초록 ▼

A Strap Assembly for a tonneau cover and a tonneau cover apparatus including a strap assembly. The apparatus preferably includes, a flexible cover, the flexible cover having first and second ends; a support frame for attachment to a cargo box of a pick-up truck; the support frame having a front bar

A Strap Assembly for a tonneau cover and a tonneau cover apparatus including a strap assembly. The apparatus preferably includes, a flexible cover, the flexible cover having first and second ends; a support frame for attachment to a cargo box of a pick-up truck; the support frame having a front bar to which the first end of the flexible cover is secured. The strap assembly includes a strap bracket; and a buckle insertion member; a strap to secure the flexible cover in a rolled up configuration proximate the front bar when the flexible cover is not in use to cover an opening defined by the perimeter of the cargo box. The strap has first and second ends; the buckle insertion member being secured to the first end of the strap; and a strap bracket attached to the front bar. The strap bracket includes a buckle insertion receiving member and a strap receiving opening. The buckle insertion receiving member resists movement forward of the front bar of a rolled up segment of the flexible cover, when the rolled up segment is secured to the front bar by the strap when the buckle insertion member is secured to the buckle insertion receiving member and support frame is secured to the cargo box.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of a pick-up truck, the perimeter of the cargo box including a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end, the tonne

What is claimed is: 1. A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of a pick-up truck, the perimeter of the cargo box including a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end, the tonneau cover apparatus comprising: a flexible cover, the flexible cover having first and second ends; a support frame for attachment to the cargo box; the support frame having a front bar to which the first end of the flexible cover is secured, the front bar being attachable to the perimeter of the cargo box proximate the forward end when the tonneau cover apparatus is attached to the cargo box; a buckle insertion member; a strap to secure the flexible cover in a rolled up configuration proximate the front bar when the flexible cover is not in use to cover an opening defined by the perimeter of the cargo box; the strap having first and second ends; the buckle insertion member being secured to the first end of the strap; and a strap bracket attached to the front bar; the strap bracket including a buckle insertion receiving member and a strap receiving member, wherein the second end of the strap is secured to the strap bracket proximate the strap receiving member; wherein the strap bracket is secured to a bottom side of the front bar. 2. The tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the buckle insertion receiving member is operatively connected with a bracket member of the strap bracket in a manner that restricts the movement of the buckle insertion receiving member such that the buckle insertion receiving member resists movement of a rolled up segment of the flexible cover forward of the front bar, when the rolled up segment is secured to the front bar by the strap and when the buckle insertion member is secured to the buckle insertion receiving member and the support frame is secured to the cargo box. 3. The tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 2, wherein bracket member has a buckle receiving end for attachment of the buckle insertion receiving member; the buckle receiving end including a raised ridge that restricts rotation of the buckle insertion receiving member about the buckle receiving end. 4. The tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the strap bracket is secured to a bottom side of the front bar using a bolt that is threadably secured to a reciprocally threaded nut within a channel in the front bar. 5. The tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a second buckle insertion receiving member secured proximate to the second end of the strap. 6. A tonneau cover apparatus for removable attachment about a top of a perimeter of a cargo box of a pick-up truck, the perimeter of the cargo box including a forward end, two opposing sidewalls and a tailgate, the tailgate being positioned rearward of the forward end, the perimeter of the cargo box defining an opening when the tailgate is in a closed position, the tonneau cover apparatus comprising: a flexible cover, the flexible cover having first and second ends; a support frame for attachment to the cargo box; the support frame having a front bar to which the first end of the flexible cover is secured, the front bar having an underside and a channel extending along the underside for at least a portion of the length of the front bar, the front bar being attachable to the perimeter of the cargo box proximate the forward end when the tonneau cover apparatus is attached to the cargo box such that the flexible cover can cover the opening; a strap assembly secured to the front bar, the strap assembly including a strap bracket and a strap to secure the flexible cover in a rolled up configuration proximate the front bar when the flexible cover is not in use to cover the opening defined by the perimeter of the cargo box; the strap having first and second ends; the first end of the strap being available to secure the flexible cover to the front bar when the cover is in the rolled up configuration proximate the front bar; the second end being secured to the strap bracket and the strap bracket being secured within the channel. 7. The tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the strap assembly further includes a buckle insertion member and a buckle insertion receiving member, the strap bracket including a bracket member having a buckle receiving end for attachment of the buckle insertion receiving member and a strap receiving end including a strap receiving member; the buckle receiving end including a raised ridge that restricts rotation of the buckle insertion receiving member about the buckle receiving end when the buckle insertion receiving member is secured thereto. 8. The tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the strap receiving member includes a strap receiving opening, the strap being secured within the strap receiving opening. 9. The tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the strap bracket is secured to a bottom side of the front bar using a bolt that is threadably secured to a reciprocally threaded nut within the channel in the front bar. 10. The tonneau cover apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a second buckle insertion receiving member secured proximate to the second end of the strap. 11. A method of securing a flexible cover of a tonneau cover apparatus in a rolled up configuration proximate a forward end of a cargo box of a pick-up truck, the method comprising the steps of: providing a tonneau cover apparatus, the tonneau cover apparatus including: a flexible cover, the flexible cover having first and second ends; a support frame for attachment to the cargo box; the support frame including a front bar having an underside to which the first end of the flexible cover is secured, the front bar being attachable to the cargo box proximate the forward end when the tonneau cover apparatus is attached to the cargo box; and a strap assembly; the strap assembly including a buckle insertion member; a strap bracket and a strap to secure the flexible cover in the rolled up configuration proximate the front bar when the flexible cover is not in use to cover an opening defined by the perimeter of the cargo box; the strap having first and second ends; the buckle insertion member being secured to the first end of the strap; the strap bracket being attached to the underside of the front bar; the strap bracket including a buckle insertion receiving member and a bracket member, the bracket member having a strap receiving member and a receiving end, wherein a second end of the strap is secured to the strap bracket proximate the strap receiving member; and securing the rolled up segment of the flexible cover to the front bar when the rolled up segment of the flexible cover is in a rolled up configuration proximate the front bar by wrapping the strap at least partially around the flexible cover and inserting the buckle insertion member into the buckle insertion receiving member to secure the strap to the buckle insertion receiving member. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the buckle insertion receiving member is operatively connected with the receiving end of the bracket member in a manner that restricts the movement of the buckle insertion receiving member such that the buckle insertion receiving member resists movement forward of the front bar of a rolled up segment of the flexible cover when: (a) the rolled up segment is secured to the front bar by the strap; (b) the buckle insertion member is secured to the buckle insertion receiving member and (c) the support frame is secured to the cargo box, the step of securing further including securing the rolled up segment of the flexible cover so that the buckle insertion receiving member restricts movement of the rolled up segment of the flexible cover.