Granted Patent B1

US 6,848,734 · App. 10/444,727 · Granted Feb 1, 2005

Abstract

Claims (10)

1. In a roll type closing truck box cover device for mounting across the top of a truck box having a front wall and opposing side walls, said cover device comprising a flexible cover with front and rear edges and side edges, said cover having side rollers mounted along its opposing side edges for traveling along the side walls of the truck box, a pair of spiral ridges on each side of the flexible cover adjacent the forward wall of the truck box and portions of the side walls of the truck box, said pair of spiral ridges each having upper and lower edges with spiraling connecting ridge portions there between, said cover being adapted to be rolled forward into the spiral ridges, for opening the truck box, gradually into a spiral shape by sliding downward along the spiral ridges;

sealing mechanism comprising a lateral overhanging flange for mounting over the top of the front wall of the box, a lateral plate mounted to the front edge of said cover with sealing rollers mounted to the lateral outer edges of said plate, a pair of cams mounted to the upper edges of the spiral ridges in the path of said sealing rollers, said sealing rollers mounted to opposite lateral edges of said front lateral plate of the cover in the path of said spiral ridges and in the path of said cams, with said side rollers of said cover being mounted in the path of said spiral ridges and beside the path of said sealing rollers and cams;

whereby said cover may be rolled open into a spiral shape at the front end of the box by the side edges of the cover following the path of the spiral ridges and said cover may be unrolled gradually out of said spiral ridges and straightened over the top and along the sides of the box to close the cover, said sealing rollers being spaced laterally outward in the path of said cams, whereby the sealing rollers on said front plate of said cover in the path of said cams engage said cams on said spiral ridges to cam said front plate and said front end of said cover sharply upward flush against said overhanging flange at the front wall of said box to seal said front end of said cover to the overhanging flange at the front of said truck box in at least substantially watertight relation to one another.

2. In a roll truck box closing device for mounting across the top of a truck box having a front wall and opposing side walls and wherein said truck box closing devise has a flexible rectangular cover with a front edge and opposing side edges, a pair of spiraling ridges on each side of the cover, said spiraling ridges having upper and lower ridge portions, said cover being adapted to move and spiral gradually downward into said spiral ridges to open said top of said truck box;

a sealing device comprising an overhanging flange at the front wall along its upper edge, a lateral panel across the front edge of said cover, said front panel having supporting means to support the cover and enable the forward end of the cover to move along spiral ridges;

cam means mounted on said upper ends of said spiral ridges in the path of the cover supporting means for said supporting means to engage and cam the front edge of the cover abruptly upward flush against the overhanging flange, when closing said cover, to seal the front edge of the cover to the overhanging flange in at least substantially watertight relation to one another.

3. In a roll top truck box cover device for mounting across the top of a truck box having a front wall and opposing sides walls and wherein the trunk box cover device has a flexible rectangular cover with a front portion and opposing side portions;

a sealing apparatus comprising an over hanging flange for mounting to the top of a the front wall of the truck box and extending rearward, rails extending rearward from said overhanging flange, a cover winding and unwinding means beneath said overhanging flange enabling the cover to wind forward in a gradual spiral beneath said overhanging flange and from said rails when opening the cover over the box and unwind rearward out from beneath said overhanging flange in a gradual spiral onto said rails when closing the cover;

cam means adjacent the cover winding and unwinding means and beneath the overhanging flange to cam the forward portion of the cover abruptly upward against the overhanging flange when the cover is unwinding onto the rails and is nearly unwound from winding and unwinding means onto the rails and said forward eItI of said panel is beneath said overhanging flange, with said cam action acting to move said forward end abruptly upward to seal the forward end of the cover to the overhanging flange.

4. A sealing apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said cover has a lateral panel means at it forward end, said lateral panel means of said cover having supporting means to support the forward end of the cover and panel and guide the cover off the rails onto its winding and unwinding means for winding the cover beneath the overhanging flange when opening the cover and unwinding the cover rearward onto the rails when closing the cover over the top of the truck box, said cover when on said rails having its top surfaces substantially horizontal with the top surfaces of the overhanging flange to prevent any obstruction in height between the cover and overhanging flange.

Assignments (22)