Anchor bracket assembly with adjustable pin

An anchor bracket assembly is described for securing loads on top of passenger vehicles when used in conjunction with a user-supplied cam buckle strap or ratchet strap. The anchor bracket assembly includes a bracket body, an adjustable load pin, and a means to secure position of the adjustable load pin. The assembly may also include a seal, a backing plate, and mounting hardware. The benefits of the invention include the ability to retain a load hook when tension is released on the strap, and design elements that ensure that mounting bolts do not rotate in the bore holes if the mounting nuts work loose. The design is of sufficient dimensions to enable mounting on composite bodies to distribute loads over a wide area and avoid mechanical failure of the composite body at the mounted location.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This present disclosure relates generally to mounting brackets to secure loads, and in particular to mounting brackets that can be attached to passenger vehicles to secure occasional loads such as waterproof travel bags, kayaks, or canoes.

PRIOR ART

One common means of securing occasional loads on automobiles is to attach a permanent cross bar assembly to the roof of the vehicle, and then attach the occasional loads to the permanent cross member(s). This setup offers both convenience and ease of loading but suffers from high initial cost and slight loss of performance due to wind resistance of the permanently attached cross member.

A simpler method to secure an occasional load on an automobile consists in putting some sort of soft padding between the load and the automobile roof, and then securing the load with straps that loop through the automobile passenger doorframe. While this method is simple and has a cost advantage, the disadvantages can include a loss of environmental sealing around the door and also introduces the potential for permanent damage to door or door seal gaskets.

Prior art for permanently mounted anchor brackets often includes a d-ring to enable engagement of a hook end of a ratchet strap. This works fine as long as the tension holds the hook in the ring. However, when first securing a load, often there is no tension on the strap and the hook can fall out of the d-ring. When securing a load on top of a vehicle, this can require two people to initially secure the load, one to hold one hook in the d-ring while the other person secures the ratchet and corresponding hook on the other side of the vehicle into an opposing d-ring anchor bracket. Additionally, once the strap is removed from a vehicle, the strap and hook can fall out of the “d-ring” and land on people or pets and cause injury.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A segment of the automobile market appeals to outdoor and wilderness adventure. Many vehicles in this category come in 4 wheel drive configurations, and some include a removable top that has a composite or non-metallic structure. Owners of this vehicle class often customize their vehicle with aftermarket bumpers, lightbars, or winches. At times, these vehicles need attachment points for straps to secure loads. Owners of some models struggle to find acceptable solutions for load securement because permanent load securement devices don't exist for their particular vehicle design.

Ideally, a strap attachment system for this application would include:1. A design of the strap anchor or attachment point that distributes the load evenly and over a wide area so that the composite roof will not deflect or fail during loading.2. A design that reduces the likelihood that attachment points will “pull-out” of the thin composite roof material.3. A design that will accommodate either a cam buckle strap or a rachet strap with hooks on either end, often referred to as a motorcycle strap.4. A design such that when straps with hooks are used, the hook will not fall out of the anchor bracket when the strap tension is released.5. A design that enables the hook to be installed or removed into the anchor bracket assembly without the use of hand tools.5. A design that reduces or prevents side impacts on portions of the tensile strap, thereby preventing abrasion or cuts.6. A design that is straightforward to install and provides a good mounting surface to ensure environmental sealing, thereby preventing leaks into the interior of the vehicle.

The invention discussed in this disclosure provides solutions to each of the six desired criteria listed above. The invention comprises a bracket body, an adjustable load pin, and a means to secure placement of the adjustable load pin. The bracket body has features that enable it to retain a load hook when used. The bracket body also has features that protect a load strap from abrasion near and when touching the bracket body. The bracket body also has features that enable it to conveniently mount on a flat or slightly curved surface. The adjustable load pin transfers loads from either a hook or a strap into the bracket body. The bracket body contains long bores for mounting hardware, enabling the end-user to conveniently drill holes in the mounting surface using the bracket body bores as guides. The user can easily secure the bracket body to the mounting surface with mounting hardware. The adjustable load pin can easily be partially or completely removed from the bracket body by removing a cotter pin when used. This is particularly useful when inserting a hook into the bracket body. Some embodiments of this invention may include a backing plate, a seal, and mounting hardware to facilitate rapid installation for certain applications. This simple overview only touches the highlights of the present invention.

The above summary was intended to summarize certain embodiments of the present disclosure. Embodiments will be set forth in more detail in the figures and description of embodiments below. It will be apparent, however, that the description of embodiments is not intended to limit the present inventions, the scope of which should be properly determined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an anchor bracket assembly meant to work in conjunction with a user-supplied strap or rope to secure large, and often awkward, relatively light loads on rooftops of passenger vehicles primarily. These loads consist of kayaks, canoes, and similar large bulky gear. The present invention could also be used on travel or utility trailers to provide additional attachment points for similar load securement. The anchor bracket assembly provides a fixed point for a user to attach the ends of either a rope, cam buckle strap, or a ratchet strap containing hooks as those familiar in the art of vehicle load securement will understand.

According to one embodiment of the invention as illustrated inFIG.1, an anchor bracket assembly10includes a bracket body16, an adjustable load pin22, and a cotter pin23. The purpose of the cotter pin23is to secure the location of the adjustable load pin22inside the bracket body16as shown inFIG.1. Alternate embodiments not shown could also include an adjustable load pin22of a different design meant to lock in place with an included spring-loaded ball or a twist-tab lock incorporated into the adjustable load pin22, replacing the function of and eliminating the need for the cotter pin23.

Alternate embodiments will also be disclosed and discussed in more detail. In a first alternate embodiment of the invention as illustrated inFIG.2, the anchor assembly includes the elements of the embodiment illustrated inFIG.1and also includes a load hook30.

FIG.11,FIG.12andFIG.13show an alternate embodiment of the invention that includes the bracket body16, the adjustable load pin22, the cotter pin23, a backing plate62, a seal64, a bolt(s)57, a washer(s)60, and a nut(s)58.

It should be noted that each embodiment of the invention described in this disclosure contains the bracket body16, and each embodiment in this disclosure feature the same bracket body16design. Therefore, a feature of the bracket body16described in one embodiment should be understood to exist in each bracket body16contained in any embodiment of the invention.

Referring toFIG.1,FIG.3andFIG.4, the anchor bracket assembly10contains many useful features to enable the invention to secure loads using commonly available strapping solutions such as cam buckle straps or ratchet straps. The bracket body16has an upper cavity wall40, a strap slot43, an upper mounting hole28, a lower mounting hole29, a middle cavity wall52, a lower cavity wall54, a recessed hook slot33, an upper hook stop surface39, a front face42, a pin cross-hole37, a lower hook inner stop surface45, and a lower hook outer stop surface48.

The invention has several useful features when combined with a cam buckle strap for load securement. Those skilled in the art of cartop loading will be familiar with cam buckle straps or ratchet straps. Referring now toFIG.1andFIG.3, the bracket body16is symmetrical about a vertical plane parallel to, and bisecting midway between, the upper mounting holes28and the lower mounting holes29. Through this symmetry, it is to be understood that there is a left and right upper cavity wall40, a left and right middle cavity wall52, and a left and right lower cavity wall54. The present invention incorporates several design features to enable easy and secure use of cam buckle straps. The non-buckle end of a cam buckle strap can be easily inserted into the strap slot43, wrapped around the adjustable load pin22, and then pulled back on top of itself. As seen inFIG.3, the left and right middle cavity walls52creates a slightly wider cavity to enable fingers to push the end of a load strap around the adjustable load pin22. This wider cavity also reduces the likelihood that a strap will get pinched between the bracket body16and the adjustable load pin22as the strap experiences movement due to tension or shifting loads. In addition, the height of the upper cavity wall40as seen inFIG.3creates a barrier from foreign bodies that might abrade or rub against a strap secured around the adjustable load pin22. The wide stance between the upper mounting holes28and the lower mounting holes29enable the bracket to absorb and transmit a lower torque load to the mounting surface. This is an important feature, especially if the mounting surface is a non-metallic composite material with limited mechanical properties.

FIG.2is a representative embodiment of the invention when the hook30is used to engage with the bracket body16. The user may install the hook30into the bracket body16and then slide the adjustable load pin22through the pin cross-hole37and then secure the position of the adjustable load pin22with the cotter pin23. The position of the adjustable load pin22with respect to the hook30effectively locks the large end of the hook30into the recessed hook slot33, a design feature of the bracket body16as shown inFIG.1. This limits the lateral or side-to-side movement of the hook30. With the hook30secure in a first bracket assembly10, the user is then able to throw the free end of a load strap over the intended load and walk around the vehicle to secure a second hook30into a second anchor bracket assembly10in similar fashion.

FIG.5is a side view of the embodiment ofFIG.1in which the cotter pin23is clearly visible. The depth of the bracket body shields the cotter pin23from hanging out in space which is important if the bracket body16is mounted adjacent to a passenger vehicle door. The design of the anchor bracket assembly10enables the cotter pin23to remain generally static relative to the bracket body16because if the adjustable load pin22tries to rotate, one of the ends of the cotter pin23will begin to contact the mounted surface (adjacent to the left side ofFIG.5), preventing further rotation.

The present invention incorporates several design features to eliminate unintended hook disengagement from the bracket body. Referring toFIG.1,FIG.2,FIG.3, andFIG.4, the means to secure the hook30in place will be explained. The open end of the hook30is positioned flush with, and constrained in sideways movement by, the recessed hook slot33. Upwards vertical movement of the hook30is constrained by the adjustable load pin22and the upper hook stop surface39acting independently or together, depending on the shape of the particular hook used. Correspondingly, downward vertical movement of the hook30is limited by engagement of the hook30with the lower hook inner stop surface45and/or the lower hook outer stop surface48.

Referring now to an alternate embodiment as seen inFIG.11,FIG.12andFIG.13, the typical use case involves first permanently mounting the bracket body16onto a vehicle or trailer. In a typical use case, the bracket body16is oriented so that the strap slot43is up and the adjustable load pin22is generally horizontal. The user would place the bracket body16at the desired mount location and use a drill to create holes in the mounting surface (not shown) corresponding to the diameter of the upper mounting holes28and the lower mounting holes29and then secure the entire assembly to the vehicle by arranging the assembly as shown inFIG.13, making sure that the mounting surface is located between the seal64and the backing plate62. An effective environmental seal is created as the user tightens each nut58onto the corresponding bolt57, thereby compressing the seal64against both the bracket back surface and the adjacent mounting surface.

Referring toFIG.3,FIG.6,FIG.7andFIG.8, one advantage of the present invention is to distribute torque loads more effectively to reduce stress in the mounted surface.FIG.8shows a section view illustrating how the hook30engages with the bracket body16and the adjustable load pin22. A force vector55represents a tensile load created by a load strap or load rope attached to a smaller loop end of the hook30. InFIG.8, there is a moment created which wants to rotate the bracket body16clockwise due to the orientation of the force vector55relative to the mounting surface. By designing the bracket body16with four mounting holes and a distance between the upper mounting holes28and the lower mounting holes29which is greater than the space between the upper mounting holes28or the lower mounting holes29, the tall stature of the bracket body16interacts with the mounting surface and more effectively resists the rotating moment, thereby reducing the overall stress induced on the mounted surface structure.

Another feature of the bracket body16provides gentler stresses on the mounted surface. As seen inFIG.9andFIG.10, the extensive depth of the upper mounting holes28and the lower mounting holes29ensure that the orientation of an assembly bolt inserted into one of said mounting holes will remain essentially constant with a bracket back surface41. This is possible because of the stiff nature of the bracket body16material and the way the walls of the mounting holes interact at different points along the bolt to keep the orientation of the bolt generally in line with the borehole axis of the mounting holes. This helps prevent the attachment hardware from rotating and pulling out of the mounted surface should the attachment joint begin to loosen.

An important feature of any permanently attached anchor bracket is that it fit the aesthetic of the vehicle it is mounted to. In the preferred embodiment, the material of the bracket body16is a plastic material with a textured surface on the front face42, reducing any glare and blending the texture of the front face42to that of the mounted surface.

Numerous characteristics and advantages of have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with the details of structure and function. Many of the novel features are pointed out in the appended claims. The disclosure, however, is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of size, shape, and arrangement of parts, indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the general claims are expressed. It is noted that the term pin is used in the generic sense, and any hardware useful for the purpose of functioning as a pin may be substituted. It is further noted that, as used in this application, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless expressly and unequivocally limited to one referent.