General Motors has just patented a tonneau cover system with a built-in cargo divider flap for pickup trucks, GM Authority has uncovered.
Assigned serial number 10,059,180 at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the GM patent was filed on September 11th, 2017 and granted on August 28th, 2018. It lists Anthony B. Bosco as its inventor and is titled “tonneau cover assembly with tonneau divider”.
The patent is comprised of two primary parts – a tonneau panel that covers the truck’s bed as well as a movable divider (flap) located inside the cover that can be deployed to divide the cargo area.
Tonneau Cover
The tonneau cover itself is comprised of “at least one tonneau panel configured to couple to a truck bed”.
The GM patent lists two primary benefits to using a tonneau cover. The first involves concealing and protecting what’s inside the bed, and the second is improving aerodynamic performance of the the vehicle by reducing drag.
Given that tonneau covers for pickup truck beds have been around for years, this is nothing new or novel. The real magic of this patent, however, lies with the divider/flap.
A schematic representation of GM’s tonneau cover with divider patent
Tonneau Divider/Flap
On the inside part of the cover is a flap that is either stowed or deployed.
When stowed, the flap is essentially placed against the tonneau cover, leaving the truck’s bed unobstructed. The flap can then be deployed downward (at a right angle) into the truck bed, thereby subdividing the bed into fore and aft compartments. When deployed, objects stored in the forward compartment are prevented from sliding into the rear compartment, and the objects in the forward compartment are hidden from view.
An isometric view of GM’s tonneau cover and divider patent
One can deploy the flap using a built-in handle, as a gas strut retains the piece in its position. A latching mechanism secures the flap when it is either stowed or deployed.
The patent notes that the flap “can be provided with a lock to lock the movable panel in place”, thereby preventing unauthorized access to the forward compartment.
Where To From Here?
We can see the tonneau cover and built-in divider cited in this GM patent being right at home on Chevy’s 2019 Silverado and Colorado as well as GMC’s 2019 Sierra and Canyon. Notably, The General does not currently offer any first-party tonneau covers for its pickup truck models.
We should also note that a patent application is by no means a guarantee that the item, feature or technology in question will be produced. Moreover, if such an item does make it to production, then it can take years for it to reach an actual real-world product.
Patent Document
Check out the complete patent application in its six-page glory right here (PDF file format).
Comments
It’s cool, but flush mount trifold tonneaus are the hot ticket. You loose too much potential storage/hauling options with a single hinged one piece gas strut tonneau. And they tend to weigh a lot more. One person can install or take off a modern trifold if needed
The patent does not limit nor make provisions for the kind of tonneau cover… it could be a single piece or a bi/tri-fold.
The crux of the patent is the divider… which they can make work with a tri-fold, if so desired.
…”a tonneau cover of at least one panel”
would be curious to see how a trifold with this divider would be able to completely fold back on itself and up against the cab to give full bed access. and to also provide rigidity of the panel when folded down… unless the trifold panels become 2″ thick
This is like everything else in the Automotive Manufacturing world it will be to high a price or to muck lead time. If you have a design and you are testing the items put it out there in a short amount of time because you can not make something and expect people to wait 5 years for you to put it out for sell.