Abstract: Tonneau cover for mounting to a pickup truck having a cargo bed has a top panel and a bottom panel, wherein the bottom panel includes opposing arrays of upwardly extending projections having flat coplanar upper surfaces with the arrays divided by a beam feature that extends in a front to rear direction of the cover. The beam feature itself may include a series of upwardly extending projections having flat coplanar upper surfaces, which, advantageously, are elongate along the front to rear direction.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a printed, laminated pickup truck bed and bed liner includes the steps of forming by extrusion or another process a single or double layer substrate of a desired thickness and strength. If a single layer, it will preferably be formed of a thermoplastic material such as high density polyethylene (HDPE). If a double layer, the lower layer may be HDPE or HDPE reinforced with random fibers or a fibrous material to improve its strength and ruggedness. Additionally, a cast or blow film upon which may be printed a desired pattern such as, for example, camouflage or indicia, is utilized as the top layer of the material. The two or three layers are laminated together either with or without the use of an adhesive and then formed into a bed or bed liner by a thermoforming process.

Abstract: Described herein is a process for manufacturing a part or a part pre-form, for example, a vehicle part or vehicle part pre-form, as well as articles of manufacture incorporating pre-stretched paint films and substrates such as extruded sheet. Also described herein is an apparatus useful for the process described, which process includes providing a paint film having a length as measured along a longitudinal axis of the paint film; continuously stretching the paint film in the transverse and/or longitudinal directions of the film over the length of the paint film to form a pre-stretched paint film; and applying the pre-stretched paint film to a thermoformable substrate to form a part or part pre-form.

Abstract: A running board for a passenger car or light truck is assembled from an upper molded thermoplastic section or component having a Class A automotive finish and a lower component or section having reinforcing ribs and mounting brackets. The upper section includes three layers: a paint film having a Class A automotive finish, a thin layer of thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) and a thick layer of polypropylene. The lower section is homogeneous and may be a plastic such as TPO, polypropylene or high-density polyethylene (HDPE), for example, which may contain chopped, randomly oriented glass reinforcing fibers. The two sections are secured to one another about their peripheries by autogenous bonding.

Abstract: A method of fabricating composite vehicle panels includes the steps of forming a first, upper panel having a depending peripheral lip, forming a second, lower panel of laid up woven mat or strips of a fibrous material such as fiberglass or carbon fibers and a plastic resin to form a corrugated panel having a depending peripheral lip, placing an adhesive on the raised portions of the corrugations and the peripheral lip of the second panel and securing the panels together at the corrugations and about their peripheral lips.

Abstract: A method of fabricating composite vehicle panels includes the steps of forming a first, upper panel having a depending peripheral lip, forming a second, lower panel of laid up woven mat or strips of a fibrous material such as fiberglass or carbon fibers and a plastic resin to form a corrugated panel having a depending peripheral lip, placing an adhesive on the raised portions of the corrugations and the peripheral lip of the second panel and securing the panels together at the corrugations and about their peripheral lips.

Abstract: A motor vehicle bed or bed liner is vacuum formed from a single layer or two layer panel of thermoplastic material having a scuffed or roughened surface. The single layer panel is typically extruded and is homogeneous, being either a single material such as HDPE or a uniform mixture of materials. The two layer panel is co-formed of two layers of material which will typically be distinct compositions and characteristics. The upper surface of the panel is scuffed or roughened by a brush which contacts the surface. A bank of individually adjustable rollers supports the panel during the roughening operation and facilitates adjustment of the extent of contact or impingement of the brush on the surface of the panel at a plurality of transverse locations across the panel. The roughened panel is then vacuum formed into, for example, a truck bed or bed or cargo compartment liner.

Abstract: Liner for a bed of a vehicle includes a member having a substantially flat portion with ribs that, in one embodiment, in a first part are arranged in an array extending along a front to rear axis, and in a second part have at least one array extending obliquely to the array of the first part. In another embodiment, ribs are arrayed such that in cross section a bank of the ribs includes at leant one outer rib member part that spans obliquely from a substantially flat part of the liner into an upper member of a rib that it in part forms.

Abstract: A pull out system, or a pull out drawer system for vehicles and trailers can be improved by an inverted French F-channel as a stationary rail; an inverted U-channel as a movable rail; and/or a cam-follower bearing being present among rollers on the rails. Also, a movable frame for a pull out drawer system can be improved by providing a support member for supporting a slide-in/out accessory, for example, a drawer or a ramp, and further by providing the accessory with such a frame.

Abstract: A motor vehicle bed or bed liner is vacuum formed from a panel of co-formed layers of thermoplastic material having a roughened surface. The panel is co-formed of two layers of material having distinct compositions and characteristics. The upper surface of the co-formed composite is then roughened or textured by a brush which contacts one surface. The co-formed and roughened composite panel is then vacuum formed into, for example, a truck bed or bed or cargo compartment liner.

Abstract: A method of forming thermoplastic panels is disclosed which includes the steps of forming the thermoplastic panels by extrusion or a similar process and simultaneously or subsequently texturing or graining at least one face thereof, and utilizing such pre-textured or pre-grained panels to form a finished panel or article by disposing such panel in a thermoforming mold having at least one grained or textured mold surface against which the pre-textured or pre-grained surface of the panel is disposed and thermoforming such panel. The process provides a textured or grained surface having greatly improved uniformity and enhanced appearance.

Abstract: A motor vehicle bed or bed liner is vacuum formed from a single layer or two layer panel of thermoplastic material having a scuffed or roughened surface. The single layer panel is typically extruded and is homogeneous, being either a single material such as HDPE or a uniform mixture of materials. The two layer panel is co-formed of two layers of material which will typically be distinct compositions and characteristics. The upper surface of the panel is scuffed or roughened by a brush which contacts the surface. A bank of individually adjustable rollers supports the panel during the roughening operation and facilitates adjustment of the extent of contact or impingement of the brush on the surface of the panel at a plurality of transverse locations across the panel. The roughened panel is then vacuum formed into, for example, a truck bed or bed or cargo compartment liner.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a printed, laminated pickup truck bed and bed liner includes the steps of forming by extrusion or another process a single or double layer substrate of a desired thickness and strength. If a single layer, it will preferably be formed of a thermoplastic material such as high density polyethylene (HDPE). If a double layer, the lower layer may be HDPE or HDPE reinforced with random fibers or a fibrous material to improve its strength and ruggedness. Additionally, a cast or blow film upon which may be printed a desired pattern such as, for example, camouflage or indicia, is utilized as the top layer of the material. The two or three layers are laminated together either with or without the use of an adhesive and then formed into a bed or bed liner by a thermoforming process.

Abstract: A motor vehicle bed or bed liner is vacuum formed from a panel of co-formed layers of thermoplastic material having a roughened surface. The panel is co-formed of two layers of material having distinct compositions and characteristics. The upper surface of the co-formed composite is then roughened or textured by a brush which contacts one surface. The co-formed and roughened composite panel is then vacuum formed into, for example, a truck bed or bed or cargo compartment liner.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a laminated pickup truck bed and bed liner includes the steps of forming by extrusion or another process a substrate layer of a desired thickness and strength of a thermoplastic material such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which may include fibers or a fibrous mat which improves its strength and ruggedness. Also formed by extrusion or another process is an upper layer having specific characteristics such as electrical charge dissipation or improved skid or slip resistance. The upper layer may be fabricated of a thermoplastic material such as HDPE and includes dispersed conductive material such as carbon particles, carbon, fibers or conductive polymers which dissipate or carry static electrical charges to a vehicle ground. Skid or slip resistance may be achieved by controlling the upper layer surface texture or the use of various materials and mixtures.

Abstract: A method of forming thermoplastic panels comprises the steps of forming the thermoplastic panels by extrusion or a similar process and simultaneously or subsequently texturing or graining at least one face thereof, and utilizing such pre-textured or pre-grained panels to form a finished panel or article by disposing such panel in a thermoforming mold having at least one grained or textured mold surface against which the pre-textured or pre-grained surface of the panel is disposed and thermoforming such panel. The two-step process provides a texture or grain on a surface having greatly improved uniformity and enhanced appearance.

Abstract: Nitrogenous compounds are eliminated from a synthetic hydrocarbon oil such as shale oil by partial hydrogenation followed by solvent extraction using a three-component solvent comprising an organic polar solvent, an acid and water. For example, a furfuryl alcohol, hydrochloric acid and water solution will remove the major quantity of the nitrogen compounds from shale oil which remain following the partial hydrogenation of the shale oil.

Abstract: Vinyltoluene is separated from close-boiling, olefinically unsaturated alkylaromatic compounds by extractive distillation. For example, vinyltoluene is separated from cis-.beta.-methylstyrene, and from .alpha.-methylstyrene by extractive distillation using .gamma.-butyrolactone as the extracting agent.