Patent Application
20220169100
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The disclosure relates to canopy assembly and more particularly pertains to a new canopy assembly for enclosing a bed of a truck.
The prior art relates to canopy assemblies for enclosing beds of trucks. Prior art canopy assemblies may comprise detachable, foldable panels, meshed panels, nestable canopy sections, bed inserters upon which canopies can be positioned, and canopies having removable roof panels that can serve as ramps. What is lacking in the prior art is a modular canopy comprising a frame and a set of panels, wherein the panels are selectively couplable to the frame and the frame comprises first elements permanently mounted to a truck and second elements removably couplable to the first elements.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a frame and a set of panels. The frame comprises a set of first elements and a set of second elements. The first elements are configured to be mountable to a bed of a truck. The second elements are selectively engageable to the set of first elements so that the frame extends upwardly from the bed of the truck. The frame defines a top opening, a front opening, a rear opening, and opposed side openings. Each panel is selectively engageable to the frame to close a respective one of the top opening, the front opening, the rear opening, and the opposed side openings. The panels thus are configured to selectively enclose the bed of the truck.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each panel 14 is selectively engageable to the frame 12 to close a respective one of the top opening 20, the front opening 22, the rear opening 24, and the opposed side openings 26. The panels 14 thus are configured to selectively enclose the bed of the truck.
The set of first elements 16 comprises a pair of lower side rails 28, a pair of front posts 30, and a front beam 32. The lower side rails 28 are configured to be engaged singly to sidewalls of the bed of the truck. The present invention anticipates the lower side rails 28 being configured for screwing, bolting, or welding to the sidewalls of the bed of the truck. Each front post 30 is engaged to and extends from a forward end 34 of a respective lower side rail 28. The front beam 32 is engaged to and extends between the front posts 30 distal from the lower side rails 28.
The set of second elements 18 comprises a pair of rear posts 36, a rear beam 38, and a pair of upper side rails 40. Each rear post 36 is selectively engageable to a rearward end 42 of a respective lower side rail 28. The rear post 36 extends in parallel with an associated front post 30. The rear beam 38 is engaged to and extends between the rear posts 36 distal from the lower side rail 28. Each upper side rail 40 has a first end 44 and a second end 46 selectively engageable to a respective opposed end 48 of the rear beam 38 and to a respective opposing end 50 of the front beam 32, respectively, so that the upper side rail 40 extends therebetween.
Each lower side rail 28 has a mortice 52 positioned therein proximate to the rearward end 42. The rear post 36 has a tenon 54 engaged thereto and extending from a lower end 56 thereof. The tenon 54 is complementary to the mortice 52 positioned in the respective lower side rail 28. The mortice 52 is positioned for selective insertion of the tenon 54 to removably engage the rear post 36 to the respective lower side rail 28.
The lower side rail 28 has a set of first holes 58 positioned therein adjacent to the mortice 52. The tenon 54 has a set of second holes 60 positioned therein so that each second hole 60 is aligned with an associated first hole 58 when the tenon 54 is inserted into the mortice 52. The second hole 60 and the associated first hole 58 are positioned for insertion of a respective article of mounting hardware (not shown, but may include screws, bolts, and the like) to secure the rear post 36 to the lower side rail 28.
Each opposed end 48 of the rear beam 38 and each opposing end 50 of the front beam 32 have a tab 62 engaged thereto and extending therefrom. Each of the tabs 62 has a set of fastening holes 64 positioned therethrough. Each of the fastening holes 64 is configured for insertion of a respective article of mounting hardware (not shown, but may include screws, bolts, and the like) to removably engage the upper side rails 40 to the front beam 32 and the rear beam 38. The present invention anticipates other methods of removably engaging the upper side rails 40 between the front beam 32 and the rear beam 38, as will be known to those skilled in the art of frame assembly.
The rear posts 36 and the front posts 30 may extend transversely from the lower side rails 28 so that an upper perimeter 66 of the frame 12 is circumferentially smaller than a lower perimeter 68 thereof, as shown in
The set of panels 14 comprises a roof panel 70, a front panel 72, a rear panel 74, and a pair of side panels 76. The roof panel 70 is selectively engageable to the frame 12 to close the top opening 20. The front panel 72 is selectively engageable to the frame 12 to close the front opening 22. The rear panel 74 is selectively engageable to the frame 12 to close the rear opening 24. A hinge 78 is engaged to and extends between the frame 12 and an upper edge 80 of the rear panel 74 so that the rear panel 74 is hingedly engaged to the frame 12. Each side panel 76 is selectively engageable to the frame 12 to close a respective opposed side opening 26.
The roof panel 70 has a pair of channels 82 extending into a lower face 84 thereof. Each channel 82 extends along a respective opposed side 86 of the roof panel 70. The channel 82 is positioned for slidable insertion of a respective upper side rail 40 to removably engage the roof panel 70 to the frame 12. The roof panel 70 has an upper surface 88, which tapers from a centerline 90 of the roof panel 70 to the opposed sides 86, as shown in
The front panel 72 and the rear panel 74 have a front cutout 92 and rear cutout 94 positioned therein, respectively. A front window 96 is engaged to the front panel 72 and closes the front cutout 92. A rear window 98 is engaged to the rear panel 74 and closes the rear cutout 94. Each side panel 76 has a side cutout 100 positioned therein. Each of a pair of side windows 102 is engaged to a respective side panel 76 and closes an associated side cutout 100.
A latch handle 104 is rotationally engaged to the rear panel 74 and is configured to selectively engage a tailgate of the truck so that the rear panel 74 is fixedly engaged to the tailgate. The latch handle 104 is keyed so that the latch handle 104 is lockable.
As shown in
Each first fastener 106 comprises a keyed latch 110 and each second fastener 108 comprises a latch hole 112, which is positioned the frame 12. The keyed latch 110 is positioned to selectively engage an associated latch hole 112 to lock an associated one of the front panel 72 and the side panels 76 to the frame 12.
The modular canopy assembly 10 also comprises a set of gaskets 114. Each gasket 114 is engaged to a respective one of the front panel 72, the rear panel 74, and the pair of side panels 76 so that the gasket 114 extends around a circumference 116 thereof. The gasket 114 is positioned to sealably engage the frame 12 as the respective one of the front panel 72, the rear panel 74, and the pair of side panels 76 is engaged thereto.
In use, the set of first elements 16 is permanently affixed to the sidewalls of the bed of the truck, as shown in
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
