Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-28
2001-10-23
Boehler, Anne Marie (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S458000, C280S499000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305705
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with devices which attach to a towing vehicle and provide a link between the towing vehicle and a towed vehicle. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with hitches adapted for attachment to a towing vehicle which reduce or eliminate towing vehicle sway caused by road conditions, weather conditions, passing vehicles and towing and/or turning forces. Most particularly, the present invention is concerned with hitches used for trailer towing which increase safety by eliminating sway between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle while permitting shorter radius turns.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Traditional towing apparatuses typically consist of a ball and socket device wherein a device which includes the ball portion of the towing apparatus is attached to a towing vehicle and a device which includes the socket portion of the towing apparatus is attached to a towed vehicle. The ball portion of this type of assembly is generally attached on or near the bumper of the towing vehicle, thereby placing the point of control approximately four or five feet behind the back wheels of the towing vehicle. This arrangement produces leverage between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle which lowers the amount of force necessary to produce a swaying movement of the towed vehicle. Such forces can arise from road conditions, weather conditions, passing vehicles, and curves or turns in the road. Any amount of swaying by the towed vehicle adversely effects control of the towing vehicle, thereby producing unsafe driving conditions.
Other towing apparatuses have been designed to shorten the turning radius of the towing vehicle-towed vehicle combination. Generally, this is accomplished by lengthening the distance between the rear axle of the towing vehicle and the connection to the towed vehicle, typically the ball and socket device. This arrangement, while permitting sharper turns due to the angles achievable between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle, increases the leverage between the two vehicles and reduces the force necessary to cause the towed vehicle to sway.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an apparatus which transfers leverage forces between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle to a point closer to the rear axle of the towing vehicle. Such an apparatus will provide greater control of the towing vehicle and greater stability for the towed vehicle, thereby resulting in an increased level of safety.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the problems inherent in the prior art and provides a distinct advance in the state of the art. The hitch of the present invention reduces or eliminates swaying characteristics of vehicles being towed. Such swaying characteristics can be caused by a number of sources including road conditions, weather conditions, passing vehicles, and road topography. Accordingly, the present invention increases the control operators have over towing vehicles as well as the vehicles which are towed. This will result in increased safety to the passengers of towing vehicles as well as other vehicle operators which share the road.
Generally, the present invention includes a frame which can be connected to a towing vehicle behind the rear axle thereof. Positioning the frame behind the rear axle of the towing vehicle reduces the amount of leverage acting upon the towing vehicle as well as the towed vehicle by reducing the length of the lever. Additionally, such leverage forces are more easily controlled as the side frame members of the towing vehicle are more resistant to such forces. The frame includes a central beam which is positioned between the two parallel frame members of the towing vehicle. It is attached to these members via a cooperative plate and bolt arrangement. In preferred forms, an attachment assembly is secured to the frame members of the towing vehicle and the beam is placed in this attachment assembly. One preferred embodiment comprises a 2″×2″ square or rectangular beam inserted between a top plate and a bottom plate of the attachment assembly, thereby securing the beam vertically. To secure the beam laterally, a plurality of bolts extending between the top plate and bottom plate of the connection assembly are tightened, thereby compressing the plates against the beam and securing the beam laterally. Of course, this beam could be mounted in other conventional ways including welding the beam directly the frame members of the towing vehicle.
The beam further includes another attachment assembly, preferably a ball-mount assembly which is used to secure a pair of arms to the beam. The arms are preferably spaced along the beam such that there is a space between each arm and its corresponding vehicle frame member as well as a space between each of the arms themselves. Each of these ball-mount assemblies preferably includes a pair of attachment plates, one of which is secured to the top of the beam and the other of which is secured to the bottom of the beam. These plates can be secured in any conventional fashion to the beam and they extend outwardly from the beam in a transverse fashion. The extended portion of each plate is used to attach to the arms which are pivotally mounted between the top plate and bottom plate. Preferably, the arms are formed by a 1×1 inch square metal tube and the pivoting is about a bolt which extends through the top plate and arm and into the bottom plate. Pivoting is permitted via bushings or bearings.
The arms are connected at their opposite ends to a trailer hitch receiver operable for selective attachment and detachment to a variety of trailers. Moreover, the arms are constructed such that they cross over each other. Accordingly, the arms are constructed with a bowed portion or can be curved throughout such that as the hitch pivots, the arms are permitted to move relative to each other without contact. The arms are pivotally connected to the receiver, again by the use of bearings or bushings. This means that the arms pivot at each end and rotate about the bolts securing them to their respective apparatuses. Preferred methods of attaching the arms to the receiver include a pair of welded flat plates, one on each side of the cross-over bar which are mounted to the cross-over bar at one end and to each other and around the pivot point at the receiver. Of course, there are many conventional ways to pivotally attach the arms to the receiver, and any of these methods will work provided they allow pivotal movement at each end of the cross-over arm.
The receiver includes a traditional hitch tube adapted for receiving the male portion of a trailer and connecting the towing vehicle to the towed vehicle. This tube is generally a 2″×2″ tube receiver which is welded between a pair of flat plates. It is these flat plates which are pivotally connected to the arms or cross-over bars. The receiver further includes a bolt hole into which a bolt can be positioned which connects the receiver to the back bumper of a towing vehicle. When the bolt is received in the bolt hole, the receiver is secured in place on the towing vehicle such that it does not permit the oscillator to move laterally along the curved tube. This would keep the hitch from oscillating during times when a trailer or towed vehicle is not attached. Preferably, the receiver is mounted below the back bumper of the towing vehicle and the hitch tube is mounted flush with the rear most portion of the bumper. This positioning helps to eliminate accidental contact of the receiver by other objects and people.
Attached to the top of the receiver is an oscillator, preferably a trolley apparatus contained in a housing. The oscillator can be attached to the receiver in a variety of ways, and is most preferably attached via a bolt extending through the bottom of the oscillator housing into the top plate of the receiver. This bolt may also extend into the hitch tube located on the receiver. Extending through the tro
Boehler Anne Marie
Hovey Williams Timmons & Collins
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