Truck cover

Claim 1

For use with an open top truck body, a truck cover comprising: an assembly disposed at the forward end of a truck body and having a rotatable shaft and motive means coupled thereto for rotating the shaft in a forward or a reverse direction; a frame having a pair of spaced generally parallel legs, the lower ends of which are pivotally mounted at respective sides of the truck body, and a cross member connecting the upper ends of said legs; means for urging said frame into a rearward position with said cross member generally at the rear end of the truck body; a cover sheet of flexible material secured at its forward edge to said assembly and at its rearward edge to said cross member of said frame; a plurality of cables disposed along spaced parallel paths and secured at one end to said rotatable shaft and at the opposite end to said cross member, the cables being of a length to extend substantially along the full length of the truck body and cover sheet; said plurality of cables including first and second cables each disposed in a generally U-shaped path, the free ends affixed to said rotatable shaft and the opposite end being threaded through rotatable pulleys attached to said cross member; a plurality of rings attached to said cover sheet in spaced parallel arrays in alignment with said spaced parallel paths, the cable along each parallel path being slidably disposed through the associated array of rings; said assembly including a housing having openings therein through which said cables are disposed and of a size and configuration to prevent entry of said rings through said openings; said rotatable shaft being operative upon rotation in a forward direction to wind said cables onto the shaft to draw the cover sheet forward into a furled position at said assembly, and operative upon rotation in a reverse direction to unwind said cables from the shaft and permit the cover sheet to unfurl into its open position by the action of said frame.