Molded Surface Fastener Assembly to Prevent Cover Pre-Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible vehicle bed covers with hook and loop fasteners often pre-engage before being evenly distributed, leading to inadequate protection against weather and theft, and frequent readjustments cause faster degradation of the fasteners, necessitating premature replacement.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle cover assembly featuring a flexible cover with side rails and a fastener assembly that includes dual hooks and spacers, where the spacers are elevated above the hooks to prevent pre-engagement, allowing the cover to rest on the vehicle bed until a force is applied to engage the fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the flexible cover is allowed to rest on the vehicle bed without pre-engagement, then the cover can be evenly distributed and provide better protection, but the fasteners remain exposed and vulnerable to accidental engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces spacers as intermediary elements positioned between the hooks and the cover material. These spacers act as mediators that physically prevent the hooks from engaging with the cover loops until the cover is intentionally positioned and secured, thereby eliminating accidental engagement while allowing the cover to rest on the vehicle bed during distribution.
2Ease of operation
If the fasteners are continuously engaged and disengaged during readjustment, then the cover can be repositioned, but the fasteners degrade faster and require premature replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful engagement function from the fastener system during the distribution phase. By removing the engagement capability until intentionally activated, the fasteners are protected from unnecessary wear and degradation that occurs during repeated readjustments, thereby extending their operational lifespan while maintaining repositioning flexibility.
3Reliability
If the spacers are elevated above the hooks, then pre-engagement is prevented, but the fastener assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the spacers with the substrate to form an integrated molded structure. This combination eliminates the need for separate spacer components and simplifies the overall assembly process, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the pre-engagement prevention function through the elevated spacer design.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle cover assembly comprising; a flexible cover; one or more side rails; and a fastener assembly that is secured to a vehicle bed comprising; a cover fastener that is on one or more edge regions of the flexible cover; and a side rail fastener with one or more rows of fasteners comprising; a plurality of dual hooks on the base that releasably connect with the cover fastener of the flexible cover; and a plurality of spacers between the plurality of dual hooks.