Molded tonneau cover apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9555735-B2
Application number	US-201514592615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2015
Priority date	Jan 8, 2015
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle cargo box tonneau cover device includes two or more hard panels formed of thin-walled, friction welded polypropylene material hermetically enclosing extruded support beams. Each panel forms an upper surface falling on a common plane when in a deployed position. Adjacent panels are joined along their common edges by a multi-pin hinge disposed entirely below the upper surface to provide a flat overall appearance. The hinge has a first flange carried by a first panel, a second flange carried by an adjacent second panel, and an elongated free-moving link mounted to the first flange for relative rotation about a first axis and mounted to the second flange for relative rotation about a second axis. The two axes are spaced from and parallel to one another, whereby the hinge enables 180° freedom of rotation between the adjacent panels when transitioning between a planer deployed position and a folded retracted position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A foldable tonneau cover apparatus for an open-topped vehicle cargo box, said tonneau cover apparatus comprising:
first and second hard panels, each panel defining spaced apart upper and lower surfaces joined by edge surfaces, said panels pivotally interconnected by an elongated multi-pin hinge extending between adjacent edge surfaces of said first and second panels, said hinge comprising a first flange member carried with said first panel edge surface, a second flange member carried with said second panel edge surface, and an elongated free-moving link mounted to said first flange for relative rotation with respect thereto about a first axis and mounted to said second flange for relative rotation with respect thereto about a second axis, said first axis fixedly spaced from and parallel to said second axis,
wherein said hinge is disposed between the upper and lower surfaces of said panels when said panels are in a deployed position with said upper surfaces thereof in a substantially coplanar orientation,
wherein said first flange member includes a first tang configured to limit an amount of rotation of said first hard panel relative to said elongated free-moving link, said first tang being substantially parallel to said upper surface of said first hard panel.

2. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said top surface of said first panel and said top surface of said second panel fall on a common plane when said tonneau cover is in said deployed orientation.

3. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first flange member is interconnected to said link by a first elongated hinge pin defining said first axis, and said second flange member is interconnected to said link by a second elongated hinge pin defining said second axis.

4. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first and second flange members are disposed vertically intermediate said upper and lower surfaces of said panels.

5. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said free-moving link comprises a generally rectangular extruded tube operative to provide lateral support structure when said first and second panels are in the deployed position and in a retracted position.

6. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one latch mechanism carried with each said panel operable to selectively engage an associated vehicle cargo box when in said deployed position.

7. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a hold-down apparatus operable to interconnect and retain said first and second panels in a retracted position.

8. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , where each said panel comprises an upper panel half and a lower panel half joined to form a sealed cavity enclosing at least one support member.

9. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first tang is configured to limit the relative rotation of said first hard panel with the free-moving link via cooperating abutment surfaces formed on said first flange member and said free-moving link.

10. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first tang is configured to limit the relative rotation of said first hard panel with the free-moving link to about 90°.

11. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said second flange member includes a second tang configured to limit an amount of rotation of said second hard panel relative to said elongated free-moving link, wherein said second tang is substantially parallel to said upper surface of said second hard panel.

12. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 11 , wherein said first tang and said second tang are substantially parallel in said deployed position.

13. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first and second axes are offset from their respective upper panel surface by a dimension designated OS.

14. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 13 , wherein said first and second axes are offset from one another by a dimension designated D 2 which is equal to or greater than the dimension designated OS.

15. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 13 , wherein said first and second panels have a common nominal thickness of a dimension designated T.

16. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said first and second axes are offset from one another by a dimension designated D1 which is equal to or greater than two times the dimension designated OS plus the dimension T.

17. A foldable tonneau cover apparatus for an open-topped vehicle cargo box, said tonneau cover apparatus comprising:
first and second hard panels, each panel defining spaced apart upper and lower surfaces joined by edge surfaces;
an elongated multi-pin hinge pivotally interconnecting and extending between adjacent edge surfaces of said first and second hard panels, said hinge comprising a first flange member carried with said first panel edge surface, a second flange member carried with said second panel edge surface, and an elongated free-moving link mounted to said first flange for relative rotation with respect thereto about a first axis and mounted to said second flange for relative rotation with respect thereto about a second axis, said first axis fixedly spaced from and parallel to said second axis; and
a resilient hinge cover carried with said hinge and defining a planar upper surface which is substantially flush with the upper surfaces of said first and second panels when said tonneau cover is in a deployed position,
wherein said hinge is disposed between the upper and lower surfaces of said panels when said panels are in said deployed position.

18. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said hinge cover and flange members comprise cooperating retention features.

19. The tonneau cover apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said hinge cover and link comprise cooperating retention features.

20. A foldable tonneau cover apparatus for an open-topped vehicle cargo box, said tonneau cover apparatus comprising:
first and second panels, each panel defining spaced apart upper and lower surfaces joined by edge surfaces;
a hinge pivotally connecting said first and second panels, said hinge comprising a first flange member carried with said first panel edge surface, a second flange member carried with said second panel edge surface, and a free-moving link mounted to said first flange for relative rotation with respect thereto about a first axis and mounted to said second flange for relative rotation with respect thereto about a second axis, said first axis fixedly spaced from and parallel to said second axis; and
a hinge cover carried with said hinge and defining a substantially planar upper surface which is substantially flush with the upper surfaces of said first and second panels when said tonneau cover is in a deployed position.

21. A foldable, hard panel tonneau cover apparatus for an open-topped vehicle cargo box, said tonneau cover apparatus comprising:
a plurality of hard panels, each panel defining spaced apart upper and lower panel surfaces integrally joined by edge surfaces;
an elongated multi-pin hinge pivotally interconnecting and extending laterally between edge surfaces of said adjacent panels, said hinge comprising a first flange member carried with said panel edge surface, a second flange member carried with an adjacent panel edge surface, an elongated free-moving link mounted to said first flange for relative rotation with respect thereto about a first axis and mounted to said second flange for relative rotatio

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Eng & Mfg North America Inc

Inventors

• Kerr Iii Norman C

Classifications

• Y10T16/547

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B60J7/198

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

• B60P7/02 Primary

  Covering of load · CPC title

• B60J7/141 Primary

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