Abstract:
Apparatus for illuminating the lights of an abandoned trailer having a pigtail connector which has been disconnected from a complementally formed pigtail connector on a draft vehicle and more particularly to a plug, stored on the trailer and including a plurality of electrically conductive pins aligned with, and formed complementally, to electrically conductive pins on the trailer pigtail connector to detachably couple the trailer battery to the trailer lights. Switch mechanism is provided for selectively coupling and decoupling the plurality of electrically conductive pins on the trailer pigtail connector to each other so that the trailer mounted battery can be selectively coupled in circuit to the lights when the trailer is unhitched. An electrically non-conductive yieldable housing stows the plug and the trailer pigtail connector in mating engagement on the trailer.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to apparatus for illuminating the lights of a travel trailer which is disconnected from a tow vehicle and more particularly to an electrical connection system for selectively electrically connecting a trailer mounted battery in circuit with the lights. A holder is provided on the trailer for stowing the electrical connection system and the trailer mounted pigtail in mating relation. 
   2. Description of Prior Art and Advantages 
   Travel trailers, such as those pivotally coupled to a trailer hitch of a draft vehicle or a so-called “5 th  wheel trailer” which is pivotally coupled to the bed of a pickup truck, regularly include an emergency battery pack, which is activated to automatically electrically actuate a trailer braking system such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,110,507 issued Nov. 12, 1963 and/or U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,204 issued Jul. 23, 1957. 
   Such travel trailers are frequently equipped with running lights, side lights and over head clearance lights which are typically electrically connected to, and energized by, the electrical system of the tow vehicle. When the trailer is uncoupled from the tow vehicle and abandoned aside a roadway, a typical trailer, although including a battery, includes no lighting system for quickly, easily and safely connecting the trailer light to the trailer mounted battery. Thus, an unlighted and unhitched or abandoned trailer which is parked on the shoulder of a roadway creates a safety obstruction. Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention to provide new and novel emergency apparatus for lighting an abandoned trailer by a power source on the trailer typically utilized to actuate the emergency brakes to stop a trailer which is inadvertently disconnected from a tow vehicle. 
   Various auxiliary power packs and flasher systems have been provided for energizing or flashing the trailer lights, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,827 issued Apr. 12, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,455 issued Jan. 11, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,696 issued Jul. 26, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,482 issued Feb. 11, 1997 and International Application published under the PCT, International Publication No. W002/22395A2. 
   Such systems include large and expensive cases or containers, flasher units, one or two additional batteries, and auxiliary coupling devices which are relatively expensive, cumbersome and problematic to store. Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention to provide new and novel apparatus, which incorporates the trailer carried power supply for normally actuating the emergency brakes, for electrically energizing the lights of an abandoned trailer. 
   The prior art trailers typically include a pigtail connector having an electrical socket which is coupled to a complementally formed male pigtail connector plug on the draft vehicle. The present invention contemplates trailer mounted, auxiliary male connector plug which is formed complementally with, and detachably received by, the socket after the socket has been decoupled from the tow vehicle pigtail plug. The socket will typically include an electrical socket terminal which is independently coupled to the auxiliary trailer mounted battery and braking system as well as a separate second socket terminal independently electrically connected to the trailer lights. The auxiliary male plug, constructed according to the present invention, incorporates electrically independent plug terminals which electrically mate with the socket terminals. The apparatus constructed according to the present invention includes a short circuiting system which selectively electrically connects the plug terminals to each other to complete an electrical circuit from the trailer supported battery through the socket terminals and mating plug terminals and thence to the trailer lights, without the need for an additional auxiliary, power pack, cables, etc. 
   It is another advantage of the present invention to provide apparatus of the type described including a switch in the short circuiting system which allows the trailer mounted battery to be selectively electrically connected in circuit with the lights. 
   These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent of those of ordinary skill and the art as the description thereof proceeds. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Emergency electrical coupling apparatus for a trailer having a battery, at least one electrically energized light, and first electrical connector, operable in one condition for detachably coupling the light to a second complementally formed connector on a draft vehicle and in a stowed condition, decoupled from the second complementally formed connector; the first electrical connector has first and second independent electrical terminals electrically connected in individual first and second circuits, respectively, to the battery and the light, respectively; the emergency electrical device includes a third complementally formed, electrical connector, complementally formed with the first electrical connector, for detachably coupling to the first electrical connector in the second stowed condition; and circuit completion mechanism on the third electrical connector for electrically coupling the first and second terminals together to complete an electrical circuit between the first and second circuits and electrically connect the battery to the light and energize the light when the first electrical connector and said third electrical connector are coupled together in the stowed position. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a sectional side view of emergency apparatus for lighting an abandoned trailer, constructed according to the present invention and taken along the section line  1 - 1  of  FIG. 2 , illustrating a trailer pigtail connector in chain lines coupled to a tow vehicle pigtail and in solid lines disconnected from the tow vehicle and in position to be coupled to apparatus constructed according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 1A  is a greatly reduced, side elevational view illustrating a trailer including apparatus constructed according to the present invention, unhitched and electrically uncoupled from a tow vehicle; 
       FIG. 2  is a slightly reduced, sectional end view taken along the section line- 2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 2A  is a sectional side view, similar to  FIG. 1 , illustrating an electrical pigtail trailer socket, detachably received by and electrically connected to apparatus constructed according to the present invention stowed on the trailer; 
       FIG. 3  is a greatly enlarged sectional end, similar to  FIG. 2  but taken along the section line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2A , illustrating an electrical operating circuit superimposed thereon; and 
       FIG. 4  is a greatly enlarged side elevational view of the portion illustrated in the chain line circle  44  of  FIG. 1  to more particularly illustrate the mating electrical terminals of the trailer pigtail connector and the apparatus constructed according to the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The emergency apparatus, constructed according to the present invention and generally designated  10 , is particularly adapted for use with an abandoned travel trailer T having a pre-existing electrical wiring harness or system, generally designated  13 , and a draft tongue  11 . The pre-existing wiring system  13  includes headlights and/or tail lights  12  and  12 A, coupled to ground potential via an electrical circuit line  16  and a circuit line  18  which independently connects turn signals  14  and  14 A, also referred to as LT and RT, to ground potential and includes a series connected flasher circuit or capacitor, generally designated C, for intermittently charging and discharging electrical energy to the turn signals  14  and  14 A, as usual. It should be understood that any number of additional or different lighting circuits may be coupled to additional or other lights (not shown) such as overhead lamps  86 , can be utilized but are not illustrated herein. 
   An electrical pigtail connector or coupler, generally designated  19 , is coupled to the trailer wiring, generally designated  13 , and comprises a conventional seven way trailer socket which is well known in the art. The connector  19  includes an insulated socket housing H provided with a plurality of female sockets S therein mounting a plurality of so-called female socket terminals, generally designated  17 , and more particularly including seven individual terminals  20 ,  20 A,  21 ,  22 ,  22 A,  25  and  25 A, which are coupled to various circuit elements on the trailer T, as will be more particularly described hereinafter. 
   The trailer T includes an emergency braking system which is schematically illustrated as a normally de-energized electrical solenoid  31  coupled, via circuit line  23 A electrically connected to ground potential and to a circuit line  23  that is also electrically connected to ground potential and includes a trailer mounted battery  28  and a normally open “dead man switch”  29  which is automatically closed when the trailer T is inadvertently unhitched from a draft vehicle V to actuate the brake solenoid  31 . The circuit line  23 A, which includes the battery  28  and the brake solenoid  31 , is connected to the female socket terminal  25  via a circuit line  26 . If desired, the central terminal  21  may be coupled in circuit with power supply and trailer backup lights (not shown). 
   When the trailer is being towed by a draft vehicle V, the socket coupler  19  is coupled to a complementally formed male coupler or pigtail  19 A on the tow vehicle V as illustrated in chain lines in  FIG. 1 . The pigtail  19 A includes a plurality of blade terminals, generally designated  19 B, which when the connector  19  is disposed in the position illustrated in chain lines in  FIG. 1 , are detachably received by the female socket terminals  17  for connecting the automobile battery  28 A in circuit with the terminals  20  and  22  and the lights  12  and  14 . When the vehicle V and trailer T are unhitched as illustrated in  FIG. 1A , the trailer coupler pigtail  19  is disconnected from the male tow vehicle pigtail  19 A as illustrated in solid lines in  FIG. 1 . In order to energize the lights  12  and  14  when the trailer coupler  19  is disconnected from the tow vehicle connector  19 A, an additional trailer mounted male coupler plug or connector  60 , which is circular in cross section and is slidably received by a storage holder, generally designated  40  ( FIG. 2A ). 
   The storage holder  40  includes a base  42  which is mounted on the upper side of the trailer tongue  11  and includes an integral, expansible and contractible sleeve  44  comprising a pair of upstanding, curvilinear legs  46  and  48  which are cantileverly integrally supported on the base  42  and include terminal ends  50  and  52 , respectively, which are spaced apart by a gap  54 . The device  40  may suitably comprise electrically nonconductive material such as plastic which will yield to axially receive the mating couplers  60  and  19 , with each having an outside diameter that is equal to or slightly greater than the inside diameter of the sleeve  44 . 
   The male connector  60  includes a plurality of electrical blades or prongs, generally designated  61 , which are generally complementally formed to the female receptacles  17  for slidably receiving therein ( FIGS. 2A and 4 ). The receptacles  17  are schematically illustrated in  FIG. 3  as being generally rectangular and in  FIG. 4  as including U-shaped spring metal blades  70  each having a base leg  71  and a folded over terminal leg  72  which is yieldably urged from the inoperative position, illustrated in chain lines in  FIG. 4 , to the operative electrical energizing position, illustrated in solid lines in  FIG. 4 , when the socket connector  19  is axially moved into the storage holder  40  and is electrically connected to the mating male connector  60  disposed in the storage device  40 . 
   The male connector  60  may be referred to as a “dummy plug” for stowing the pigtail connector A as the blades  61  are not normally electrically connected to the trailer circuitry  13  unless a short circuiting switch  75  is intentionally closed. The male coupling or connector  60  for energizing the lights  12  and  14  of the abandoned vehicle, includes blades, generally designated  61  and more particularly individually designated  62 ,  63 ,  64 ,  62 A,  63 A and  64 A which are slidably received in female receptacles  25 ,  20 ,  22 ,  25 A,  20 A and  22 A, respectively, as schematically illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
   The apparatus  10  also includes a circuit completion system, generally designated  80  ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ), which includes a line  82  electrically coupled to the blades  62  and  64 . The line  82  includes the normally opened switch  75  and a fuse  77 . The circuit line  82 , via the plug blades  62 ,  63 , and  64  and the mating female socket terminals  25 ,  20  and  22 , thus electrically connects the trailer battery  28  to the lights  12  and  14 . The normally open short circuit switch  75  can be manually operated to complete an electrical circuit from the battery  28  and independent circuit line  26  to the trailer lights  12  and  14  via independent circuit lines  16  and  18  so that the lights  12  and  14  can be selectively energized or de-energized as necessary and desirable. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the female sockets  25 A,  20 A and  22 A are illustrated as being electrically connected to clearance lamp  86 , head or tail lamps  12 A and right turn signal lamp  14 A via circuit lines  85 ,  16 A and  18 A, respectively, and to female sockets  25 ,  20  and  22  via circuit lines  83 A and  83 B,  83 A, and  84 , respectively. 
   THE OPERATION AND METHOD 
   When the trailer T is coupled to the draft vehicle V, the trailer pigtail or female socket coupler or connector  19  is coupled to the tow vehicle male coupler or pigtail  19 A, as illustrated in chain lines in  FIG. 1 . When the tow vehicle V is disconnected from the trailer T, the trailer pigtail connector or female socket  19  is decoupled the tow vehicle V and moved from the vehicle coupling position, illustrated in chain lines in  FIG. 1 , to the inoperative position illustrated in solid lines in  FIG. 1  axially aligned with the opening O in the storage unit  40 . 
   The trailer connector  19  is then moved axially inwardly into the opening or the storage unit  40  until it is received by the male connector  60  with male blades  61  radially outwardly urging the female socket terminal legs  72  to the position illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
   When it is desired to electrically operate the lamps  12  and  14  of the abandoned trailer T, the normally open hand operated switch  75  is closed to short circuit male terminal blades  62 ,  63  and  64  so that electrical power will flow from the trailer battery  28  via circuit line  26  to the female socket  25 , thence to the male blade  62 , circuit lines  82  and  83  to sockets  20 ,  22 ,  25 A,  20 A and  22 A, so that all of the lamps  12 ,  12 A,  14 ,  14 A and  86  are lighted. 
   It should be further understood that although the trailer pigtail  19  is illustrated as being a female socket and the vehicle connector  19 A and the stowing plug  60  are illustrated as being male, it should be understood they could be reversed such that the trailer mounted pigtail connector  19  was a male connector and the vehicle connector  19 A and the stowing plug  19  are female sockets. 
   It is to be understood that the drawings and descriptive matter are in all cases to be interpreted as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, rather than as limiting the same in any way, since it is contemplated that various changes may be made in various elements to achieve like results without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.