Claims
- 1. A cover attachment apparatus for a vehicle bed having a sidewall which has a generally horizontal top portion and an inner downward depending flange, comprising:
- an elongated rail means, adapted to overlie said sidewall top portion, for supporting a cover over said vehicle bed; and
- clamp means for clamping said rail means to said sidewall, said clamp means including:
- an upper portion adapted for attachment to said rail means;
- an upwardly open throat means for receiving said flange of said sidewall; and
- a lower portion having a lateral arm means extending outwardly for engaging an inward facing surface of said sidewall.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said clamp means further comprises:
- an offset leg extending upwardly from said lower portion and laterally offset from said upper portion so that said upwardly open throat means is defined between said upper portion and said offset leg, said offset leg having an upper end means for engaging a bottom surface of said generally horizontal top portion of said sidewall.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:
- said lower portion of said clamp means is detachably attached to said upper portion of said clamp means.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said clamp means further comprises:
- a horizontal flange means projecting inward from said offset leg for engagement with an outward facing surface of said downward depending flange of said sidewall.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:
- said lateral arm means of said lower portion of said clamp means includes a first resilient bumper so that said lateral arm means may resiliently engage said inward facing surface of said sidewall; and
- said horizontal flange means of said offset leg includes a second resilient bumper so that said horizontal flange means may resiliently engage said outward facing surface of said downward depending flange of said sidewall.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:
- a strip of resilient padding interposed between said elongated rail means and said sidewall top portion.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:
- said horizontal flange means of said offset leg includes a resilient bumper so that said horizontal flange means may resiliently engage said outward facing surface of said downward depending flange of said sidewall.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- said lateral arm means of said lower portion of said clamp means includes a resilient bumper so that said lateral arm means may resiliently engage said inward facing surface of said sidewall.
- 9. A cover attachment apparatus for a vehicle bed having a sidewall which has a generally horizontal top portion and an inner downward depending flange, comprising:
- an elongated rail means, adapted to overlie said sidewall top portion, for supporting a cover over said vehicle bed; and
- fulcrum clamp means for clamping said rail means to said sidewall, said clamp means including:
- an upper end portion adapted for attachment to said rail means;
- an offset upwardly extending leg laterally offset from said upper end portion to define an upwardly open throat means for receiving said flange of said sidewall, said offset leg having an upper end means for engaging a bottom surface of said top portion of said sidewall; and
- a horizontal flange means projecting inward from said offset leg for engagement with an outward facing surface of said flange of said sidewall; and
- wherein said rail means and said clamp means are so arranged and constructed that when said rail means is placed on top of said top portion of said sidewall and said flange of said sidewall is received in said upwardly open throat means of said clamp means and said upper portion of said clamp means is rigidly fastened to said rail means, said flange of said sidewall is held between said upper end portion of said clamp means and said horizontal flange means of said offset leg and said top portion of said sidewall is clamped between said rail means and said upper end of said offset leg.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:
- said horizontal flange means of said clamp means includes a resilient bumper so that said flange of said sidewall is resiliently held between said upper end portion of said clamp means and said horizontal flange means of said offset leg.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:
- a strip of resilient padding interposed between said elongated rail means and said top portion of said sidewall so that said top portion of said sidewall is resiliently clamped between said rail means and said upper end of said offset leg.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:
- a strip of resilient padding interposed between said elongated rail means and said top portion of said sidewall so that said top portion of said sidewall is resiliently clamped between said rail means and said upper end of said offset leg.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said clamp means further comprises:
- a lower portion having said upper end portion and said offset leg extending upwardly therefrom; and
- a lateral arm means extending outwardly from said lower portion for engaging an inward facing surface of said sidewall.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:
- said lateral arm means includes a resilient bumper for resiliently engaging said inward facing surface of said sidewall.
- 15. A cover attachment apparatus for a vehicle bed having a sidewall with a generally horizontal top surface comprising:
- a flexible cover;
- an elongated rail means, adapted to overlie said sidewall top surface, for supporting said cover over said vehicle bed, said rail means having an outer laterally open slot defined therein;
- connector means, operably associated with said rail means, for connecting said rail means to said sidewall; and
- a plurality of two-part fastener means for fastening said cover to said rail means, each of said fastener means including:
- a first part fixed to said cover; and
- a second part slidably received in said open slot of said rail means.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said rail means further comprises:
- a base having an outer generally upward turned edge;
- a top wall having an outer generally downward turned edge;
- a web connecting said base and said top wall; and
- wherein said outer laterally open slot of said rail means is defined between said upward turned edge of said base and said downward turned edge of said top wall.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:
- said upward and downward turned edges of said base and said top wall, respectively, lie in a plane oriented at an acute angle to said web so that said second part of each of said fastener means extends upwardly and outwardly from said rail means.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:
- said rail means further includes an inner laterally open slot defined therein between an inner substantially vertical upward turned edge of said base and an inner substantially vertical downward turned edge of said top wall.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said connector means comprises:
- a plurality of nut and bolt assemblies each having an end thereof slidably received between said web and said inner vertical upward and downward turned edges of said base and said top wall; and
- a plurality of fulcrum clamp means for clamping said rail means to said sidewall, each of said clamp means having an upper end portion bolted to said rail means by one of said nut and bolt assemblies.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein:
- said rail means is a metallic extrusion.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 18, being further characterized as a cover attachment apparatus for a generally rectangular vehicle bed having first and second opposed sidewalls, a front end wall, and a tailgate, wherein said rail means further comprises:
- first and second opposed side rails overlying said first and second opposed sidewalls, respectively, and connected thereto by said connector means;
- a front rail extending between front ends of said first and second side rails and overlying said front end wall;
- a rear rail extending between rear ends of said first and second side rails and overlying said tailgate; and
- slip joint corner connectors connecting said side rails with said front and rear rails, said corner connectors including substantially rectangular cross-section lugs closely received within the ends of said rails inward of said webs.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 15, being further characterized as a cover attachment apparatus for a generally rectangular vehicle bed having first and second opposed sidewalls, a front end wall, and a tailgate, wherein:
- said rail means includes first and second opposed side rails, a front rail and a rear rail corresponding to said first and second opposed sidewalls, said front end wall and said tailgate, respectively; and
- wherein said rear rail is supported between said first and second side rails so that said tailgate may be opened and closed while said cover remains in place covering said bed.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 15, being further characterized as a cover attachment apparatus for a generally rectangular vehicle bed having first and second opposed sidewalls and a front end wall, wherein:
- said rail means includes first and second side rails and
- a front overlying said first and second sidewalls and said front wall, respectively;
- said flexible cover is a generally rectangular cover having a front edge, and having a loop formed adjacent said front edge, said loop being received through said outer open slot of said front rail; and
- an elongated rod-like member having a diameter greater than a width of said outer open slot of said front rail, said rod-like member being disposed within a portion of said loop received through said outer open slot of said front rail to hold said front edge of said cover in place.
- 24. A cover attachment apparatus for a vehicle bed having a sidewall with a generally horizontal top surface, comprising:
- an elongated rail means, adapted to overlie said sidewall top surface, for supporting a cover over said vehicle bed, said rail means having a cross-sectional shape including:
- a generally horizontal base having an inner vertically upward turned edge;
- a top wall having an inner vertically downward turned edge, thus defining an inner laterally open slot between said inner edges of said base and said top wall;
- a vertical web connecting said base and said top wall outward of said inner edges, thus defining a substantially rectangular cross section longitudinal passage between said web, said inner edges, said top wall and said base, said passage having a vertical height between said top wall and said base greater than a vertical height of said inner laterally open slot; and
- a plurality of connector means for connecting said rail
- means to said sidewall, each of said connector means having an upper end portion attached to said rail means by a nut and bolt assembly, one of said nut and a head of said bolt being slidably non-rotatably received in said substantially rectangular cross section longitudinal passage with said bolt extending through said inner laterally open slot.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 24, being further characterized as a cover attachment apparatus for a generally rectangular vehicle bed having first and second opposed sidewalls, a front end wall, and a tailgate, wherein said rail means further comprises:
- first and second opposed side rails overlying said first and second opposed sidewalls, respectively, and connected thereto by said connector means;
- a front rail extending between front ends of said first and second side rails and overlying said front end wall;
- a rear rail extending between rear ends of said first and second side rails and overlying said tailgate; and
- slip joint corner connectors connecting said side rails with said front and rear rails, said corner connectors including substantially rectangular cross-section lugs closely received within said substantially rectangular cross section longitudinal passages of said rails.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 028,357, filed Mar. 20, 1987, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,866 issued Mar. 15, 1988.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
28357 |
Mar 1987 |
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