Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-09
2002-10-22
Hurley, Kevin (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S512000, C280S436000, C280S901000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06467793
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gooseneck coupler which connects with a hitch ball for towing a gooseneck trailer. The coupler has jaws which pivot automatically into a closed position when the hitch ball is moved into the coupler. In particular, the present invention relates to a gooseneck coupler attached to a gooseneck trailer having jaws which automatically move into the closed position and a locking slide bar which automatically moves to a locked, closed position when the hitch ball located in the bed of the towing vehicle is moved into the coupler.
(2) Description of the Related Art
The related art has shown various hitch coupling devices having jaws which close automatically around the hitch ball or pin where a locking mechanism is provided to lock the jaws in the closed position. Illustrative are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,240,818 to Buller; U.S. Pat. No. 2,481,481 to Wolfrum; U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,034 to Tracev; U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,706 to Tucker et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,856 to Bickel; U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,713 to Blodgett, Jr. et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,596 to Luke et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,945 to Vannoy et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,284 to Paplinksi; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,666 to Hollis.
In particular, Buller, Tracey, Luke et al, Vannov et al and PaTlinski show hitch coupling devices having jaws which automatically pivot into a closed position as the hitch ball or pin is moved between the jaws. The jaws are locked in the closed position by a locking bar or block which is inserted between the back end of the jaws which prevents the jaws from pivoting into the open position. This type of locking mechanism is different from the locking mechanism of the present invention. In addition, the above devices do not provide a means for unlocking the locking mechanism from a distance such that a user can unlock the locking mechanism without climbing into the bed of the pickup truck.
Wolfrum, Bickel and Blodgett, Jr. et al show hitch coupling devices having jaws which close automatically. The locking mechanism of the coupling devices also locks automatically upon closing of the jaws. However, the jaws and locking mechanism are not similar to those. of the present invention. In addition, the above devices do not provide a means for unlocking the locking mechanism from a distance such that a user can unlock the locking mechanism without climbing into the bed of the pickup truck.
Also of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,713 to Blodaett. Jr. et al which describes a trailer hitch latching assembly having a locking pawl which automatically moves to the locked position when the trailer hitch member is moved into the cavity of the latch plate. The latching assembly includes a housing with a latch plate pivotably mounted within the housing. A locking pawl (bar) is also secured to the housing. The pawl is mounted such that in the retracted position a small portion of the forward edge abuts against the latch plate. In this position, the locking pawl is held in the retracted position and prevented from moving to the extended position. A spring is connected between the latching plate and the locking pawl and tends to bias the locking pawl into the extended position. When the latching plate is pivoted into a closed position by the hitch member, the locking pawl automatically moves into the closed, locked position. In this invention, the hitch member is directly adjacent the locking pawl. The jaws do not extend around the front of the hitch member. As with the other above device, the above locking assembly does not provide a means for unlocking the locking pawl from a distance such as to allow a user to unlock the assembly without climbing into the bed of the towing vehicle.
Only of minimal interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,930 to Hess which shows an automatic hitch having a safety lock.
There remains the need for a coupling device which has all the benefits of the previous devices including jaws which automatically pivot into the closed position and also has a locking mechanism which automatically moves to a locked, closed position to prevent the jaws from opening and which also blocks the opening in the coupling device to prevent the hitch ball from moving out of the coupling device. Further, the device allows the locking mechanism to be unlocked from a distance such that a user can unlock the device without having to climb into the bed of the towing vehicle, particularly a pickup truck.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The coupling device of the present invention allows a single user to easily connect a gooseneck trailer, which utilizes the present invention, to a towing vehicle equipped with a gooseneck hitch ball installed preferably in the bed of a pickup truck. The coupling device allows for automatic locking of the device as soon as the device is correctly positioned on the hitch ball. The coupling device includes a housing, pivoting jaws and a locking mechanism. The housing allows for connection of the coupling device to a tubular gooseneck assembly. The top and bottom plates of the housing are designed to guide and accommodate the hitch ball. The housing also includes a guide plate to position and guide the hitch ball between the jaws as the hitch ball is moved into the coupling device. The jaws are pivotably mounted in the housing and are biased into the open position by torsion springs. The locking mechanism includes a locking slide bar which moves across the front of the jaws when the jaws are in the closed position. A spring of the locking mechanism tends to bias the locking slide bar to the closed position to allow for automatic closing of the locking slide bar. A locking lever allows the locking slide bar to be locked in the closed position or the open position. When the jaws are in the open position and the locking slide bar is unlocked, the jaws are in the path of the locking slide bar and the force of the spring tending to bias the jaws in the open position is greater than the force tending to move the locking slide bar into the closed position. Thus, the jaws prevent the locking slide bar from moving to the closed position. The jaws are moved to the closed position by contact of the hitch ball with the inner surface of the jaws. When the locking slide bar is in the unlocked, open position the locking slide bar automatically moves toward the closed position and when the hitch ball is moved between the jaws and the jaws move to the closed position. When the gooseneck trailer is securely coupled around the hitch ball located preferably in the bed of a pickup truck using the coupling device, the jaws of the coupling device are easily unlocked from their secured position by turning the handle of the locking mechanism in a counterclockwise direction which frees the locking lever from the second groove in the handle. Once the locking lever is cleared from the second groove, the handle can be freely moved toward a side of the vehicle away from the jaws by a user standing on the ground surface adjacent to the side of the vehicle. The handle is moved until the locking lever springs back into the first groove (
FIG. 1
) which secures the slide bar in an open position thereby permitting the jaws to open freely as the user moves the towing vehicle away from the trailer and thus, pulls the hitch ball free from the coupling device.
The present invention relates to a coupling device for mounting on a gooseneck of a towed trailer for coupling the towed trailer to a hitch ball mounted on a towing vehicle, which comprises: a plate having a first end and a second end with a first surface and a second surface extending therebetween with the second surface mounted on the gooseneck; a pair of jaws each having a first end and a second end and pivotally mounted between the ends adjacent the first surface of the plate such that the first end of the jaws is adjacent the first end of t
Hurley Kevin
McLeod Ian C.
Moyne Mary M.
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