Retractable truck bed cover having slat array with flexible joiner members and shielded seams

摘要

A retractable truck bed cover having an array of parallel aluminum slats joined together by connective hinges including leading and trailing edge configuration for improving the security of the cover by covering and concealing the seam between adjacent slats while improving the connective hinge's resistance to the effects of aging and/or exposure to temperature fluctuations. The truck bed cover connective hinge slat is designed to be in an array of discrete slats, which are joined to one another by means of joiner members secured at each end to slat end caps. The distal ends of the joiner members are attached to slat end caps at the distal ends of the slats, thereby preventing the joiner members from shrinking in relationship to the slats due to aging and/or exposure to temperature fluctuations.

主权项

1. A retractable truck bed cover slat system, comprising:
a plurality of slat members, each defined by a slat surface having a leading edge and trailing edge; said leading edge includes a first step nib forming a first structural barrier to a seam area between a first slat member and a second slat member when said leading edge of said first slat member is connected together with said trailing edge of said second slat member; said trailing edge includes a second step nib forming a second structural barrier to said seam area between said first slat member and said second slat member when said leading edge of said first slat member is connected together with said trailing edge of said second slat member; at least one flexible joiner member, wherein each said joiner member has a hinge section disposed between two opposing connector sections; said plurality of slat members being locked together contiguously by said at least one joiner member such that one joiner member connects the leading edge of a first slat member and the trailing edge of a second slat member together, edge to edge, in a manner which enables the connected slat members to move between a flat position on the same plane and an acute angular position relative to each other; a plurality of slat end caps, wherein said slat end caps are fastened to an end of at least one slat member and can be secured to an end of said joiner member held by said slat member to which said slat end cap is fastened; and said leading edge and said trailing edge of each of said plurality of slats being configured to form a half lap splice lap joint when the leading edge of a first slat member is connected with the trailing edge of a second slat member.