Front and rear latches for tonneau system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315498-B2
Application number	US-201715725688-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2017
Priority date	Oct 5, 2017
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A latch assembly comprising: (I) a head having: (a) two corners; and (b) two fillets that are each connected to the two corners by a sidewall that extends between each of the two fillets and each of the two corners; and (II) an engaging portion coupled to the head, the engaging portion being configured to engage a wall of a cargo box of a pickup truck to compressibly secure a foldable tonneau system to the cargo box, wherein two of the sidewalls extending between the two corners and the two fillets form a locking portion that is configured to lock the latch assembly in a cross bow member of the foldable tonneau system when the latch assembly is in communication with the cross bow member, and the latch assembly is configured to be insertable and removable from the cross bow member of the foldable tonneau system without disassembly of the cross bow member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A latch assembly comprising:
I. a head having:
a. two corners; and
b. two fillets that are each connected to the two corners by a sidewall that extends between each of the two fillets and each of the two corners; and

II. an engaging portion coupled to the head, the engaging portion being configured to engage a wall of a cargo box of a pickup truck to compressibly secure a foldable tonneau system to the cargo box;
wherein two of the sidewalls extending between the two corners and the two fillets form a locking portion that is configured to lock the latch assembly in a cross bow member of the foldable tonneau system when the latch assembly is in communication with the cross bow member, and the latch assembly is configured to be insertable and removable from the cross bow member of the foldable tonneau system without disassembly of the cross bow member while also being positionable between an extended position and a nested position by pivotally moving the engaging portion relative to the head.

2. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the head of the latch assembly can be inserted into a cross-sectional area of the cross bow member at any position along a length of the cross bow member.

3. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the head is rotatable approximately 90 degrees to secure the locking portion of the head on a plurality of flanges of the cross bow member.

4. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the locking portion is rotatable inside a cross-sectional area of the cross bow member so that a length of the head is greater than a width of a gap between a plurality of flanges of the cross bow member, and a bottom surface of the locking portion rests on the plurality of flanges.

5. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising:
I. one or more receiving portions projecting substantially perpendicular from a bottom surface of the locking portion, the one or more receiving portions having one or more receiving holes;
II. a trunnion assembly secured by the one or more receiving holes; and
III. a threaded member fixedly attached at a first end to a main body of the trunnion assembly;
wherein the engaging portion is movably secured to the threaded member so that the engaging portion is movable along a longitudinal axis of the threaded member to engage the wall of the cargo box.

6. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the two corners of the locking portion form substantially right angles.

7. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the engaging portion is pivotally engaged to the head by a threaded member connecting the engaging portion to a trunnion assembly that is secured in the head.

8. The latch assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the one or more receiving portions are overmolded around opposing trunnion ends of the trunnion assembly so that the trunnion assembly is free to rotate about an axis of the one or more receiving holes.

9. The latch assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the engaging portion engages the wall of the cargo box by tightening a corresponding fastener at an opposing second end of the threaded member.

10. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the latch assembly is both slidably and pivotally coupled to the cross bow member.

11. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the latch assembly is configured to be removable from the cross bow member after the foldable tonneau system is secured to the cargo box of the pickup truck.

12. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the latch assembly can be inserted and secured into a cross-sectional area of the cross bow member after the foldable tonneau system is secured to the cargo box of the pickup truck.

13. The latch assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the cross bow member has a substantially C-shaped cross-sectional area.

14. A method comprising:
I. inserting the head of the latch assembly according to claim 1 into a cross-sectional area of the cross bow member of the foldable tonneau system so that a length of the head is substantially perpendicular to a width of the cross bow member; and
II. rotating the head within the cross-sectional area so that the length of the head is substantially parallel to the width of the cross bow member, the rotation securing the locking portion of the head on a plurality of flanges of the cross bow member to allow the latch assembly to slide along a longitudinal axis of the cross bow member.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the head of the latch assembly can be inserted into the cross-sectional area of the cross bow member at any position along a length of the cross bow member.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the length of the head is greater than a width of a gap between the plurality of flanges.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the cross bow member has a substantially C-shaped cross-sectional area.

18. A latch assembly comprising:
I. a head including:
a. a locking portion having:
i. two corners; and
ii. two fillets that are each connected to the two corners by a sidewall that extends between each of the two fillets and each of the two corners, each of the fillets creating a generally arcuate surface;

b. two or more receiving portions projecting from a bottom surface of the locking portion, the two or more receiving portions having one or more receiving holes;
c. a notch located between the two or more receiving portions; and

II. a trunnion assembly secured to the head by the two or more receiving portions and the trunnion assembly being rotatable relative to the head;
III. a threaded member attached to the trunnion assembly; and
IV. an engaging portion coupled to the head by the threaded member and pivotally engaged to the trunnion assembly, the engaging portion being configured to engage a wall of a cargo box of a pickup truck to compressibly secure a foldable tonneau system to the cargo box;
wherein the locking portion of the head is configured to engage inside a cross-sectional area of a cross bow member so that the latch assembly is capable of being added to or removed from the cross bow member without disassembly of the cross bow member or the latch assembly.

19. The latch assembly according to claim 18 , wherein the threaded member is pivotally engaged to the trunnion assembly to move between an extended position and a nested position, the threaded member being configured to be received by the notch while in the nested position.

20. The latch assembly according to claim 18 , wherein the engaging member includes a biasing member that compresses the engaging portion relative to the head of the latch assembly so that the engaging portion compressibly secures the foldable tonneau system to the cargo box.

Assignees

• Tectum Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Parkey John

Classifications

• B60J7/141

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

• B60J7/198 Primary

  for locking tonneau covers such as covers for roof storage compartments or for pick-up truck beds · CPC title

• B60P7/02

  Covering of load · CPC title