Land vehicles – Wheeled – Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-23
2001-01-30
Hurley, Kevin (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Articulated vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179317
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to safety tethers, e.g., chains, for coupling trailers to a vehicle as a safety measure in conjunction with a trailer hitch assembly.
There is an automotive standard that applies to trailer hitches and safety chains employed with the hitches. SAE standard
35
specifies the various parameters for such hitches. Included in the standard are requirements for the safety chains for use with such hitches. The safety chains are tethers, usually chain links formed of bent steel rods, that are connected to the trailer and to the vehicle as a safety factor should the primary hitch fail. In this case, the safety chain keeps the trailer attached to the vehicle to minimize property damage and injury to others in case of such hitch failure.
The chains are permanently attached to the trailer and have a hook at the free end for releasable attachment to a mating element on the vehicle for receiving the hook. The problem with such chain hooks, is that in operation, the vehicle and trailer are subject to frequent vibrations and displacements induced by rough roads, bumps and so on. It is important that the hook not disengage during such operation.
The SAE standard states a safety chain is any connection including chains or equivalents from the trailer tongue to the rear of the towing vehicle for the purpose of retaining connection between the towing and towed vehicle in the event of separation of the trailer coupling or ball. A hitch is part of the towing vehicle whereas the safety chain is part of the towed trailer. Steel cable may be used in place of chains. The safety chain shall be connected to the trailer and towing vehicle so that the slack for each length of chain between trailer and towing vehicle is the same when the vehicles are aligned on a common front to rear centerline.
Two lengths of chain
10
,
12
,
FIG. 1
, are used They are connected to opposite sides of the trailer tongue
14
to the towing vehicle. The chains are crossed under the trailer tongue so they cradle the trailer coupling and tongue in the event of separation of the coupling
16
. As seen in
FIG. 1
, the end link of the chains is interlocked with a hasp
17
permanently attached to the trailer tongue and is not removable therefrom.
The other end of the chains are attached to the vehicle rear by a hook arrangement. In
FIG. 2
, an S shaped hook
17
is attached to chain
20
to be attached to a hasp at the vehicle rear (not shown). In some applications, the single S-hook
17
and the safety chain links are passed through a relatively large opening (not shown) and the S-hook engages the chain directly. The opening may be provided by a steel rod that is bent to form a hasp loop and attached to the vehicle rear. In the alternative, the opening may merely comprise a large aperture in a plate (not shown). The rod forms a loop (or the aperture) sufficiently large to receive the chain and the S-hook passed therethrough.
The hook
17
is formed from steel rod generally about ⅝ inches in diameter. The free end of the hook
17
is slipped into an eyelet or other looped device (not shown) discussed above attached to the vehicle rear. This arrangement is not always satisfactory because the hook
17
may jump out of the mating loop or chain link to which it is attached during motion of the vehicle over bumps in the road and so on.
To overcome the possible disengagement of the S shaped hook
17
, a more complex double S shaped hook
22
,
FIGS. 4
a
,
4
b
and
5
has been developed. The hook
22
,
FIG. 5
, comprises two identical reverse mirror image orientation hooks
24
,
26
. Hook
24
has a first leg
28
corresponding to and parallel to leg
28
′ on hook
26
and a second leg
30
connected by an arcuate intermediate portion
32
with corresponding elements on hook
26
with the same reference numerals but primed.
A circular in side elevation view loop
34
is one piece integral with the legs
30
and
30
′, FIG.
5
. In a 90° orientation from the view of
FIG. 4
a
showing the circular loop
34
, the loop
34
has a V-shape as shown in
FIG. 4
b
. A different end of the loop
34
is connected to a different one of the legs
30
and
30
′. The double S-hook
22
is made of steel rod of generally about ⅜ inches in diameter and thus is significantly smaller in diameter than the single S-hook
17
, FIG.
2
.
The double S-hook
22
is used in conjunction with a steel plate
36
,
FIG. 3
, attached to a vehicle rear. The plate
36
has a slot
38
typically about 0.50 inches wide and 2 inches long for receiving the ⅜ diameter rod of hook
22
or the safety chain links of a tether. The 0.50 inch width is set at a value to lock the hook
22
which is inserted with a series of convoluted steps similar to those used with the present invention as shown in
FIGS. 12 and 12
a
. Thus, once the hook
22
is inserted into the slot
38
it is difficult for the hook to accidentally disengage from plate
36
.
The problem with the plate
36
and slot
38
is that the slot
38
does not accept the single S-hook
17
of
FIG. 2
due to its larger diameter rod. The manufacturer of a vehicle needs to install the plate
36
for use with trailers as contemplated by a variety of different customers and owners of the vehicles. Some users of the vehicles may wish to use trailers with the conventional safety chain
20
and S-hook
17
. Other users may wish to use trailers with the double S-hook
22
. Therefore, a conventional hasp for receiving the hook
17
is not useful with the double S-hook
22
and the plate
36
is not useful with the hook
17
. This requires a more costly installation of both the plate
36
and hasp to permit both types of hooks to be used.
The present invention is a recognition of a solution to this problem in providing a single bracket having one opening which is useful with both the single S-hook and double S-hook, the latter arrangement providing an enhanced safety coupling of a safety tether to a trailer.
A vehicle trailer safety tether assembly according to the present invention comprises a sheet metal bracket including means for attaching the bracket to the vehicle, the bracket having at least one T-shaped opening for receiving either one of two different connection link members of a safety tether as set forth below. An elongated safety tether is secured to the trailer and has one of the connection link members for releasable attachment to the bracket in the opening, the one connection link member being selected from any one of the group consisting essentially of a first one piece double S-shaped connection link member formed from a rigid steel rod of a first diameter and a second connection link member comprising a single hook formed of rigid steel rod of a second diameter substantially greater in value than the first diameter, each link member for being selectively releasably engaged with the bracket in the opening, the opening and bracket being arranged for providing relatively enhanced secured coupling for the first connection link member as compared to the second link member.
In one aspect, the first connection link member comprises rigid first and second U-shaped hooks in fixed spaced relation, each hook having first and second legs interconnected by a bend portion, the second leg of each hook having a terminal end; and a rigid central metal loop member for receiving and attachment to the elongated tether, the loop member having first and second ends, the first end being one piece and integral with the first hook first leg and the second end being one piece and integral with the second hook first leg, the hooks being disposed in spaced approximately parallel relation in approximately 180° relative orientation with the terminal ends facing in opposing directions, the first and second hooks and loop member forming interconnected one piece double S-shaped hooks.
In a further aspect, the bracket has a length and width and a central planar portion, a first flange extending at a right angle in a first direction from the plane of the central portion along the
Hurst William
Justiniano David
Byrne et al Carella
Hurley Kevin
Morgan Corporation
Olstein Elliot M.
Squire William
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