Abstract:
A universal mounting assembly for mounting exhaust pipe components to several different types of motor vehicles includes a bracket body having a mounting portion, an intermediate portion, and a support portion. The mounting portion has a first aperture and a second aperture spaced from the first aperture. The support portion includes a planar member, a first aperture located in the planar member, and a second aperture located in the planar member with the second aperture being spaced from the first aperture. First and second fasteners extend through the first and second apertures of the mounting portion for securing the mounting portion to a structural portion of an associated vehicle. The mounting portion is located in a first plane with the support portion being located in a second plane spaced from the first plane. The first and second planes are approximately aligned with the second plane being oriented at, at most, an acute angle in relation to the first plane.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    This application bases its priority on Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/181,135 dated Feb. 8, 2000. 
     
    
     
         [0002]    The present invention relates to exhaust systems and means for securing tubular exhaust elements to a support surface. More particularly, this invention relates to a universal exhaust system for motorcycles.  
           [0003]    Brackets for securing exhaust system components to a vehicle frame or body are commonly known. The exhaust pipe and tailpipe sections of modern vehicles are of intricate shape due to the requirement that they fit in spaces which are available after the design of the vehicle, such as a motorcycle, has been completed. Consequently, in the past, it has been necessary for each model of motorcycle to use a variety of clamp structures or to weld the brackets to the tailpipe or exhaust pipe thereby increasing the cost of the pipe and making the pipe more difficult to handle and put in place.  
           [0004]    Another disadvantage of known exhaust system mounting brackets, especially as used on motorcycles, is that the brackets commonly mount the tailpipe or muffler to the frame of the vehicle. Therefore, for each change in the vehicle&#39;s frame, the bracket would need to be redesigned. In other words, every time a motorcycle manufacturer made changes in the design of a frame, the exhaust manufacturer would need to redesign its mounting brackets to accommodate these changes.  
           [0005]    A further disadvantage of conventional motorcycle exhaust system mounting brackets is that the head pipes to which the mufflers or tailpipes are connected are subjected to flexing and potential cracking because the head pipes are secured to the engine whereas the mufflers or tailpipes are secured to the frame. As the engine moves in relation to the frame, stress is exerted on the head pipes since the mufflers and tailpipes are bolted to the frame.  
           [0006]    It has therefore been considered desirable to develop a new and improved universal exhaust system for motorcycles which overcomes the foregoing difficulties and others while providing better and more advantageous overall results.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a mounting bracket assembly is provided for exhaust pipe components of a motor vehicle.  
           [0008]    More particularly, in accordance with this aspect of the invention, the exhaust assembly comprises a bracket body comprising a mounting portion and a support portion. The mounting portion comprises a first mounting flange and a second mounting flange spaced from the first mounting flange, wherein the first and second mounting flanges are located in a first plane. The support portion comprises a planar member which is located in a second plane spaced from the first plane. The first and second planes are approximately aligned with the second plane being oriented at, at most, an acute angle in relation to the first plane.  
           [0009]    In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a mounting bracket assembly is provided for exhaust pipe components of a motor vehicle.  
           [0010]    More particularly, in accordance with this aspect of the invention, the mounting bracket assembly comprises a bracket body having a mounting portion, an intermediate portion, and a support portion. The mounting portion comprises a first aperture and a second aperture spaced from the first aperture, wherein the mounting portion is located in a first plane. The support portion comprises a planar member, a first aperture located in the planar member and a second aperture located in the planar member, with the second aperture being spaced from the first aperture. The support portion is located in a second plane spaced from the first plane. The first and second planes are approximately aligned.  
           [0011]    In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a universal mounting bracket assembly is provided for mounting exhaust pipe components to several different types of motor vehicles.  
           [0012]    More particularly, in accordance with this aspect of the present invention, the mounting bracket assembly comprises a bracket body comprising a mounting portion, an intermediate portion, and a support portion. The mounting portion comprises a first aperture and a second aperture spaced from the first aperture. The support portion comprises a planar member, a first aperture located in the planar member and a second aperture located in the planar member, with the second aperture being spaced from the first aperture. First and second fasteners extend through the first and second apertures of the mounting portion for securing the mounting portion to a structural portion of an associated vehicle. The mounting portion is located in a first plane with the support portion being located in a second plane spaced from the first plane. The first and second planes are approximately aligned with the second plane being oriented at, at most, an acute angle in relation to the first plane.  
           [0013]    One aspect of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved universal exhaust system for vehicles, such as motorcycles.  
           [0014]    Another aspect of the present invention is the provision of an exhaust system which will fit a wide variety of motorcycles such as various models of Harley Davidson motorcycles and similar heavy motorcycles for a number of model years. These can include various models of American Ironhorse, American Quantum, Boar, Big Dog, California Customs, California Motorcycle Co., Desperado, Indian, Lifestyle, Panzer, Pure Steel, Surgical Steeds, Titan, Ultra Cycle, and Wild West motorcycles.  
           [0015]    Still another aspect of the present invention is the provision of an exhaust system which fits a wide variety of applications thereby minimizing the exhaust system types which a distributor needs to stock to accommodate a variety of motorcycles.  
           [0016]    Yet another aspect of the present invention is the provision of an exhaust system which is usable for a wide range of motorcycle types thus allowing customers to more readily obtain the desired exhaust system at a reasonable cost and in a timely manner.  
           [0017]    A further aspect of the present invention is the provision of an exhaust system bracket which mounts to a transmission case of a motorcycle and therefore “floats” with the engine. This helps to eliminate any flexing and fatigue cracking of the head pipe of the motorcycle.  
           [0018]    A still further aspect of the present invention is the provision of an exhaust system bracket which can be used to mount mufflers and tailpipes to a variety of models of motorcycles of various manufacturers and thus can be fairly termed a “universal” bracket. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, several embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a known motorcycle muffler mounting bracket;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of another known motorcycle muffler mounting bracket;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a universal muffler mounting bracket for motorcycles according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 3;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 3;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 5 along line  6 - 6 ;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a known tailpipe mounting bracket for motorcycles;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a universal tailpipe mounting bracket for motorcycles according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 8;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 8; and,  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a universal tailpipe mounting bracket for motorcycles according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0031]    Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting same, FIG. 1 illustrates a known mounting bracket for the muffler of a known motorcycle A, which can be a Harley Davidson cycle. The motorcycle includes a frame  10  having a plurality of apertures  12  which accommodate fasteners  14 . The motorcycle also includes a transmission  16  located adjacent an engine (not illustrated). Suitable apertures  20  are located on a mounting portion  22  of a known muffler mounting bracket  24 . The bracket  24  also includes a support portion  26  having apertures  28  for accommodating fasteners  30 . The fasteners  30  extend through apertures  36  in a mounting flange  38  of a muffler  40 . As may be appreciated, the muffler  40  is thus secured via the bracket  24  to the frame  10  of the motorcycle A. This known mounting arrangement is disadvantageous because it requires the redesign of the mounting bracket for each change in the frame of the motorcycle. It is also disadvantageous because the head pipe assembly (not illustrated) of the motorcycle is subjected to flexing and potential cracking since the muffler is mounted rigidly to the frame while the head pipe assembly is mounted in a “floating” manner to the engine.  
         [0032]    With reference now to FIG. 2, another known type of tailpipe bracket is there illustrated. For ease of illustration and appreciation of this bracket, like components are identified by like numerals with a primed (′) suffix and new components are identified by new numerals. In this known assembly, a motorcycle frame  10 ′ is provided with apertures  12 ′, for accommodating fasteners  14 ′. Each fastener  14 ′ extends through a respective aperture  46  in a mounting portion  48  of a known bracket  50 . The bracket also includes a support portion  52  having spaced apertures  54  for accommodating fasteners  30 ′ which extend through respective apertures  36 ′ in a mounting flange  38 ′ of a muffler  40 ′. This mounting arrangement has the same disadvantages as the previous one mentioned above.  
         [0033]    With reference now to FIG. 3, a universal muffler bracket according to the present invention is there illustrated. For ease of understanding and appreciation of this embodiment, like components are identified by like numerals with a double primed (″) suffix and new components are identified by new numerals. The universal muffler bracket comprises a bracket body  60  including a mounting portion  62  having a first mounting flange  64  that has an aperture  66  extending therethrough and a second mounting flange  68  which also has an aperture  70  extending therethrough. Suitable fasteners  72  extend through the apertures  66  and  70  and into respective aligned apertures  74  in a case of a transmission  16 ″ of a motorcycle A″.  
         [0034]    With reference now also to FIG. 4, the mounting portion  62  also includes a third aperture  76  which is aligned with another aperture  74  in the case of the transmission  16 ″. If necessary, a spacer  78  (FIG. 3), can be employed with the third aperture  76 . The spacer would be omitted if a brake light sender (not illustrated) is mounted in this aperture in the transmission case. The bracket  60  also includes a support portion  80  having a first or upper pair of apertures  82  and a second or lower pair of apertures  84 . Each of these pairs of apertures can accommodate a pair of spaced fasteners  86  secured on a muffler  88  of the motorcycle. The upper set of apertures  82  is normally used except when the engine is rubber mounted. In that case, the lower set of apertures  84  is employed. Since two sets of apertures are provided, the bracket can accommodate different types of motorcycles. Also, because the bracket is mounted to the transmission case of the motorcycle, frame changes do not affect its useability. It should be noted that the transmission case of a motorcycle is not redesigned nearly as often as is the frame of the motorcycle. Also, by mounting the bracket to the transmission case, the exhaust system “floats” with the engine. This mounting arrangement reduces the potential for flexing and cracking of the head pipes of the motorcycle.  
         [0035]    With reference now to FIG. 5, it is evident that the bracket mounting portion  62  is offset from the support portion  80  and is connected thereto by an intermediate portion  94 . It should also be appreciated that the first and second mounting flanges  64  and  68  (FIG. 4), are slightly offset from the plane of the remaining section of the mounting portion  62 . With reference now to FIG. 6, it can be seen that a reinforcing rib  98  extends along a longitudinal axis of the support portion  80 . The rib protrudes from a lower surface of the support portion.  
         [0036]    The invention disclosed in FIGS.  3 - 6  is useful for a 2:1 system in which two pipes converge into a collector and the collector, in turn, routes the exhaust through one muffler  88 . The bracket of the present invention is mounted to the transmission case for both a solid mount and a rubber mount type engine for motorcycles. The universal bracket of the present invention accommodates a large variety of motorcycle types as listed above. It also accommodates a variety of engine types namely big twin cylinder engines manufactured by Harley Davidson, S and S, Total Performance, Merch Engineering, Keck and STD. With the present invention, a universal exhaust system, including a common two-to-one set of pipes and a common exhaust bracket can be mounted to a large variety of motorcycles and engine types, as mentioned previously.  
         [0037]    With reference now to FIG. 7, a known mounting bracket dedicated to drag pipe applications is there illustrated. Into this environment, two pipes which exit one on top of the other alongside of the motorcycle need to be supported on the motorcycle. A known motorcycle includes a frame  110  having a plurality of apertures  112  which accommodate fasteners  114 . The motorcycle also includes a transmission  116  located adjacent an engine (not illustrated). Suitable apertures  120  are located on a mounting portion  122  of a known tailpipe mounting bracket  124 . The bracket  124  also includes a support portion  126  having a pair of spaced apertures  128  for accommodating fasteners  130 . Fasteners  130  are secured to a first tailpipe  132 . A second tailpipe  140  has secured thereto a second bracket  142 . The second bracket has an aperture  144  extending therethrough. The aperture  144  is aligned with one of the apertures  112  in the frame  110  of the motorcycle. A suitable fastener  148  extends through the aligned apertures  144  and  112  to secure the second tailpipe  140  to the frame  110 . In this arrangement, the mounting bracket  124  secures the first tailpipe  132  to the frame at an upper aperture  112  whereas the second bracket  142  secures the second tailpipe  140  to the frame via another aperture  112  vertically spaced from the first aperture. This tailpipe mounting arrangement is disadvantageous for the same reasons as outlined previously.  
         [0038]    With reference now to FIG. 8, a second preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a mounting bracket which is capable of accommodating such drag pipes. For ease of understanding and appreciation of this embodiment, like components are identified by like numerals with a primed (′) suffix and new components are identified by new numerals.  
         [0039]    In this embodiment, a universal tailpipe bracket  160  is employed to secure a pair of spaced aligned exhaust pipes  132 ′ to a motorcycle. The bracket  160  includes a mounting portion  162  having a first mounting flange  164  through which extends a first aperture  166 . A second mounting flange  168  is spaced from the first mounting flange. A second aperture  170  extends through the second mounting flange. Suitable fasteners  172  are employed to secure the mounting portion  162  of the bracket  160  in aligned apertures  174  in a case of a transmission  116 ′ of the motorcycle. Also provided on the mounting portion is a third aperture  176 , which is aligned with another transmission case aperture  174 .  
         [0040]    The bracket  160  also includes a support portion  180 . Located in the support portion are a pair of first, upper apertures  182  and a pair of second, lower apertures  184 . Each of these pairs of apertures are meant to accommodate suitable fasteners  130 ′ extending from each of the two tailpipes  132 ′.  
         [0041]    If necessary, a spacer  190  can be employed. This spacer would be omitted in applications where a brake light sender (not illustrated) is mounted in this aperture in the transmission case.  
         [0042]    With reference now to FIG. 9, it is apparent that the support portion  180  is located in a different plane than is the mounting portion  162  of the bracket  160 . An intermediate portion  194  of the bracket  160  connects the mounting portion to the support portion of the bracket. It is also apparent that the first and second mounting flanges are somewhat displaced from the plane of the remainder of the mounting portion.  
         [0043]    The universal mounting bracket  160  is advantageous from the standpoint that it can accommodate a pair of spaced exhaust pipes on a single bracket. This in contrast with the necessity to use two brackets as known in the prior art. Moreover, due to the use of elongated slots  182  and  184  in the support portion  180  of the bracket  160 , tailpipes having fasteners located at a variety of positions can be supported by the bracket. In addition, because the mounting portion  162  of the bracket is secured to the transmission case of the motorcycle, the instant mounting bracket reduces the potential for flexing and cracking of the head pipes of the motorcycle.  
         [0044]    With reference now to FIG. 11, a third preferred embodiment of the present invention is there illustrated. In this embodiment, a universal tailpipe bracket  200  is employed to secure exhaust pipes to a motorcycle or other motor vehicle. The bracket  200  includes a mounting portion  202  and a support portion  210 . In this embodiment, the mounting portion is aligned with a plane  212 , whereas the support portion is aligned with a plane  214 .  
         [0045]    An angle α is created between the two planes. The angle α can be on the order of, e.g., 20°. Under all circumstances the angle α will be less than 90°. Preferably, the angle will be less than 45°. In contrast to the embodiment illustrated, e.g., in FIG. 10, where the planes of the mounting portion  162  and support portion  180  are approximately aligned with each other, it is possible to provide an acute angle between the two planes as illustrated in FIG. 11. A bracket construction in which the planes of the mounting portion and support portion are offset at an acute angle in relation to each other may be desirable in certain exhaust mounting environments for certain types of vehicles.  
         [0046]    The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon the reading and understanding this specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.