Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-13
2004-07-27
Campbell, Kelly E (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S656000, C414S482000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06767025
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Trailers are widely used for the occasional hauling of building materials, plant supplies, camping equipment, or the like. However, what to do with a trailer when it is not needed has been a long-standing problem.
Some trailer owners find dragging a trailer particularly troublesome. Hunters, for example, are concerned about the extra noise and disturbance which towing an empty trailer into the back country may create but find the trailer extremely useful later on when they need to transport a large game animal carcass.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is to provide a trailer which can be folded and stored on the towing vehicle in an off-ground position and then deployed quickly when needed.
A further object is to provide such a trailer which can be stored within a minimal amount of space.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved trailer comprises a two-wheeled frame, a folding mechanism connected thereto, and a “T”-shaped hitch member terminating in a tongue. Included in the folding mechanism is a pair of arms whose distal ends are pivotally connected to the frame and to the “T”-shaped member, respectively. The arms are used to move the “T”-shaped member from a first position contiguous with the front of the frame to a second position contiguous with the rear of the frame and vice versa. The wheels are mounted on the frame in such a way that they are disposed generally downwardly and forwardly of the rear of the frame when the “T”-shaped member is in the first position. Moreover, the pivotal connections between the arms and the “T”-shaped member allow one to adjust the angular orientation of the tongue relative to the frame.
For towing, the tongue is extended in a forward direction generally parallel to the frame, with the “T”-shaped member being held in the first position. Prior to storage, on the other hand, the “T”-shaped member is moved into the second position and then rotated about the arms until the tongue is disposed perpendicularly to the frame. With such a folding mechanism, one can store the trailer wheels out of contact with the ground at the same time the trailer is attached, by its tongue, to a hitch receiver on the towing vehicle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3989264 (1976-11-01), Lovendahl
patent: 4049143 (1977-09-01), Hatakka et al.
patent: 4362316 (1982-12-01), Wright
patent: 4490089 (1984-12-01), Welker
patent: 4685855 (1987-08-01), Celli
patent: 5224728 (1993-07-01), Ball
patent: D344834 (1994-03-01), Ries
patent: 5474416 (1995-12-01), Rogge et al.
patent: 6113130 (2000-09-01), Saulce
patent: 6154117 (2000-11-01), Sato et al.
Campbell Kelly E
Leon Harry I.
Steadman Vivian L.
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