Patent ID: 8177284

Claim:
A method for securing a tarpaulin across an aperture using a hook defining a recess, said aperture being defined in a cargo container of a vehicle, said aperture defining an aperture first end and a substantially opposed aperture second end, said hook being provided substantially adjacent to said aperture second end, said tarpaulin defining a tarpaulin first end and a substantially opposed tarpaulin second end, said tarpaulin being secured to said container substantially adjacent said tarpaulin first end with said tarpaulin and aperture first ends substantially adjacent to each other, said tarpaulin being secured to a rod substantially adjacent said tarpaulin second end to allow rolling of said tarpaulin around said rod and unrolling of said tarpaulin from said rod, said hook being mounted to said cargo container substantially adjacent to said aperture second end so as to be pivotable between an open position and a closed position, said rod being stopped from moving toward said aperture first end by said hook beyond said predetermined location when said hook is in said closed position and said rod is inserted in said recess, and said rod being movable substantially freely with respect to said hook when said hook is in said open position and said rod is substantially adjacent to said predetermined location, said method comprising: with said tarpaulin at least partially rolled around said rod, unrolling said tarpaulin from said rod and substantially simultaneously moving said rod across said aperture toward said aperture second end so that said tarpaulin is extended across said aperture as said tarpaulin is unrolled from said rod; after said rod has been moved substantially adjacent to said aperture second end, inserting said rod in said recess of said hook so as to prevent movements of said rod toward said aperture first end beyond a predetermined location; after inserting said rod in said recess, rolling said tarpaulin around said rod to move said rod to said predetermined location and create a tension in said tarpaulin to secure said tarpaulin to said hook; wherein inserting said rod in said recess includes moving said hook from said open position to said closed position when said rod has been moved substantially adjacent to said hook to a position closer to said aperture second end than said predetermined location.