Apparatus for covering truck bodies

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR COVERING THE TOP OF A PICKUP TRUCK BODY AND THE LIKE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HOUSING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON AN ASSOCIATED PICKUP TRUCK ADJACENT THE FRONT END OF THE BODY AND TO EXTEND SUBSTANTIALLY ACROSS THE WIDTH THEREOF, SAID HOUSING HAVING FRONT, REAR, TOP, BOTTOM AND END WALLS, SAID REAR WALL HAVING AN ELONGATED APERTURE THEREIN EXTENDING GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY OF THE HOUSING AND SUBSTANTIALLY ACROSS THE LENGTH THEREOF; AN ELONGATED SPRING ROLLER ASSEMBLY ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING ON THE END WALLS THEREOF; A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR COVER OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL NARROWER IN WIDTH THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID APERTURE IN SAID HOUSING HAVING FRONT, REAR, AND SIDE EDGES, SAID COVER BEING MOUNTED AT THE FRONT EDGE THEREOF ON SAID SPRING ROLLER ASSEMBLY AND ROLLED THEREON IN A STORED POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND DIMENSIONED TO COVER THE TOP OF THE BODY OF THE PICKUP TRUCK WHEN UNROLLED THROUGH SAID APERTURE TO A COVERING POSITION; AN ELONGATED LOCKING BAR ENGAGED WITH SAID COVER GENERALLY PARALLEL TO AND ADJACENT THE REAR EDGE THEREOF AND HAVING END PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE SIDE EDGES OF SAID COVER, SAID LOCKING BAR BEING ADAPTED TO BE DRAWN INTO CLOSE-FITTING ALIGNMENT WITH SAID ELONGATED APERTURE IN SAID HOUSING ASSEMBLY BY THE BIASING ACTION OF SAID SPRING ROLLER ASSEMBLY TO FORM A CLOSURE FOR SAID APERTURE WHEN SAID COVER IS IN STORED POSITION; A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF HOOK MEMBERS ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ADJACENT THE TOP EDGES OF THE SIDE WALLS OF THE BODY OF THE PICKUP TRUCK TO PROJECT UPWARDLY THEREFROM FOR HOLDING THE EXTENDING END PORTIONS OF SAID LOCKING BAR AGAINST THE BIASING PRESSURE OF SAID SPRING ROLLER ASSEMBLY AND POSITIONING THE REAR EDGE OF SAID COVER IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE BODY OF THE PICKUP TRUCK; AND A PLURALITY OF SNAP FASTENERS MOUNTED ON SAID COVER AT PREDETERMINED SPACED INTERVALS ALONG THE SIDE AND REAR EDGES THEREOF, SAID SNAP FASTENERS HAVING A FIRST PORTION SECURED TO SAID COVER AND A SECOND PORTION ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ADJACENT THE TOP EDGES OF THE SIDE AND REAR WALLS OF THE BODY OF THE PICKUP TRUCK FOR RAPID DETACHABLE COVERING OF THE TOP OF THE PICKUP TRUCK BODY, SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION OF SAID LOCKING BAR AND PREDETERMINED SPACED INTERVALS OF SAID SNAP FASTENERS ENSURING SUBSTANTIAL AND RAPID ALIGNMENT OF THE SNAP FASTENER PORTIONS UPON ENGAGEMENT OF SAID LOCKING BAR BY ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF HOOK MEMBERS.