Pivoting rail having tonneau cover system

[0002] This invention relates to tonneau covers for enclosing the cargo area of a vehicle, such as a pickup truck, and in particular to a soft tonneau cover having a pivot assembly located adjacent to the vehicle cab. The pivot assembly enables the cover to be lifted or pivoted opened from the vehicle tailgate area. Beyond a determined angle of opening, the pivot assembly allows removal of the tonneau cover.

[0003] Tonneau covers which pivot about the front or cab wall of a pick up truck cargo box are known as tip-up tonneau covers. Tip-up tonneau covers are predominately of a rigid or hard construction but can also be of a soft or fabric construction.

[0004] The hard tonneau cover has the disadvantages of being heavy and cumbersome. A typical hard tonneau cover is made of fiberglass and weighs well in excess of 200 pounds. Because of its size and awkwardness to handle, it requires two or more persons to remove the cover from the cargo box. The weight of the cover also requires robust and expensive hardware to attach the cover to the pickup bed and to allow counterbalancing of the cover while being pivoted in normal use. The hard tonneau is also cumbersome to ship, requiring motor freight delivery because of the large size and weight.

[0005] Typically, the hard tip-up tonneau cover pivots from the front of the cargo box using a hinge. An arrangement is provided to disassemble the hinge and remove the cover while leaving a base rail attached to the top of the cargo box forward wall. Reassembly of the hinge requires precise alignment which is difficult while supporting the tonneau. Furthermore, the hinge assembly must not allow water shed from the cover to enter the cargo box. The tonneau is supported by gas struts, when open, and lockable in the tailgate region of the cargo box when closed.

[0006] The soft tonneau cover consists of flexible fabric cover attached to a rectangular frame conforming and secured to the top of the cargo box. Numerous mechanisms have been used to attach flexible sheet tonneau covers to the frame. The two most commercially popular mechanisms are snap fasteners and a continuous hook fastener, known as a J-hook, that engages with a flange to mount the tonneau cover flexible sheet. Typically, lateral bow supports are provided between opposing side rails of the frame to tension the fabric.

[0007] The soft tip-up tonneau emulates the pivoting opening and closing motion of the hard tip-up tonneau using soft tonneau technology. One popular method of making a soft tip-up tonneau is to cut the side rails of the frame mid-way and insert a pivot mechanism. The front portion of the tonneau frame is clamped to the forward area of the cargo box and the rear portion of the tonneau frame can pivot for opening and closing. The fabric conforms to each respective portion of the frame and, being flexible, allows motion where necessary. A gas strut is provided to support the rear portion of the tonneau when opened and, using an over-center mechanism, to keep the hinge closed when not opened. Latching is similar to the methods used for the hard tonneau.

[0008] A major disadvantage of the soft tonneau of either the conventional or tip-up type, is that in order to remove the tonneau it must be unfastened, rolled up, and then the bow supports and the rails attached to the cargo box have to be removed and stowed. This disassembly must be performed on the vehicle and the soft tonneau covers currently on the market cannot be removed from the vehicle as an assembly. This complex disassembly to remove the tonneau has met with consumer resistance in the marketplace.

[0009] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rail assembly for a tip-up soft tonneau which allows pivoting about the forward cargo box wall and retains the tonneau fabric.

[0010] It is a further object to provide a pivoting rail assembly which can be disassembled after partially opening the tonneau to allow removal of the soft tonneau assembled to a frame.

[0011] It is a still further object to provide a pivoting rail assembly which is self aligning to allow one person to reassemble the rail assembly.

[0012] The present invention provides a pivoting front rail assembly for a soft tonneau cover. The assembly consists of a base rail and a front rail.

[0013] The base rail is semi-permanently attached to the upper portion of the front or cab wall of a truck cargo box. The base rail includes a lower pivot of semi-circular profile having an open, unobstructed end portion and an upward projecting locking tongue.

[0014] The front rail is the forward component of a rectangular frame, comprised additionally of left and right side rails and a rear rail. The front rail includes an upper pivot, which cooperates with the lower pivot of the base rail to form a hinge. Additionally the front rail incorporates a groove which engages the locking tongue of the base rail to prevent disassembly of the upper pivot from the lower pivot when the tonneau cover is closed or opened in normal use. When the tonneau is opened to a sufficiently large angle so as to disengage the tongue of the base rail from the groove of the front rail, the joint can be disassembled. Once this unlocking angle is achieved, the upper pivot can disengage from the lower pivot, which includes an open, unobstructed end portion so as to allow for and not create an obstruction or hindrance to the removal of the entire tonneau cover while assembled to the frame. The front rail also provides an interface to retain a fabric fastener, typically of the J-hook or snap fastener type.

[0015] Thus, in ordinary use, the tonneau cover remains stretched and retained on the frame as a tonneau assembly. Opening and closing of the tonneau is accomplished in the same manner as a rigid tip-up tonneau by unlatching the rear portion of the frame and tilting the tonneau assembly. To remove the tonneau assembly, the tonneau is opened beyond the unlocking angle at which point the lower and upper pivots can be disengaged.

[0016] Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pickup truck with cargo box having a tonneau cover according to the present invention installed thereon;

[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pickup truck of FIG. 1 showing the tonneau cover in an open position;

[0019] FIG. 3 is a sectional view along 3—3 in FIG. 1 showing the pivoting front rail assembly attached to the front wall of the cargo box and retaining the tonneau cover;

[0020] FIG. 4 is the same view as FIG. 3 showing the pivoting front rail assembly in the partially open position;

[0021] FIG. 5 is the same view as FIG. 3 showing the pivoting front rail assembly in the open position and capable of disassembly; and

[0022] FIG. 6 is the same view as FIG. 3 showing the pivoting front rail assembly as the tonneau cover is removed.

[0023] With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a pickup truck 10 is shown having a tonneau cover assembly 12 which is attached to the cargo box 13 according to the present invention. The cargo box 13 has front wall 14, left side wall 16, right side wall 18 and rear wall or tailgate 20. The tonneau cover assembly 12 includes a fabric cover 22 which is drawn tightly over a frame 24 and removeably attached to the frame 24. The frame 24 is comprised of a number of frame rails which are attached to one another to form the rectangular frame. The frame rails included are a front frame rail 26, a left side frame rail 28, a right side frame rail 30 and a rear frame rail 32. When closed, the rectangular frame 24 is aligned with the top of the cargo box sidewalls 16 and 18 as well as the top of the cargo box front wall 14 and tailgate 20. The frame 24 is attached by convention methods to the cargo box 13 at the front wall 14, the front rail 26 and specifically by a base rail 34 thereof which is in turn retained by clamping mechanisms or fasteners (not shown). The tonneau cover assembly 12 may include a latch assembly (not shown) at the rear of the frame 24 which engages with portions of the latch assembly secured to the tailgate 20.

[0024] When opened as shown in FIG. 2, the tonneau cover assembly 12 pivots about the base rail 34. In the open position, the tonneau cover assembly 12 is supported and limited in upward pivotal travel by the left and right gas strut assemblies 36 and 38.

[0025] With reference to FIG. 3, front frame rail 26 is shown in cross section. Front frame rail 26 includes the base rail 34 mentioned above and two pivot rails 35. The base and pivot rails 34 and 35 are elongated members which extend substantially the width of the cargo box front wall 14 with a generally uniform cross section. Such rails can be economically manufactured as an aluminum extrusion. However, other materials and or manufacturing processes could be used to form the frame rail. The pivot rail 35 as shown in FIG. 3, includes a main body section 50 and a two part extension in the form of an attachment flange 52 and a pivot flange 44. The body section 50 is generally of a box-type construction having an upper wall 54, a lower wall 56, an outboard wall 58 and an inboard wall 60.

[0026] Extending forward off of the body section 50, generally at a downward angle, is the attachment flange 52. In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment flange 52 is designed to engage a J-hook fastener 40 to which the edge of the fabric cover 22 is folded over and attached, such as by sewing. Other methods of attachment, such as snap fasteners can also be used. In those instances, the male portion of the snap fastener is secured to the flange 52 while the female portion is secured to the fabric cover 22.

[0027] The base rail 34 has a semi-circular, open, unobstructed lower pivot 42 provided at its forward most end, which cooperates with a similarly shaped terminal end 45 of the pivot flange 44 of the front rail 26 to create a hinge that allows pivotal motion of the tonneau cover assembly 12 relative to the cargo box 13. The base rail 34 further includes a body portion 62 that contacts the top surface 64 of the cargo box's front wall 14. A tongue 46, illustrated as being arcuate, extends upward from the body portion 62 and into a conjugate groove 48 defined between a rear portion 66 of the pivot flange 44 and the outboard wall 58 of the body section 50.

[0028] When the tonneau cover assembly 12 is lifted up to an open position, as shown in FIG. 4, the length of the tongue 46 is provided as such that it continues to be received within the groove 48. In this position, it is seen that the terminal end 45 of the pivot flange 44 rotates relative to the open, unobstructed lower pivot 42 of the base rail 34.

[0029] Rotation or pivoting can continue beyond the open position until a removal position and unlocking angle is reached. At this angle, shown in FIG. 5, the tongue 46 is withdrawn out of the groove 48 and the pivot rail 35 can be disengaged from the base rail 34, in an upward and downward direction, as the open, unobstructed lower portion 42 allows for and does not create an obstruction or hindrance to the removal of the tonneau cover 22 and frame 24 as shown in FIG. 6.

[0030] The semi-circular shape of the lower pivot 42 guides the terminal end 44 into correct alignment during assembly. This facilitates to enable a single person to remove and assemble the cover 22 and frame 24 with the base rail 34. Also the semicircular channel formed by the terminal 44 over the length of the front rail 26 forms a “gutter” which channels water shed from the cover 22 toward and over the cargo box sidewalls 16 and 18 for drainage. This prevents water shed from the cover 22 from entering the cargo box 13.

[0031] The gas strut assemblies, 36 and 38 are sized to limit the opening travel of the tonneau cover assembly 12 to a point before which the unlocking angle is reached. In this manner the tonneau cover assembly 12 is held open by the gas struts 36 and 38 with the base rail 34 and the pivot rail 35 remaining assembled during normal use. Before removal of the cover 22 and frame 24, the gas strut assemblies 36 and 38 are uncoupled from the frame 24. Conventional mechanisms may be used to removeably connect the strut assemblies 36 and 38 to the frame 24.

[0032] The front rail 26 of the tonneau cover assembly 12 of the present invention allows a tip-up soft tonneau to open like a hard tonneau by pivoting about the cargo box front wall. A removal precaution mechanism (the tongue 46 and groove 48) allow normal pivoting use where removal is prevented and also allows movement beyond an open angle where removal of the soft tonneau by a single person is permitted.

[0033] It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction illustrated and described above, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.