Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-28
2004-06-08
Boehler, Anne Marie (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S439000, C280S483000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06746037
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to trailer hitches, including receiver, gooseneck, and fifth wheel type hitches for attachment to automobiles, trucks, tractor-trailers, and other vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a trailer hitch with a slidably connected frame and carriage, wherein a multi-directional dampening system is operably connected between the frame and the carriage. The invention further relates to adapters for interfacing the trailer hitch to various trailer/vehicle combinations.
2. Discussion of Background
Trailers can be connected to tow vehicles by any of a variety of hitches, ranging from simple ball hitches and receiver hitches to heavy-duty gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches. The selection of hitch for any particular application depends on a number of factors, including the type of vehicle, the dimensions and weight of the trailer, and the anticipated load (including the weight, dimensions, and type of load). Hitches are available for virtually any motor vehicle on the market today: ball type hitches and receiver hitches are more commonly used with passenger vehicles and light trucks (automobiles, pick-up trucks, and the ever-popular sport-utility vehicles or SUVs) for light-duty hauling. Gooseneck and fifth wheel type hitches are used with heavy-duty pickup trucks and tractor-trailers used for hauling heavier loads.
While in motion, all vehicles and all trailers tend to bounce or sway to some degree; the extent of such bouncing or swaying motion depends on the vehicle's speed and road conditions. When a trailer T is attached to a tow vehicle V by a standard lock-down or solid connection hitch H as shown schematically in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, the trailer cannot rotate about its center of mass and therefore cannot move independently of the vehicle. As a result, any bouncing, swaying, and vibration of trailer T is transferred directly to vehicle V through hitch H, leading at best to an uncomfortable ride for the driver and passengers. Movement of trailer T relative to vehicle V in the vertical direction is represented by arrows A in
FIG. 1A
; relative movement in the horizontal direction is represented by arrow B in FIG.
1
B. The safety of the driver and passengers is compromised whenever the relative movement of the trailer makes it more difficult to control the vehicle, for example, if the driver encounters high bumps, dips, railroad tracks, elevation changes, expansion joints, and situations that require emergency braking (which can cause jack-knifing) or other avoidance maneuvers. As trailer T bobs, bounces, and weaves, the back of vehicle V can sometimes be lifted off the road; the front end of the vehicle may also be lifted in turn and pushed from side to side, creating extremely dangerous conditions. Analogous concerns are found in other situations where a movable object is attached to a vehicle or a fixed support structure: boat docks, loading docks, airplane boarding bridges, and the like.
These problems are addressed by a variety of designs for trailer hitches and like apparatus. By way of example, Van Vleet (U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,560) discloses a trailer hitch apparatus with dampening mechanisms. The apparatus includes a hollow draw bar tube that can be coupled to a receiving tube mounted to a vehicle, and a ball hitch assembly carried by a transverse support bar attached to the outer end of the draw bar tube. The tube can move longitudinally with respect to the receiving tube; the ball hitch assembly is biased against vertical movement.
Gibbons (U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,366) shows a vertically adjustable hitch with a stationary portion that can be inserted into a trailer hitch tongue. The hitch includes a slider that is vertically movable with respect to a guide plate; the vertical position of the slider can be fixed via a pair of holes that can be aligned with respective detents of the guide plate. Jacks (U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,876) discloses a trailer hitch having a planar sliding plate mounted between a pair of spaced-apart, parallel vertical guides. A tongue extends outwardly from the slide; a conventional ball hitch is attached at the end of the tongue, and an adjustable-force leaf spring minimizes the transmission of shocks and vibrations between the tow vehicle and the load by providing variable resistance to vertical travel. Kendall (U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,949) describes a trailer hitch with a vertically-adjustable ball. The ball is attached to a mounting plate that is movable within a channel to any of a plurality of positions. Whatoffs (U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,751) adjustable hitch includes a pair of spaced-apart coil spring assemblies, a pair of tubular members that are telescoped in tubes for horizontal movement towards and away from the truck body, and a ball-type hitch attached to a slide plate that is movable vertically in a channel. Logan, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,603 and 6,116,631) describe a trailer hitch assembly with variable pressure air springs (also termed “air bags” or “pneumatic shock absorbers”) connecting the hitch and the support.
Fifth-wheel hitches are generally used for heavy-duty applications. Vitale, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,106) describe a tractor-trailer fifth wheel air suspension assembly with a mounting frame connected to a tractor body frame and a movable frame for supporting the fifth wheel. The movable frame is supported on the mounting frame by a two-point or four-point air suspension system which stabilizes the trailer load when hauling. The movable frame has slides which are received in channels on the mounting frame. Noah, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,675) discloses a fifth wheel suspension apparatus designed to reduce the magnitude of changes in vertical force transmitted to a tractor from a trailer. The apparatus includes a sensor, an actuator and a controller. The sensor transmits a signal indicating the vertical force transmitted from the trailer through the fifth wheel hitch to the controller, which then varies the amount of vertical force applied to the fifth wheel hitch by the actuator. The apparatus includes an air spring for adjusting the displacement of the hitch from the tractor. Bauer (U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,316) provides a truck cab suspension unit with two U-shaped yokes, an air spring, and shock absorbers. Funk (U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,470) provides a tractor-trailer load transferring device that includes an air bag assembly positioned between two pairs of guide tubes, each tube having a slidable guide rod therein. Masser (U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,515) discloses a fifth wheel structure that includes a pair of air bags that support one of the fifth wheel, the structure functions as a conventional fifth wheel if the air bags should fail. Gouirand (U.S. Pat. No. 2,968,496) shows a pneumatic chamber rigidly mounted at the rear of a truck frame. The chamber, which has a circular cross-section, has a lower diaphragm connected to the rear axle of the trailer; an upper diaphragm supports the lower plate of a fifth wheel assembly. Reid, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,733,931) provide a fifth wheel suspension that includes a pair of air springs; the degree of cushioning provided by the air springs is automatically adjusted to compensate for changes in the load.
Special-purpose hitches include those designed for hauling mobile homes. For example, Kingsley, et al. (U.S. Pat. No 4,564,209) disclose a trailer hitch assembly having a fixed frame attachable to the rear of a truck, a transverse carriage mounted to the frame, a piston, and ram assemblies for moving the carriage vertically and laterally with respect to the frame. The assembly includes two sets of roller assemblies, each with three sets of rollers and associated channels. Brockmiller's (U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,270) apparatus includes a tiltable sliding hitch-ball holder and a guide rack where pin-mounted rollers guide the vertical movement of a carriage on a pair of vertical poles. The sliding hitch-ball holder is raised on the poles by dual cylinders, and telescoping poles connect the upper e
Kaplenski Craig A.
Marshall Terry D.
Boehler Anne Marie
Kaplenski Craig A.
McDonnell Boehnen & Hulbert & Berghoff LLP
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