junctions between the closure  160  and the frames  110  and  120  and the strut joints  163  may have rubber seals or other sealing mechanisms for keep the water out of the truck bed area  21 . 
     The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.