Vehicle accessory system - Patent Review 4199188

Claims

We claim:

1. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate cover sections slidably and removably mounted on the rails in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed;

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections; and

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails with the elastic seals between adjoining cover sections in a compressed condition to form water resistant junctions between said sections.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the locking means comprises:

means carried by the rearmost cover section for actuation to a locked position and to an unlocked position; and,

extender means operated by said last mentioned means upon actuation to the locked position to engage at least one of said rails to lock the rearmost section against movement and upon actuation to the unlocked position to relieve said engagement.

3. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a channel member mounted on the truck forwardly of said rails and spanning the distance between the rails; and, the foremost cover section and said channel being complementarily configured for engagement.

4. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate cover sections slidably mounted on the rails and disposed in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed;

each pair of separate cover sections resides in adjoining relationship having corresponding edge portions extending across the bed and lying adjacent to one another;

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections, said means for forming an elastic seal between adjoining cover sections comprising a depending flange wall disposed along the corresponding edge portion of one of each pair of cover sections adapted to reside in adjoining relationship; a depending trough disposed along the corresponding edge portion of the other of each pair of cover sections adapted to reside in adjoining relationship, said trough being sized to accommodate said depending flange wall in underlying and overlapping relationship therewith when the pair of cover sections reside in adjoining relationship, and said trough having a proximal upstanding wall; an elongated elastic seal member mounted on and extending along one of said walls for engagement by the other of said walls when the pair of cover sections reside in adjoining relationship; and

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails.

5. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate cover sections slidably mounted on the rails and disposed in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed,

each pair of separate cover sections resides in adjoining relationship having corresponding edge portions extending across the bed and lying adjacent to one another;

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections, said means for forming an elastic seal between adjoining cover sections comprising a depending flange wall disposed along the sorresponding edge portion of one of each pair of cover sections adapted to reside in adjoining relationship; a depending trough disposed along the corresponding edge portion of the other of each pair of cover sections adapted to reside in adjoining relationship, said trough being sized to accommodate said depending flange wall in underlying and overlapping relationship therewith when the pair of cover sections reside in adjoining relationship; and said trough having a proximal upstanding wall; and an elongated elastic seal member mounted on the depending flange wall and extending therealong for engagement by the other of said walls when the pair of cover sections reside in adjoining relationship, the elastic seal member having a cross sectional configuration in the form of a trough; and

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails.

6. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both extending longitudinally thereof; each rail having bottom, side and top walls forming a channel with a slot in the top wall which is narrower than the channel and each of said rails having a pair of gaps in its top wall;

a plurality of separate cover sections slidably mounted on the rails and disposed in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed;

said separate cover sections each having mounting feet slidably received and contained in the rail channels and the feet on at least one of said sections being smaller sized than said gaps and spaced apart in matching relationship with the rail gaps, thereby permitting installation and removal of said one section by aligning the feet thereof with the rail gaps without removing the remaining sections from the rails;

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections; and,

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails.

7. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both extending longitudinally thereof, each rail having bottom, side and top walls forming a channel and each of said rails having a pair of gaps in its top wall;

a plurality of separate cover sections slidably mounted on the rails and disposed in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed, said separate cover sections each having mounting feet slidably received and contained in the rail channels, the feet on at least one of said sections being smaller sized than said gaps and spaced apart in matching relationship with the rail gaps, thereby permitting installation and removal of said one section by aligning the feet thereof with the rail gaps without removing the remaining sections from the rails;

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections; and,

means for locking the separate cover section in adjoining relationship on the rails, the locking means including a mount member inserted through the rail slot into the channel and turned to form an interference fit therewith, said mount member including a block having a width less than said slot and a length approximately equal to the inside width of said channel and having a pair of diagonally opposite rounded corners so as to facilitate insertion and turning of said block in said channel, and a shank connected to said block and extending through said slot.

8. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both extending longitudinally thereof, said rails being each in the form of an enclosed channel having a slot at the top thereof, and wherein each cover section has a protective sheet extending downwardly at either side thereof to a level below the top of the corresponding rail and lying outboard the slot in the rail, whereby to help keep out rain;

a plurality of separate cover sections slidably mounted on the rails and disposed in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed;

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections; and,

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails.

9. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate cover sections slidably mounted on the rails and disposed in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed;

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections; and,

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails, said locking means comprising a forward panel section affixed to the truck forward of the rails and extending thereacross, a rear panel section engaging the rails rearwardly of the rearmost section and extending thereacross, and manually actuable means carried by the rear panel section for locking the sections in adjoining relationship through engagement with at least one of said rails.

10. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising:

seal means mounted on at least one of said forward and rear sections to insure a compressible elastic seal between all adjoining sections.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the manually actuable means comprise:

handle means carried by the rear section for actuation to a locked position and to an unlocked position; and,

extender means operated by said handle means upon actuation to the locked position to engage at least one of said rails to lock the rear section against movement and upon actuation to the unlocked position to relieve said engagements.

12. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate removable cover sections slidably mounted on the rails and disposed in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed; each of said cover sections having sidewalls comprising upright portions thereof and means connecting said portions to their respective sections for permitting collapsing of each cover section for storage;

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections; and,

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails.

13. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed, a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed and a tailgate movable to an upright position between the sidewalls, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails respectively mounted on said opposite sidewalls and extending longitudinally therealong for approximately the full length of the bed;

a plurality of separate cover sections, including a rearmost cover section, slidably mounted on the rails and extending across the bed in adjoining relationship, each cover section having front and rear edge portions extending across the bed;

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails, said locking means comprising a member disposed on the rearmost cover section adjacent the rearward edge portion thereof and in a position to be engaged by the upright positioning of the tailgate; and,

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal between adjoining edge portions of adjoining separate cover sections when the sections are locked by the locking means.

14. An enclosing assembly for a pickup truck having an open bed, a forward wall, a rear wall and a pair of sidewalls on respective sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said sidewalls with both rails extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate sections each having a dimension sufficient to span the distance between said sidewalls, and when disposed in adjoining relationship, said sections together with said sidewalls, forward wall and rear wall enclosing said bed;

at least some of said sections being slidably and removably mounted on said rails;

means mounted on the separate sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate sections; and,

means for locking the separate sections in adjoining relationship with the elastic seals between adjoining separate sections in a compressed condition to form water resistant junctions between said adjoining sections.

15. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed, a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, and a tailgate movable to an upright position between the sidewalls, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls and extending longitudinally therealong for approximately the full length of the bed;

a plurality of separate cover sections including a rearmost cover section slidably mounted on the rails and extending across the bed, each cover section having corresponding edge portions extending across the bed and lying adjacent to one another;

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails and locking the tailgate in its upright position; and,

means for forming an elastic seal between adjacent edge portions of adjoining separate cover sections when the sections are locked by the locking means;

said means for forming the elastic seal comprising a depending wall along the corresponding edge portion of one of adjacent cover sections adapted to reside in adjoining relationship;

an elongated U-shaped elastic member mounted on and extending along said depending wall; and,

a depending trough disposed along the corresponding edge portion of the other of said adjacent cover sections adapted to reside in adjoining relationship, said trough being sized to accommodate said depending wall in underlying and overlapping relationship therewith when the adjacent cover sections reside in adjoining relationship, and said trough having a proximal wall engaging the elastic member mounted on said depending wall when the adjacent cover sections reside in adjoining relationship.

16. The assembly of claim 15 wherein the rearmost cover section further comprises a back panel section; and,

detachable hinge means between the rearmost cover section and said back panel section for enabling opening and closing of the back panel section when the rearmost section is mounted on the rails.

17. A modular enclosure for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both rails extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate enclosing sections each large enough to extend between said rails and when disposed in adjoining relationship, said sections enclosing said bed;

at least some of said sections being slidably and removably mounted on said rails;

means selectively mounted on the edges of the separate sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate sections; and,

means for locking the separate sections in adjoining relationship with the elastic seals between adjoining sections in a compressed condition to form water resistant junctions between said sections.

18. The modular enclosure of claim 17 wherein the locking means comprises:

means carried by the rearmost section for actuation to a locked position and to an unlocked position; and,

extender means operated by said last mentioned means upon actuation to the locked position to engage at least one of said rails to lock the rearmost section against movement and upon actuation to the unlocked position to relieve said engagement.

19. The modular enclosure of claim 17 wherein the plurality of sections comprises:

a forward panel section affixed to the truck forward of the rails and extending thereacross;

a rear panel section engaging the rails rearwardly of the rearmost section and extending thereacross;

further panel sections slidably carried by the rails; and,

manually actuable means carried by the rear panel section for locking the sections in adjoining relationship through engagement with at least one of said rails.

20. The modular enclosure of claim 19 wherein the manually actuable means comprise:

handle means carried by the rearmost section for actuation to a locked position and to an unlocked position; and,

extender means operated by said handle means upon actuation to the locked position to engage at least one of said rails to lock the rearmost section against movement and upon actuation to the unlocked position to relieve said engagements.

21. The modular enclosure of claim 17 further comprising:

a channel member mounted on the truck forwardly of said rails and spanning the distance between the rails; and, the foremost section and said channel being complementarily configured for engagement.

22. A modular enclosure for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both rails extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate enclosing sections each large enough to extend between said rails and when disposed in adjoining relationship, said sections enclosing said bed, said plurality of sections comprising a forward panel section affixed to the truck forward of the rails and extending thereacross, a rear panel section engaging the rails rearwardly of the rearmost section and extending thereacross, further panel sections slidably carried by the rails, and manually actuable means carried by the rear panel section for locking the sections in adjoining relationship through engagement with at least one of said rails;

at least some of said sections being slidably mounted on said rails;

means selectively mounted on the edges of the separate sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate sections;

means for locking the separate sections in adjoining relationship; and,

means mounted to the further panel sections for latching adjacent pairs of said further panel sections in adjoining relationship with the elastic seal compressed therebetween, said latching means allowing articulation between said adjacent pairs when said further panel sections are locked together and mounted on the rails.

23. A modular enclosure for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both rails extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate removable enclosing sections each large enough to extend between said rails and when disposed in adjoining relationship, said sections enclosing said bed; at least some of said sections being slidably mounted on said rails, each of said sections having sidewalls comprising upright portions thereof including means connecting said sidewalls to the rest of its section for permitting collapsing of each section for storage;

means selectively mounted on the edges of the separate sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate sections; and,

means for locking the separate sections in adjoining relationship.

24. A cover assembly for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprising in combination:

a pair of rails mounted respectively on said opposite sidewalls with both extending longitudinally thereof;

a plurality of separate cover sections slidably mounted on the rails and disposed in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed;

means mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections;

means mounted on the cover sections for latching together adjacent pairs of the cover sections in adjoining relationship with the elastic seal compressed therebetween, said latching means allowing articulation between said cover sections when said cover sections are latched together and mounted on the rails; and,

means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails.

25. Pickup truck cover apparatus, which comprises:

(a) a pair of rails adapted for mounting to upper surfaces of opposing sidewalls defining pickup truck beds, and

(b) a plurality of truck bed cover sections configured for being slidably and removably mounted to said rails when the rails are mounted to a pickup truck bed, said cover sections including a plurality of first, interchangeable cover sections each having a selected longitudinal length and transverse width and a plurality of second sections having the same transverse width as the first sections but having different longitudinal lengths selected to accommodate pickup truck beds having different lengths, truck pickup bed covers being thereby formed by at least one first cover section and a selected second cover section mounted to said pair of rails.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein said second cover sections include rearwardmost cover sections and wherein at least some of said rearwardmost panels are differently configured to fit differently configured rearward ends of truck beds.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein said first and second sections include different types of interchangeable sections whereby different cover functions may be provided for the pickup truck bed with which the cover sections are used.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a vehicle accessory system.

The versatility of pickup trucks can be enhanced by providing a system for easily installing and removing accessories. A pair of rails mounted along each side of the truck bed can provide for simple mounting of any accessories. A variety of rail mounting systems have been proposed, but they either do not operate well in day-to-day operation or are difficult to install properly. For example, a T-shaped rail is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,380, which is easily mounted on top of the sidewall of a truck bed, and which is designed to receive a channel-mounting foot. However, the guiding surface of such a rail is exposed, and when ladders, pipes, and other articles are loaded onto the truck from the side, they are typically dragged over the rail, causing nicks and the like which can interfere with the reception of a channel-shaped mounting foot. Also, it is difficult to run a cable along such a rail or to provide a simple locking foot for such a rail. Other rails that have been proposed are designed to mount on the inside surface of truck bed sidewalls, where the rails are not subject to damage from equipment dragged over the sidewall. However, the distance between the inside surfaces of the sidewalls varies, due to waviness of the sheet metal, and any appreciable variation in the distance between the rails would interfere with reception of many accessories. Also, rails mounted on the inside surface of the sidewalls tend to tear the sheet metal of the sidewalls when the rails are heavily loaded, and the rails are vulnerable to damage by cargo moving in the truck bed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A cover assembly, according to the present invention, for a truck having an open bed and a pair of sidewalls on opposite sides of the bed, comprises a pair of rails adapted to be mounted respectively on the opposite sidewalls with both rails extending longitudinally thereof and a plurality of separate cover sections configured to be slidably and removably mounted on the rails in adjoining relationship while extending across the bed. Means are mounted on the separate cover sections for forming an elastic seal compressible between adjoining separate cover sections. Included also are means for locking the separate cover sections in adjoining relationship on the rails with the elastic seals between adjoining cover sections in a compressed condition to form water resistant junctions between the sections. A composite truck bed cover is formed from the separate cover sections, each of which is constructed sufficiently small and lighweight to be easily handled and stored.

More particularly, each rail comprises a channel having a narrow slot in the top wall and which may be formed with a pair of gaps in the top wall. The separate cover sections are constructed having mounting feet adapted to be slidably received in the rails. For ease in installing and removing cover sections, at least one of the sections preferably has feet that are smaller than the rail gaps and are spaced apart in matching relationship therewith to thereby permit installation and removal of such section through the gaps without removing the remaining sections.

The cover locking means in one embodiment comprises a member disposed on the rearmost cover section adjacent the rearward edge thereof and in a position to be engaged by upright positioning of the truck's tailgate. Thus, closing and latching the tailgate in a normal manner restrains the installed cover sections on the rails.

In addition, the cover locking means may include one or more blocks narrower than the rail slot to enable insertion therethrough and having a length approximately equal to the inside width of the rail. Diagonally opposite corners of the block are preferably rounded to enable turning of the block, by an attached shank, to secure the block within the rail, and hence to lock the cover sections in place. This locking means is particularly useful if an incomplete set of cover sections are used to only partially cover the truck bed.

Comprising the sealing means are a depending flange wall disposed along the corresponding edge portion of one of each adjacent pair of cover sections and a depending trough disposed along the corresponding edge portion of the other of each such pair of cover sections. The trough is formed having a proximal upstanding wall and is of a size to accommodate the depending flange wall in underlying and overlapping relationship therewith when the pair of cover sections are in adjoining relationship. Included is an elongated elastic seal member mounted on, and extending along, one of such walls for engagement by the other of such walls when the pair of cover sections is in adjoining relationship.

The cover sections may, for example, when the sections are to function as camper shell portions, be constructed with side walls which are hingeably fixed to other portions of the sections to thereby enable, when the sections are removed from the rails, folding of the side walls for convenient storage. For some uses, the cover sections include a forward section fixed to a truck forwardly of the rails and extending across the truck bed. An adjacent removable one of the cover sections abuts the fixed section in sealing relationship.

A particular feature of the invention is that for installation purposes a cover apparatus is provided which comprises, in addition to the pairs of cover receiving rails, a plurality of truck bed cover sections configured for being slidably and removably mounted to the rails when the rails are mounted to a pickup truck bed. The cover sections include a plurality of first, interchangeable cover sections each having selected longitudinal lengths and transverse widths and a plurality of second, rearwardmost sections having the same transverse width as the first sections but having different longitudinal lengths selected to accommodate pickup truck beds having different lengths, truck pickup bed covers being thereby formed by at least one first cover section and a selected second cover section mounted to the pair of rails.

Preferably at least some of the rearwardmost sections are differently configured to match different configuration of different makes of pickup trucks. Also, the first and second sections preferably include different types of interchangeable sections whereby different cover functions may be provided for the pickup truck bed with which the cover sections are used.

When an installer is provided with kits of such sections it is generally possible to form a complete truck bed cover using several identical first cover sections and a particularly selected second section. Accordingly, large inventories of individually configured truck bed covers are not required.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will best be understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a truck constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional perspective view of the area 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of the apparatus of FIG. 3, shown in a slightly separated condition;

FIG. 5 is a view taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1, shown in a partially diassembled condition;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the hold-down device;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hold-down device of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a broken-away perspective view of a portion of the locking means in the rearmost cover section;

FIG. 10 is a detailed perspective view of the end of the rail shown in engagement with a locking rod;

FIG. 11 is a side view showing operation of the lock with the truck tailgate;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a camper assembly constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a view taken on the line 13--13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a tool box assembly constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a cover section with an L-shaped mounting foot;

FIG. 16 is an overall perspective view of a cover assembly utilizing a substantially L-shaped mounting foot installed on a pair of rails fixed to the sidewalls of a pickup truck;

FIG. 17 is an exploded cross-sectional view, taken along the line 17--17 of FIG. 16, showing the seal formed between adjoining cover sections;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a portion of adjoining cover sections, broken-away showing the engagement of the mounting feet and the relationship of the seal with the rails;

FIG. 19a is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the elastic seal formed between adjoining sections;

FIG. 19b is a detailed cross-sectional view showing the adjoining sections in a separated position;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the engagement of the section foot with a rail;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a channel mounted to the front wall of a truck and adapted to engage the front edge of the foremost section;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 16 showing a portion of the locking means;

FIG. 23 is an overall perspective of a different embodiment of a camper having sidewalls of substantial height installed on a pair of rails mounted to the truck sidewalls;

FIG. 24 is a front view of the foremost section and front panel section partially broken-away and separated to show further details used in assembly;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a corner portion of the foremost section and front panel section, partially broken-away to show the engagement relationship therebetween;

FIG. 26 is a detailed cross-sectional view showing the back panel section mounted to the rearmost section by a detachable hinge;

FIG. 26a is a detailed cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 26, showing a variation thereof

FIG. 27 is an enlarged perspective view of the detachable hinge pin;

FIG. 28 is a partial cross-sectional view, taken along the line 28--28 of FIG. 23 showing the lock in the rear panel;

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a latch for holding a pair of sections in their proper adjoining relationship;

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view of a section showing a sidewall in a folded position beneath the section top;

FIG. 31 is an overall perspective view of a cover assembly folded to a relatively flat configuration for storage; and

FIG. 32 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the hinge operative between the top of a section and the sidewall of a section to fold the sidewall.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates a pickup truck 10 which has an open truck bed with a pair of sidewalls 12, 14, a front wall 16, and a tailgate 18. In accordance with the present invention, a pair of rails 20, 22 are mounted on top of each sidewall 12, 14 to provide a holding means for a cover assembly 24 that covers the truck bed to permit the storage of goods in the truck while protecting them from theft and the elements, particularly rain. The cover assembly 24 includes three enclosing or cover sections 26, 28, 30 that together enclose the entire truck bed, with each section extending completely across the width of the bed and extending approximately one-third the length of the bed. The length of each section is less than the width of the truck bed, so that when one or more of the cover sections are not being utilized to cover the truck, the cover section can be stored within the truck bed.

As also shown in FIG. 5, each rail such as 22 includes a bottom wall 32 which rests on the top of the truck sidewall 14, a pair of upstanding rail sidewalls 34, 36, and a pair of rail topwalls 38, 40 that extend towards one another but with a gap between them. This forms an enclosed channel 42 with a slot 44 narrower than the channel extending along the top of the channel. Each cover section has a pair of mounting feet 46. Each foot 46 has a block portion 48 slightly narrower than the channel 42 but wider than the slot 44, and a shank portion 50 which extends upwardly from the block portion and which supports the rest of the cover section. The block portion can be formed as a T as shown at 48, or may be formed as an L as indicated in phantom lines at 49. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover section includes a protective sheet 52 that extends across the width of the truck bed, and which has depending sides 54 that extend beyond the rail slot 44 and to a level substantially no higher than the top of the rail. The depending sheet portions 54 serve as a barrier that keeps out most of the rain that might fall on or be blown against the vehicle, to protect articles in the truck bed. Any small amount of rain that passes under the sheet portion 54 is stopped by the mounting foot 46 and merely drops into the channel 42 where the rain is drained from an end of the channel.

The adjacent edges of the cover sections, at the rear edges of the two forward cover sections 26 and 28, are sealed against the passage of water, by the construction best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. An elastomeric sealing strip or seal 60 is attached to one end portion 26e of a section and contacts the adjacent end 28e of another cover section 28 when the cover sections are fully installed on the vehicle. The elastomeric seal 60 has a pair of strip-like portions 62, 64 which are foldably joined at their lower edges, the two strip-like portions tending to pivot apart at their top so that the free portion 62 contacts the other cover section 28. Even if there is a slight separation between the cover sections, the seal acts as a trough which carries rain to the side of the truck where it is allowed to fall onto the street. The front end 28e of the cover section 28 is formed to provide a trough 66 with an extreme upstanding endwall 68 which extends to a small height lower than an opposite wall 69 of the trough, while the adjacent cover section 26 is formed with a downwardly extending flange wall 70 that lies over the trough 66. Thus, any rain leaking past the seal 60 is nevertheless captured in the trough 66 so that the rain does not fall directly onto the goods in the truck bed.

The cover assembly 24 must be guarded against unauthorized removal of the cover sections, to prevent theft of equipment in the truck bed or even of the cover sections themselves. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a simple locking device is provided by means of flanges 74 that are attached to the rear end of the rearmost cover section 30. The flanges 74 extend down to a level so they lie below the top of the tailgate 18 when the tailgate is swung up to a closed position. The tailgate is provided with a locking device 76 to enable it to be locked in an up position. When all three cover sections 26-30 have been installed and the tailgate 18 is locked in its closed position, none of the cover sections can be removed, and therefore no equipment in the truck bed can be removed.

It is often desirable to permit removal of the foremost cover section 26 without requiring complete removal of the other cover sections 28, 30 as when the operator wishes to gain access to equipment stored near the front of the truck bed. FIG. 6 illustrates details of one of the mounting feet 46a of the foremost cover section 26, and details of the rail 22 which facilitates removal of the cover section. The rail 22 is formed with longitudinally spaced gaps 80, 82 in its topwalls 38, 40. The mounting foot 46a of the cover section is formed with a gap 84 along either side of its block portion 48, to leave two longitudinally spaced full block portions 48a, 48b. The spacing of the