Various different types of pick-up truck covers, cover-supporting frames and tie downs have been employed in the past, respresentative examples of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,201,171, 4,272,119 and 4,611,848. U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,379 is an example of a cover assembly in which the side and rear panels of the cover are tied down by shock cords and the frame when folded or collapsed is disposed entirely above the plane of the upper edges of the side walls of the cargo body. U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,194 discloses a tent camper for a pick-up truck which includes a collapsible frame and a cloth top stretched over the frame. The framework pivots into a collapsed position which inherently occupies substantially the entire area of the truck bed cargo area. When collapsed the framework protrudes considerably above the plane of the upper edges of side walls of the truck. This is also the case when the cover-supporting frame in U.S. Pat. No. 1,195,316 is collapsed.
Additional prior art is shown in the following U.S. Patents:
______________________________________ 849,675 3,688,787 4,611,848 1,183,269 3,773,379 4,657,062 1,195,316 3,901,548 4,709,956 1,863,957 4,272,119 4,721,336 2,068,041 4,273,377 4,756,196 2,201,171 4,284,303 4,789,196 3,231,305 4,289,346 4,673,209 3,256,896 4,310,194 4,730,866 4,838,602 ______________________________________
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds