Patent ID: 6736300
Filing Date: 2004-05-18
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
A vehicle roof rack kit, said roof rack comprising a first front mounting member and a second rear mounting member, said first front and said second rear mounting members mounted in a parallel spaced apart relationship across the roof of said vehicle, said roof rack kit comprising at least one first carrier releasably mounted by first mounting means to the first front mounting member and at least one second carrier releasably mounted by second mounting means to the second rear mounting member, wherein said at least one first carrier and said at least one second carrier are identical, and wherein each of the at least one first carrier and at least one second carrier comprises:a. a first and a second opposing parallel and vertical side member having a spaced apart relationship and fixed to a flat bottom member thereby forming a top-opened channel member adapted for receiving and releasably holding an object there within, said object having a top surface; b. a plurality of identical apertures within each of the said first and said second opposing parallel and vertical side members, wherein said plurality of identical apertures are aligned vertically, and wherein the plurality of vertically aligned identical apertures within the first vertical side member are coaxially aligned with the vertically aligned identical apertures within the second vertical side member thereby forming a plurality of vertically aligned pairs of coaxial identical apertures across said top-opened channel member; c. securing means comprising a rod having a bottom surface, a first end with temporary stop means and a second end with permanent stop means, said rod first end receivable by each pair of the plurality of vertically aligned pairs of coaxial aligned identical apertures, wherein said temporary stop means and said permanent stop means are adapted to substantially restrain axial movement of the rod once received by a pair of the plurality of vertically aligned pairs of coaxially aligned apertures, and wherein the rod is further adapted to substantially restrain the vertical movement of said object held within the top-opened channel member; and, d. a resilient bushing having a top surface and a bottom surface insertably engaged in a tight sliding relationship between the first opposing parallel and vertical side member and the second opposing parallel and vertical side member, wherein said bottom surface of the resilient bushing abuts in frictional engagement with said top surface of the object held within the top-opened channel member, and wherein said top surface of the resilient bushing abuts in pressed engagement against said bottom surface of the rod, the result being that significant lateral and vertical vibrations of the object held within the top-opened channel member are dampened when the vehicle is moving thereby preventing damage to the object.