Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – License plates – With framing means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-29
2004-08-10
Le, Mark T. (Department: 3617)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
License plates
With framing means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06772545
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to holders used to attach a license plate to a motor vehicle, and more particularly to a universal license plate holder which is selectively adjustable so as to accommodate differing sizes of license plates that are used in various locations around the world.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Motor vehicle regulations around the world require that motor vehicles display a license plate indicative of the registration of that vehicle. The usual mounting of the license plate is by threadably fastening the license plate to a bracket attached at the rear of the vehicle, for example at the rear deck lid, lift gate, rear deck panel, or bumper.
License plate size is not universal around the world. There are, for example, different size license plates used in each of North America, Europe, Japan and Korea. Problematically, since automakers ship motor vehicles to a number of countries, the license plate bracket must be correctly chosen to fit the license plate of the country of destination, and this requires an added cost involved in the customization. In this regard, it is presently customary to provide plate mounting holes into the vehicle sheet metal specific to the country of destination of the vehicle, or alternatively, to not provide any holes at the manufacturing facility and default to the dealer the job of drilling the holes (which holes are problematic in that they result in exposed metal edges which are prone to rust initiation). These customary plate mounting hole options involve a cost impact, part number proliferation, sequencing, scheduling and warranty issues, as well as the need to install plastic appliques to hide unused mounting holes.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a single license plate holder which can somehow universally accommodate different sized license plates used around the world.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a universal license plate holder which is selectively adjustable to accommodate various sized license plates used around the world.
The universal license plate holder according to the present invention is composed of a pair of attachment brackets which are spaced apart and connected to the motor vehicle via respective mounting fasteners and is further composed of a cross-bar which is pivotally connected to the attachment brackets. When loosened, each mounting fastener provides a pivot axis for its respective attachment bracket; however, when the mounting fasteners are tightened, the attachment brackets are frozen in a fixed relative position.
In operation, the attachment brackets are connected loosely to the motor vehicle via the mounting fasteners so that the mounting brackets are free to rotate therearound. Next, the mounting brackets are rotated in unison due to the interconnection therebetween by the cross-bar so that a plate mounting hole of each of the mounting brackets is aligned with a respective plate hole of a chosen size of license plate. The mounting fasteners are then tightened to affix the orientation of the mounting brackets so that thereafter any license plate of this size is easily attached and/or removed as necessary without readjustment of the mounting brackets.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a universal license plate holder which is selectively adjustable so as to hold a range of differently sized license plates.
This and additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following specification of a preferred embodiment.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1488098 (1924-03-01), Critharris
patent: 1757587 (1930-05-01), Quinn
patent: 1778660 (1930-10-01), Cederberg
patent: 2211085 (1940-08-01), Thomas
patent: 2244867 (1941-06-01), Buchanan
patent: 2603013 (1952-07-01), Sherwood
Dewit John E
Hashim Waqar
General Motors Corporation
Hargitt Laura C.
Le Mark T.
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