Abstract:
A flexible bag is equipped with grommets and cords enabling it to be placed over one end of a load of material and secured to a vehicle, thus preventing the load from shifting in transit. The bag is shaped to facilitate its placement on the load, and to conform the bag to the shape of the load, thereby reducing slipstream damage to the bag. The bag may also be equipped with brightly colored anti-collision devices.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority of provisional application No. 60/256,074 filed Dec. 15, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     A common problem with hauling long loads in vehicles is that the center of gravity of the load may shift rearward due to acceleration and cause the load to fall off or destabilize the vehicle. This often occurs in pickup trucks, and is made more likely by bed liners, which typically have a lower coefficient of friction than the vehicle paint. Simply tying the load down, while increasing the frictional retentive force somewhat, may be insufficient to prevent this shift. An apparatus is needed to prevent this shift positively, quickly, and inexpensively. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is a flexible grommetted shroud that can be pulled over the end of a load, e.g., lumber, and tied by means of rope, twine, strap or an extension of the shroud itself (collectively referred to here as “ties”) to cleats on the truck so as to prevent rearward movement of the load. (Such a shroud could likewise be placed over the front of the load, but usually the truck cab is sufficient to limit forward motion.) An object of this invention is to improve the security with which a load can be held in a vehicle. A further object of the invention is to provide this increased security inexpensively. It is another object of the invention to reduce the time it takes to secure a load in a vehicle. It is another object of this invention to provide weatherproof cover for the load in combination with this security. It is another object of the invention to retain the load without having to lift up the load to fasten it. It is another object of the invention to provide an extended load warning flag with the additional load retention security. It is a further object of the invention to provide a strengthened grommet attachment to cloth for withstanding the shifting forces created by a load in acceleration. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 1 a  is a top view of the first embodiment. 
     FIG. 1 b  is a bottom view of the first embodiment. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 a  is a top view of the second embodiment. 
     FIG. 3 is a close-up cross-sectional side view of one edge of the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a close-up cutaway top view of one edge of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements in each, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention  1 , being used in the environment of a pickup truck  2  (by way of example and not limitation). The load carrying part of the truck consists of a horizontal bed  3 , sidewalls  4   a  and  4   b , and a bulkhead  5 . In this case the bed also contains tie eyes  6   a  and  6   b  located facing inward to the bed at the sides of the bulkhead, and a tailgate  7  that is lowered for ease in loading. A typical load of lumber  8  is shown, and it is longer than the combined length of the bed and the tailgate. The invention  1  consists of a flexible bag  9  with an upper side  10  and a lower side  11  connected substantially along three sides  12   a  (hidden),  12   b , and  12   c . The upper side is longer than the lower side, and along the edges of the upper side are a plurality of grommets  13   a-d  ( 13   c  hidden by sidewall  4   a ). The bag is slid over the rearward end of the load. The shortness of the lower side of the bag enables the load to be held in place but with minimal manipulation, e. g., lifting, of the load to accommodate the bag. The upper side of the bag extends further forward along the load to provide additional protection from the slipstream as well as retention of putatively shorter contents combined with long materials. Lengths of rope or the like  14   a  on one side of the load and  14   b  on the other side of the load are used to pull the grommets on either side of the load toward a respective tie eye  6   a  or  6   b  and thus restrain the load from sliding back or substantially from side to side. The plurality of grommets provides additional securing points along the periphery of the bag and allows the bag to be wound over onto itself and tied for additional load security. The plurality of grommets also serves to divide the tension of the rope among a plurality of locations on the bag and reduce the potential of ripping out a grommet, Grommets may also be fixed to the forward edge  17  of lower side  11  to provide attachment points for another rope or ropes to bind the bag material more closely to the sides of the load (see FIG. 1 b  for detail). A safety flag  15  or brightly colored area at the rear of the bag are part of the invention. Alternatively the entire bag may be brightly colored. 
     FIG. 1 a  is a top view of the first embodiment more clearly showing the grommets  13  and ropes  14 . Also shown is forward edge  18  on top side  10 . 
     FIG. 1 b  is a bottom view of the first embodiment showing grommets  16   a  and  16   b  on the forward edge  17  of lower side  11 . Ropes  19   a  and  19   b  are attached to these grommets respectively. They may be wrapped around the load and tied to each other to provide extra security against splaying of the load and to prevent flapping of excess bag material. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention designed to constrain bundled contents, e. g., pipe  20 . This situation also describes the common instance in which the tailgate  7  is up but the load could tip backward, slide from side to side, or splay apart during transit. In this case the bag  21  is similar to that of FIG. 1 but is of generally smaller width to better accommodate the common situation involving long, thin bundles. Such bundles may only need a plurality of grommets  22  along one side or along two adjacent sides of the bag. 
     FIG. 2 a  is a top view of the second embodiment of the invention, more clearly showing the grommets  22 . 
     In another embodiment of the invention, not shown in a figure, the bag is formed from a flat shape of thin flexible material having a plurality of grommets, hooks and eyes, and/or snaps making it foldable into a variety of pocket shaped enclosures that can be slid over a load, bound to itself if desired, and tied to attachment points in the bed of the truck. 
     FIG. 3 is a close-up cross-sectional side view of one edge of the invention. It is a reinforced grommet assembly in the invention having three flexible flat layers a first grommet piece  30  and a second grommet piece  31 . A top flexible layer  32  and bottom flexible layer  33  sandwich a reinforcement layer  34  comprising a patch only up to about twice the diameter of the grommet rim. The reinforcement layer adds strength to the combination by spreading the shear caused by a load at L over a greater thickness of material, while greatly limiting the amount of additional flexible material needed. 
     FIG. 4 is a close-up cutaway top view of one edge of the invention, showing the hole  40  in the grommet and the edge  41  of the reinforcement layer  34 .