Locks – Special application – For closures
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-09
2002-08-06
Barrett, Suzanne Dino (Department: 3627)
Locks
Special application
For closures
C292SDIG004, C292S196000, C292S038000, C296S010000, C296S024430, C296S037600, C296S076000, C296S100100, C296S100060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06427500
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to novel features of latch, lock and hinge components that are well suited for use with closures such as tonneau covers that cover and close the upwardly opening rear cargo compartments of pickup trucks and the like, it being understood, however, that these components and certain of their novel features also may be utilized individually and in various combinations with other types of closures and for other purposes.
2. Prior Art
It is known to provide the rear cargo compartments of vehicles such as pickup trucks with closures referred to as “tonneau covers” 1) that may be latched and locked closed to protectively enclose the contents of the tonneau covered cargo compartments, 2) that may be opened and re-closed in one way or another to provide at least limited access to contents therein and to accommodate loading and unloading, and 3) that may be entirely removed when desired for such purposes as enabling the vehicles to carry tall or bulky cargo that cannot be accommodated within the confines of the tonneau covered cargo compartments.
When a tonneau cover is to be installed on a pickup truck, two elongate steel side rails typically are positioned to extend forwardly-rearwardly along opposite sides of upper portions of the truck's cargo compartment, and are connected to body portions of the truck that underlie the side rails. Latch, lock and hinge components that are needed to removably attach the tonneau cover to the truck usually connect with these side rails—so that only the side rails themselves need to be physically attached to the body of the truck. Usually, a tonneau cover is connected by hinges to front end regions of the side rails, and latch assemblies carried by rear end regions of the tonneau cover are engageable with latch strikers carried by rear end regions of the side rails to hold the cover closed. So-called “gas props” (known more precisely to those skilled in the art as “gas springs”) also may connect at their upper ends with opposite sides of the tonneau cover (at points located about mid-way along the length of the depicted tonneau cover), and at their lower ends with the side rails to cushion the pivotal opening and closing movements of the tonneau cover, and to hold the tonneau cover open.
To provide a pivotal connection between forward portions of a tonneau cover and forward end regions of a pair of side rails, various types of hinge components have been utilized. To permit the removal of a tonneau cover from a pickup truck on which it is installed, some of these hinges have been detachably coupled to the rails, or have been provided with disengageable components. The use of detachable hinges and hinges having disengageable components has drawn criticism, and the need for an improved means to provide removable tonneau covers with releasable hinged connections to underlying side rails has become apparent.
To secure a tonneau cover closed, commercially available latches have typically been mounted on the tonneau cover, usually at locations overlying the rear end regions of the side rails, and latch strikers have been connected to the rear end regions of the side rails. An ability to lock the tonneau closed has been provided if the selected latches include a locking capability. If two lockable latches are utilized (with each positioned to overlie the rear end region of a separate one of the side rails), each of these latches must be separately unlocked and operated before the tonneau cover can be opened—an arrangement that has proved cumbersome and has drawn criticism.
Thus it will be understood that the latch, lock and hinge components that have been used to date with tonneau covers have presented a number of drawbacks that typically have left tonneau covers more awkward, time-consuming and difficult to install, remove, open, close, latch, unlatch, lock and unlock than is desirable. In some instances the selected latch, lock and hinge components have provided shorter than desired service lives and/or a lesser than the desired degree of security by virtue of their being relatively simple to defeat, force, break or bypass. In some instances the latch, lock and hinge components have been too weak to withstand the forces that have been encountered during normal service use (e.g., damage or unintended release has been noted as the result of these components being impacted by cargo that shifts as a pickup truck travels from place to place), or these components have taken on such size and bulk as to project into regions of cargo compartments that should be reserved for cargo.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the foregoing and other needs and drawbacks of the prior art by pro-providing a thoughtfully designed set of latch, lock and hinge hardware that is particularly well suited for use with tonneau covers and the like, characterized by novel features that also have other applications.
In accordance with one aspect of the preferred practice of the present invention, a dual-acting latch operating assembly is provided that can be installed at a central location between two latch assemblies for selectively operating one or both of the latch assemblies to release latch strikers that are latchingly engaged by the latch assemblies. The latch operating assembly preferably utilizes an elongate housing that defines elongate recesses near its opposite ends. Independently movable slides are nested in each of these recesses. The slides have rearwardly extending posts that extend through slots formed through the back walls of the recesses, and through elongate locking members that have end formations which extend behind central portions of the housing where a key-operated lock cylinder is installed if a locking capability is to be provided. The locking members move with the slides, and the permitted extent of this movement is limited at least in part by the length of the housing slots through which the posts of the slides extend. Retaining washers are installed on the posts to hold the slides and the locking members in place on opposite sides of the back walls of the recesses. Separate cables connect the rear end regions of each of the posts with a separate one of the latch assemblies for tripping (i.e., operating) each of the latch assemblies in response to movement of its associated slide from a normal “non-operated” position to an “operated” position.
In the preferred practice of the present invention, the locking members of the dual-acting latch operating assembly have end formations that move along opposite sides of a rear end region of the lock cylinder when the slides are moved from their normal “non-operated” positions to their “operated” positions to operate the associated latch mechanisms. Provided on the rear end region of the lock cylinder is a formation that can be oriented to align with the paths of movement of the locking members to provide no obstruction thereto, or that can be turned transversely to block these paths to “lock” the slides of the operating assembly against being moved to operate the associated latch assemblies. This simple arrangement of locking components provides a secure locking function that occupies very little space and that requires a minimum of components—a single lock at a central location situated between the two latch assemblies that requires a single use of a single key in order to unlock the tonneau cover.
Another feature of the preferred practice of the present invention resides in the option that is presented by the versatile design of the latch operating assembly to include or exclude (among the components of the latch operating assembly) springs for biasing the slides of the operating assembly away from their operated positions (i.e., toward their normal non-operated positions). If the latch assemblies that are associated with the latch operating assembly include springs that are capable of tensioning the cables that connect with the slides of the latch operating assembly to apply the needed biasing force
Arthurs Scott A.
Weinerman Lee S.
Barrett Suzanne Dino
Burge David A.
The Eastern Company
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