Abstract:
Using the trailer hitch of the present invention eliminates the need for the driver to drive back and forth several times attempting to align the trailer hitch with the socket on the trailer. The trailer hitch includes a fixed tow bar receiver, and a pivoting tow bar, which automatically locks in an extended position with the tow bar receiver, as the vehicle drives away. With other hitches, the driver must drive forward to line the trailer with the hitch, and then back up the tow vehicle to lock the hitch to prevent it from swiveling.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/664,261 filed Jun. 26, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a trailer hitch, and in particular to a trailer hitch with a rotating and translating tow bar for facilitating alignment with a trailer socket during hook up. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional fixed trailer hitches necessitate a second person to guide the driver or a certain amount of trial and error to ensure that the hitch is in proximity to the trailer&#39;s socket for subsequent manual connection. 
     Prior art swiveling trailer hitches, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,791 issued Nov. 13, 2007 to Williams; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,338,062 issued Mar. 4, 2008 to Violette et al, and in United States Patent Applications Nos. 2011/0101645 published May 5, 2011 to Williams et al, and 2011/0221164 published Sep. 15, 2011 to Williams et al, provide telescoping and swiveling trailer hitches that facilitate the connection of the trailer hitch with the trailer socket. Unfortunately, the prior art devices are pivotable only in an extended position, and require that the driver drive forward first then back up the vehicle a precise amount to set the hitch in the locked position. 
     An object of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a rotating and translating trailer hitch that is adjustable in a retracted position, and automatically lockable when the trailer hitch is pulled into an extended position, as the vehicle pulls away, making the hitching process much easier for the driver to perform alone. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention relates to a trailer hitch comprising: 
     a vehicle mount for mounting on a vehicle; 
     a tow bar receiver fixed to the vehicle mount, the tow bar receiver including upper and lower arms forming a gap therebetween, each of the upper and lower arms including an elongated slot extending therethrough; 
     a pivoting tow bar, including a vehicle hitching device for connection to a trailer, the pivoting tow bar received in the gap between the upper and lower bodies, and pivotable and slideable relative to the tow bar receiver; 
     a sliding pin extending through the slots in the upper and lower arms, and through the pivoting tow bar, enabling the pivoting tow bar and the sliding pin to slide from an extended position farthest away from the vehicle, towards the vehicle to one of a plurality of retracted positions, and enabling the pivoting tow bar to rotate relative to the tow bar receiver about the sliding pin; and 
     a locking pin extendable through the tow bar receiver for engaging the pivoting tow bar in a locked position, preventing relative movement of the pivoting tow bar and the tow bar receiver, when the pivoting tow bar is in the extended position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which represent preferred embodiments thereof, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a isometric view of a trailer hitch in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of a main tow bar of the trailer hitch of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the main tow bar of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the main tow bar of  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the trailer hitch of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the trailer hitch of  FIG. 1  in the retracted position; 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the trailer hitch of  FIG. 1  in the extended position; 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of a pivoting tow bar of the trailer hitch of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of a tow bar receiver of the trailer hitch of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a rear view of the tow bar receiver of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of an alignment pin of the tow bar receiver of  FIG. 9 ; and 
         FIG. 12  is a side view of the latching mechanism of  FIG. 11 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , a trailer hitch in accordance with the present invention includes a main tow bar  1  with a hole  2 , e.g. ⅝″ OD, extending laterally therethrough for receiving a pin (not shown) to secure the trailer hitch to a towing vehicle. The main tow bar  1  acts like a vehicle mount for mounting the hitch to the vehicle, and is typically comprised of a square stock of suitable size, e.g. 2″×2″×7⅝, for fitting into a vehicle&#39;s hitch receptor. The main tow bar  1  extends from a first adjustment plate  3 , e.g. ⅝″×10″×6″ steel, which has a plurality of holes  25 , e.g. 4 to 20, extending therethrough. The holes  25  are arranged in laterally spaced-apart pairs, vertically aligned on top of each other forming a 2×N array. In the illustrated embodiment, the seven pairs of holes  25  have a ⅝″ diameter and are spaced at 1¼″ centers, but other suitable sizes and shapes are possible depending on the user&#39;s towing needs. 
     For added strength, two angle braces  6   a  and  6   b,  extending between the main tow bar  1  and the adjustment plate  3 , can be provided. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , attached to the main tow bar  1  is a tow bar receiver  7 . The tow bar receiver  7  includes a second adjustment plate  4  fixed to the first adjustment plate  3  using suitable mechanical fasteners, e.g. four ⅝″ bolts  5 , extending through holes  26  in the second adjustment plate  4  and four of the holes  25  provided in the first adjustment plate  3 . The vertical height of the tow bar receiver  7  from the ground can be adjusted by sliding the second adjustment plate  4  relative to the first adjustment plate  3  and aligning the holes  26  in the second adjustment plate  4  with selected holes  25  in the first adjustment plate  3  and fastening at the desired height with the bolts  5 . The first and second adjustment plates  3  and  4  can be replaced by a single mounting plate, if adjustment of the height of the tow bar  1  is not required 
     Upper and lower spaced-apart arms or bodies, illustrated in the form of flat bars  7   a  and  7   b,  extend perpendicularly, i.e. horizontally, from the second adjustment plate  4 . Each arm  7   a  and  7   b  includes a slot  13 , e.g. ⅝″×2½″, extending longitudinally and vertically therethrough for receiving a sliding pivot pin  14 , and a hole, e.g. ⅝″, for receiving a self-alignment pin  11 . The illustrated upper and lower arms  7   a  and  7   b,  e.g. ⅝″×2″×9¼″, are fixed, e.g. welded, to the second adjustment plate  4 , e.g. ⅝″×10″×6″, but other suitable structures and attachment configurations are within the scope of the invention. For extra strength, a brace  6   c  can be fixed, e.g. welded, between the top of the upper arm  7   a  and the second adjustment plate  4 , and a brace  6   d  can be fixed, e.g. welded, between the bottom of the lower arm  7   b  and the second adjustment plate  4 . 
     A pivoting tow bar  19  is pivotally and slideably mounted between the upper and lower arms  7   a  and  7   b  by the pivot pin  14 , which can be in the form of a bolt with a washer  15  or any other suitable fastener. The pivot pin  14  extends vertically through the slots  13  in the arms  7   a  and  7   b  and a first hole  41  in the pivoting tow bar  19 . The pivoting tow bar  19  is ideally flat stock, e.g. ⅝″×11½×7″ and pie or wedged shaped. When the alignment pin  11  is disengaged, the pivoting tow bar  19  is rotatable about the pivot pin  14  and slideable relative to the upper and lower arms  7   a  and  7   b  towards the vehicle, i.e. first and second adjustment plates  3  and  4 , into one of a plurality of retracted positions, as the pivot pin  14  reciprocates in the slot  13 , see  FIG. 6 . The extended or locked position is illustrated in  FIG. 7 , in which the longitudinal axis of the pivoting tow bar  19  is aligned with the longitudinal axes of the upper and lower arms  7   a  and  7   b,  and the alignment pin  11  extends vertically through the pivoting tow bar  18  and the upper and lower arms  7   a  and  7   b.  In the extended or locked position, the pivot pin  14  abuts the outer end of the slots  13 , and the pivoting tow bar  19  is in a position the furthest away from the vehicle. 
     Preferably, the pivoting tow bar  19  is pie or wedge shaped, i.e. an arcuate inner end with two sides forming an acute angle therebetween with two converging sides, with a curve, e.g. 5¼″ radius, from a first pivot hole  41 , see  FIG. 8 . The pivoting tow bar  19  has two stop bars  8  fixed, e.g. welded, on to the top surface thereof. The stops  8  are mounted apart from each other at an angle of from between 30° and 90°, i.e. 15° to 45° from the center line of the swivel tow bar  19 , for abutting the upper bar  7   a  of the tow bar receiver  7  to control the angular distance the swivel tow bar  19  can pivot. The stops  8  control the distance, e.g. 2½″ left and right from the centre line, that the hitch ball  17 , mounted on the swivel tow bar  19 , can rotate about the pivot pin  14  relative to the tow bar receiver  7 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 8 , the pivoting tow bar  19  has a series of holes extending theregthrough aligned along the longitudinal axis thereof. The first pivot hole  41  in the middle for receiving the pivot pin  14 , a second locking hole  42  at the wider arcuate inner end for receiving the self-locking alignment pin  11 , and a third hitch hole  43 , e.g. 1″, at the narrow outer end for receiving a trailer hitch ball  17 . The trailer hitch ball  17  is illustrated; however, any trailer hitching device can be used. An additional fourth hole  44  can be provided proximate to the trailer hitch ball  17  to receive a spring-mounted guide rod  16 , as hereinafter described, if necessary. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 9 to 12 , a self-locking alignment bolt assembly  51 , including a housing  9  and an alignment pin guide  10 , are fixed, e.g. welded, to the upper arm  7   b  of the tow bar receiver  7 . The housing  9  and alignment guide  10  holds and guides the alignment pin  11 , which provides an automatic or self-locking gravity-fed lock for the pivoting tow bar  19 . A spring can also be provided in the housing  9  for spring biasing the alignment pin  11  into the locked position, if desired. A first stop pin  30 , extending horizontally through the alignment pin  11 , is provided to prevent the alignment pin  11  from being pulled out of the housing  9 . The housing  9  acts as a stop for engaging the stop pin  30  at an upper limit of motion. The alignment pin  11  is equipped with a gravity-fed locking latch  12 , see  FIG. 12 , pivotally mounted to the alignment pin  11  by latch pivot pin  48 . When activated, the alignment pin  11  prevents the pivoting tow bar  19  from rotating and translating back and forth, and the self-locking latch  12  prevents the alignment pin  11  from becoming disengaged from the locked position. The locking latch  12  includes a v-cut notch  32 , which fits over an edge in the housing  9  to hold the alignment pin  11  in the locked position, at the same time as the alignment pin  11  falls into place. A second latch stop pin  18  extending through the upper end of the alignment pin  11  prevents the latch  12  from rotating past vertical, i.e. maintains the latch  12  in contact with the housing  9 . 
     To facilitate location of the hitch ball  17  in close proximity to the trailer receiver socket  22 , a first guide rod  16  with a spring-loaded end is mounted on the swivel tow bar  19 , just adjacent to the hitch ball  17 , and a second guide rod  21 , with a magnetic end, is mounted onto the trailer receiver socket  22  of the trailer  23  being towed. Both the first and second guide rods  16  and  22  extend upwardly to a height visible by a driver through the rear view mirror, e.g. 3 to 6 feet, and may include some kind of more visible indicator, e.g. ball or flag, on the upper free end. Ideally, the height of the trailer  23  is adjusted at this point so the trailer receiver socket  22  is just above the hitch ball  17 . The mounted spring loaded guide rods  16  and  21  provide a significant advantage over the prior art, by allowing the driver to get the hitch ball  17  to approximately 2″ from the receiver socket  22 . The first guide rod  16  can be used by itself, and provides a visible indication, i.e. tilts, as it contacts the trailer arm. 
     During the hookup process, a driver, without the aid of a helper, can look in the rearview mirror of their vehicle, and line up the two guide rods  16  and  21 , backing up until the trailer receiver socket  22  hits the spring-loaded guide rod  16 . The guide rod  16  is spring-loaded so it will move without breaking providing the driver with a visual indication that the trailer receiver socket  22  is within close proximity to the hitch ball  17 . The driver will stop immediately, and the trailer receiver socket  22  will be within close proximity, e.g. two inches, of the hitch ball  17 . Alternative means and methods for determining whether the trailer receiver socket  22  is proximate to the hitch ball  17  are within the scope of the invention, e.g. an electronic proximity sensor, which provides a visual or audible signal when the trailer receiver socket  22  and the ball  17  are within approximately two inches of each other. 
     The pivoting tow bar  19  is designed so that the hitch ball  17  can move laterally from side to side, e.g. from 1.5″ to 3.5″ ideally 2½″, and longitudinally back and forth, e.g. from 1.5″ to 3.5″, ideally 2½″ for positioning the hitch ball  17  beneath the trailer hitch socket  22  for easy connection of the two. 
     To line up the hitch ball  19  under the trailer receiver socket  22 , the driver will lift the gravity-fed locking bolt or pin  11  by pulling on the ring  20  that is attached to the gravity-fed locking latch  12 . By pulling on the ring  20 , the locking latch  12  is lifted, and the locking bolt  11  at the same time. When the locking bolt  11  is raised clear of the swivel tow bar  19 , the swivel tow bar  19  can be moved back towards the vehicle into one of a plurality of retracted positions and at the same time rotated to line up the hitch ball  17  directly under the trailer receiver socket. 
     The driver lowers the trailer receiver socket  22  onto the hitch ball  17 , secures the trailer receiver socket  22  to the hitch ball  17 , returns to the tow vehicle, and drives off 
     When the tow vehicle pulls ahead, the trailer, i.e. the arm  23  extending from the trailer, will line up in a straight line with the longitudinal axes of the pivoting tow bar  19 , and the tow bar receiver  7 , and the pivoting tow bar  19  will be pulled into the extended position with the pivot pin  14  abutting the end of the slots  13 , enabling the gravity-fed automatic locking pin  11  to become centered over the locking hole  42  in the swivel tow bar  19 . The gravity-fed automatic locking pin  11  then drops into the locking hole  42  in the pivoting tow bar  19 , securing the pivoting tow bar  19  to the tow bar receiver  7 , and preventing the pivoting tow bar  19  from swiveling when the trailer is in tow. When the gravity-fed automatic locking pin  11  drops into place, the gravity-fed automatic locking latch  12  also drops into place, securing the gravity-fed automatic locking pin  11  and preventing it from disengaging from the pivoting tow bar  19  while the trailer is in tow. In the illustrated embodiment, the automatic locking latch  12  is comprised of an arm pivotally connected to an end of the automatic locking pin  11 , with a V-shaped notch that drops over and receives a top edge of the automatic locking bolt housing  9 , thereby preventing the automatic locking pin  11  from sliding upward and disengaging the pivoting tow bar  19  and the tow bar receiver  7 , i.e. holding the automatic locking pin  11  in the locked position. However, other automatic locking latches are within the scope of the invention. 
     The hitch in accordance with the present invention is a safe hitch because both the pivot pin  14  and the gravity-fed locking pin  11  are in tension and abutting the pivoting tow bar  17  and the first and second tow bar receiver arms  7   a  and  7   b  at the same time, thereby transmitting the force between the trailer and the vehicle by sharing the load. In other hitches, one bolt takes the full load.