Tonneau cover access panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10239394-B2
Application number	US-201715487037-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2017
Priority date	Nov 3, 2015
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A tonneau cover access panel assembly connectable to a vehicle that eliminates the need for side rails to both locate and tension a tonneau cover. The assembly also reduces weight and complexity. The assembly incorporates a readily accessible rear latching system that reduces or eliminates interference with the tonneau cover during operation. The assembly also incorporates a tonneau cover tensioning system. The tension seals out environmental elements and holds the tonneau cover and locating bows in place. The assembly holds the tonneau in the closed tension state keeping the tonneau cover secured and tight until the cover is opened by an operator. The assembly is movable between a closed position and a fully open/stowable position and any intermediate positions. The assembly is also movable between at least a first open position and the deployed position for more limiting access to the cargo bed of the vehicle when desired.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tonneau cover assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
at least one rear attachment assembly operably coupled to the vehicle adjacent an opening of the vehicle, said at least one rear attachment assembly including a pivotal portion operably coupled to a cover, wherein pivoting the pivotal portion moves the cover between a closed position to cover the opening of the vehicle and at least a first open position to partially uncover the opening of the vehicle;
at least one tensioning system operably coupled to the cover and to the at least one rear attachment assembly to keep the cover under tension when in the closed position to seal the opening of the vehicle;
at least one latching mechanism including at least one release lever to selectively unlatch the at least one rear attachment assembly from the vehicle, wherein unlatching the at least one release lever allows selective opening of the cover to at least an open/stowed position uncovering the opening of the vehicle.

2. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tensioning system is a cable arrangement including a pair of cables coupled to respective sides of the cover and operably connected to opposite ends of the at least one rear attachment assembly.

3. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 1 , wherein the other end of each respective cable is operably connected at the other end to a front attachment assembly adjacent a front of the opening of the vehicle.

4. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 2 , wherein the cable on both sides of the cover additionally extend inboard to operably connect to a front attachment assembly for further tensioning adjacent a front of the opening of the vehicle.

5. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 4 , further comprising at least one pair of springs connected to at least one fastener that is centrally located on the front attachment assembly, wherein each cable that runs inboard is operably connected to a respective spring of said at least one pair of springs for further cable tensioning.

6. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cover is rollable to the open/stowed position and securable to a front attachment assembly.

7. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 1 , further comprising at least one seal along at least both sides of the cover in a fore and aft direction to seal against the vehicle.

8. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 1 , further comprising at least one seal along the rear attachment assembly and/or a front attachment assembly to seal against a tailgate of the vehicle and/or to seal against a bulkhead of the vehicle, respectively.

9. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of cover management bows operably coupled to the inside of the cover running cross-vehicle, said plurality of cover management bows operably connected to the vehicle.

10. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of pockets operably connected to the sides of the cover, wherein each end of the cover management bows are connected within a respective pocket by at least one fastener.

11. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of pockets are acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or vacuum formed polycarbonate and operable to rest on sidewalls of the vehicle adjacent the opening of the vehicle.

12. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first open position creates a gap of about 3 to 10 inches for limited access into the opening of the vehicle.

13. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a pair of mounting brackets, each mounting bracket connected to a sidewall of the vehicle adjacent the opening of the vehicle by at least one fastener.

14. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 13 , wherein the at least one release lever includes a pair of handles operably connected to a connecting bar, wherein pulling either of the handles toward the at least one rear attachment assembly causes rotation of the connecting bar to unlatch a respective hook from the mounting brackets thereby unlatching the latching mechanism.

15. A tonneau cover assembly for a vehicle that has a cargo bed structure with at least one top opening and a tailgate, comprising:
a cover operable in sealing the top opening when in a closed position, wherein the cover is moveable between at least the closed position, a partially open position and a fully open position;
at least one tensioning system operably coupled to the cover to keep the cover under tension when in the closed position for sealing;
a pair of mounting brackets, wherein the pair of mounting brackets are connected to opposite sidewalls of the vehicle adjacent the top opening of the vehicle with at least one fastener;
a first recess formed in the pair of mounting brackets;
a second recess formed in the pair of mounting brackets;
a pair of rear attachment portions operably connected at both ends of a cross member, said pair of rear attachment portions including an end feature operable to selectively fit within the first recess;
a pair of cutouts formed in the cross member;
at least one release lever including a pair of handles, each rotatable within the pair of cutouts, respectively, and, each operably connected to a connecting bar;
a pair of release latches operably connected toward both ends of the connecting bar and rotatable with the connecting bar, wherein pulling either of the handles toward the tailgate causes rotation of the connecting bar to rotate both release latches from the second recess of the pair of mounting brackets thereby unlatching the pair of rear attachment portions from the pair of mounting brackets in order to allow the cover to be selectively moved to the fully open position when desired, and wherein pushing either of the handles away from the tailgate causes rotation of the connecting bar in the opposite direction to rotate both release latches into the second recess of the pair of mounting brackets thereby latching the pair of rear attachment portions to the pair of mounting brackets to allow the cover to be selectively moved between the partially open and closed positions when desired; and
a pivotal portion operably coupled to the cover and to the pair of rear attachment portions, wherein pivoting the pivotal portion moves the cover between the closed position and the partially open position to partially uncover the opening of the vehicle.

16. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 15 , further comprising a pair of front rail corner attachments operably connected both ends of a front bow member, wherein the cover and the tensioning system are operably coupled to at least the pair of front rail corner attachments.

17. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 16 , wherein the tensioning system comprises at least two cables each connected to a respective spring that is operably connected to the front bow member, wherein one end of each cable is connected to one of the at least one rear attachments, each cable extends through the respective front rail corner attachment, and the other end of each cable is connected to the respective spring.

18. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 15 , further comprising at least one pair of seals, wherein the seals are operably connected to the underneath surface of the cover along both sides of the cover in the fore and aft direction to seal against the vehicle's sidewalls.

19. The tonneau cover assembly of claim 15 , further comprising at least one fabric management bow connected at opposite ends to a pocket by at least one fastener, wherein each pocket

Assignees

• Bestop Inc

Inventors

• Lutzka Tavis
• Lewis Stephen J
• Smith David A

Classifications

• B60J7/085

  winding up, e.g. for utility vehicles · CPC title

• B60J7/185

  Locking arrangements (locks in general E05B) · CPC title

• B60J7/102

  Readily detachable tarpaulins, e.g. for utility vehicles; Frames therefor · CPC title

• B60J7/141 Primary

  for covering load areas, e.g. for pick-up trucks · CPC title

• B60Y2304/05

  Reducing production costs, e.g. by redesign · CPC title