Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Load cover
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-19
2001-02-13
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Load cover
C296S100060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186576
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to truck bedcovers, and specifically to rigid or hard bedcovers used to cover the cargo bed area of trucks while permitting easy access to the cargo bed area. The bedcover set forth in this application is designed to pivot with respect to the truck bed.
b) Description of the Related Art
Conventional bedcovers are mounted through a hinge at the forwardmost wall of the truck bed and in operation lift at the tailgate end of the truck bed for access by the operator. The angular position of the bedcover is typically regulated by a hydraulic piston mounted at a mid-point of the truck bed sidewalls.
FIG. 1
illustrates the conventional truck bedcover and access system. The angle range of operation is limited by the conventional bedcover suspension system permitting an approximate maximum angle of access of about 30 degrees. The conventional bedcover designs suffer from the following drawbacks:
1. Restricted cargo placement and operator access to the truck bed as a result of the limited angle range of displacement of the truck bedcover.
2. Danger of physical strain and discomfort for the operator while loading and unloading. As a result of the limited angle of displacement of the bedcover (about 30 degrees), an operator must crawl on hands and knees, or somehow maneuver his/her body under the plane of the bedcover to access the forward cargo area. Alternatively, the operator must grope blindly with his/her hands while standing outside the rails near the cab in order to access contents located in the forward portion of the cargo bed.
The conventional bedcover suspension system is designed to counteract the force of gravity with one predetermined force value. Thus, only one counterbalanced angle of suspension is attained. Suspension in angles below the predetermined angle will not occur, and suspension beyond or above the predetermined angle will occur but require the operator to deliver a strong, uncomfortable counteracting force to initiate closure of the bedcover. Most conventional bedcover systems incorporate both features; that is, no suspension near the closed position with suspension designed to occur at a point 40%-70% of the angle of operation and beyond to the fully open position.
In recognition of the above prior art design, the operator must lift the bedcover to the predetermined angle before suspension occurs. A short operator may not be able to lift the bedcover to the angle height required to engage suspension, or the bedcover in a suspended position is too high for the short person to close. The operator may not have the physical strength to lift the bedcover to the suspension angle, nor the strength to counteract the suspension force at the fully open position when closing the bedcover.
Additionally, the present invention provides a rigid bedcover made from stainless steel or polished aluminum wherein at least the interior surface of the bedcover facing the cargo area is polished to provide a reflective surface. A number 6 or higher grade polish is preferred to achieve the reflective characteristics sought by this invention.
In summary, the conventional hard bedcover does not offer a true counterbalance system or provide suspension through most of the angles of operation, but rather a single-force resistance value to ameliorate a portion of the forces for the operator and suspension at an arbitrary angle and above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to overcome the drawback inherent in the prior art by providing a rigid bedcover and suspension/access system that provides substantially uniform and stable suspension throughout the angle of travel of the bedcover from the fully closed position to the fully open position.
The bedcover of this invention is designed with an offset hinge located at a predetermined distance from the forward wall of the truck bed and a counterbalanced system that suspends the pivoting bedcover with a substantially constant force throughout its path of travel from a fully closed position at 0 degrees to a fully open position at approximately 90 degrees. The counterbalanced suspension system of this invention does not require the hydraulic piston provided in the prior art and provides uniform stability at every opening angle.
The offset hinge design which C-shaped hinge arm enables the hinge axis to be located inside the cargo bed area permitting integrity of seal operation without drilling or modifying the sheet metal body of the truck, while providing “flush” mounting of the bedcover to the inside of the truck bed rails, thereby providing the finish preferred by style-conscious truck owners.
The proposed counterbalanced suspension system gives the operator the ability to choose from a full range of bedcover operation/access angles to provide for the full spectrum of needs. With the suspension system of this invention, a bedcover opening of one degree will provide air ventilation of the cargo area while maintaining privacy of the cargo area and stable positioning of the bedcover. Opening of the bedcover to 30 degrees will provide stability and full access at the tailgate area depending on the operator height and truck suspension design. Opening of the bedcover up to 90 degrees will provide increased access from outside the truck along the rails and increased access from the tailgate with unrestricted head and body clearance for the operator in the 90 degree fully open position while standing in the bed.
These and other objectives of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the following drawings and associated detailed description thereof.
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patent: 3051523 (1962-08-01), Boyce-Smith et al.
patent: 3762762 (1973-10-01), Beveridge et al.
patent: 4101162 (1978-07-01), Koehn
patent: 4756571 (1988-07-01), Lake
patent: 5294097 (1994-03-01), Thomsen et al.
patent: 5632522 (1997-05-01), Gaitan et al.
patent: 5904383 (1999-05-01), Yoder
patent: 5971446 (1999-10-01), Lunney, II
Farnam Robert M.
Kepley Bruce L.
Liniak Berenato Longacre & White
Pape Joseph D.
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