Roll up pick-up truck box cover with lock down slats
View Patent ↗A roll up cover for a box of a pick-up truck includes a plurality of substantially rigid slats connected by hinge joints. A flexible sheet of material is attached to the top surface of the slats. The hinge joints include a stop which allows pivoting of adjacent slats only in a direction moving the top surfaces of the slats towards each other, to allow the cover to be rolled up with flexible sheet facing inwardly, and with bottom surfaces of the slats facing outwardly, and not vice versa. Side rails are attached to the box of the pick-up truck. A roll rod in each side rail pivots into closed position when the cover is unrolled, with the roll rods engaging the end fittings on the slats, to hold the cover down onto the side rails.
1. A roll up cover, comprising:
a plurality of substantially rigid slats, with a curved lip on a first side of substantially each slat pivotal in a curved hook on a second side of an adjacent slat, to form a pivot joint between adjacent slats;
each slat having a top surface and a bottom surface;
a flexible sheet of material attached to the top surface of substantially each slat;
each pivot joint allowing pivoting of adjacent slats only in a roil up direction wherein the top surfaces of the slats move towards each other, to allow the cover to be rolled up with flexible sheet facing inwardly, and with bottom surfaces of the slats facing outwardly, and not vice versa.
2. The roll up cover of claim 1 further comprising a first side rail having a first locking element and a second side rail having a second locking element, with substantially each slat having a first end and a second end, further comprising a first end fitting attached to the first end and a second end fitting attached to the second end, and with the first and second locking elements movable into engagement with the first and second end fittings, respectively.
3. The roll up cover of claim 2 further including first and second seal strips slidably attached to substantially each of the first and second end fittings, respectively.
4. The up cover of claim 3 with each seal strip having an inner lip resiliently contacting the flexible sheet and an outer lip adapted to resiliently contact a box rail of a pick-up truck.
5. The cover of claim 2 further comprising a first seal strip attached substantially to each first end fitting and a second seal strip attached to substantially each second end fitting.
6. The roll up cover of claim 1 with each slat laving a width, in the front/back roll up direction of about 1 to 6 inches.
7. The cover of claim 1 wherein on a plurality of slats the curved lip is entirely below the top surface.
8. The cover of claim 1 wherein on a plurality of slats an arc step joins the curved lip to the top surface.
9. The cover of claim 1 wherein the entire flexible sheet is flat when the cover is unrolled.
10. A cover assembly for a pick-up truck box, comprising:
a roll up cover including a plurality of slats with a first hinge element on a first side of substantially each slat pivotally attached to a second hinge element on a second side of an adjacent slat, to form a pivot joint between adjacent slats, and a flexible material covering the pivot joints between adjacent slats;
first and second side rails attachable to opposite sides of a vehicle box having a front end and back end;
with the roll-up cover rollable or foldable on the site rails, starting from the back end of the box, from a closed position, to an open position; and
end fittings attached to first and second ends of at least a plurality of the slats, and with each side rail having a roil rod pivotal on or in the side-rail for engaging the end fittings.
11. The cover assembly of claim 10 with the cover movable by rolling or folding.
12. The cover assembly of claim 7 with the roll up cover having one or more attaching elements adjacent to a front end of the cover for attaching the cover to at least one of the side rails.
13. The cover assembly of claim 7 with the end fittings including a slot and each roll rod has a hook section that moves in a circular arc into contact with the end fittings, as one or more of the slats at a back end of the cover move into the unrolled position.
14. The cover assembly of claim 7 with each end fitting having a seal slot, and further composing a resilient seal having a slot section extending through the seal slots, and with the resilient seal having an inner arm extending over the at least two slats, and an outer arm tending over a top surface of a pick up truck box rail.
15. A cover assembly for a vehicle box, comprising:
a plurality of slats with a first hinge element on a first side of substantially each slat pivotally attached to a second hinge element on a second side of an adjacent slat, to form a pivot joint between adjacent slats;
a flexible material covering at least the pivot joints between adjacent slats;
end fittings attached to first and second ends of the slats;
first and second side rails for supporting opposite sides of the cover;
a locking element movable to engage and hold the end fittings onto the side rails; and
a foot slot in the end fittings, and with the locking element having a hook movable into and out of the foot slot.
16. The cover assembly of claim 15 with the hook on a roll rod pivotally positioned within an arc section of a side rail, with the roll rod movable from a first position wherein hook projects into the foot slot, to a second position wherein the hook is withdrawn from the foot slot.
17. The cover assembly of claim 16 with the roll rod and the side rail having substantially the same length and further comprising a drive plate rigidly attached to the back end of the roll rod, with the drive plate rotating the roll rod when the cover is closed over the drive plate.
18. The cover assembly of claim 16 with the roll rod having cylinder section within a cup section of the side rail.
19. The cover assembly of claim 15 with the foot slot having a flat bottom surface and an angled top surface.
20. The cover assembly of claim 15 wherein the cover assembly rolls up or folds up starting at a back end of the vehicle box.
21. The cover assembly of claim 15 wherein a top surface of the cover assembly is within 3 cm of flush with a top surface of the vehicle box when the cover assembly is in a closed position.
22. The cover assembly of claim 15 wherein when the cover assembly is rolled or folded up, no part of the cover assembly projects into the vehicle box by more than 5 cm.
23. The cover assembly of claim 15 with substantially each pivot joint including contacting surfaces that allow pivoting of adjacent slats only in a roll up direction wherein top surfaces of the slats move towards each other, to allow the cover assembly to be rolled up with the flexible material facing inwardly, and with bottom surfaces of the slats facing outwardly, and not vice versa.
24. The cover assembly of claim 15 with substantially each pivot joint including a stop that limits the range of pivoting movement between adjacent slats.
25. A roll up cover, comprising:
a plurality of substantially rigid slats, with a first hinge element on a first side of substantially each slat pivotally attached to a second hinge element on a second side of an adjacent slat, to form a pivot joint between adjacent slats;
each slat having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a first end and second end;
a flexible sheet of material attached to the top surface of substantially each slat;
each pivot joint allowing pivoting of adjacent slats only in a roll up direction wherein the top surfaces of the slats move towards each other, to allow the cover to be rolled up with flexible sheet facing inwardly, and with bottom surfaces of the slats facing outwardly, and not vice versa,
a first end fitting attached to the first end and a second end fitting attached to the second end of substantially each slat; and
with substantially each slat comprising a metal extrusion having we section between the first and second hinge elements, and with a fitting slot on a bottom surface of the web section, and with substantially each end fitting attached to a slat via a tab on the fitting extending into the fitting slot.