Patent Application
20150210321
The present invention relates to a tailgate with a tonneau cover for a vehicle.
Many vehicles have a tonneau, or open compartment, usually at the rear of the vehicle, to haul and/or store cargo. The vehicle may include a tonneau cover assembly to conceal and protect the interior of the tonneau and any of the cargo therewithin. In addition, tonneau covers may improve aerodynamic performance of the vehicle by reducing drag. Tonneau covers are attached or secured to the vehicle, and may be made of rigid panels that are foldable and/or removable, or a flexible fabric material that may be rolled up and stored when not in use, often in the tonneau itself. Provisions for the tonneau cover, including, but not limited to, rails or a track built into the frame of the vehicle, may be provided by the vehicle manufacturer. Alternatively, after-market kits are available, and may require owners of the vehicles to install the provisions themselves, which may involve drilling into the vehicle frame.
A tailgate for a vehicle is provided. The vehicle generally has a front wall, two side walls, and a truck bed that altogether define a tonneau. The tailgate includes a front panel, a rear panel, two side panels, and a top panel that altogether define a cavity. In one embodiment, at least one of the top panel and the front panel define an opening through which the cavity is accessible. In another embodiment, the top panel has a front portion and a rear portion, where the front portion is removable from at least the rear portion to form the opening.
In either embodiment, the tailgate also includes a a tonneau cover deployable from and retractable to within the cavity through the opening. The tonneau cover is selectively movable between a stowed position, a deployed position, and a partially deployed position. In the stowed position, the tonneau cover is substantially within the cavity. In the deployed position, the tonneau cover substantially covers the tonneau of the vehicle. The partially deployed position is any position between the stowed position and the deployed position.
A vehicle is further provided. The vehicle includes a front wall, two side walls, and a truck bed that altogether define a tonneau. The vehicle also includes any of the tailgates described above.
The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that terms such as “above,” “below,” “upward,” “downward,” et cetera, are used descriptively of the figures, and do not represent limitations on the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. Any numerical designations, such as “first” or “second” are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers correspond to like or similar components wherever possible throughout the several figures, a vehicle 10 is shown in
Referring now to
The tailgate 20 also includes a tonneau cover 38 configured to cover the tonneau 18. The tonneau cover 38 generally is made of any pliable and rollable material, including, but not limited to, canvas, nylon, vinyl, polyphenylene oxide, any combination thereof, and the like. The material may be waterproof as well. The tonneau cover 38 may be selectively moved between a stowed position, as seen in
In either the partially deployed position or the deployed position, the tonneau cover 38 may be attached to the side walls 14 of the vehicle 10 such that the tonneau cover 38 is securely held in place. It may be attached via an attachment mechanism 39, which may be, but is not limited to, latches, straps, buckles, buttons, magnets, hooks, and the like. In the deployed position, the tonneau cover 38 (and/or the front portion 34 of the top panel 28A in such embodiments) may be further attachable to the front wall 12 of the vehicle 10 via another attachment mechanism 39. While
To maintain the tonneau cover 38 within the cavity 30 and allow it to deploy, the tailgate 20 may include a spool 40 around which at least a portion of the tonneau cover 38 is wrappable. When the tonneau cover 38 deploys from the stowed position to the partially deployed position or the deployed position, the tonneau cover 38 may unravel from the spool 40. The spool 40 may be attached directly to the side panels 26, or indirectly via brackets or any other attachment hardware or mechanism (not shown).
The tailgate 20 may further include a retraction mechanism 42 configured to retract the tonneau cover 38 from the deployed position to the partially deployed position or the stowed position, and from the partially deployed position to the stowed position. The retraction mechanism 42 may be configured to bias the tonneau cover 38 to the stowed position such that when the attachment mechanism 39 attaching the tonneau cover 38 to the front wall 12 and/or the side walls 14 of the vehicle 10, as described above, is released, the tonneau cover 38 is automatically retracted into the cavity 30. The attachment mechanism 39 may be released manually or via a release mechanism, including, but not limited to a release button, switch, and the like. In another embodiment not shown, in lieu of the retraction mechanism 42, the tailgate 20 may include a motor configured to rotate the spool 40 counterclockwise and clockwise to automatically deploy and retract the tonneau cover 38. The motor may be connected to an existing electrical system within the vehicle 10, and may be operated by a button or a computer system within the vehicle 10.
Referring now to
Also as described above, in the embodiment depicted in
The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive and descriptive of the invention, but the scope of the invention is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the claimed invention have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing the invention defined in the appended claims.
