ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,553,268, issued on Feb. 17.
"Latch assembly for tonneau cover" was invented by Grant Patrick Schmeichel (Mandan, N.D.), Jay Anthony Schmeichel (Bismarck, N.D.) and Evan Anthony Schmeichel (Mandan, N.D.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A latch assembly for a tonneau cover with a bracket, pivoting member, and spring. The spring is situated between the bracket and pivoting member and retains the pivoting member in a first position until manual force is applied to the handle of the pivoting member. The bracket forms a rearward-facing receiving area with a floor. The pivoting member has a nose with a nub that is configured to rest on top of or ...