Latch, lock and hinge system for use with closures such as tonneau covers
US6427500B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 9, 1999 |
| Grant date | Aug 6, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 9, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T292/1076
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A latch, lock and hinge system having components that are well suited for use with closures such as tonneau covers that close the upwardly opening rear cargo compartments of pickup trucks and the like, includes rotary latch assemblies that are mounted on hinges for releasably engaging latch strikers to provide cover mounting connections that permit the cover both to pivot between open and closed positions, and to be removed when desired. The hinges have pivotally connected arms that are biased to hold the hinge-carried latches adjacent the cover when the cover is removed. Also included are other rotary latch assemblies that are connected by flexible cables to a latch operator assembly having an elongate housing that defines near its opposite ends a pair of recesses wherein latch operators are nested that can be concurrently moved toward each other by the fingers of one hand to unlatch and pivot open the cover. The latch operator assembly is lockable to prevent the cover from being opened and/or removed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.