Tonneau cover system with intermediate automatic latching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10406899-B2
Application number	US-201715642593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2017
Priority date	Jul 6, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

A tonneau cover has rectangular elements pivotally connected together. An automatic latch can be coupled to a first rectangular element end of one of the rectangular elements. A latch actuator can extend from the automatic latch to a first latch-rearward rectangular element. The first latch rearward element can be rearward of the first rectangular element end. Movement of the first latch-rearward rectangular element relative to the first rectangular element end, as the tonneau cover moves between closed and open positions, can move the latch actuator which moves the first automatic latch between the latched and unlatched configurations, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tonneau cover system for a truck cargo box including a forward end and a rear end, and first and second side walls therebetween, the tonneau cover system comprising:
a tonneau cover including a plurality of rectangular elements including a forward and a rear rectangular element, and a first and a second latch-rearward rectangular element, the plurality of rectangular elements having opposite ends supportable by the first and second side walls, respectively, and the rectangular elements being pivotally connected together and moveable between a closed position in which the rectangular elements are in an extended configuration to cover the cargo box, and an open position in which the rectangular elements are in a retracted storage configuration to allow access to the cargo box;
a first and a second automatic latch coupled to a first and a second rectangular element end at a first and a second side of the tonneau cover, respectively, the first and second rectangular element ends each being an end of any rectangular element intermediate the forward and rear rectangular elements, and each of the first and second automatic latches having a latched configuration in which each automatic latch is latched to the first and second side walls, respectively, of the cargo box, and an unlatched configuration in which each automatic latch is unlatched from the first and second side wall, respectively;
a first and a second latch actuator extending from the first and second automatic latch, respectively, to the first and second latch-rearward rectangular element, respectively, that is rearward of the first and second rectangular element end, respectively, wherein movement of the first latch-rearward rectangular element relative to the first rectangular element end, as the tonneau cover moves between the closed and open positions, moves the first latch actuator which moves the first automatic latch between the latched and unlatched configurations, and wherein movement of the second latch-rearward rectangular element relative to the second rectangular element end, as the tonneau cover moves between the closed and open positions, moves the second latch actuator which moves the second automatic latch between the latched and unlatched configurations, respectively;
wherein the first and second latch actuators are anchored to the first and second latch-rearward rectangular elements, respectively, and the first and second latch-rearward rectangular elements pull against the first and second latch actuators, respectively, to move the first and second latch actuators which moves the first and second automatic latches from the latched to the unlatched configurations or vice versa.

2. The tonneau cover system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second latch actuators comprise at least one actuation cable.

3. The tonneau cover system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one latch actuation cable comprises a first actuation cable coupled to the first automatic latch and a second actuation cable coupled to the second automatic latch, and wherein the first and second latch actuation cables are independently anchored to the respective first and second latch-rearward rectangular elements.

4. The tonneau cover system of claim 2 , wherein the first and second latch-rearward rectangular elements are a same one of the rectangular elements.

5. The tonneau cover system of claim 2 , wherein the first and second rectangular element ends are opposite ends of a same one of the rectangular elements.

6. The tonneau cover system of claim 2 , wherein each of the first and second actuation cables includes a first portion that extends between the respective first and second automatic latch and an intermediate anchor, and a second portion that extends at an angle relative to the first portion and between the intermediate anchor and a terminal anchor coupled to the first and second latch-rearward rectangular elements, respectively.

7. The tonneau cover system of claim 2 , wherein the tonneau cover is a roll-up tonneau cover with the retracted storage configuration being a rolled-up configuration, and each of the rectangular elements comprises a rigid slat.

8. The tonneau cover system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one manual latch coupled to the rear rectangular element, and being manually actuated to move the manual latch from a latched configuration in which the manual latch is latched to one of the side walls of the cargo box, to an unlatched configuration in which the manual latch is unlatched from the one of the side walls.

9. The tonneau cover system of claim 8 , further comprising first and second side rails coupleable to the first and second side walls, respectively, and wherein the first and second automatic latches and the manual latch are each indirectly latched to the respective side wall of the cargo box in the latched configuration by being latched to the respective side rail.

10. The tonneau cover system of claim 9 , wherein the opposite ends of the plurality of rectangular elements are indirectly supportable by the first and second side walls by being supportable on respective support flanges of the first and second side rails, and wherein the side rails each include a latching flange positioned above the support flange, and wherein the automatic latches are latched to the latching flanges, respectively, in the latched configuration.

11. The tonneau cover system of claim 1 , wherein the rectangular elements of the tonneau cover include lower surfaces upon which the rectangular elements rest in the closed position, and the first automatic latch has a latching surface positioned above the lower support surfaces in the closed position.

12. The tonneau cover system of claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member operably coupled to each of the first and second automatic latches to bias the automatic latch toward the latched configuration.

13. A tonneau cover system for a truck cargo box including a forward end and a rear end, and first and second side walls therebetween, the tonneau cover system comprising:
a tonneau cover including a plurality of rectangular elements including a forward and a rear rectangular element, and a first and a second latch-rearward rectangular element, the plurality of rectangular elements having opposite ends supportable by the first and second side walls, respectively, and the rectangular elements being pivotally connected together and moveable between a closed position in which the rectangular elements are in an extended configuration to cover the cargo box, and an open position in which the rectangular elements are in a retracted storage configuration to allow access to the cargo box;
a first automatic latch coupled to a first rectangular element end at a first side of the tonneau cover, the first rectangular element end being an end of any rectangular element intermediate the forward and rear rectangular elements, and the first automatic latch having a latched configuration in which the first automatic latch is latched to a first side wall of the cargo box, and an unlatched configuration in which the first automatic latch is unlatched from the first side wall;
a first latch actuator extending from the first automatic latch to a first latch-rearward rectangular element that is rearward of the first rectangular element end, wherein movement of the first latch-rearward rectangular element relative to the first rectangular element end, as the tonneau cover moves between the closed and open positions, moves the latch actuator which moves the first automatic latch between the latched and unlatched configurations, respectively.

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Assignees

• Extang Corp
• Truxedo Inc

Inventors

• Carter Chad
• Facchinello Jerome J
• Kneifl Kelly
• Spencer Michael R

Classifications

• B60J7/198 Primary

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

• B60J7/141

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

• B60J7/085

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