Latch, lock and hinge system for use with closures such as tonneau covers

[0002] This application claims 1) the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/107,592 filed Nov. 9, 1998, and 2) the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/110,704 filed Dec. 3, 1998, both filed by Lee S. Weinerman and Scott A. Arthurs, and both being entitled LATCH, LOCK AND HINGE SYSTEM FOR USE WITH CLOSURES SUCH AS TONNEAU COVERS, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates generally to novel features of latch, lock and hinge components that are well suited for use with closures such as tonneau covers that cover and close the upwardly opening rear cargo compartments of pickup trucks and the like, it being understood, however, that these components and certain of their novel features also may be utilized individually and in various combinations with other types of closures and for other purposes.

[0005] 2. Prior Art

[0006] It is known to provide the rear cargo compartments of vehicles such as pickup trucks with closures referred to as “tonneau covers” 1) that may be latched and locked closed to protectively enclose the contents of the tonneau covered cargo compartments, 2) that may be opened and re-closed in one way or another to provide at least limited access to contents therein and to accommodate loading and unloading, and 3) that may be entirely removed when desired for such purposes as enabling the vehicles to carry tall or bulky cargo that cannot be accommodated within the confines of the tonneau covered cargo compartments.

[0007] When a tonneau cover is to be installed on a pickup truck, two elongate steel side rails typically are positioned to extend forwardly-rearwardly along opposite sides of upper portions of the truck's cargo compartment, and are connected to body portions of the truck that underlie the side rails. Latch, lock and hinge components that are needed to removably attach the tonneau cover to the truck usually connect with these side rails—so that only the side rails themselves need to be physically attached to the body of the truck. Usually, a tonneau cover is connected by hinges to front end regions of the side rails, and latch assemblies carried by rear end regions of the tonneau cover are engageable with latch strikers carried by rear end regions of the side rails to hold the cover closed. So-called “gas props” (known more precisely to those skilled in the art as “gas springs”) also may connect at their upper ends with opposite sides of the tonneau cover (at points located about mid-way along the length of the depicted tonneau cover), and at their lower ends with the side rails to cushion the pivotal opening and closing movements of the tonneau cover, and to hold the tonneau cover open.

[0008] To provide a pivotal connection between forward portions of a tonneau cover and forward end regions of a pair of side rails, various types of hinge components have been utilized. To permit the removal of a tonneau cover from a pickup truck on which it is installed, some of these hinges have been detachably coupled to the rails, or have been provided with disengageable components. The use of detachable hinges and hinges having disengageable components has drawn criticism, and the need for an improved means to provide removable tonneau covers with releasable hinged connections to underlying side rails has become apparent.

[0009] To secure a tonneau cover closed, commercially available latches have typically been mounted on the tonneau cover, usually at locations overlying the rear end regions of the side rails, and latch strikers have been connected to the rear end regions of the side rails. An ability to lock the tonneau closed has been provided if the selected latches include a locking capability. If two lockable latches are utilized (with each positioned to overlie the rear end region of a separate one of the side rails), each of these latches must be separately unlocked and operated before the tonneau cover can be opened—an arrangement that has proved cumbersome and has drawn criticism.

[0010] Thus it will be understood that the latch, lock and hinge components that have been used to date with tonneau covers have presented a number of drawbacks that typically have left tonneau covers more awkward, time-consuming and difficult to install, remove, open, close, latch, unlatch, lock and unlock than is desirable. In some instances the selected latch, lock and hinge components have provided shorter than desired service lives and/or a lesser than the desired degree of security by virtue of their being relatively simple to defeat, force, break or bypass. In some instances the latch, lock and hinge components have been too weak to withstand the forces that have been encountered during normal service use (e.g., damage or unintended release has been noted as the result of these components being impacted by cargo that shifts as a pickup truck travels from place to place), or these components have taken on such size and bulk as to project into regions of cargo compartments that should be reserved for cargo.

[0011] The present invention addresses the foregoing and other needs and drawbacks of the prior art by pro-providing a thoughtfully designed set of latch, lock and hinge hardware that is particularly well suited for use with tonneau covers and the like, characterized by novel features that also have other applications.

[0012] In accordance with one aspect of the preferred practice of the present invention, a dual-acting latch operating assembly is provided that can be installed at a central location between two latch assemblies for selectively operating one or both of the latch assemblies to release latch strikers that are latchingly engaged by the latch assemblies. The latch operating assembly preferably utilizes an elongate housing that defines elongate recesses near its opposite ends. Independently movable slides are nested in each of these recesses. The slides have rearwardly extending posts that extend through slots formed through the back walls of the recesses, and through elongate locking members that have end formations which extend behind central portions of the housing where a key-operated lock cylinder is installed if a locking capability is to be provided. The locking members move with the slides, and the permitted extent of this movement is limited at least in part by the length of the housing slots through which the posts of the slides extend. Retaining washers are installed on the posts to hold the slides and the locking members in place on opposite sides of the back walls of the recesses. Separate cables connect the rear end regions of each of the posts with a separate one of the latch assemblies for tripping (i.e., operating) each of the latch assemblies in response to movement of its associated slide from a normal “non-operated” position to an “operated” position.

[0013] In the preferred practice of the present invention, the locking members of the dual-acting latch operating assembly have end formations that move along opposite sides of a rear end region of the lock cylinder when the slides are moved from their normal “non-operated” positions to their “operated” positions to operate the associated latch mechanisms. Provided on the rear end region of the lock cylinder is a formation that can be oriented to align with the paths of movement of the locking members to provide no obstruction thereto, or that can be turned transversely to block these paths to “lock” the slides of the operating assembly against being moved to operate the associated latch assemblies. This simple arrangement of locking components provides a secure locking function that occupies very little space and that requires a minimum of components—a single lock at a central location situated between the two latch assemblies that requires a single use of a single key in order to unlock the tonneau cover.

[0014] Another feature of the preferred practice of the present invention resides in the option that is presented by the versatile design of the latch operating assembly to include or exclude (among the components of the latch operating assembly) springs for biasing the slides of the operating assembly away from their operated positions (i.e., toward their normal non-operated positions). If the latch assemblies that are associated with the latch operating assembly include springs that are capable of tensioning the cables that connect with the slides of the latch operating assembly to apply the needed biasing force to the slides, the latch operating assembly need not be provided with slide-biasing springs, whereby its cost and complexity can be held to a minimum. Alternatively, if the latch assemblies do not utilize springs that have quite the biasing power needed to properly tension the cables that connect with the slides of the latch operating assembly, auxiliary springs can be provided to apply added tensioning force to the cables to bias the slides toward their normal, non-operated positions.

[0015] For use with a tonneau cover having a curved or rounded rear end region, the housing of the operating mechanism preferably is curved and provided with upper and lower lip formations that complement the curvature of the rear end region of the tonneau cover. The configuration of the upper and lower lips may differ so as to give the upper and lower lip portions of the housing a non-symmetrical appearance, or may be substantially identical to provide a symmetrical appearance (see Patent D-415,406 issued Oct. 19, 1999, and pending application Ser. No. 29/105,433 filed May 25, 1999 wherein alternate latch operating assembly housing configurations are shown that may be employed in practicing the present invention, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference). For mounting on surfaces having other configurations, the curvature and configuration of the housing lips and ends may be modified to provide a variety of acceptable appearances—including a shape that defines a relatively flat rear mounting surface (not shown) for mounting the latch operating assembly on flat surfaces.

[0016] In accordance with another aspect of the preferred practice of the present invention, a proven type of commercially available rotary latch assembly sold by Eberhard Manufacturing Company (a division of The Eastern Company, the assignee hereof) is utilized 1) to releasably latch the rear end region of a tonneau cover to latch strikers connected to the rear end regions of a pair of side rails (that underlie the tonneau cover in the usual manner), and 2) to releasably connect hinges that are carried by the front end region of the tonneau cover to latch strikers connected to the front end regions of the side rails. The rotary latch assemblies that preferably are employed with tonneau covers in accordance herewith preferably are of the type depicted in FIG. 18 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,295 (wherein a description also is provided of the operation of these rotary latch assemblies, with the disclosure of this patent also being incorporated herein by reference). While the operating components of these rotary latch assemblies are known and proven entities, the housings of these latches assemblies may be modified as needed to provide mounting surfaces that carry slotted holes or other mounting formations that can cooperate with mounting hardware such as threaded fasteners to mount the rotary latch assemblies on the cover in a manner that will allow for adjustment of the positioning of these latches—so the latches will function properly if the spacing between the parallel side rails varies a bit from one installation to another.

[0017] In accordance with another aspect of the preferred practice of the present invention, a novel type of latch-carrying hinge assembly is provided that utilizes pivotally connected arms that do not need to be disconnected from each other in order to remove a tonneau cover from a pickup truck, and that therefore do not need to be reconnected when the tonneau cover is to be reinstalled. A variety of hinge arm configurations that may be utilized in practicing the present invention are disclosed in pending application Ser. No. 29/097,281 filed Dec. 3, 1998 and in application Ser. Nos. 29/109,243 and 29/109,244 filed Aug. 12, 1999, the disclosures which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0018] In accordance with preferred practice, the type of disconnection that is utilized (to permit tonneau cover removal) takes place between the hinge-carried latch assemblies and latch strikers that are carried by the front end regions of the side rails that underlie the tonneau cover (i.e., no disconnection takes place between hinge arms or “halves”). The latch strikers each provide a rod-like formation that is captured by a separate one of the hinge-carried latch assemblies so as to fix one half of each of the hinges to the truck body, leaving the other halves of the hinges to pivot with the tonneau cover relative to the truck body as the tonneau cover is swung open and closed. One form of latch striker housing configuration that can be used in practicing this invention is disclosed in pending patent application Ser. No. 097,280 filed Dec. 3, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0019] To install the tonneau cover, it is simply lowered into its proper position overlying the cargo compartment—a movement that brings the hinge-carried latch assemblies into latching engagement with the rail-carried latch strikers to securely connect the hinges to the truck bed. To remove the tonneau cover, the cover is pivoted open, and the hinge-carried latch assemblies are tripped by pulling short cables that are attached thereto (which can be accessed once one has pivoted the tonneau cover to an open position).

[0020] Still another aspect of the preferred practice of the present invention resides in the provision of protectively enclosed latch strikers that are secured to the front end regions of the side rails to cooperate with the hinge-carried latch assemblies. When these latch assemblies latchingly engage the latch strikers, the components of the latch assemblies are shielded by the latch strikers from being struck by moving cargo, and the release arms of the latch assemblies are shielded from being operated due to cargo impacts. Other features that may be utilized in the preferred practice of the invention include 1) the addition to the latch strikers of spring biased positioning devices that engage the housings of the hinge-carried latch assemblies when the latch assemblies are brought into latching engagement with the latch strikers, and/or 2) the addition to the latch strikers of sturdy compression coil springs for biasing the latch assemblies out of latching engagement with the latch strikers when the latch assemblies are tripped, so that the weight of the tonneau cover will not cause the latch assemblies to remain in latching engagement with the latch strikers when the latch assemblies are tripped during efforts to remove the tonneau cover from the pickup truck.

[0021] These and other features, and a fuller understanding of the present invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0022] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a tonneau cover overlying and closing a rear cargo compartment of a conventional pickup truck, with the tonneau cover and the body structure of the pickup truck that defines the cargo compartment being shown shorter in length and narrower in width than normal so that what principally is depicted are regions of the cover and body structure where components of the present invention are mounted, with a majority of the tonneau cover broken away so that components of the invention that underlie the cover and/or that are mounted on the body structure can be seen, including front and rear end regions of a pair of side rails that underlie the tonneau cover at locations on opposite sides of the cargo compartment;

[0023] FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic side elevational view showing, on an enlarged scale, selected portions of latch and lock components that are utilized to releasably retain the tonneau cover in its closed position, as seen mainly from planes indicated by lines 2A—2A and 2B—2B in FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 3 is a somewhat schematic side elevational view that shows, on an enlarged scale, selected portions of the right latch-carrying hinge and the right latch striker that are utilized to releasably connect the right side of the front end region of the tonneau cover to the truck, as seen from a plane indicated by a line 3—3 in FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the right latch-carrying hinge and and the right latch striker separated and a rotary bolt of the right latch assembly in its unlatched position, it being understood that disconnections of the left and right latch-carrying hinges from the left and right latch strikers in this manner will permit the tonneau cover to be completely removed from the truck when the presence of the tonneau cover on the truck is not desired;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a somewhat schematic end elevational view of the left latch-carrying hinge and the left latch striker, as seen from a plane indicated by a line 5—5 in FIG. 1;

[0027] FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the left latch-carrying hinge and the left latch striker separated, and a rotary bolt of the left latch assembly in its unlatched position;

[0028] FIG. 7 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a latch operating assembly that has a pair of finger-engageable operating members or “slides” in the “non-operated” positions they normally occupy when the tonneau cover is latched closed;

[0029] FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 7 but with the finger-engageable slides moved toward each other to “operated” positions (as is needed to unlatch and open the tonneau cover, when desired);

[0030] FIG. 9 is a front view of the latch operating assembly of FIG. 7;

[0031] FIGS. 10 and 11 and 12 are right side and bottom views thereof;

[0032] FIG. 12 is a rear view thereof showing a resilient gasket overlying portions of the rear face of the housing of the latch operating assembly, and showing a locking cam carried by a key-operated lock cylinder rotated to its unlocked position;

[0033] FIGS. 13 and 14 are sectional views of the housing of the operating assembly as seen from planes indicated by the lines 13—13 and 14—14 in FIG. 9;

[0034] FIG. 15 is a bottom view, similar to FIG. 11 but with the components of the latch operating assembly shown exploded;

[0035] FIG. 16 is a rear view of the latch operating assembly but with springs added to bias the slides toward their non-operated positions, and with the locking cam carried by the key-operated lock cylinder rotated to its locked position;

[0036] FIG. 17 is a top plan view showing one of the latch assemblies depicted in FIG. 1 with a spring added to tension a cable that connects the latch assembly to the latch operating assembly;

[0037] FIG. 18 is a front view of a mounting bracket that is used in mounting the latch operating assembly on a closure;

[0038] FIGS. 19 and 20 are end and side elevational views thereof;

[0039] FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a rotary latch of the type that is depicted in FIG. 2 as being connected to the latch operating assembly, with the rotary bolt of the latch shown in its latched position, and with a release lever of the latch shown in its non-operated position;

[0040] FIG. 22 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 21 but with he rotary bolt of the latch shown in its unlatched position, and with the release lever of the latch shown in its operated position;

[0041] FIG. 23 is a side elevational view showing the opposite side of the latch depicted in FIG. 22, with solid lines depicting the latched position of the rotary bolt and the non-operated position of the release lever, and with dotted lines depicting the unlatched position of the rotary bolt and the operated position of the release lever;

[0042] FIGS. 24 and 25 are are top and right end views thereof;

[0043] FIG. 26 is a perspective view of upper portions of the right latch-carrying hinge assembly employed in the latch system depicted in FIG. 1;

[0044] FIG. 27 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, as seen from a plane indicated by a line 27—27 in FIG. 26 showing portions of a pivotal connection that is provided between the arms of the hinge;

[0045] FIG. 28 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 27 showing the arms of the hinge pivoted relative to each other;

[0046] FIGS. 29, 30 and 31 are side, top and left end views of the right latch-carrying hinge assembly;

[0047] FIG. 32 is a side elevational view of the right latch striker that cooperates with the right latch-carrying hinge assembly shown in FIG. 26;

[0048] FIGS. 33 and 34 are top plan and right end views thereof;

[0049] FIG. 35 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 33 but showing a portion of the right latch striker in cross-section, and showing a biasing mechanism that can be added to the right and left latch strikers to assist in lifting the right and left hinge-carried latch assemblies when they are unlatched from the right and left latch strikers;

[0050] FIG. 36 is a side elevational view thereof with a side portion of the right latch striker broken away; and,

[0051] FIG. 37 is a view similar to FIG. 36 but showing the added biasing mechanism engaging the right latch housing when the right hinge-carrying latch assembly latchingly engages the striker.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 1, a tonneau cover 100 is provided for closing an upwardly opening cargo compartment 200 of a conventional pickup truck. While most of the tonneau cover 100 is broken away to permit underlying components to be viewed, it will be understood that the tonneau cover 100 normally covers the entire upwardly opening cargo compartment 200 so as to overlie the rectangular body structure of the truck that surrounds the cargo compartment 200. While the tonneau cover 100 and the cargo compartment 200 are depicted as being of relatively small size and of generally rectangular shape, it will be understood that tonneau covers and the cargo compartments they cover come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and that features of the invention can be utilized with a wide variety of tonneau covers as well as in other applications.

[0053] In the depiction of FIG. 1, the left side 101 of the cover 100 will be referred to as the cover's front, the right side 102 of the cover 100 will be referred to as the cover's rear, and the top and bottom sides 103, 104 of the cover 100 will be referred to as the cover's right and left sides, respectively. When the cover 100 overlies and closes the rear cargo compartment 200, as is depicted in FIG. 1: 1) the cover's front 101 typically extends alongside the rear wall of the truck's cab (not shown) and overlies a bed rail 201 of the truck that is located behind the truck's cab; 2) the cover's rear 102 overlies the truck's tailgate 202; 3) and the cover's right and left sides 103, 104 overlie right and left side rails 203, 204 that are installed on underlying portions of the body structure of the truck to extend along opposite sides of the cargo space 200.

[0054] Also depicted in FIG. 1 are novel components of a latch, lock and hinge system 300 used to releasably retain the tonneau cover 100 in position atop the truck's cargo compartment 200. Components of the system 300 that are associated with the cover's rear 102 include a latch operating assembly 310 that is connected by a right and left flexible cables 303, 304 to right and left rotary latch assemblies 410, 510 that engage identical latch strikers 600 that are connected to the rear end regions of the side rails 203, 204. Other components of the system 300 that are associated with the cover's front 101 include right and left latch-carrying hinge assemblies 610, 710 that overlie and engage right and left latch strikers 810, 910 that are connected to the front end regions of the right and left side rails 203, 204, respectively. The right hinge assembly 610 carries a right latch assembly 1610 that cooperates with the right striker unit 810. The left hinge assembly 710 carries a left latch assembly 1710 that cooperates with the left striker unit 910. Right and left flexible cables 703, 704 are provided with manually graspable handles 705 for operating the right and left latch assemblies 1610, 1710 to disengage the right and left latch strikers 810, 910 so the cover 100 can be removed from atop the cargo compartment 200 and stored at an out-of-the-way location when not needed.

[0055] To the extent that the system 300 includes components that are designated by the words “right” and “left,” what generally is meant is that the “right” components are mirror images of the “left” components, and vice versa. For example, the right rotary latch assembly 410 is the mirror image of left rotary latch assembly 510, the right latch-carrying hinge assembly 610 is the mirror image of the left latch-carrying hinge assembly 710, and the right latch striker 810 is the mirror image of the left latch striker 910.

[0056] Several of the above-named components of the latch, lock and hinge system 300 perform more than one function. A function that is performed cooperatively by the rear components 310, 410, 510, 600 is to releasably latch and lock the cover's rear 102 closed. A function that is performed by the right and left latch-carrying hinge assemblies 610, 710 is to establish a pivot axis 700 (see FIG. 1) that underlies and substantially parallels the cover's front 101, about which the tonneau cover 100 pivots when it is opened and closed by raising the rear 102 of the cover 100. A function that is performed by the right and left latch assemblies 1610, 1710 and by the striker units 810, 910 is to releasably connect the hinge assemblies 610, 710 to the side rails 203, 204 to hold the cover's front 101 securely in place on the truck until such time as it is desired to remove the cover 100. A function that is performed cooperatively by all of the components of the system 300 is to retain the tonneau cover 100 in place so as to securely close the cargo compartment 200 when the cover 100 is lowered to and locked in its closed position, as depicted in FIG. 1. If it is desired to remove the tonneau cover 100 from the truck to provide unrestricted access to the cargo compartment 200, all four of the latch assemblies 410, 510, 1610, 1710 cooperate, when operated (by tensioning their associated cables 303, 304, 703 and 704 in directions extending away from the latch assemblies 410, 510, 1610, 1710, respectfully, to disengage the latch strikers 600, 810, 910—which permits the tonneau cover 100 to be lifted away from such body structure of the truck as surrounds the cargo compartment 200.

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 7-9, the operating assembly 310 includes an elongate, one-piece housing 320 which has rounded right and left end regions 323, 324 and a rounded outer surface 322 that is configured to permit the housing 320 to substantially conform to and complement the shape of a curved portion 122 (see FIG. 2) of the cover's rear 102. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7-10, the curved outer surface 322 extends smoothly from an upper lip 325 to a lower lip 326 of the housing 320, and extends along the length of the housing 320 between rounded right and left end regions 323, 324 thereof. As is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 10, the upper lip 325 is longer than the lower lip 326—an arrangement that gives the housing 320 an attractive non-symmetrical appearance. However, the housing 320 can take a variety of other configurations and still perform its purpose.

[0058] Referring to FIGS. 7-9 and 15, the operating assembly 310 includes right and left slide members 333, 334 that are movable rightwardly and leftwardly within the confines of right and left rounded-end recesses 343, 344 that are defined by the housing 320. The recesses 343, 344 open through the rounded outer surface 322. Referring to FIG. 11, the slide members 333, 334 have undercut regions 335 that assist one in gripping the slide members 333, 334 with the fingers of one hand to move the slide members 333, 334 toward each other to operate the rotary latch assemblies 410, 510 and to open the tonneau cover 100.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 15, an imaginary center plane of the latch operating assembly 310 is indicated generally by the numeral 301. The center plane 301 transversely intersects the length of the housing 320 (at a location half way along the length of the housing 320). As can be seen in FIG. 15, all of the components and features of the operating assembly 310 that are located to the left of the center plane 301 are matched by identically configured components and identical features that are located to the right of the center plane 301, except that the left components and features are mirror image reversals of the right components and features, and vice versa. Stated in another way, the latch operating assembly 310 is, in all respects, “left and right symmetrical” about the center plane 301. Moreover, this left and right symmetry about the center plane 301 holds true, in principle, for the other components and features of the latch, lock and hinge system 100.

[0060] Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the slide members 333, 334 have rearwardly extending posts 353, 354 that extend through slot-like openings 363, 364 that are defined at the rear of the recesses 343, 344. The posts 353, 354 are of square cross-section and also extend through square holes 373, 374 (see FIG. 15) that are defined by right and left locking members 383, 384. Referring to FIG. 12, spring retaining washers 345, 346 are installed on the posts 353, 354 for retaining the slide members 333, 334 and the locking members 383, 384 in place so that the locking members 383, 384 are slidably movable along the rear side of housing 320 in concert with movements of the slide members 333, 334 along the front. side of the housing 320.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 15, holes 355, 356 are formed through the posts 353, 354, respectively, for receiving end regions of the right and left flexible cables 303, 304—which permits suitable connections to be formed between the right cable 303 and the right post 353, and between the left cable 304 and the left post 354. Although a certain amount of tension force may be imposed on the flexible cables 303, 304 by springs of the latch assemblies 410, 510 that bias the release levers 420, 520 of the latch assemblies 410, 510 toward their non-operated positions, and while this amount of tension force may be adequate to bias the slide members 333, 334 away from each other (i.e., toward their non-operated positions), it may be desirable to augment the biasing force that is imposed on the slide members 333, 334 to bias them toward their non-operated positions.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 16, one way in which this biasing force can be augmented is to provide compression coil springs 785 that encircle side-by-side extending formations 783, 784 of the locking members 383, 384, with opposite end regions of the springs 785 pushing the locking members 383, 384 away from each other. Referring to FIG. 17, if it is not desired to provide the operating assembly 310 with springs to bias the locking members 383, 384 and the slide members 333, 334 toward their non-operated positions (or if it is desired to further augment the action of such springs), the cable 304 (and in a like manner the cable 303) can be provided with a compression coil spring that surrounds and end region of the cable 304 and presses against a cable guide 556 to bias a connector 555 (that couples the cable 303 to the release arm 520) away from the cable guide 556—by which arrangement the release arm is supplementally biased toward its non-operated position, and the added tension in the cable 304 biases the locking member 384 and the slide member 334 toward non-operated positions.

[0063] Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, the connectors 555 preferably take the form of cylindrical members that have cable-receiving holes 557. Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, the cable-receiving holes 557 are intersected by threaded passages 558 that preferably carry set screws (not shown) that can be clamped into seated engagement with end regions of the cables 303, 304 to establish connections between the cables 303, 304 and the latch release levers 420, 520.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 15, thin shims 351 of a suitable, relatively slick gasketing material such as vinyl film can be installed on the posts 353, 354 at locations on opposite sides of the housing 320 adjacent the slot-like openings 363, 364 to assist in providing smooth movements of the slide members 333, 334, and to resist passage through the slot-like openings 363, 364 of moisture.

[0065] Referring to FIGS. 12 and 15, the locking members 383, 384 have centrally located end formations 393, 394 that cooperate with a generally rectangular shaped rearwardly extending end formation 350 of a key-operated lock cylinder 360 that is mounted in a centrally located hole 370 defined by the housing 320, and retained in place by means of a suitably configured spring clip 371. Referring to FIG. 12, if the rectangular shaped formation 350 is aligned with the end formations 393, 394 (i.e., extends such that its long dimension aligns with the length of the housing 320), the end formations 393, 394 are free to move along opposite sides of the rectangular formation 350—hence the right and left slide members 333, 334 are “unlocked” inasmuch as they are free to move left and right within the recesses 343, 344. However, if the rectangular shaped formation 350 is turned ninety degrees to extend transversely relative to the length of the housing 320 (as is depicted in FIG. 16), the formation 350 will block left and right movements of the end formations 393, 394, hence the right and left slide members 333, 334 are “locked” inasmuch as they are prevented from moving right and left within the recesses 343, 344.

[0066] When “locked,” the right slide member 333 is held in the right end region of the right recess 343, and the left slide member 334 is held in the left end region of the left recess. Thus, when the key-operated cylinder 360 positions the rectangular rear formation 350 to extend transversely, the operating assembly 310 is locked and cannot be utilized to unlatch the right and left rotary latches 410, 420; and, when the key-operated cylinder 360 positions the rectangular rear formation 350 to extend parallel to the length of the housing 320, the operating assembly 310 is “unlocked” and can have its right slide member 333 slided to the left to move the right cable 303 leftwardly to thereby trip (and hence unlatch) the right rotary latch 410, and can have its left slide-member 334 slided to the right to move the left cable 304 rightwardly to thereby trip (and hence unlatch) the left rotary latch 510. Referring to FIG. 2 wherein the left cable 304 and the left rotary latch 510 are shown, it will be seen that pulling the left cable 304 rightwardly in the direction of arrow 300 will cause an operating arm 520 of the left rotary latch 510 to be moved from a normal latching position shown in solid lines to an operated position depicted by hidden lines. Referring to FIG. 1, the other latch assemblies 410, 1610, 1710 have release levers 420, 1620, 1720, respectively, that pivot and function in the same manner as the release lever 520.

[0067] Referring to FIGS. 10, 12 and 15, a resilient gasket 400 preferably is provided for being sandwiched between perimetrically extending lip portions 325, 326 of the housing 320 and between portions of the rear 102 of the tonneau cover 100 that reside beneath these perimetrically extending lip portions. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 18-20, a mounting bracket 404 is provided to cooperate with the perimetrically extending lip portions 325, 326 in engaging opposite sides of the tonneau cover 100 as the operating assembly 310 is being installed on the tonneau cover 100. Suitable fasteners such as screws (not shown) are inserted through holes 405 located at opposite ends of the mounting bracket 404 and are threaded into aligned holes 305 (see FIG. 13) in opposite end regions of the housing 320 to clamp the mounting bracket 404 against the back side of the tonneau cover 100 as a concavely curved, rearwardly facing mounting surface (covered by the gasket 400) is clamped into firmly seated engagement with the convexly curved front side of the tonneau cover 100.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 12, the holes 305 are formed in lugs 306 that extend rearwardly in a manner that is not centered about the holes 305. The off-center configuration of the lugs 306 is preferred if there is a need to install the operating mechanism 310 “right side up” and to avoid “upside down” installations—for the off-center lug formations 306 can be mated with off-center formations of the tonneau cover opening into which rear portions of the housing 320 extend to ensure that “upside down” installation is prevented. If there is no concern about “upside down” installation of the operating assembly 310, the lugs 306 can be formed so as to center about the holes 305.

[0069] The rotary latch assemblies 410, 510, 1610 and 1710 have housing and operating components that are formed and function in substantially the same manner—a manner that is well understood by those who are skilled in the art inasmuch as it is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,564,295 and 5,884,948, referred to hereinafter as the referenced Rotary Latch Patents, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Therefore, a detailed description of the rotary latch assemblies 410, 510, 1610, 1710 is not needed here.

[0070] Inasmuch as the rotary latch assemblies 410, 510 are identical (except that each is constructed so as to present a mirror image reversal of the arrangement of components offered by the other), and inasmuch as the rotary latch assemblies 1610, 1710 are identical (except that each is constructed so as to present a mirror image reversal of the arrangement of components offered by the other), only the rotary latch assemblies 410 and 1610 will be briefly described in the paragraphs that follow. Insofar as features of the latch assembly 410 is concerned, reference is made to FIGS. 21-25. Insofar as features of the latch assembly 1610 is concerned, reference is made to FIGS. 29-31.

[0071] A comparison of the latch assembly 410 as depicted in FIGS. 21-25 with the latch assembly 1610 as depicted in FIGS. 29-31 readily discloses that these latch assemblies are comprised of corresponding components, many of which are, in fact, identical. Each of the latch assemblies 410, 1610 has what is referred to as a “notched housing” that cooperates with a “notched rotary latch bolt” to releasably retain one of the latch strikers 600, 810, respectively, when latched—as will be explained shortly. The most notable difference between the two latch assemblies 410, 1610 is that the “notched housing” of the latch assembly 410 utilizes only one of its side walls to define a striker receiving notch, while the latch assembly 1610 utilizes both of its side walls to define a striker receiving notch—a difference that does not alter the basic manner in which the latch assemblies 410, 1610 function.

[0072] The “notched housing” of the latch assembly 410 is defined by a pair of housing side plates 952, 954 that are interconnected by a pair of bushings 956 that extend through aligned holes formed in the housing side plates 952, 954 and have their opposite end regions deformed so as to provide rigid connections with the housing side plates 952, 954. The side plate 952 defines a U-shaped striker receiving notch 951 near one of its ends. (It will be noted that, in the latch assembly 410, the other of the side plates 954 is not of sufficient length to permit it to define an additional striker receiving notch that aligns with the striker receiving notch 951—which is the most notable difference between the latch assembly 410 and the latch assembly 1610 which has aligned U-shaped notches defined by both of its housing side walls).

[0073] The “notched housing” of the latch assembly 1610 is defined by a pair of housing side plates 1952, 1954 that are interconnected by a pair of bushings 1956 that extend through aligned holes formed in the housing side plates 1952, 1954 and have their opposite end regions deformed so as to provide rigid connections with the housing side plates 1952, 1954. The side plates 1952, 1954 define aligned U-shaped striker receiving notches 1951, 1953.

[0074] The preferred manner in which the bushings 956, 1956 have their opposite end regions deformed to establish rigid connections with the side plates 952, 954 and 1952, 1954 is described in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,948.

[0075] The notched housings of the latch assemblies 410, 1610 carry substantially identical “notched rotary latch bolts” 960, 1960, respectively, that are movable between latched positions and unlatched positions. The latched position of the rotary latch bolt 960 is shown in FIG. 21 and in solid lines FIG. 23, whereas the unlatched position of the rotary latch bolt 960 is shown in FIG. 22 and in broken lines in FIG. 23. The latched position of the rotary latch bolt 1960 is shown in FIG. 29, whereas the unlatched position of the rotary latch bolt 960 is shown in FIG. 4. As one of the strikers 600, 810 moves toward and into the housing-defined notches one of the latch assemblies 410, 1610, respectively, it will be received in a U-shaped notch 955, 1955 of one of the rotary latch bolts 960, 1960, respectively, and will cause the rotary latch bolt 960, 1960, respectively, to rotate from its unlatched position to its latched position.

[0076] The notched housings of the latch assemblies 410, 1610 also carry substantially identical rotary pawls 970, 1970 that engage exterior surface portions of the rotary latch bolts 960, 1960, respectively, and that cooperate with the rotary latch bolts 960, 1960 to hold the rotary latch bolts 960, 1960 in their latched positions. The rotary pawls 970, 1970 are formed integrally with the release levers 420, 1620 of the rotary latch assemblies 410, 1610, and are functional to engage the rotary latch bolts 960, 1960 when the release levers 420, 1620 are in their non-operated positions, but disengage and release the rotary latch bolts 420, 1620 when pivoted to their operated positions. The non-operated position of the release lever 420 (and of the rotary pawl 970 connected to the release lever 420) is shown in FIG. 21 and in solid lines in FIG. 23, whereas the operated position of the release lever 420 (and of the rotary pawl 970) is shown in FIG. 22 and in broken lines in FIG. 23. The non-operated position of the release lever 1620 (and of the rotary pawl 1970 connected to the release lever 1620) is shown in FIG. 29, whereas the operated position of the release lever 1620 is shown in broken lines in FIG. 29.

[0077] The preferred configuration of the notches 951, 1951, 1953 and the manner in which the notches 1951, 1953 preferably are aligned to receive a striker is described in greater detail in the referenced Rotary Latch Patents.

[0078] Also housed between the side plates 952, 954 (in addition to the rotary jaw 960 and the rotary pawl 970), and also housed between the side plates 1952, 1954 (in addition to the rotary jaw 1960 and the rotary pawl 1970) is a torsion coil spring 980, 1980 that has coils that extend about the bushings 956, 1956. End regions of the spring 980 engage the jaw and pawl 960, 970, and end regions of the spring 1980 engage the jaw and pawl 1960, 1970, respectively, to bias these rotary elements (about rotation axes defined by the bushings 956, 1956 on which these elements are rotatably mounted) in a manner (described in the referenced Rotary Latch Patents) that permits interactively engaging formations of these elements (shown by hidden lines in FIG. 23) to cooperate to retain an associated one of the strikers 600, 810 in latched engagement with the associated latch assembly 410, 1610 until the associated release lever 420, 1620 is pivoted from its non-operated position to its operated position to release the grip of the associated rotary pawl 970, 1970 on the associated rotary jaw 960, 1960 so the associated jaw 960, 1960 can pivot under the influence of the associated spring 980, 1980 to release the associated striker 600, 810. This type of rotary-pawl-controlled rotary-jaw latching action is well known to and understood by those who are skilled in the art, and is further illustrated and described in the referenced Rotary Latch Patents and in other patents that are referred to in these patents.

[0079] Unlatching movement of the release lever 420 of the rotary latch assembly 410. (and concurrent unlatching movement of the release lever 520 of the rotary latch assembly 510) is effected by grasping and squeezing together the slide members 333, 334 of the latch operating assembly 310 at a time when the locking member 350 is positioned by the key-operated lock cylinder 360 in the “unlocked” position depicted in FIG. 12 (i.e., when the locking member 350 extends parallel to the end formations 393, 394 so as to permit the end formations 393, 394 to slide past the locking member 350 as the slide members 333, 334 are moved toward each other).

[0080] As the release lever 420 pivots to its operated position (shown in FIG. 22), the rotary pawl 970 is pivoted to a position where interactive formations of the rotary jaw 960 and the rotary pawl 970 disengage to permit the jaw 960 to rotate to its unlatched position (also shown in FIG. 22) whereupon the notched housing and the notched rotary latch bolt of the rotary latch assembly 410 no longer latchingly engage the striker 600 (i.e., the striker 600 is “released”). So long as the rotary jaw 960 of the rotary latch assembly 410 is in its unlatched position (depicted in FIGS. 4 and 22), the striker 600 can always be slammed into latching engagement with the rotary jaw 960—and, the same is true with respect to the identical rotary jaws of the rotary latch assemblies 510, 1610, 1710 and their associated strikers 600, 810, 910.

[0081] Unlatching movement of the release lever 1620 of the rotary latch assembly 1610 (and, in an identical manner, unlatching movement of the release lever 1720 of the rotary latch assembly 1710) is effected quite simply by grasping the handle 705 and pulling on the release cable 703 (and likewise by pulling on the release cable 704 insofar as operation of the release lever 1720 is concerned). As can be seen in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the hinge arms 614, 714 have curved outer end regions that provide guide holes 706 through which the release cables 703, 704 extend. The release cables 703, 704 are positioned for ready operator access and guided in their movements by the fact that they extend through the holes 706.

[0082] Inasmuch as the handles 705 of the release cables 703, 704 are housed within the cargo compartment 200 when the tonneau cover 100 is closed and therefore cannot be accessed for manual operation until the tonneau cover 100 has been pivoted to its open position by utilizing the latch operating mechanism 310 to operate the rear latch assemblies 410, 510, the front latch assemblies 1610, 1710 will remain in securely latched engagement with the latch strikers 810, 910 unless and until the tonneau cover 100 has been opened and the release cables 703, 704 manually pulled to unlatch the engagements between the front latch assemblies 1610, 1710 and the latch strikers 810, 910.

[0083] Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 26 wherein the right latch-carrying hinge assembly 610 is depicted, and to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6 wherein features of the left latch-carrying hinge assembly 710 are shown, the latch-carrying hinge assemblies 610, 710 have first hinge arms 612, 712 and second hinge arms 614, 714 that are interconnected by pivot pins 616, 716. The pivot pins 616, 716 have ends 615, 715 that are welded to the second hinge arms 614, 714 to ensure that the pivot pins 616, 716 rotate with the second hinge arms 614, 714 about the pivot axis 700.

[0084] Torsion springs 620, 720 are provided that have coils that wrap about their associated pivot pins 616, 716, and that have opposite end regions that. engage the first and second hinge arms at a short distance spaced from the pivot axis 700. The torsion springs 620, 720 serve to bias the second hinge arms 614, 714 relative to the first hinge arms 612, 712 to hold the second hinge arms in engagement with the underside of the tonneau cover 100 when the latch assemblies 1610, 1710 are disengaged from the latch strikers 810, 910. By this arrangement, when the tonneau cover 100 is removed from the truck, it is assured that the latch-carrying second arms 614, 714 will not swing loosely about but rather will remain in engagement with the underside of the tonneau cover 100. This biasing of the latch-carrying second arms 614, 714 into engagement with the underside of the tonneau cover 100 also is helpful when the time is at hand to reinstall the tonneau cover 100 on the truck, for it helps to ensure that the latch assemblies 1610, 1710 are oriented correctly to be slammed into engagement with the latch strikers 810, 910, respectively.

[0085] To ensure that the latch-carrying hinge assemblies 610, 710 are not utilized to open the tonneau cover 100 to unacceptable heights, it is desirable to limit the possible range of relative movement that can take place about the pivot axis 700 between the first and second arms 612, 614 (and between the first and second arms 712, 714). Since the pivot pin 616 has its end region 615 welded to the second arm 614 and therefore pivots about the axis 700 with the second arm 614 (and since the pivot pin 716 has its end region 715 welded to the second arm 714 and therefore pivots about the axis 700 with the second arm 714) it is possible to limit the permitted range of relative rotation about the axis 700 between the first and second arms 612, 614 (and between the first and second arms 712, 714) by providing the pin 616 and the first arm 612 (and the pin 716 and the first arm 712) with stop formations that engage at opposite ends of the permitted range of relative rotation.

[0086] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 26-28, a set of interactive stop formations that limits relative rotation between the first and second arms 612, 614 is indicated generally by the numeral 1000. The interactive stops 1000 are defined by a radially extending pin 1002 that is carried in a radially extending hole 1004 formed in the pivot pin 616, and by a slot 1006 defined by the first arm 612 that receives an outer end region of the pin 1002. Relative rotation between the pivot pin 616 and the first arm 612 (and hence between the first and second arms 612, 614) is limited by the extent to which the the outer end of the pin 616 can move between opposite ends of the notch 1004—a range of movement that preferably is limited to around thirty-five degrees so that the tonneau cover 100 will not be pivoted open to an unsuitable height. An identical set of interactive stops that limit relative rotation between the first and second arms 712, 714 is indicated by the numeral 1010 in FIG. 1.

[0087] The first hinge arms 612, 712 are, of course, connected to the tonneau cover 100, while the second hinge arms 614, 714 are, as has been described, removably connected to the side rails 203, 204 (FIG. 1) by virtue of latching engagements that are provided between the latch assembly 1610 and the latch striker 810, and between the latch assembly 1710 and the latch striker 910. Inasmuch as the latch strikers 810, 910 are identical, only the striker 810 will be described.

[0088] Referring to FIGS. 32-34, the latch striker 810 has a protective outer housing 830 that is formed as a stamping of steel so as to provide opposed upstanding side walls 824, 826 and an upstanding end wall 828 that are connected by a transversely extending bottom wall 832. The side walls 824, 826 and the bottom wall 832 extend in a U-shaped manner about a latch-receiving chamber 825.

[0089] Referring to FIGS. 33 and 34, a post assembly 820 extends through the chamber 825 between the side walls 824, 826 and has its opposite ends connected to the side walls 824, 826. The post assembly 820 includes an elongate rivet 840 that has its opposite ends crimped into engagement with the side walls 824, 826. A bushing 842 is mounted on the rivet 840 at a central location between the side walls 824, 826. It is the bushing 842 that is latchingly engaged by being received cooperatively in the latch assembly's notches 1951, 1953, 1955, as described above. Tapered washers 844 are carried on the rivet at locations on opposite ends of the bushing 842. Compression coil springs 846 are carried near opposite end regions of the rivet 840 to bias the washers 844 toward the bushing. The tapered washers 844 engage opposite sides of the housing of the latch assembly 1610 when the latch assembly 1610 latchingly engages the post assembly 820 of the latch striker 810, and the springs 846 bias the housing of the latch assembly 1610 away from the side walls 824, 826 toward a centered position within the latch-receiving chamber 825.

[0090] Referring to FIGS. 35-37, an optional spring-biased plunger assembly 850 may be carried by the bottom wall 832 for engaging the housing of the latch assembly 1610 to bias the latch assembly 1610 upwardly—so that, when the latch assembly 1610 is unlatched from engagement with the latch striker 810, the latch assembly 1610 will tend to move upwardly and out of the latch-receiving chamber 825. This upward biasing of the latch assembly 1610 (and a corresponding upward biasing of the latch assembly 1710 by an identically configured biased plunger assembly carried by the latch striker 910) may be desired to assist in uncoupling the tonneau cover 100 from the truck.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 36, the plunger assembly includes a capscrew 852 that carries a bushing 854, extend through a hole formed through the bottom wall 832. Upper and lower washers 856 are carried at opposite ends of the bushing 854, and a nut 860 is threaded onto the capscrew 852 to clamp the washers 856 against opposite ends of the bushing 854. The washers 856 prevent the head of the capscrew 852 and the locknut 860 from passing through the bottom wall hole that receives the bushing 854 in a slip fit. A compression coil spring 862 is interposed between the bottom wall 832 and the upper washer 856 to bias the plunger assembly 850 upwardly.

[0092] When the rotary latch 1610 is inserted between the opposed side walls 824, 826 to latchingly engage the striker post assembly 820 of the latch striker 810, a portion 1688 (see FIG. 37) of the housing of the latch 1610 engages the head of the capscrew 852 and causes the spring 862 to be compressed as downward movement of the latch 1610 presses the capscrew 852 downwardly to the position that is illustrated in FIG. 37 wherein the latch 1610 has latchingly engaged the striker unit 810. By this arrangement, when the latch 1610 is tripped (i.e., operated) to release the striker unit 810, the biasing action of the spring 862 on the latch 1610 will push the latch 1610 (and, with it, the hinge 610 and the front end region of the tonneau cover 100) upwardly to assist with removal of the tonneau cover 100 from the truck.

[0093] A feature of the removable tonneau cover latching system of the present invention is that storage of the removed cover 100 can be facilitated by mounting a pair of the striker units 810, 910 on the wall of a garage or other building at a height above the floor that slightly exceeds the length of the removed tonneau cover 100 and at a spaced-apart distance that corresponds to the spacing of the latch assemblies 1610, 1710—so that the latch assemblies 1610, 1710 can be snapped into engagement with the wall-mounted striker units to support the removed tonneau cover 100 and to store the cover 100 efficiently when it is not in use on a pickup truck or the like.

[0094] While the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it will be understood that the present disclosure of the preferred embodiment has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of elements can be resorted to without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. As those who are skilled in the art will readily understand, the use of so-called “left” and “right” components gives the resulting installation on a closure a balanced and symmetrical appearance that may not be required in order to achieve proper function. Likewise, repositionings of the described components also can be made in order to accommodate the needs of a variety of tonneau covers or other closures without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

[0095] It is intended that the claims that follow protect such novel features as reside in the disclosed latch, lock and hinge system, components thereof, and equivalents thereto.