Package and article carriers – Vehicle attached – Carrier associated with vehicle roof or trunk lid
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-23
2001-02-06
Shoap, Allan N. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Vehicle attached
Carrier associated with vehicle roof or trunk lid
C224S322000, C224S329000, C224S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182876
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to brackets and clip mechanisms for securing utility racks to various vehicles and, more particularly, to different types of gutters and anchors provided on such vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is frequently necessary for owners of vehicles, such as cars, to install on the roof thereof a utility rack in order to carry on the utility rack various objects which are either too awkward or too large to be positioned within the vehicle, whereby it becomes preferable to carry these objects on the outside of the vehicle. Accordingly, many utility racks have been designed to be fastened to the vehicles with a view of carrying objects, such as skis, bicycles, sailboards, etc. Regardless of the areas of attachment to the vehicle, a carrying device such as a utility rack must meet certain criteria. For instance, the utility rack must be firmly attached to the vehicle and remain secure during all of the normal motions encountered by the vehicle, such as acceleration, deceleration, turns, and also sudden movements. The attachment points have to be firm and must be able to bear the weight of the intended load. The carrier should be easy to attach to and remove from the vehicle. If the carrying device is basically permanently mounted to the vehicle, the vehicle should not require any alteration whatsoever and should retain its original appearance if the carrying device is removed therefrom.
It is already well known to mount the utility rack in the grooves defined in the gutters which are located along the longitudinal edges of the roof of the vehicle, these gutters being called outside gutters as opposed to inside gutters which refer to gutters which are only visible when the doors of the vehicle are open. Various vehicles are now provided with different configuration of gutters as well as, in some cases, with anchors disposed in these gutters. It is thus necessary to provide utility racks having various anchoring mechanisms in order to allow them to be securely fastened to the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide various attachment mechanisms for securing utility racks to vehicles.
It is also an aim of the present invention to provide various attachment mechanisms which can be adapted to a single utility rack for allowing a same utility rack to be installed on various vehicles and, more particularly, on various configurations of gutters provided on the roofs of such vehicles.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a bracket for removably attaching an object carrying device to a vehicle of type having a pair of opposed supports and a carrier bar extending therebetween wherein at least one of the supports is capable of displacement along the carrier bar, said bracket being provided at each support, comprising a lower hook portion adapted to engage a protrusion of the roof of the vehicle, and an upper load bearing portion adapted to be fastened to the support and against an inside face thereof, such that once said hook portions of two brackets have been positioned outwardly of respective protrusions of the roof, at least once support is displaced inwardly such that said brackets engage the protrusions and thus secure the supports and the object carrying device to the roof, wherein outward anchoring stresses applied on said brackets are sustained by substantially the whole supports.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a clip mechanism for removably attaching an object carrying device to a roof gutter of a vehicle of type having a pair of opposed supports and a carrier bar extending therebetween, the gutter having therein an upwardly protruding anchor having opposed protruding ends, comprising a clip means having a pair of displaceable jaws and a web portion therebetween, a threaded member at said web portion, a bolt engaged in said threaded member, said bolt being mounted in the support, wherein rotation of said bolt causes said threaded to elevate thereby pulling on said web portion and forcing said jaws inwardly into engagement with the protruding ends of the gutter's anchor and thus securing the object carrying device to the roof.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a clip mechanism for removably attaching an object carrying device to a roof gutter of a vehicle of type having a pair of opposed supports and a carrier bar extending therebetween, the gutter defining inwardly projecting upper lips, comprising a inverted U-shaped member having a pair of side arms defining lower hook portions, a bolt mounted in the support and extending through said U-shaped member, a spreading member located between said side arms and threadably engaging said bolt, wherein when said bolt is rotated said spreading member is forced to elevate thereby spreading said side arms such that said hook portion engage the lips of the gutter and thus securing the object carrying device to the roof.
Still further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a bracket for removably attaching an object carrying device to a roof gutter of a vehicle of type having a pair of opposed supports and a carrier bar extending therebetween, the gutter having therein an upwardly extending partition defining at an upper end thereof a side anchor, comprising a lower hook portion adapted to engage the side anchor, support means adapted to abut the partition on a side opposite the side anchor thereof, and upper body having a threaded member, and a bolt mounted in the support and threadably engaging the threaded member, whereby, once said hook portion has been engaged to the side anchor with said support means being located on said opposite side of the partition, said bolt is rotated thereby elevating said body and firmly anchoring said hook portion to the side anchor of the partition wall of the gutter and thus securing the object carrying device to the roof.
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Brevard Maerena W.
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Shoap Allan N.
SportRack International Inc.
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