Truck body cover and mounting means therefor

Claim 1

Apparatus for retractably covering in a substantially weathertight sealing configuration an open topped cargo space portion of a pick-up truck body of the kind having the truck cab forward of the cargo space, said cargo space being formed by upstanding side and front walls having generally straight top edges and enclosable by a tailgate section along a backwall, and said apparatus providing selective access to the frontal portion of said cargo space and comprising: a generally rigid elongate cover of length and width substantially equivalent to that of said cargo space and having first and second longitudinal side sections forming an open ended U-shape frontal portion contiguous to and extending generally upwardly with respect to a longitudinally extending open bottom portion and adapted for substantially covering the cargo space of the truck; a bulkhead mounted to and upwardly extending from the front wall of said cargo space and having an upwardly extending heiGht and width substantially equivalent to the height and width of the open ended frontal portion of said cover and the upwardly extending cab of the truck adjacent thereto, said bulkhead being adapted for abuttingly receiving on the face thereof the frontal edge of said open ended U-shaped frontal portion of said cover; means associated with said bulkhead for sealingly engaging the open ended frontal edge of said cover in abutting engagement therewith, and forming a frontal wall thereto, whereby said cargo space may be substantially enclosed by positioning said cover atop said cargo space and adjacent said bulkhead; first and second rail members, each mounted at the top edge of one of the side walls in parallel spaced relationship with the other and having rearwardly extensible telescoping portions adapted for bilateral movement rearwardly from and forwardly to said bulkhead for supporting the rearward portion of said cover when positioned thereon in a generally horizontal plane rearwardly extending from the truck; antifriction means mounted along the bottom edges of said first and second side sections of said cover in position to run in said rails and said rearwardly extensible telescoping portions thereof for providing a bilateral movement of said cover over the open topped portion of the truck rearwardly from and forwardly to said bulkhead for providing access to the frontal portion of said cargo space; lock means for releasably securing said cover in sealable engagement with said bulkhead whereby said cover will selectively maintain its engagement with said bulkhead in a substantially weathertight sealing configuration; means for sliding said cover along said rails rearwardly from and forwardly to said bulkhead to provide access to the frontal portion of said cargo space adjacent to the cab of the truck; stop means on said rails limiting rearward travel of said antifriction means and said cover mounted thereto, whereby the distance of movement of said cover over said cargo space is defined by said bulkhead for movement forwardly thereto, and by said stop means for movement rearwardly from said bulkhead.