Pickup bed cover

Claim 1

The telescopable cover for horizontally disposed generally rectangular access openings and the like which comprises: a pair of rigid elongate generally channel-shaped tracks mountable on opposite sides of the access opening in transversely spaced parallel relation with the channels therein opening toward one another, each of said tracks including upper and lower railforming surfaces separated by a longitudinally extending slot, a length of the upper rail at the front end of each track being removed to define a notch; a plurality of essentially planar transversely elongate rectangular slat-forming panels bridging the space between the tracks with the opposite ends thereof located within the slots for longitudinal slidable movement along the lower rails, the trailing edge of each panel having a downturned flange, the leading edge of each panel including a downwardly and forwardly inclined cam surface terminating in an upturned flange cooperating therewith to define an upwardly opening transverse trough, the downturned flange of each lead panel hooking behind the upturned flange of the adjacent following panel to define an interlocking chain thereof, the cam surface of each following panel being adapted, upon forward longitudinal movement thereof relative to the adjacent lead panel to cooperate with the downturned flange of the latter and wedge same against the upper rail while confined therebeneath so that said panels move ahead together as a unit, and said cam surface and adjacent downturned flange also cooperating with one another upon forwArd relative movement underneath the notches in the tracks to lift said lead panel into a superimposed stacked relation atop said following panel, the trailing edge of the cam surface on the underside of each lead panel defining a stop positioned to engage the upturned flange on the leading edge of the adjacent following panel when moving into stacked relation thereabove and adapted to terminate further forward relative longitudinal movement therebetween, and said downturned flange of each lead panel being adapted to slide forwardly down the cam surface into interlocked engagement behind the upturned flange of the adjacent following panel upon rearward relative longitudinal movement of the latter, said interlocking flanges cooperating to form the panels into a chain thereof positioned to re-enter the slot; and, stop means located in the path of the leading edge of the lead panel at the front end of the access opening adapted to engage the latter and limit the forward movement thereof.