Tonneau cover having flexible hinge with cut-resistant barrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9895964-B1
Application number	US-201715423846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Feb 3, 2017
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

A tonneau cover for covering a cargo box of a vehicle. The tonneau cover includes a plurality of flexible hinges, each of which is between two rigid members. Each flexible hinge includes an elastomeric material having a first portion connected to a first one of the rigid members, a second portion connected to a second one of the rigid members, and a web between the first portion and the second portion. A cut-resistant barrier is associated with the flexible web and bridges between the first portion and the second portion. The cut-resistant barrier is effective to resist penetration by a sharp edge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tonneau cover for covering a cargo box of a vehicle, the cargo box having a forward end and a rear end, and first and second sidewalls therebetween, the tonneau cover comprising:
a plurality of rigid members; and
a plurality of flexible hinges, each flexible hinge of the plurality of flexible hinges flexibly connecting two of the plurality of rigid members together to allow movement of the rigid members between a deployed arrangement wherein the plurality of rigid members are generally planar for covering the cargo box, and a retracted arrangement wherein the cover is rolled or folded to allow access to the cargo box;
each flexible hinge of the plurality of flexible hinges including:
a first portion connected to a first one of the rigid members,
a second portion connected to a second one of the rigid members, and
a web interconnecting the first portion and the second portion,
at least said first and second portions being formed of an elastomeric material;
said flexible hinge further comprising a cut-resistant barrier associated with the web and bridging between the first portion and the second portion, the cut-resistant barrier effective to resist penetration by a sharp edge stabbed into the cut-resistant barrier at up to 16 lbs. of stab force, and resist the sharp edge from being pushed along a length of the cut-resistant barrier at up to 58.5 lbs. of push force.

2. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rigid members and the plurality of flexible hinges extend across a width of the cargo box from the first sidewall to the second sidewall.

3. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein:
the elastomeric material is a first polymeric material; and
the cut-resistant barrier is composed of a second polymeric material distinct from the first polymeric material.

4. The tonneau cover of claim 3 , wherein the flexible hinge is a coextrusion including the elastomeric material and the cut-resistant barrier.

5. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein the web is a flexible web formed of an elastomeric material, and the cut-resistant barrier is formed of a metal.

6. The tonneau cover of claim 5 , wherein the cut-resistant barrier includes a flexible steel band.

7. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein the web is a flexible web formed of an elastomeric material, and the cut-resistant barrier is formed of a polymeric material distinct from the elastomeric material and embedded in the flexible web.

8. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rigid members include a plurality of slats.

9. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the elastomeric material is a first side of the elastomeric material, the second portion of the elastomeric material is a second side of the elastomeric material, and the first side is opposite to the second side.

10. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein in the extended position each one of the plurality of rigid members is supported by a first side rail mounted to the first sidewall and a second side rail mounted to the second sidewall.

11. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein adjacent ones of the rigid members do not overlap.

12. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein the cut-resistant barrier is partially embedded in the web.

13. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein the cut-resistant barrier is fully embedded in the web.

14. The tonneau cover of claim 1 , wherein the web is formed of the cut-resistant barrier.

15. A tonneau cover for covering a cargo box of a vehicle, the cargo box having a forward end and a rear end, and first and second sidewalls therebetween, the tonneau cover comprising:
a plurality slats; and
a plurality of flexible hinges, each flexible hinge of the plurality of flexible hinges flexibly connecting two of the plurality of slats together to allow movement of the slats between a deployed arrangement wherein the plurality of slats are generally planar for covering the cargo box, and a retracted arrangement wherein the cover is rolled or folded to allow access to the cargo box;
each flexible hinge of the plurality of flexible hinges including:
a first side connected to a first one of the slats,
a second side opposite to the first side and connected to a second one of the slats; and
a web between the first side and the second side,
at least said first side and said second side being formed of an elastomeric material having a first hardness,
the web comprising a cut-resistant barrier bridging between the first side and the second side, the cut-resistant barrier having a second hardness that is greater than the first hardness and effective to resist penetration by a sharp edge stabbed into the cut-resistant barrier at up to 16 lbs. of stab force, and resist the sharp edge from being pushed along a length of the cut-resistant barrier at up to 58.5 lbs. of push force.

16. The tonneau cover of claim 15 , wherein:
the elastomeric material is a first polymeric material; and
the cut-resistant barrier is composed of a second polymeric material distinct from the first polymeric material.

17. The tonneau cover of claim 16 , wherein each one of the plurality of flexible hinges is a coextrusion including the elastomeric material and the cut-resistant barrier.

18. The tonneau cover of claim 15 , wherein the web is a flexible web formed of an elastomeric material and the cut-resistant barrier is formed of a metal.

19. The tonneau cover of claim 18 , wherein the cut resistant barrier includes a flexible steel band or a flexible steel spring.

20. The tonneau cover of claim 15 , wherein the cut-resistant barrier is partially embedded in the web.

21. The tonneau cover of claim 15 , wherein the cut resistant-barrier is completely embedded in the web.

22. The tonneau cover of claim 15 , wherein the web is a flexible web formed of an elastomeric material and the cut-resistant barrier is formed of a polymeric material distinct from the elastomeric material.

23. The tonneau cover of claim 15 , wherein the web is formed of the cut-resistant barrier.

Assignees

• Extang Corp

Inventors

• Hickey Mark A
• Facchinello Jerome J
• Koengeter Joseph J

Classifications

• B60J7/041 Primary

  for utility vehicles, e.g. with slidable and foldable rigid panels · CPC title

• B60J7/196 Primary

  for locking or interconnecting rigid roof panels to each other · CPC title