Abstract:
Tie-down devices are affixed to one piece members to be installed on the exterior of a pick-up truck bed. The side and rear members will also serve as rail protectors. A fabric (tonneau) cover is attached to the tie-down devices.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a device to be installed on the top rail portion of a pick-up truck bed to protect the rail and provide tie-down devices to secure a specifically made fabric (tonneau) cover which attaches to the tie-down devices. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Currently most pick-up trucks, new and old, do not have tie-down devices installed on their cargo beds. The reason for this is mainly due to the bed&#39;s double-wall construction, which makes a strong and firm installation a very difficult task. 
     Currently installing a fabric (tonneau) cover to a pick-up truck bed is a complicated and time consuming task. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art by providing an easily installed system for covering the bed of a truck which includes tie down devices and a fabric cover. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of the tie-down system. 
     FIG. 2 is a right side elevation of the rail protector and its affixed tie-down devices. 
     FIG. 3 is a left side elevation of the rail protector and its affixed tie-down devices. 
     FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the rail protector and its affixed tie-down devices. 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevation of a metal strip and its affixed tie-down devices. 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of the right or left rail protector with the affixed tie-down device 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view along section 7--7 of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional view, along section 8--8 of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional view along section 9--9 of FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the fabric (tonneau) cover attached to the tie-down devices. 
     FIG. 11 is a plan view of a portion of the fabric (tonneau) cover attached to a tie down device. 
     FIG. 12 is an elevation of a portion of the fabric (tonneau) cover attached to a tie-down device. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 an embodiment of a fabric cover and tie-down system is shown. In this embodiment tie-down devices are comprised of hooks 1 affixed to mounting members 2, 3 and 4 which serve as rail protectors, and strip of metal 5 and are mounted to the top portion of a pick-up truck bed. Cut outs 8 are provided in mounting members 2 and 3 to allow use of post holes in side rails of truck bed. The interior bed front rail is 6. The exterior exposed top corners of truck bed are: front 7 and rear 9. The side mounting members 2 and 3 with hooks 1 affixed thereto are mounted with nut and bolt assembly 11 (carriage bolts, flat washers, lock washers, and nuts) through holes 26 that are precut in mounting members 2 and 3 by manufacturer and drilled in top rail of truck bed by installer. There is a neoprene gasket 10 in between mounting members 2 and 3 and the top of the trucks rail 12 and its exterior side wall 14. The truck&#39;s bed interior side wall is 13. 
     The strip of metal 5 with hooks 1 affixed thereto is mounted to truck&#39;s front exterior top portion of bed 15 with nut and bolt assembly 11 (carriage bolts, flat washers, lock washers, and nuts) through holes 27 that are precut in the metal strip 5 by manufacturer and drilled in front wall of truck bed by installer. There is a neoprene gasket 16 in between the strip 5 and the truck&#39;s exterior. 
     The rear (tailgate) protector 4 with hooks 1 affixed thereto is mounted with sheet metal screws 17 through holes 28 and 29 pre-drilled by manufacturer and drilled in top portion of tailgate by installer. There is a neoprene gasket 18 in between protector 4 and truck&#39;s top portion of tailgate. The interior of tailgate is 19 and the exterior is 20. 
     Referring to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 an embodiment of fabric (tonneau) cover is shown. In this embodiment the fabric (tonneau) cover 21 is attached to the tie-down system shown in FIG. 1. 
     There is a round elastic band 24 inside a hem 25 sewn on the outside perimeter of cover 21. Cut-outs 23 are in the hem 25 to expose the elastic band 24 adjacent to each tie-down device 1 which secures the cover 21 to the top of a pick-up truck bed.