Truck Box Top Molding

This invention relates generally to pick-up trucks, and more particularly to a decorative edge molding for the truck box to serve as a protective member and also to facilitate cargo tie-down and covering.

Modern pick-up trucks, particularly of the so-called "fleet" side body design, have a generally rounded and inwardly turned upper edge of the truck box. The appearance of it is guickly marred where the user drags cargo over the side rather than opening the tailgate to load and unload it. Also, there is rarely a very convenient means for fasteninq down cargo. In addition to the foregoing developments, the use of plastic liners for protection of the truck bed is becoming more general. Many of them have been very satisfactory for the intended purpose, but are sometimes seen to be wavy or irregular along the top edge. They, too, become damaged when cargo is dragged over the top edge of them as it is loaded or unloaded. The present invention is directed to an improvement of the foregoing conditions.

Described briefly according to a typical embodiment of the present invention, an elongate rail is provided along the sides of the truck box at the upper edges thereof and has an outwardly extending flange resting on the top edge of the truck box. The rail is fastened to the box by screws extending through holes in the rail and outwardly into the inside wall of the truck box at the upper edge. A plurality of apertures is provided in the rail above the flange and these apertures are longitudinally spaced therein to provide convenient locations for connecting cargo hold-down strap hooks. The outwardly directed flange also has an outwardly opening longitudinally extending groove in it. A tonneau cover is provided with a reinforced hemmed edge which is stuffed into the groove and thereby securely retained to cover cargo in the truck box. In addition to the side rails, end rails of the same type of construction are employed at the front end wall of the truck box and at the top of the tailgate. These, too, are useful for tie-down hooks and for attachment of the ends of the tonneau cover. One embodiment of the molding has a longitudinally extending downwardly opening groove in the bottom of the rail to fittingly receive the upper edge portion of a truck bed liner.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a pick-up truck shown fragmentarily, with the truck box top molding of the present invention mounted to the truck box.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary pictorial view showing details of the mounting of the molding in the box of the pick-up truck equipped with a truck bed liner.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view with the tonneau cover partially in place.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the molding embodiment installed where no bed liner is used.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the rail of FIG. 2.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the pick-up truck has the edge molding of the present invention mounted to the front wall at 11, the right side wall at 12, the left side wall at 13, and the tailgate at 14. It is mounted to the upper edges of these walls as better shown in FIG. 2 where it is shown that the left side wall of the truck includes a double wall construction having an outer panel 16 and inner panel 17. both of which are turned inwardly toward the truck box and then downwardly at 18 where they are welded together and then outwardly at 19. The same type of construction is used at the other side, and the front end of the truck box, and at the tailgate. In this particular instance, the truck box is fitted with a pre-fabricated bed liner of some plastic composite and which has a left side wall 21 spaced inwardly from the inner panel of the truck side wall and extending up to an upper edge 22 slightly below the level of the in-turned top of the panel 17. The edge molding 13 is a longitudinally extending rail of extruded aluminum and which has a straight and flat inside surface 23 extending the full height and length of the rail. It has a flange 24 extending laterally outwardly in a direction perpendicular to the face 23 and co-extensive with the length of the rail. This flange has an outwardly opening groove 25 therein. The flange portion 24U above this groove blends in a smooth curve 28 into the vertical portion of the rail. This vertical portion has a longitudinally extending series of uniformly spaced identical apertures in the form of slots 29 therein. The downwardly extending portion of the rail below the flange has a downwardly opening groove 31 therein receiving the upper marginal portion of the bed liner 21. Flange portion 24L under groove 25 rests on the top edge 16T of the truck box side wall panel 16. The rail is fastened to the truck box side wall by means of a series of screws 32 longitudinally spaced and received in countersunk holes 30 in the rail. These are flat headed screws which may be provided with a screw driver slot or Phillips or Allen or other type of tool receiving socket. They are of the self-threading type so that, although they freely fit into the holes in the rails, these screws will tightly thread their way through smaller holes provided in the truck box wall inner flange 28 and secure the rails to the truck box side. Holes may also be provided in the liner 21. The holes in the truck box portion 18 and in the liner can be drilled at the time of installation of the edge molding rails, with the pre-formed holes 30 in those rails serving as excellent hole locators and drill guides. As an alternative fastening system where a bed liner is not used, machine screws with lock nuts or conventional nuts and lockwashers can be used.

The four rails are identical except for their length and end treatment. The rails 11 and 14 are identical and are cut off straight at their ends. The rails 12 and 13 have their rear ends curved as shown for rails 12 and 13 at 12R and 13R to blend with curve 28 in rail 14. The front ends of the rails 12 and 13 are cut off straight and square with face 23, as are opposite ends of the rail 11. Decorative corner pieces 33 can be provided at the front corners to improve appearance at the corners if considered more economical than treating the corners as shown at the tailgate, or if desired for some other reason.

The upper margin of the front end wall 21F of the bed liner to its top edge 22F is received in the downwardly opening groove of the rail 11 just as are the upper margins of the liner sides received in the grooves in the rails 12 and 13. The bottom of the lower half 24L of the lateral flange on rail 11 rests on the top edge 35T of the truck box front wall outer panel.

Even if it is not desired to use a bed liner, virtually the same rail configurations can be used as just described. However, a slightly simpler configuration can be used as shown in FIG. 4 where the downwardly projecting portion or flange 34 of the rail has no groove in it. Thus, it is slightly narrower than in the version shown in FIG. 2, but it is the same in all other respects.

Referring further to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, and for purposes of example, the overall height "H" of the rail is about three inches. The width "W" of the apertured portion is about 0.375 inches. The total width "T", from face 23 to the outer edge of the lower half 24L of the laterally extending flange is about one inch. The outer edge of the upper half 24U of the flange is set in with respect to the outer edge of the lower half 24L of the flange about 1/8 inch to facilitate lead-in of the tonneau cover on the upper face 24T of this lower half of the flange during installation of the tonneau cover 36. The overall height "h" of the outwardly opening groove 25 in the lateral flange is about 0.150 inches. The apertures or slots 29 are about four inches long and 0.75 inches high with a longitudinal spacing of about two inches between them (six inches center-to-center). The overall width of the bottom flange 34 of the rail is about 0.25 inch in the ungrooved version of FIG. 4, and about 0.305 inches in the grooved version of FIG. 5, the groove width "w" being 0.125 inches. The groove height is about 1 inch.

The tonneau cover is provided with a hem all the way around it which may be stitched as at 38 and enclose a nylon reinforcing rib or stiffener 39. The cover is cut at the corners as shown at 41 in FIG. 3 so as to comfortably fit around the corners. However, the ribbed portion is stuffed or tucked into the outwardly extending groove 25 all the way around, not only at the front of the bed but also along the sides and in the rail at the tailgate. Thus, the tonneau cover remains firmly in place.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apertures 29 may be conveniently used to receive hooks as at 42 for a rubber tie-down strap 43, hook 44 at one end of a rubber tie-down strap 46, hook 47 at one end of tie down strap 48 and hook 49 at one end of tie-down strap 51. The other ends of straps 48 and 51 are hooked to the rail 13. The opposite end of strap 16 is hooked to the front rail 11 near the driver's side of the truck, just as the front end of strap 43 is connected by hook 42 to the front rail 11 near the passenger side of the truck. Thus, the slots 29 are well situated to facilitate tying down cargo such as 52, both transversely, and longitudinally. These slots are also convenient for use of straps or the like to support a tonneau cover over the central portion of the bed where it might otherwise sag under the weight of rainwater or snow. These slots and the rails may also well serve as mounts for rigid cross members to support the tonneau cover or for whatever other purpose might be desired.

In cases where the bed liner has only front and side walls, but no counterpart for the tailgate, the rails with the downwardly opening grooves may be used at the front and sides, and the rail as shown in FIG. 4 may be used on the tailgate if desired. Thus, the rails are usable interchangeably in this respect, and all of them of one type or the other can be made of one continuous extrusion, cut to length and drilled, milled or pierced for slots 29 and screw holes 30. The side rails are cut-off or shaped at the ends as discussed above. The rails may be made by some process other than extrusion if desired, to provide the slots 29 and screw mounting holes 30 in one continuous processing system. They can be made of a bright metal such as aluminum, anodized for color, if desired, and provide a durable, decorative and functional edge molding for the pick up truck box. Other materials, including durable plastics, might also be used.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.