LUGGAGE CARRIER APPARATUS

Abstract: Luggage carrier apparatus for vehicles includes a pair of spaced elongated compressible, resilient channel members (15), each member having an upper surface (65) and a lower surface (66) and a longitudinal open channel (64) in the upper surface (65); a pair of roof gutter engaging hook elements (16) each having three parallel strap engaging slots (59) and a snap-on protective liner (62); an elongated strap (18) adapted to lie in the channel members (15) and extend laterally across the automobile top compressing the lower surfaces (66) of the support members (15) against the vehicle top (12) and be adjustably attachable to the hook elements (16); and a two-piece separable buckle (17) adapted to receive the opposite ends of the strap (18) each of which is adjustably positionable in the buckle in frictional nonslipping engagement therewith while holding the two pieces (19) and (20) of buckle (17) together in nonseparable engagement.

Description: LUGGAGE CARRIER APPARATUS TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a luggage carrier apparatus for attachment to the roof of an automobile, and more particu¬ larly it relates to such an apparatus having improved compon¬ ents which render the apparatus easy to attach or detach from the automobile roof without damage to the finish. BACKGROUND ART Automobiles have for many years been manufactured with luggage racks on the top of the vehicle. For those vehicles without luggage racks, however, inventors have pro¬ vided various systems and combination devices which can be attached to the top of the automobile to serve as a temporary luggage carrier. For the most part, these systems and de¬ vices involve some type of hook means for attachment to the roof gutters, to the doors, or to the door frame' and a plat¬ form resting on the automobile top and held in place by straps connecting the platform to the hook means. These systems and devices of the prior art have all suffered from one or more deficiencies which rendered them commercially unattractive. For example, the system might be too heavy, too cumbersome for easy assembly and disassembly, too costly, too unstable, or too abrasive for the finish. Furthermore, per¬ manently installed luggage carriers destroy the streamlined contour of a car and produce an air drag causing an increase in fuel consumption. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved luggage carrier apparatus that is easily attach¬ able to or detachable from the automobile. It is another object to provide such an apparatus which will not mar the finish of the automobile. It is still another object to pro¬ vide a novel apparatus wiqh an improved buckle means that will not permit slippage or undesired loosening of the cinching straps holding the luggage in place. Still other objects will become apparent from the more detailed descrip¬ tion which follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a luggage carrier apparatus for releaseable attachment to an automobile top holding longi¬ tudinal rain gutters thereon, characterized by having: (1) a pair of elongated compressible, resilient channel members, each member having an upper surface and a lower surface and a longitudinal open channel in the upper surface; (2) a pair of roof gutter engaging hook elements; (3) strap means adapted to lie in said channel members and extend laterally across the automobile top com¬ pressing said lower surfaces of said support members against said automobile top; and be adjustably attachable to said hook elements; and (4) a two-piece separable buckle member adapted to receive two ends respectively of said strap means each of which is adjustably positionable in said buckle member in frictional nonslipping engagement therewith while holding said two pieces together in nonseparable engagement. This invention also relates to such a luggage carrying apparatus having a strap engaging two-piece separ¬ able buckle comprising an inner element and an outer element which mutually interlock with each other, when positioned longitudinally, said outer element being generally rec¬ tangular and having a central lengthwise aperture of suffi¬ cient size for said inner element to pass therethrough edge¬ wise, said inner element being generally I-shaped with a midsection narrower than the width of said aperture and the two end sections wider than the width of said aperture, and cooperating means in both ends of both elements for threading a strap therethrough to hold the respective juxtaposed ends of said elements together and to cinch the strap in a nonslip frictional engagement with itself and holding said elements together in nonseparable engagement when said strap extends longitudinally from each end of said buckle and is under tensile force. This invention also relates to such a luggage carrying apparatus having a strap engaging hook for attach¬ ment to an automobile roof gutter comprising a leg portion, a foot portion at substantially right angles to said leg portion, and a toe portion at substantially right angles to said foot portion, said leg portion including at least three strap-engaging slots, said hook having the inside roof gutter engaging surface of the hook covered with a material non- abrasive to paint. This" invention also relates to such a luggage carrying apparatus comprising two combinations of a buckle, a strap, two channel support members, and two automobile roof gutter engaging hooks, the combinations characterized by a strap threaded through said two spaced hooks being nonabra- sive to paint and having at least three spaced parallel strap receiving slots for fixing said hooks by frictional engage¬ ment into a nonslip selected position on said strap; two cooperating buckle elements attached to said strap at the ends thereof, said buckle elements being fastenable to each other by passing one element edgewise halfway through a central aperture in the other element and rotating the one element 90° to lock the two elements together when under tensile force, said elements being attached to said strap by threading said strap through slots and around bars aligned with said slots and around juxtaposed ends of said elements to produce frictional nonslip engagement of said strap with it¬ self and to fasten the two elements together in a nonsepar¬ able engagement; and two elongated compressible resilient expanded elastomeric channel support members being generally rectangular in cross section and having a lengthwise strap receiving open channel in the upper surface thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The novel features believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the ap¬ pended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with fur¬ ther objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the luggage carrier of this invention attached to an automobile. FIG. 2-is a perspective view of the buckle of this invention. " FIG. 3- is a cross-sectional view taken at A-A of FIG. 2 and showing the path of the strap threaded through * the buckle in assembled and locked position. FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the inner element of the buckle of FIG. 2. FIG. 5. is an end elevational view of the element of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken at B-B of FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the outer element of the buckle of FIG. 2. FIG. 8' is an end elevational view of the element of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken at C-C of FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is an- end elevational view of the hook member of this invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken at D-D of FIG. 10 with a strap threaded through the member. FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of the channel OMPI _ support member of this invention. FIG. 13 is an end elevational view of the channel support member of FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is a rear elevational view of the system of this invention on the top of an automobile. DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND BEST MODE OF THE INVENTION The use of the luggage carrier of this invention can be seen in FIG. 1. An automobile 10 with a longitudinal rain gutter 11 running along each side of the automobile top 12 is the vehicle illustrated for attachment of the luggage carrier of this invention. Two identical combinations 13 of equip¬ ment are generally fastened laterally across the automobile top 12/ one across the front of top 12 and one across the rear of top 12, the spacing between the two being sufficient to provide a stable seating for luggage 14. Each combination 13 includes two channel support members 15, two hook members 16, a buckle 17, and a strap 18. Channel support members 15 are spaced apart laterally across automobile top 12 with their channels aligned so that strap 18 may be laid therein to press members 15 against automobile top 12. Luggage 14 rests on the top surfaces of members 15 without the necessity (in most instances) for any platform. Channel members 15 are compressible resilient articles preferably made of a foamed or expanded plastic or elastomer, such as foamed or expanded polyethylene or foamed or expanded polyurethane. Then mater¬ ials are not abrasive to the enamel finish of the automobile and therefore may be placed directly on the finish. Strap 18 [fx EA is threaded through hook members 16 and the ends of strap 18 are attached to buckle 17. Strap 18, when tightened through buckle 17 presses channel members tightly against automobile top 12 and lashes down luggage 14 against the top of channel members 15. It may be seen that this system of two combina¬ tions of equipment is light in weight, easy to store, and easy to assemble or disassemble. In FIGS. 2-9 there are shown the features of buckle 17. Buckle 17 comprises an inner element 19 and an outer element 20 which nest together when assembled (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) to assume the shape of a regular prism. Each element 19 and 20 is generally rectangular in shape and they are assembled or disassembled by rotating inner element 19 approximately 90° from the position shown in FIG. 2 which allows inner element 19 to pass edgewise through central- aperture 21 of outer element 20. When assembled as in FIG. 2 and a tensile force is applied pulling inner element 19 in the direction of arrow 22 and outer element 20 in the direction of arrow 23, elements 19 and 20 will not separate because of the configurations of these two elements as de¬ scribed below. Inner element 19 is shown in detail in FIGS. 4-6. This portion of buckle 17 has a first end portion 24 and a second end portion 25 joined by a connecting idsection 26. End portions 24 and 25 are parallel to each other but are not coplanar; each is at a different elevation. The two end portions 24 and 25 are joined to each other by an angularly disposed midsection 26, generally forming a stair step configuration. Element 19, when viewed from above (see FIG. 4) has a narrower midsection 26 than end portions 24 and 25, generally forming an I-shaped piece. In first end portion 24 there is a lateral slot 27 through end portion 24 to serve as a passageway for strap 18. In second end portion 25 there also is a lateral slot 28 through end portion 25 to serve as a passageway for strap 18. Slot 27 is narrower than slot 28 for reasons which will become apparent in the description of FIG. 3 below. First end portion 24 also has two outwardly projecting lugs 29 which fit around the ends of wall 33 and allow surface 67 to bear against surface 30 when buckle 17 is tightly cinched, but leaves a space 31 for threading strap 18 therethrough before cinching. Outer element 20 is shown in detail in FIGS. 7-9. This element comprises two lengthwise side walls 32 and two lateral end walls 33 enclosing a generally rectangular cen¬ tral aperture 21. Similarly to the configuration of inner element 19, outer element 20 has a first end portion 34 and a second end portion 35 joined by an angularly disposed con¬ necting midsection 36. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the angularly disposed midsections 26 of element 19 and 36 of element 20 are oriented in opposite directions from each other so they may be nested together in a locked position when assembled as in FIGS. 2 and 3. End portions 34 and 35 are generally parallel to each other but not coplanar. The amount of offset of end portions 24 and 25 in element 19 is substantially the same as the offset of end portions 34 and 35 in element 20, or in other words thickness 37 (FIG. 5) is substantially the same as thickness 38 (FIG. 8) . This allows elements 19 and 20 to be assembled into the shape of a reg¬ ular prism. Element 20 has two lugs 39 at the junctures of walls 32 and 33 in second end portion 35 which permits sur¬ face 40 of wall 33 to be in line with slot 28 of element 19 when assembled. This feature is important in threading strap 18 through buckle 17 as explained below. Element 20 also preferably includes tongue 41 projecting outwardly from wall 33 of end portion 34. Tongue 41 serves as a finger grip tab for releasing the tension on strap 18 so that it may be dis¬ assembled from buckle 17, and also is a convenient location for a trademark or other identification of the manufacturer. Central aperture 21 has a greater length 42 than the width 43 of element 19 which permits element 19 to be inserted edgewise halfway into aperture 21 and then rotated so as to be nested with element 20 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. When nested shoulders 44 of element bear against forward surface 45 of midsection 36 of element 20 and shoulders 46 bear against the rear surface 47 of midsection 36 of element 20 to prevent elements 19 and 20 from separation. This fastening arrangement is made into a strong locking engagement when strap 18 is threaded through the appropriate openings to lash elements 19 and 20 together as shown in FIG. 3. The manner in which strap 18 is threaded through elements 19 and 20 to make a locked buckle is shown in FIG. 3. Strap portions 48 represent a length of strap 18 that extends from each side of buckle 17 around the luggage 14, through two gutter hooks 16, and across two resilient channel members 15 as depicted in FIG. 1. Strap ends 49 and 50 are the free ends of strap 18. Strap end 50 is threaded upward through slot 28, past the inside surface 53 of rear end wall 33, down the outside surface of rear end wall 33 through slot 28, upward around the outside of end portions 25 and 35, and downward over the outside of strap 18 on inside surface 53 and out through slot 28. This first threading of strap 18 through buckle 17 need not be done while there is any tensile force on strap 18. The tightening and cinching of strap end 49 through the other end of buckle 17 is the final action in tightening strap 18 around luggage 14. Strap end 49 is threaded upwardly through central aperture 21 and slot 27, down through space 31, around tongue 41, down over the out¬ side of strap 18 in slot 27, and out through aperture 21. Strap end 49 is then pulled tightly to cinch luggage 14 against ' channel members 15. Frictional engagement between contiguous portions of strap 18 at 51 and 52 produces a non¬ slip engagement and strap 18 wrapped around both ends of elements 19 and 20 insures that these elements will not sep¬ arate. There also is a wedging action of buckle elements against strap 18 when the strap is fully threaded into buckle 17 and placed under tension. Wedging action is produced be¬ tween surface 67 and surface 30 at one end of buckle 17 as well as between the opposing portions at 68 at the other end of buckle 17. It is to be noted that even though certain solid portions of buckle 17 were to break while strap 18 is fully threaded therethrough, the buckle will not separate. For example, if one of walls 32 were to break the buckle would still not separate because of the lashing of inner element 19 to outer element 20. Hook members 16 for engagement with the rain gutters 11 on an automobile are shown in detail in FIGS. 10 and 11. Metal hook member 54 is covered on its inside surface and it.s edges by nonabrasive coating member 55. A preferred embodi¬ ment is for hook member 54 and coating member 55 to comprise a leg portion 56, a foot portion 57 approximately at right angles to leg portion 56, and a to^e portion 58 approximately at right angles to foot portion 57 so as to form an L-shaped article. In leg portion 56 there are a plurality (three shown in FIGS. 10-11) of slots 59 of a size to receive strap 18 threaded therethrough as shown in FIG. 11. Hook member ' 54 preferably is made of steel for strength and comprises a wide flat strip bent in two. locations to make foot portion 57 and tow portion 58. Nonabrasive cover 55 is preferably made of polyethylene or any other moldable thermoplastic or elastomeric material that is not abrasive to paint. Cover 55 fits over the inside surface and the edges of hook member 54, and preferably is attached to hook member 54 by a snap-on fastening. In the embodiment shown here there are two tongues 60 which project backwards from stiffening ribs 61 and engage the edges of two of slots 59. Furthermore, cover 55 is fashioned with edges 62 to engage the respective edges of hook member 54 and also to protect against any possibility that the edges of hook member 54 will scratch the finish of the automobile top. For ease in manufacture and in assembly of cover 55 onto hook member 54, the corners of cover 55 are made of thin sections 63 that bend easily and function as a OMPI hinge with sufficiently large radii to reduce the stresses on thin sections 63. In FIGS. 12-13 there is shown the structure of channel support members 15. These members are generally long pieces of rectangular cross section with a longitudinal open channel 64 on upper surface 65 of the member. Lower surface 66 rests on the automobile top 12. The width of channel 64 is sufficient to receive strap 18 therein. The height of member 15 (i.e., distance from lower surface 66 to upper surface 65) is sufficient to support the luggage thereon without sufficient distortion of member 15 to make channel unusable as a keeper for strap 18 or as a support for luggage 14. If support member 15 is made of expanded polyethylene, expanded polyurethane or other -stiff foamed elastomeric ma¬ terial, as is preferable, these members are about 12 inches long with a rectangular cross section of about 2-3 inches on a side. FIG. 14 shows how the various component parts of the apparatus of this invention are assembled to carry luggage on an automobile top. Two or more channel support members 15 are placed in line laterally across automobile top 12 with strap 18 laid in channel 64 of members 15. Strap 18 is threaded through two hook members 16 which are engaged with respective roof gutters 11 on either side of automobile top 12 and pulled tight. Slots 59 engage strap 18 in a nonslip fashion so that strap 18 may be tightened between hook mem¬ bers 16 to compress channel support members 15 against auto¬ mobile top 12 before luggage is loaded onto members 15 and before any cinching of strap 18 through buckle 17. End 50 of strap 18 is then passed over the top of luggage 14 and attached to buckle 17 as described above. End 49 of strap 18 is then threaded through buckle 17 and pulled tight to cinch strap 18 in buckle 17 with luggage 14 tightly pressed against support members 15. The compressible resiliency of members 15 will permit the upper surface 65 of members 15 to exactly match the contours of the lower part of luggage 14 and lower surface 65 of support members 15 to exactly match the contour of automobile top 12. This provides an unusually stable support for carrying luggage. An added feature of stability is that as strap 18 is tightened it pulls the free ends of hook members 16 against automobile top 12 with a portion of strap 18 between hook member 16 and top 12. The tighter strap 18 is pulled the more pressure is applied by hook member 16 to strap 18 providing an even greater nonslip strength. While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the inven¬ tion. It is intended, therefor, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. What is claimed as new and what is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

Claims: 1. A luggage carrier apparatus for releaseable attach¬ ment to a vehicle top having longitudinal roof gutters there¬ on, characterized by having: (1) a pair of elongated compressible, resilient channel support members, each member having an upper surface and a lower surface and a longitudinal open channel in the upper surface; (2) a pair of roof gutter engaging hook elements; (3) strap means adapted to lie in said channel members and extend laterally across the automobile top com¬ pressing the lower surfaces of said support members against said vehicle top and be adjustably attachable to said hook elements; and (4) a two-piece separable buckle member adapted to receive two ends respectively of said strap means each of which is adjustably positionable in said buckle member in frictional nonslipping engagement therewith while holding said two pieces together in nonseparable engagement. 2. The apparatus of Claim 1 wherein said channel sup¬ port members are expanded elastomeric articles. 3. The apparatus of Claim 2 wherein said channel sup¬ port members are expanded polyethylene or expanded poly- urethane. 4. The apparatus of Claim 1 wherein said hook elements are wide flat L-shaped members lined with a material which is nonabrasive to a painted metal surface. 5. The apparatus of Claim 4 wherein said material is polyethylene. 6. The apparatus of Claim 1 wherein said buckle com¬ prises two mutually engageable fastening elements with co¬ operating apertures for receiving said strap means at each end of said buckle member to hold both elements together in a nonseparable engagement, and to cinch said strap against itself in frictional engagement. 7. The apparatus of Claim 1 which includes two pairs of said channel members in spaced lateral parallel positions with their lower surfaces resting on said auto top, a pair of said hooks and said strap means for each pair of said channel members, and said buckle member for each said strap means; said strap means being laced through both hooks which are attached respectively to each of said gutters with said strap means being in nonslip engagement with said hooks lying in the channels of said pair of channel members pressing said lower surfaces downwardly against said automobile top, and the two ends of said strap means beyond said hooks being cinched respectively in the two pieces of said buckle member. 8. The apparatus of Claim 6 wherein said buckle has an inner element and an outer element which mutually interlock with each other when positioned longitudinally, said outer element being generally rectangular and having a central lengthwise aperture of sufficient size for said inner element to pass therethrough edgewise, said inner element being gen¬ erally I-shaped with a midsection narrower than the width of said aperture and the two end sections wider than the width of said aperture, and cooperating means in both ends of both elements for threading a strap therethrough to hold the OMPI respective juxtaposed ends of said elements together and to cinch the strap in a nonslip frictional engagement with it¬ self and holding said elements together in nonseparable engagement when said strap extends longitudinally from each end of said buckle and is under tensile force. 9. The apparatus of Claim 8 wherein said outer element has two lengthwise side walls and two lateral end walls en¬ closing a rectangular central aperture of greater length than width, and said inner element has two generally rectangular lateral end portions joined by a central longitudinal con¬ necting member of less width than the lateral length of said end portions, each end portion having a lateral slot therein of sufficient size to pass said strap ther through. 10. The apparatus of Claim 9 wherein each said element has two portions that are mutually parallel but not coplanar and are joined to each other by an angularly disposed mid¬ section such that when said elements are assembled in inter¬ locking relationship, the buckle has the shape of a rectangu¬ lar prism. 11. The apparatus of Claim 1 wherein said hook element comprises a leg portion, a foot portion at substantially right angles to said leg portion, and a toe portion at sub¬ stantially right angles to said foot portion, said leg por¬ tion including three parallel strap engaging slots, said hook having the inside gutter engaging surface of the hook covered with a material nonabrasive to paint. 12. The apparatus of Claim 11 wherein said nonabrasive material is polyethylene. 13. The apparatus of Claim 11 wherein said gutter en¬ gaging surface is a releaseable snap-on liner covering the entire inner surface of said hook and the lateral edges of said hook and having slots therethrough to coincide with the slots in the leg portion of said hook. 14. The apparatus of Claim 13 wherein said liner in¬ cludes a tongue portion extending rearwardly of said covering to frictionally engage an edge of a cooperating slot in said leg portion. 15. The apparatus of Claim 1 which comprises two combin¬ ations each of which includes a buckle, a strap, two auto¬ mobile gutter engaging hooks, and two channel support members the strap being threaded through said two spaced hooks which are nonabrasive to paint and have at least three spaced par¬ allel strap-receiving slots for fixing said hooks by fric¬ tional engagement into a nonslip selected position on said strap; the buckle comprising two cooperating buckle elements attached to said strap at the ends thereof, said buckle ele¬ ments being fastenable to each other by passing one element edgewise halfway through a central aperture in the other element and rotating the one element 90° to lock the two elements together when under tensile force, said elements being attached to said strap by threading said strap through slots and around bars aligned with said slots and around juxtaposed ends of said elements to produce frictional non¬ slip engagement of said strap with itself and to fasten the two elements together in a nonseparable engagement; and each said channel support member being an elongated compressii -SURETY OMPI resilient, expanded elastomeric article, generally rectangu¬ lar in cross section and having a lengthwise open channel in the upper surface thereof. 16. The apparatus of Claim 15 wherein each said hook has a flat wide leg portion, a flat wide foot portion at right angles to said leg portion and a flat wide toe portion at right angles to said foot portion, said leg portion including at least three strap-engaging, parallel slots therethrough and a snap-on cover for the inside surface of said hook, said cover being nonabrasive to paint. 17. The apparatus of Claim 15 wherein said buckle com¬ prises an inner element and an outer element which nest to¬ gether when assembled to produce a regular prism shape, said outer element having a generally rectangular central aperture of a length greater than the width of said inner element, said inner element having two lateral end portions each con¬ nected to a narrow central portion, said two elements, when assembled, having two spaced combinations of a slot in one said element and a coextensive bar in the other said element adapted to receive said strap through said slot and around said bar and returning oppositely through said slot. 18. The apparatus of Claim 17 wherein each said inner and outer elements have two end " portions, which are parallel but not coplanar, joined by an angularly disposed midsection, the angular dispositions of said elements being oppositely oriented when joined together in the assembled fastened arrangement. 19. The apparatus of Claim 18 wherein the two ends of said strap are threaded through opposite juxtaposed end por¬ tions, respectively, of said inner and outer elements, the path of said threaded strap being into said slot, around said bar, out of said slot, around the outer edges of both of said juxtaposed end portions, around the outside of said strap on said bar, and into and out of said slot.

Inventors: WILLIFORD NOAH W, WILLIFORD, NOAH, W.
Applicants: WILLIFORD NOAH W, WILLIFORD, NOAH, W.
Application year: 1984
Main classification: B60R9
IPC codes: B60R9