Abstract:
An apparatus for affixing an auxiliary light to the pipe of a grill guard by clamping a mounting plate to the pipe and affixing the lamp to the plate.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for affixing an auxiliary lamp to the grill guard of an automobile, truck or utility vehicle. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Auxiliary lamps are commonly mounted on automobiles, trucks and utility vehicles to augment the illumination for driving on unlighted roads, for off-road travel and for driving during conditions of adverse visibility such as rain or fog. U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,845 discloses a bracket for mounting an auxiliary light on the roll bar of a truck where the bracket allows the light to be flipped over for use in forward and rearward illumination. U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,223 discloses an improved mounting device for affixing a fog lamp to a vehicle bumper. U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,163 discloses a mounting bracket comprising two serrated jaws brought together to engage a vehicle bumper by a screw clamp. 
     Many vehicles now come equipped with grill guards. Owners of utility vehicles in particular often choose the option of a heavy duty grill guard to protect the radiator during off road travel. The grill guard affords an opportunity for mounting auxiliary lights on a stable platform at a variety of locations. Moreover, the prior art identifies mounting the lights on the bumper as an area where lights are routinely impacted and must have mounts that can allow the light to deflect with the impact. Mounting lights on the grill guard allows positioning of the lights above the bumper. What is needed beyond the prior art is a mounting clamp designed to allow easy attachment of a driving and/or fog light to the grill guard of a truck. What is further needed beyond the prior art is a mounting clamp that does not require any drilling or attachment directly to the vehicle body. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention meets the needs and solves the problems identified above by providing an apparatus that clamps around the pipe of the grill guard. The clamp has a protruding bar for mounting the lamp. 
     The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers represent like parts of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the apparatus. 
     FIG. 2 is a left side view of the front clamp section. 
     FIG. 3 is a rear view of the front clamp section. 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the front clamp section. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In FIG. 1, auxiliary light system  10  is shown comprising grill guard  12 , front clamp  20 , rear clamp  46 , rods  72 , mounting rod  92  and auxiliary light  80 . Grill guard  12  has side support  16  and a plurality of pipes  14  fixedly engaged to side support  12 . The view of grill guard  12  is truncated so that the left side of grill guard  12  is not shown. The left side of grill guard  12  is identical to side support  16  as shown. Rear clamp  46  has rear clamp first end  48  and rear clamp second end  52 . Rear clamp first end  48  has hole  50  for receiving a rod  72 . Rear clamp second end  52  has hole  54  for receiving a rod  72 . Rear clamp  46  has rear clamp center section  56  which is shaped with two wings having serrated edges  60 . Rear clamp first end  48  and rear clamp second end  52  are vertical and generally planar. Front clamp  20  has front clamp first end  22  and first clamp second end  26 . Front clamp first end  22  has hole  24  for receiving a rod  72 . Front clamp second end  26  has hole  28  for receiving a rod  72 . Front clamp  46  has front clamp center section  34  which is shaped with two wings having serrated edges  60 . Front clamp first end  22  and front clamp second end  26  are vertical and generally planar. Front clamp  20  has plate  30  fixedly engaged to the center portion of front clamp center section  34  at the apex of the two wings of front clamp center section  34 . Plate  30  is generally perpendicular to the plane of front clamp first end  22  and front clamp second end  26 . Plate  30  has plate hole  32  for receiving mounting rod  92 . Mounting rod  92  has mounting rod first end  96  and mounting rod second end  94 . In the preferred embodiment, plate hole  32  is threaded and mounting rod second end  94  is threaded for threaded engagement in plate hole  32 . Front clamp center section  34  has front clamp center section hole  41  for receiving ground screw  42 . Rear clamp  46  and front clamp  20  are affixed to grill guard  12  by placing rear clamp  46  behind a pipe  14  and front clamp  20  in front of the same pipe  14  and passing a rod  72  through front clamp first end hole  24  and rear clamp first end hole  50  and passing a rod  72  through front clamp second end hole  28  and rear clamp second end hole  54  and securing nuts  74  to rod second end  70  and rod first end  68 . Nuts  74  are tightened until rear clamp  46  and front clamp  20  are fixedly engaged to pipe  14 . Ground screw  42  is shown inserted in front clamp center section hole  41 . Ground screw  42  and front clamp center section hole  41  are optional features. Mounting rod  92  has mounting rod first end  96  which is threaded for engagement with auxiliary light  80 . Auxiliary light  80  has lens  82 , casing top  87 , casing bottom  83 , casing left side  84 , casing right side  86  and casing rear  88 . Casing rear  88  has socket  90  extending from casing rear  88 . Socket  90  has central hole (not shown) which is threaded for receiving threaded end  96  of mounting rod  92 . 
     In the preferred embodiment front clamp  20  and rear clamp  46  are manufactured from cast steel and may be chrome finished. Front clamp  20  and rear clamp  46  are approximately 3 inches long and 1 inch wide and the “v” in front clamp center section  34  and rear clamp center section  56  will fit around a 1 inch to 1 and ½ inch diameter pipe  14  of grill guard  12 . The front clamp first end holes, front clamp second end holes, rear clamp first end holes and rear clamp second end holes are approximately {fraction (17/64)} inches in diameter for receiving rods of size that allows free passage through the holes. Plate  30  is approximately 1 inch wide, 1 and ½ inch long, and {fraction (11/32)} inches in depth. Plate hole  32  is approximately {fraction (29/64)} inches in diameter. The center of plate hole  32  is approximately ½ inch from the outer end of plate  32 . 
     FIG. 2, depicts a side view of front bracket  20 . Front bracket  20  has plate  30  and plate hole  32 . Plate  30  is fixedly engaged to apex of front bracket center section  34 . Serrated edges  38  are located on the opposite side of center section  34  from plate  30 . Rod  72  is shown positioned for insertion in front bracket first end hole  24 . 
     FIG. 3 shows a rear view of rear bracket  46  with rear bracket first end hole  50  and rear bracket second end hole  54  for receiving rods  72  (not shown in FIG.  3 ). Rear bracket  46  has serrated edges  60 . Comparing FIG.  2  and FIG. 3 it can be seen that rear bracket  46  and front bracket  20  are the same with the exception that front bracket  20  has plate  30  affixed to center section  34  extending outwardly in a direction perpendicular to the plane of front bracket first section  22  and front bracket second section  26 . 
     FIG. 4 depicts plate  30  as seen from above. Plate hole  32  extends outward away from center section  34  (not shown). Tightening screw  42  is shown located in the general center of the top sloping section of center section  34 . Plate  30  may be wider at the outer end that at the juncture with front bracket center section  34 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.