Patent ID: 11932064
Assignee: nan
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 17:
18. A convertible hitch apparatus removably mountable on a hitch receiver tube, the hitch apparatus being elongated along a longitudinal axis, the hitch apparatus comprising:
a mount structure for mounting on the hitch receiver tube, the mount structure being at least partially insertable into the receiver tube, the insertion portion having an insertion end insertable into the receiver tube and a protrusion end opposite of the insertion end;
a lower hitch structure mounted on the mount structure toward the protrusion end, the lower hitch structure including a lower ball mount mounted on the mount structure;
an upper hitch structure mounted on the mount structure toward the protrusion end, the upper hitch structure having a deployed condition and an inactive condition, the upper hitch structure including a support frame and an upper ball mount mounted on the support frame;
wherein the upper ball mount includes a tongue element having a tongue aperture extending along a substantially vertical axis when the hitch apparatus is mounted for use, the tongue element being mounted on the support frame in a manner permitting pivoting of the tongue element about a substantially vertical axis when the hitch apparatus is mounted for use to move the tongue element between a deployed position corresponding to the deployed condition and a storage position corresponding to the inactive condition; and
wherein the deployed position of the upper hitch structure is characterized by the upper hitch structure being positioned over the lower hitch structure, the storage position of the upper hitch structure being characterized by the upper hitch structure being pivoted out of the deployed position above the lower hitch structure and into a position in which the upper hitch structure is not over the lower hitch structure.