Folding/retractable pickup truck box cover

摘要

A retractable pickup truck box cover system includes a pivot joint with improved strength, durability, and manufacturability between panels of a panel assembly of the cover system. A sealing system between the panels and along ends of the panel assembly provides improved weather resistance to the cover system. A lateral support system provides resistance to binding loads when opening and closing the panel assembly. The lateral support system may also aid installation of the cover system. A ramp adjustment system allows fine tuning of the ramps that guide folding and unfolding of the panel assembly. An improved locking system and the pivot joints allow more compact storage of the panel assembly. The improved locking system includes lock rods that engage rails of the cover system. Connecting structures connect adjacent panel pairs when the cover system is deployed and do not connect the adjacent panels when the cover system is stowed. A seal of the sealing system includes angled and/or transvers ribs to support a bulb of the seal when pivotally scrubbing against the panels. The seal includes a plurality of interior portions that selectively compress and bulge between the panels. The seal includes a coating that may provide stiffness, wear resistance, hardness, and/or reduced friction. A clamping system allows installation of the cover system without drilling holes and includes built-in fixturing for locating clamps and thereby locating the cover system on the pickup truck box.

主权项

1. A retractable cover system adapted to cover a pickup truck box when in a deployed configuration and adapted to retract to a stowed configuration, the retractable cover system comprising:
a first rail; a second rail; a plurality of first rolling guide elements, the first rolling guide elements supported and guided along a first path by the first rail; a plurality of second rolling guide elements, the second rolling guide elements supported and guided along a second path by the second rail; a plurality of panels extending along a width between a first side and a second side, each of the first sides supported by a respective one or more of the first rolling guide elements and, in turn, by the first rail and each of the second sides supported by a respective one or more of the second rolling guide elements and, in turn, by the second rail, each of the panels extending along a respective length between a respective front and a respective back, and the panels of adjacent pairs of the panels pivotally attached to one another at a corresponding pivot of a plurality of pivots, the pivots each including a first pivot joint member and a second pivot joint member, the first pivot joint member connected to one of the first rolling guide elements and the second pivot joint member connected to one of the second rolling guide elements; and at least one connecting structure that structurally connects the panels of at least one of the adjacent pairs of the panels when the retractable cover system is in the deployed configuration and does not connect the panels of the at least one of the adjacent pairs of the panels when the retractable cover system is in the stowed configuration.