Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-29
2003-04-15
Hurley, Kevin (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S433000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06547270
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
None
I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention is an improvement to a existing fifth wheel hitch mounted within the bed of a pickup, the improvement applied to the existing fifth wheel hitch either before or after installation to a towing vehicle, providing for secondary retainment of a fifth wheel trailer kingpin within the fifth wheel hitch in the event that accidental or inadvertent disengagement of the kingpin from the hitch occurs during transport, release or connection of the fifth wheel trailer to the fifth wheel hitch preventing injury to person or damage to the towing vehicle, the fifth wheel hitch and the fifth wheel trailer.
2. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to fifth wheel hitches and fifth wheel safety devices.
Three patents depict fifth wheel hitches to which the invention may be attached. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,179,316 to Sibley, U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,850 to Works and U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,745 to Cattau. All three of these hitches, showing prior art fifth wheel hitches, have an upper plate, a lower plate and a flared mouth leading into the upper plate. The fifth wheel trailer kingpin is placed within the flared mouth of the upper plate, riding above the lower plate, such kingpin held within the hitch by locking jaws or locking hooks.
The current invention is a device attached within the flared mouth above the lower plate and below the upper plate in front of the locking jaw, the device providing a flat elongated metal plate having an angled front edge positioned to apply the angled front edge tapering upward from the lower plate from the front of the tapered mouth towards the locking jaws. The metal plate also includes a flat upper surface and a vertical flat rear edge, the rear edge catching the kingpin should the kingpin become released from the locking jaw, preventing the escape of the kingpin from the flared mouth of the fifth wheel hitch without a forced raising of the fifth wheel trailer to a height above the vertical backplate. This retention within the flared mouth of the kingpin prevents any lateral movement of the kingpin which held by the vertical back plate of the device and also held laterally by the flared opening of the upper plate. The kingpin may ride over the ramp as the kingpin is engaged, but will not be removed from the backplate without applied upward force to the fifth wheel kingpin, provided the front of the fifth wheel trailer is properly weighted towards the front of the fifth wheel trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,060 to Van Andel discloses a platform mounted to the bed of a pickup which includes three channels, one front and two side channels surrounding a restraining plate which catches a kingpin which escapes the confines of the fifth wheel hitch due to accident or human error preventing damage to the bed and side rails of the towing vehicle. This device attaches to the base frame of the fifth wheel hitch and rides below the bottom plate of the fifth wheel hitch. It does not retain the kingpin within the flared mouth of the upper plate, positioning the kingpin for reattachment. Van Andel'060 also does not confine the kingpin in a lateral dimension, which allows the towed fifth wheel trailer to move and sway laterally, increasing the potential of a “jack-knife” or loss of control of the towed vehicle.
II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the invention is to provide a secondary safety device for fifth wheel trailer hitches to serve as a temporary and secondary means of retaining a kingpin within a flared mouth of an upper plate of the fifth wheel hitch in the event that an accidental release of the kingpin occurs during movement or transport, protecting the pickup, the fifth wheel hitch and the fifth wheel trailer from damage.
A secondary objective is to provide the device in an embodiment which may be readily applied to the fifth wheel hitch either prior to or after installation of the fifth wheel hitch within the bed of a pickup without the need to modify or alter the fifth wheel hitch or the kingpin of the fifth wheel trailer, with the exception of the addition of the device.
A third objective of the invention is to cause the kingpin retained in the device to be kept in a position within the upper plate of the fifth wheel hitch to position the kingpin for ready and proper reattachment to the fifth wheel hitch.
III. DESCRIPTION OF THR DRAWINGS
The following drawings are submitted with this utility patent application.
FIG. 1
is a view of prior art fifth wheel hitches to which the device is attached.
FIG. 2
is a front perspective view of a fifth wheel hitch with the device attached to the lower plate below the flared mouth of the upper plate of the fifth wheel hitch.
FIG. 3
is a front perspective view of a fifth wheel hitch with the device attached to the underside of the upper plate within the flared mouth.
FIG. 4
is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the device.
FIG. 5
is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the device.
FIG. 6
is a side view of the first embodiment of the device in relation to the kingpin.
Index of Reference Numbers
10
metal plate
100
fifth wheel hitch
200
fifth wheel
15a
first width
110
mounting base
trailer
15b
second width
120
upper plate
210
kingpin
20
angled front edge
122
underside
30
upper surface
124
flared mouth
40
lower surface
126
width
50
rear edge
130
lower plate
60
extending ends
140
locking jaw
REFERENCES:
patent: 2772895 (1956-12-01), Steeves et al.
patent: 3352571 (1967-11-01), Nelson
patent: 3830523 (1974-08-01), Morichetto
patent: 5013060 (1991-05-01), Van Andel
patent: 5529329 (1996-06-01), McCoy
patent: 5839745 (1998-11-01), Cattau
patent: 6170850 (2001-01-01), Works
patent: 6179316 (2001-01-01), Sibley, Jr.
patent: 544268 (1993-06-01), None
Homburg Randal D.
Hurley Kevin
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