Patent ID: 7527324

Claim:
A universal rail system for a vehicle having a bed defined at least in part by a front wall proximate a passenger cab of the vehicle, a tailgate distal from the front wall and a pair of opposed sidewalls extending in a longitudinal direction between the front wall of the vehicle bed and the tailgate thereof, said universal rail system comprising: at least first and second rails adjustably affixed to a respective one of the sidewalls of the vehicle bed and extending proximate an inner surface of the sidewalls in the longitudinal direction between the front wall of the vehicle bed and the tailgate thereof, said rails each including at least one elongate channel extending along a longitudinal direction thereof; and mounting means associated with each said rail for adjustably affixing said rails to the sidewalls of the vehicle bed, said mounting means being adapted to cooperate with said rails to adjustably compensate for a predetermined intentional degree of taper by which the sidewalls deviate from a substantially parallel alignment position along the longitudinal direction between the front wall of the vehicle bed and the tailgate thereof so that said rails have a substantially parallel relationship with respect to one another in the longitudinal direction within the vehicle bed; wherein at least a portion of said mounting means is situated in at least a portion of at least one opening formed in an uppermost surface of the respective sidewalls of the vehicle bed so that said mounting means covers a portion of the upper surfaces of the respective sidewalls that is located between the opening and the inner surfaces of the sidewalls, but does not extend outwardly beyond the opening toward an outer surface of the respective sidewalls or obscure the opening.