Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-01
2001-01-09
Boehler, Anne Marie (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S479300, C280S491200, C280S499000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170852
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to trailer hitches and more specifically it relates to a trailer hitch assembly for allowing a user to simultaneously extend and pivot the distal end of the trailer hitch to position the hitch ball in a desired position.
Individuals that own trailers, whether they be horse or boat trailers, must always go through the difficult task of aligning and connecting the hitch ball of the trailer hitch to a ball coupler on the trailer. Since the user is usually unable to directly visualize the hitch ball and the ball coupler during movement of the vehicle, the user must constantly stop the vehicle and get out to determine the position and distance the hitch ball is from the ball coupler. Sometimes the user will back up too much causing the ball coupler to damage the rear portion of the vehicle. Hence, there is a need for a device that will allow a user to easily and simply connect a hitch ball to a ball coupler without having to inconveniently get out of the vehicle numerous times.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Trailer hitches have been in use for years. Typically, the trailer hitch is directly connected to the bumper of the vehicle preventing any longitudinal or pivotal movement of the trailer hitch. The conventional trailer hitch will have a hitch shaft with a hitch ball removably attached through an aperture within the distal end of the hitch shaft.
Conventional trailer hitches do not allow longitudinal or pivotal movement for allowing the user to manually align the hitch ball with the ball coupler. Because the user has to constantly “guess” where the position of the ball coupler is in relation to the rear portion of the vehicle, damage to the vehicle is all but inevitable. In addition, it is extremely dangerous for the user to accidentally engage the trailer which can result in uncontrolled movement of the trailer.
Examples of trailer hitches include U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,525 to Laundry; U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,210 to Dugger; U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,805 to La Roque; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,076 to Swindall are all illustrative of such prior art.
Laundry (U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,525) discloses a self locking trailer hitch. Laundry teaches a frame attachable to a vehicle, a housing arranged to slide longitudinally on the frame, and a swing bar pivotally attached to the housing to swing laterally.
Dugger (U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,210) discloses a trailer hitch for a vehicle designed to be inserted in a conventional square-shaped sleeve or receiver fixed to the back of a vehicle. Dugger teaches a sleeve and an arm which is received by and pivots simultaneously with the sleeve.
La Roque (U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,805) discloses an adjustably extensible trailer hitch assembly. La Roque teaches a base structure attachable to a vehicle, an outer tube pivotally attached to the base structure, an inner shaft slidably positioned within the outer tube, a lock pin insertable through the outer tube and the inner shaft for securing the extended position, and a U-shaped pivot clamp pivotally attached to the base structure for removably surround the sides of the outer tube for preventing pivoting.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for allowing a user to simultaneously extend and pivot the distal end of the trailer hitch to position the hitch ball in a desired position. The prior art attempts require the user to remove two securing devices for preventing the extending and pivoting movements of the trailer hitch which are awkward to utilize.
In these respects, the trailer hitch assembly according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing a user to simultaneously extend and pivot the distal end of the trailer hitch to position the hitch ball in a desired position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of trailer hitches now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new trailer hitch assembly construction wherein the same can be utilized for allowing a user to simultaneously extend and pivot the distal end of the trailer hitch to position the hitch ball in a desired position.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new trailer hitch assembly that has many of the advantages of the trailer hitches mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new trailer hitch assembly which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art trailer hitches, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a support frame attachable to a vehicle, a telescoping structure pivotally attached within the support frame, and a spring-loaded locking pin attached to the support frame for selectively engaging the telescoping structure for preventing extension and pivoting movement. The telescoping structure comprises a receiver member pivotally attached within the support frame, an extending member slidably positioned within the receiver member for supporting a conventional hitch ball, a lock aperture within the extending member for catchably receiving the locking pin, at least one guide slot within the receiver member, and at least one guide pin for sliding within at least one guide slot. A pair of stopper members are preferably secured to the perimeter of the extending member for engaging the edge of the receiver member thereby preventing damage to the locking pin. A wear plate is preferably attached to a lower plate of the support frame for providing a reduced friction surface for the receiver member to pivot upon. A wear liner is preferably within the lumen of the receiver member for providing a reduced friction surface for the extending member to extend inwardly and outwardly upon. The locking pin preferably includes a handle for allowing the user to grasp manually. A pair of wing members are attached to the receiver member for preventing the locking pin from extending beside the receiver member during pivoting of the receiver member.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a trailer hitch assembly that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
Another object is to provide a trailer hitch assembly that allows the user simultaneously release the extension and pivoting portions.
An additional object is to provide a trailer hitch assembly that has a reduced number of components thereby reducing susceptibility to breakage.
A further object is to provide a trailer hitch assembly that is capable of being extended and pivoted simultaneously.
Another object is to provide a trailer hitch assembly that reduces the number of times the user must leave the vehicle to monitor the location of the vehicle in respect to the ball coupler of the trailer.
A further object is to provide a trailer hitch assembly that does no
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