Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-26
2001-03-20
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
C280S511000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203048
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Trailer hitches conventionally have been mounted to the frames of vehicles at the rear adjacent the bumper. Typically they have consisted of an elongated hollow hitch receiver mounted on the vehicle and a ball mount member adapted to be selectively inserted into the receiver and secured with the towing ball extending rearward in operative position. With no trailer attached the ball mount has presented a hazard to persons passing the rear of the vehicle and accordingly the ball mount is usually detached when not in use.
Once removed the ball mount must be stowed inside the vehicle or risk loss and/or unavailability when needed. When stored in the vehicle the ball mount frequently becomes a deadly missile in the event of an accident.
PRIOR ART
Various attempts have been made to provide a ball mount that can be rotated from a towing position to a retracted position such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,900 to Tate. Others have suggested a resilient cover for bumper mounted hitches while fifth wheel mounts that retract into the truck bed are known. None of the art has addressed the safe stowage of a removable ball mount in readily accessible position with the hitch receiver as shown herein.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and means for stowing a ball mount when not in use in a safe position out of the way of peoples legs and yet available for immediate installation in operative position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for mounting a ball mount in close juxtaposition with the hitch receiver of a trailer hitch apparatus mounted on a vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a combination stowage adapter and linch-pin for a ball mount for positioning of a ball mount in operative position in a hitch receiver and also in a retracted stowed position.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stowage adapter for attachment to a ball mount to permit mounting of the assembled pieces in a retracted position on a trailer hitch apparatus.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a stowage adapter that is simple and economical to manufacture, safe and easy to use, and in stowage mode positions a ball mount in a fully retracted position so that it can not be contacted accidentally by a persons legs as they walk behind a vehicle.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a method and device for stowage of a ball mount with its hitch receiver installed on a vehicle that will work with most known class 2, 3, & 4, trailer hitches.
These and other and further objects are accomplished in an embodiment of the present invention in which a stowage adapter has a body portion sized to telescopically fit the distal end of a ball mount, and carries at the other end a cylindrical rod with a length and diameter sufficient to fit transversely through the usual holes in the sides of a hitch receiver to function alternately as the usual hitch linch-pin and as a stowage adapter to position a ball mount in a retracted position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4109930 (1978-08-01), Pilhall
patent: 4807900 (1989-02-01), Tate
patent: 5000474 (1991-03-01), Kristensen
patent: 5104138 (1992-04-01), Allen
patent: 5423566 (1995-06-01), Warrington et al.
patent: 5431425 (1995-07-01), Klinkman
patent: 5475279 (1995-12-01), Klemetsen
Cuff Michael
Swann J. J.
Wright Robert O.
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