Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-14
2004-10-26
Morris, Lesley D. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S416100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06808195
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention broadly concerns the interconnection of a trailer to a tractor vehicle for towing. More particularly, however, the present invention concerns hitch ball engaging assembly. This assembly is useable as an improvement to a tractor/trailer combination wherein the tractor vehicle is provided with a bed mounted hitch ball of a gooseneck type coupling and for in the trailer vehicle is provided with a fifth wheel type pin connector. The invention then concerns an adapter apparatus that is operative to releaseably interconnect these two different types of couplings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For many years, recreational traveling has enjoyed popularity among a wide spectrum of the population. Despite the availability of overnight accommodations at hotels, motels and the like, many travelers seek alternative accommodations either as a life-style preference or as a money saving measure. Also, convenient hotel/motel lodgings are not also available at target recreation sights so that alternative accommodations must be made. Here, many travelers prefer to use their own accommodations which are transported with them.
While the simplest form of portable accommodations may be the tent, many travelers find tents to be inconvenient or uncomfortable. Accordingly, many travelers opt for other portable accommodations such as tent trailers, recreational vehicles and travel trailers known as “fifth wheel travel trailers”.
As is known, a fifth-wheel travel trailer is, essentially, a small, self-contained home which may be towed to a desired location by any suitable tractor vehicle. For example, a pickup truck. In the fifth-wheel coupling system, the forward portion of the trailer is provided with a downwardly depending hitch box and a downwardly projecting king pin, also referred to as a “pin connector”. This king pin is sized and adapted to mate with a standard fifth-wheel hitch which is mounted on the tractor vehicle. The fifth-wheel hitch is in the form of a large slotted plate that is suitably secured to a support structure on the bed of the tractor vehicle. The pin connector is received in a slot in the plate, and a latch mechanism releaseably retains the pin connector in the engaged state. The slotted plate is sufficiently elevated above the bed of the tractor vehicle so as to match the height of the pin connector above the ground during a normal towing operation. Accordingly, the tractor vehicle supports the trailer so that it's forward end is elevated above the surface of travel, such as a roadway, although the rear portion of the vehicle is supported on a wheel set so that it may travel over the surface.
Aside from the fifth-wheel hitch assembly, another commonly used hitch assembly for coupling a tractor vehicle to a trailer vehicle is known as the “gooseneck coupling”. IN the gooseneck system, a hitch ball is mounted on or proximately to the bed of the tractor vehicle. The trailer vehicle is provided with an elongated, downwardly depending connector having a socket end that may be dropped onto and secured to the hitch ball of the trailer vehicle. Gooseneck coupling systems are typical used for industrial and farming applications, for example, horse trailers and the like.
Where a hauler employs a tractor vehicle that is provided with a hitch ball for a gooseneck coupling system, he/she cannot normally employ such tractor vehicle with a trailer having the pin connector of the fifth wheel coupling system. In past, it has been known to provide a fifth wheel adapter assembly that mounts onto the hitch ball of the tractor vehicle. Here, a pivoting, slotted plate assembly is mounted on the hitch ball and provides the slotted plate that receives the pin connector of the fifth wheel coupling on the trailer vehicle. This fifth wheel adapter assembly, however, is mounted onto and stays attached to the tractor vehicle during use.
Accordingly, while there has been a recognized need for systems which allow a tractor vehicle to selectively tow a fifth wheel trailer or a gooseneck trailer, the problem has been addressed by complicated systems that allow the mounting of a fifth wheel hitch onto the tractor vehicle. The systems are complicated and expensive for the user. Thus there remains a need for a simplified adapter that can interface fifth wheel trailers with tractor vehicles provided with a gooseneck hitch ball. The present invention addresses this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide and new and useful hitch ball engaging assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adapter apparatus using the hitch ball engaging assembly to interconnect a pin connector of a fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling and a hitch ball of a gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling.
Yet another object of the present invention is provide an adapter apparatus and method that simplifies the attachment of a trailer having a fifth wheel type pin connector to the hitch ball of a gooseneck type connector on a tractor vehicle.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive adapter that is an improvement to a tractor/trailer combination allowing the bed-mounted hitch ball of a gooseneck type coupling on a tractor vehicle to be connected to the fifth wheel type pin connector of a trailer vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an adapter that is easy to manufacture and use.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a method for interconnecting a pin connector of a fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling and a hitch ball of a gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling.
According to the present invention, then, an adapter apparatus is provided that is operative to interconnect a pin connector of a fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling and hitch ball of a gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling. Broadly, the adapter apparatus includes an extension member that has a first end portion and a second end portion opposite the first end portion. A pin connector engaging assembly is disposed on the first end portion of the extension member. This pin connector engaging assembly is sized and adapted to mateably receive a pin connector of a fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling. At least one attachment element is associated with the pin connector engaging assembly and is adapted to releaseably engage the pin connector of the fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling thereby to prevent removal of the pin connector when in a secured state. A hitch ball engaging assembly is disposed on the second end portion of the extension member. The hitch ball engaging assembly is sized and adapted to matably receive a hitch ball of a gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling. The hitch ball engaging assembly includes at least one locking element associated therewith that is moveable between a locked stated and an unlocked state. When the locking element is in the locked state, it is operative to lock the hitch ball in the hitch ball engaging assembly thereby to prevent removal thereof. When the locking element is in the unlocked state, it is operative to permit insertion and removal of the hitch ball into and out of the hitch ball engaging assembly.
The extension member may be formed as an elongated shaft, such as an elongated tubular piece that in the disclosed embodiment is cylindrical in shape. Thus, the extension member has a first end portion with a surrounding first sidewall with a first interior sized and adapted to matably receive the pin connector of the fifth wheel type tractor/trailer coupling. Likewise, the second end portion then includes a surrounding second sidewall having a second interior adapted to matably receive the hitch ball of the gooseneck type tractor/trailer coupling. This second sidewall has at least one hole formed there through with the hole diameter. The hitch ball engaging assembly then includes at least one spherical ball that is disposed in the hole and that has a larger diameter than the hole. The spherical ball moves bet
Gegick Rebecca A.
Henson Michael R.
Luby Matthew
Martin Timothy J.
Morris Lesley D.
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