Package and article carriers – Vehicle attached – Carrier attached to special purpose vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-28
2001-10-02
Vidovich, Greg (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Vehicle attached
Carrier attached to special purpose vehicle
C224S452000, C224S455000, C224S524000, C224S534000, C410S101000, C410S111000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296163
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flat resin carrier, versatile and with a simple construction, that is mounted on the front and/or rear of a straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle (so called A.T.V) and to the support structure for this carrier.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional type of carrier generally used to hold baggage on a four wheeled all-terrain vehicle is made of steel pipe formed in a grid and fastened to and supported by the vehicle frame [Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H9-207855, etc.].
There are also known to be carriers, for example, in which a resin fender and carrier are of an integrated construction in order to reduce the number of parts and make the carrier more lightweight, [Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H5-58365]; in which a flat board is placed on a carrier to make it easier to load baggage (U.S. Design Patent No. 378,080); and in which a container is mounted on a rear frame at the vehicle rear to improve the convenience of baggage transport [Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H3-14780].
The construction such as that in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H9-207855, in which steel pipe is used to form a grid, is the simplest configuration for a carrier. However, it limits the size, type, shape and other properties of the baggage that can be accommodated, and in some ways it is inconvenient for loading and transporting baggage. In many cases a separate container, platform or other means is required.
When the carrier and fender are integrated as in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H5-58365, the weight and number of parts are both reduced, but carrier functions and attributes such as size are limited by the shape of the fender.
When a container is mounted on the rear frame, as in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.H3-14780, the configuration is excellent for loading and transporting luggage, but the structure is complex and the cost is high.
When the carrier is a flat board, as in U.S. Design Patent No. 378,080, the configuration is simple and baggage can be loaded easily. However, making the carrier merely a flat surface diminishes its versatility in terms of fastening baggage and attaching containers to accommodate small items. Moreover, if the flat carrier is of resin to make it lighter and easier to manufacture, problems remain such as how to ensure the rigidity and strength of the carrier, how to ensure that the carrier remains attached to the vehicle, and how to hold the baggage on the carrier.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a carrier for a straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle, which has a simple configuration, which is versatile and easy to use, and on which baggage can be loaded easily.
A related object of the present invention is to provide a support structure, for a carrier for a straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle, that can ensure the rigidity and strength of the flat board carrier which is made of resin and is made wide in order to better accommodate baggage, can ensure that the carrier can be attached easily and reliably, and can provide a means of securing baggage on the carrier.
The object of the invention described above can be accomplished by a carrier for a straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle according to the present invention:
Firstly, a carrier is of flat plate-like shape and mounted on a carrier frame on the front and/or rear of a straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle. A surface of the carrier, on which a baggage is placed, has numerous outward projections to prevent the baggage from slipping. This carrier of substantially flat-shaped board with anti-slip projections on its surface is easy to use, is easy to load baggage, and has a wide variety of applications. Making the projections lateral stripe-like projections (beads) that are parallel to one another increases the rigidity of the carrier and improves the overall design of the carrier. Forming notches (grains) on the surface of the projections improves their ability to prevent the baggage from slipping. Making some of the projections in the form of letters rather than stripe-like lines has the same effect.
Secondly, a carrier is a substantially flat-shaped board and mounted on a carrier frame on the front and/or rear of the a straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle, and in the front and rear portions of the carrier, hooking fixtures are fitted on the carrier frame. Using hooking fixtures makes it easy to fasten the baggage even if the carrier is a substantially flat-shaped board. Making the hooking fixtures U-shaped makes it easier to fasten the baggage with ropes. Additionally, since the hooking fixtures are mounted on the carrier frame of high-strength, they can withstand considerable pulling force.
Thirdly, a carrier is a substantially flat-shaped board and mounted on a carrier frame on the front and/or rear of a straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle, and a carrier surface on which the baggage is placed has a ring fixture with a ring to fasten the baggage on the carrier that can be pushed down and pulled up.
This configuration enables a rope or the like to be fastened to the ring fixture on the flat carrier surface in order to fasten the baggage in place. This makes it easy to fasten relatively small items to the large carrier surface.
Forming a recess in the carrier to accommodate the ring fixture makes the ring fixture lower than the carrier surface so it will not get in the way when the baggage is placed on the carrier. Additionally, the ring fixture comprises a ring and a mounting seat, and the mounting seat has retainer ends holding the ring pivotally that are laterally eccentric with respect to one another, and the fitting ends of the ring are fitted into these retainer ends. When the ring is accommodated in the recess in the lowered position, it is highly resistant to turning motion, making it less likely to flap around or pop up and preventing banging noise and ring wear.
Fourthly, a flat carrier is a substantially flat-shaped board and mounted on a carrier frame on the front and/or rear of the straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle, and the carrier is divided laterally into three parts, a center carrier and two side carriers, and the center carrier is slidable in the direction of the vehicle front and rear. Making the center carrier able to slide allows it to project farther and enables the carrier to accommodate larger baggage.
Fifthly, a flat carrier is a substantially flat-shaped board and mounted on a carrier frame on the front and/or rear of a straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle, and a storage box is mounted in the center of the carrier. This makes it easy to accommodate small items and tools even if the surface of the carrier is of flat plate-like shape.
Sixthly, a carrier is a substantially flat-shaped board and mounted on a carrier frame on the front and/or rear of the straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle, and a anti-slip member made of rubber is mounted in the center portion of the surface of the carrier on which the baggage is placed. This makes it more difficult for the baggage placed on the carrier to move and makes it easier to hold small baggage in particular.
Further, a carrier support structure according to the present invention comprises a carrier frame that supports flat board resin carriers mounted on the front and/or rear of a four wheeled all-terrain vehicle. This carrier frame comprises a front main frame and a rear main frame that extend laterally respectively, and a center frame connecting the front main frame and rear main frame. At least the front main frame and rear main frame are made of pipe and are fitted into fitting grooves formed by the ribs in the underside of the carrier so the carrier is supported by the carrier frame.
The carrier ribs (a peripheral rib and joining ribs) are flexible, so even if there is a slight positional error between the ca
Kitao Jiro
Kosuge Hideyoshi
Maeda Kazuhiro
Minami Toru
Mizuta Fumio
Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Marshall Gerstein & Borun
Vidovich Greg
LandOfFree
Carrier for straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Carrier for straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Carrier for straddle type four wheeled all-terrain vehicle... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2616582