APPARATUS FOR CARRYING A LOAD ON A ROOF OF A VEHICLE

Abstract: Apparatus (2) for carrying a load (4) on a roof (6) of a vehicle (8), which apparatus (2) comprises a roof rack (10) and a cover assembly (12) which is for covering a load (4) carried by the roof rack (10): the roof rack (10) comprising a frame (14) for supporting the load (4), and fixing means (16) for fixing the frame (14) to the roof (6) of the vehicle (8); and the cover assembly (12) comprising a roller (22), mounting means (24) for mounting the roller (22), a web (26) of flexible sheet-like material wound on the roller (22), and attachment means (28) secured to a free end (30) of the web (26) for enabling the web (26) to be secured over a load (4) during use of the apparatus (2), characterised in that the cover assembly (12) is mounted to the frame (14) of the roof rack (10) between a pair of side members (18) which form longitudinal sides of the roof rack, and characterised in that the cover assembly (12) does not contain a housing for the web (26) so that the web (26) is uncovered when it is in a rolled storage condition on the roller (22).

Description: APPARATUS FOR CARRYING A LOAD ON A ROOF OF A VEHICLE This invention relates to apparatus for carrying a load on a roof of a vehicle. In my UK Patent Specification No.2273481 there is disclosed apparatus for carrying a load on a roof of a vehicle. The apparatus comprises a roof rack and a cover assembly which is for covering a load carried by the roof rack. The roof rack comprises a frame for supporting the load, and fixing means for fixing the frame to the roof of the vehicle. The cover assembly comprises a roller, mounting means for mounting the roller, a web of flexible sheet-like material wound on the roller, and attachment means secured to a free end of the web for enabling the web to be secured over a load during use of the apparatus. As shown in Figure 7 of UK Patent Specification No.2273481, the cover assembly is preferably separate from the roof rack. Whilst such an arrangement works satisfactorily, it is expensive to manufacture in that separate mounting means are required for mounting the cover assembly and this increases manufacturing costs. Also, the web has to be manufactured longer than it needs to be insofar as the web has to extend over the gap between the cover assembly and the roof rack. Manufacturing costs are thus further increased. The drawings of U.K. Patent Specification No. 2273481 show the cover assembly as one in which the web and the roller are housed in a housing. Whilst the housing looks neat, it again increases manufacturing costs. It has been realised that in order to sell the apparatus, it has to be manufactured and sold at the lowest possible price. In particular, if the presence of the cover assembly causes the apparatus to cost substantially more than the cost of a roof rack on its own, then people will just not buy the apparatus. It is therefore an aim of the present invention to modify the apparatus disclosed in U.K. Patent Specification No. 2273481 such that the apparatus is able to be produced more cheaply and at a price which makes the sale of the apparatus a commercial reality. Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for carrying a load on a roof of a vehicle, which apparatus comprises a roof rack and a cover assembly which is for covering a load carried by the roof rack: the roof rack comprising a frame for supporting the load, and fixing means for fixing the frame to the roof of the vehicle; and the cover assembly comprising a roller, mounting means for mounting the roller, a web of flexible sheet¬ like material wound on the roller, and attachment means secured to a free end of the web for enabling the web to be secured over a load during use of the apparatus, characterised in that the cover assembly is mounted to the frame of the roof rack between a pair of side members which form longitudinal sides of the roof rack, and characterised in that the cover assembly does not contain a housing for the web so that the web is uncovered when it is in a rolled storage condition on the roller. The mounting of the cover assembly to the frame saves on mounting components that would otherwise be necessary if the cover assembly were to be mounted separately from the frame. The manufacture of the cover assembly such that it does not contain the housing enables further manufacturing savings on the overall cost of the cover assembly. Still further, without the housing, the cover assembly may look less bulky than it would otherwise do. Also, the web is always visible and this may be attractive to buyers if the web is attractively coloured. The vehicle will usually be a road vehicle but other types of vehicle may be provided with the apparatus of the present invention if desired. Thus, for example, the apparatus of the present invention may be provided on the top of a cabin of a boat. The fixing means for fixing the frame to the roof of the vehicle will usually be a releaseable fixing means. However, if desired, the fixing means may permanently fix the frame to ttie roof of the vehicle. The roller is preferably a spring-loaded roller which is spring biased to a position in which the web is wound on the roller. The attachment means preferably comprises a bar which is locateable at each of its each ends in a pair of notches formed in the frame. Other types of attachment means may be employed. Preferably, the apparatus includes a toothed wheel on at least one end of the roller, the teeth on the toothed wheel being for receiving the attachment means when the web is to be wound tight on the roller in the rolled storage condition, and the toothed wheel being for use in winding the web tight. Thus the provision of the toothed wheel enables the web to be wound tight on the roller in the storage condition. will thus be no slack in the web such as might flap in the wind as the vehicle is moving. The tight rolling of the web in the storage condition is preferred since there is no housing to hide any slack material. Preferably, the toothed wheel has a plurality of apertures for receiving a locking pin for locking the toothed wheel in a fixed position when the web has been secured over a load and the roller has been rotated to tighten the web. The use of the locking pin ensures that the web stays rolled tight and this is advantageous when the roller is a spring-loaded roller because the spring force is at a minimum when the web is in the rolled storage condition. Preferably, the apertures are in the teeth of the toothed wheel. The apertures may be otherwise positioned if desired. Preferably there is one of the toothed wheels at each end of the roller. The use of the aperture and locking pin system helps to avoid the need for securing straps for securing the web over a load. Advantageously, the apparatus is one in which the locking pin has a flange, and in which the flange is such that it fits between the toothed wheel and the frame when the locking pin is in one of the apertures, thereby to trap the pin and prevent the pin working loose and accidentally falling out of the aperture. The toothed wheel rotates back slightly when a person rotating the handle device lets go of the handle device. This slight backwards rotation causes the flange to get trapped between the toothed wheel and the frame. Usually, the locking pin will be attached to the remainder of the apparatus by a retainer member such for example as a chain. The apparatus of the present invention advantageously includes at least one strip of moulded plastics interlocking material along an outer face of each of the side members, and at least one strip of the moulded plastics interlocking material on adjacent parts of the web. The moulded plastics interlocking material is preferably that sold under the registered trade mark VELCRO. At each required position, one long strip of the moulded plastics interlocking material may be employed, or several shorter strips arranged in line. The apparatus may be one in which the web is reinforced with reinforcing wires. The reinforcing wires help to protect the load if the web is cut by thieves intent on stealing the load. The roof rack has the side members which form sides of the roof rack and thus make it difficult for thieves to slide a load out sideways. The reinforcing wires help to stop thieves lifting the load up and out of the roof rack. Also, the wires help to take the strain in the web when the web is tightened over the load. Where the web is provided with the reinforcing wires, then the apparatus will usually include a lock for locking the web in its load-covering position. The rack may be of any suitable and appropriate design. Known racks may advantageously be employed, thereby helping to reduce manufacturing costs of the entire apparatus of the present invention. Any type of load as is currently carried on known roof racks may be carried on the apparatus of the present invention. The web is preferably made of a substantially inextensible material. The web may be made of a vinyl- coated textile material or it may be made of a polyamide material . Preferably the web is provided with longitudinal folds and these folds can best be seen from Figure 6 of U.K Patent Specification No. 2273481. Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of first apparatus for carrying a load on a roof of a vehicle; Figure 2 is an enlarged side vie-.* of a front part of the apparatus shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the apparatus shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged end view of a rear part of the apparatus shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a top plan view of part of the apparatus shown in Figure 1; Figure 6 is a side view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 but in a load covering condition; Figure 7 is an end view of the apparatus as shown in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a perspective view of part of second apparatus for carrying a load on a roof of a vehicle; and Figure 9 is a perspective view of part of third apparatus for carrying a load n a roof of a vehicle. Referring to Figures l - 7, there is shown apparatus 2 for carrying a load 4 on a roof 6 of a vehicle 8. The apparatus 2 comprises a roof rack 10 and a cover assembly 12 which is for covering a load 4 carried by the roof rack 10. The roof rack 10 comprises a frame 14 and fixing means 16 for fixing the frame 14 to the roof 6 of the vehicle 8. The frame 14 comprises a pair of side members 18 and transverse bars 20. The cover assembly 12 comprises a roller 22, mounting means 24 for mounting the roller 22, and a web 26 of flexible sheet-like material wound on the roller 22. The cover assembly 12 also comprises attachment means in the form of a bar 28 which is secured to a free end 30 of the web 26 and which is for enabling the web 26 to be secured over the load 4 during use of the apparatus 2. The cover assembly 12 is mounted to the frame 14 of the roof rack 10 between the pair of side members 18. The side members 18 form longitudinal sides of the roof rack 10 as can best be seen from Figure 1. The cover assembly 12 is such that it does not contain a housing for the web 26. Thus, as shown in Figure l, the web 26 is uncovered when it is in a rolled storage condition on the roller 22. By mounting the cover assembly 12 to the frame 14, the cost is saved of mounting components that would be necessary if the cover assembly 12 were to be mounted separately from the frame 14, for example nearer towards the front 32 of the roof 6 of the vehicle 8. Also, if the cover assembly 12 v/ere to be mounted separately from the roof rack 10 and nearer towards the front 32 of the roof 6 of the vehicle 8, then a longer length of the web 26 would be required to reach the rear of the roof rack 10 than is the case as shown in Figure 1. Thus, by having the cover assembly 12 as part of the roof rack 10, a saving on the length of the web 26 can be achieved, thus again enabling cheaper manufacturing costs to be attained. By having the cover assembly 12 such that it does not contain a housing for the web 26, the cost of the housing is saved so that the apparatus 2 can again be produced more cheaply than would be the case if a housing were employed. Further, by omitting the housing, the web 26 is always visible and this can be attractive if the web 26 is appropriately coloured. Still further, in some instances a housing could look bulky and, without the housing, the cover assembly 12 does not tend to look bulky. The fixing means 16 for fixing the roof rack 10 to the roof 6 of the vehicle 8 are releaseable fixing means 16. Each releaseable fixing means 16 comprises a curved bracket 34 and a clamp 36. The bracket 34 and the clamp 36 may be of any appropriate known design. The roller 22 is a spring-loaded roller which is spring biased to a position in which the web 26 is wound on the roller 22. For simplicity of illustration, in Figures 3 and 5 the roller 22 is shown without the web 26. Figure 4 shows the right hand side of the rear of the roof rack 10 shown in Figure 1. It can be seen that the bar 28 has its end located against an abutment member 38 formed on the side member 18. The other side member 18 is similarly provided with another abutment member 38 so that both ends of the bar 28 can rest against the abutment members 38 and be held in that position by the tension applied to the web 26 when it is pulled tight over the load 4. . The apparatus 2 includes a toothed wheel 40 at both ends of the roller 22. The teeth 44 on the toothed wheel 40 are for use in winding up the roller 22 to tension the web 26 when it is extended over the load 4 and also when it is stored on the roller 22. The teeth 44 on the toothed wheel 40 are also for receiving the bar 28 when the web 26 is wound tight on the roller 22 in the rolled storage condition as shown in Figure 1. The bar 28 has a knob 42 at each end for use in centralizing the bar 42 with respect to the roof rack 10. As can best be seen from Figure 2, the toothed wheels 40 have a plurality of apertures 46. These apertures 46 are for receiving a locking pin 48 as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The locking pin 48 is not shown in Figure 1. There may be a locking pin 48 at each end of the roller 22 for fitting in each of the two toothed wheels 40. The locking pin 48 is for locking its toothed wheel 40 in a fixed position when the web 26 has been secured over the load 4 and the roller 22 has been rotated to tighten the web 26. As can be seen, the apertures 46 are in the teeth 44 of the toothed wheels 40. As can best be seen from Figure 3, the locking pin 48 has a flange 50. This flange 50 is such that it fits between the toothed wheel 40.and the frame 14 when the locking pin 48 is in one of the apertures 46. The flange 50 thus gets trapped which in turn traps the locking pin 48 and prevents the locking pin 48 working loose and accidentally falling out of its aperture 46. When tension on the handle device 42 is released after winding up the web 26 to a desired tension, the toothed wheel 40 rotates back very slightly which causes the trapping of the flange 50 between the toothed wheel 40 and the frame 14. As shown in Figures 2, 4, 6 and 7 the apparatus 2 includes a strip 52 of moulded plastics interlocking material on an outer face 54 of the side members 18. The strip 52 is not shown in all Figures for simplicity of illustration. The strip 52 is preferably made of Velcro (registered trade mark) . A complementary strip 56 of the moulded interlocking plastics material is provided on an adjacent part of the web 4 so that the two strips 54, 56 can be pressed together when the web 26 is pulled over the load 4, thereby to fix the sides of the web 4 to the side members 18 of the roof rack 10. As shown in Figure 5, the roller 22 has a stub axle member 58 at one end. The other end of the roller 22 is provided with an axle member 60 which locates in a slot 62 in a cylindrical adaptor tube 64. The cylindrical adaptor tube 64 is connected to the side member 18 as shown by a rivet 65. The cylindrical adaptor tube 64 is used to locate the axle member 60, which is flat, in a fixed position in order to enable the spring in the roller 22 to be tensioned. The apparatus 2 shown in the drawings is able to be economically produced so that it can be sold at a price which is not too much higher than the cost of the roof rack 10 on its own. This means that the apparatus 2 then has a realistic chance of being sold in commercial quantities, which would not be the case if the cost of manufacturing the cover assembly 12 worked out at too much more than the cost of manufacturing the roof rack 10. The apparatus 2 can easily be used and it is effective in covering loads to protect them from the weather, and also to hold the loads in position. Still further, the apparatus 2 looks attractive, whether in its stored condition or its load-covering condition. Preferably, the web 26 is provided with longitudinal folds 66 as shown in Figure 7. These longitudinal folds enable the web 26 to be rolled flat on the roller 22. As the web 26 is pulled off the roller 22, the web 26 can then be pulled downwardly to cover the sides of the load 4 as can be best seen from Figure 7. Referring to Figure 8, similar parts as in previous Figures have been given the same reference numerals for ease of comparison and understanding. In Figure 8, the locking pin 48 of Figure 1 is shown replaced by a locking bar 70 having a locking arm 72 at each end. Each locking arm 72 terminates in a curved portion 74. The curved portions 74 locate between the teeth 44 of the toothed wheels 40. The locking bar 70 is mounted on arms 76 which pivot about a pivot 78. At the rear end of the apparatus 2, the rear securing bar 28 locks at each end into a hook member 80. Each hook member 80 is formed on the end of an arm 82 which pivots about a pivot 84. The two arms 82 are connected together by a tie bar 86 so that the arms 82 move together. The hook member 80 has an opening 88 defined by sloping sides 90 as shown. As the bar 28 enters the opening 88, the bar 28 slides down the sloping sides 90 and the arms 82 pivot upwardly when the cover 26 is tightened. This has the effect of closing the size of the opening 88 with respect to the side of the frame 14 and thus the bar 28 becomes clamped in the two hook members 80. The bar 28 is thus very rigidly secured in position and cannot inadvertently come out. Referring now to Figure 9, it will be seen that a tube 92 has been positioned over the rear lower transverse bar 20 of the frame 14 of the roof rack 10. A locking hook 94 is secured one to each end of the rear lower transverse bar 20. The locking hooks 94 may be secured in position by welding or any other suitable and appropriate means. When the rear securing bar 28 is positioned into an opening 96 in each of the side members 18, the locking hook 94 pivots upwards. The two locking hooks 94, connected together by the tube 92, move together thereby locking the rear securing bar 28 into a locked position. It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings have been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the vehicle 8 has been shown as a saloon car. The vehicle 8 may however be any other suitable and appropriate type of vehicle including an estate car or a van. The roof rack 10 may be of any suitable and appropriate design. Other designs may also be employed for the cover assembly 12 so that, for example, the mounting means 24 may be a mounting means having parts which are formed as part of the frame 14 during manufacture of the frame 14. With such a mounting means, the slot 62 may be formed in the frame 14.

Claims: C AIMS 1. Apparatus for carrying a load on a roof of a vehicle, which apparatus comprises a roof rack and a cover assembly which is for covering a load carried by the roof rack: the roof rack comprising a frame for supporting the load, and fixing means for fixing the frame to the roof of the vehicle; and the cover assembly comprising a roller, mounting means for mounting the roller, a web of flexible sheet-like material wound on the roller, and attachment means secured to a free end of the web for enabling the web to be secured over a load during use of the apparatus, characterised in that the cover assembly is mounted to the frame of the roof rack between a pair of side members which form longitudinal sides of the roof rack, and characterised in that the cover assembly does not contain a housing for the web so that the web is uncovered when it is in a rolled storage condition on the roller. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the fixing means for fixing the frame to the roof of the vehicle is a releaseable fixing means. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the roller is a spring-loaded roller which is spring biased to a position in which the web is wound on the roller. 4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the attachment means comprises a bar which is locateable in each of its ends in a pair of notches formed in the frame. 5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims and including a toothed wheel on at least one end of the roller, the teeth on the toothed wheel being for receiving the attachment means when the web is to be wound tight on the roller in the rolled storage condition, and the toothed wheel being for use in winding the web tight. 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the toothed wheel has a plurality of apertures for receiving a locking pin for locking the toothed wheel in a fixed position when the web has been secured over a load and the roller has been rotated to tighten the web. 7. Apparatus according to claim 6 in which the apertures are in the teeth of the toothsd wheel. 8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 - 7 in which the locking pin is a flange, and in which the flange is such that it fits between the toothed wheel and the frame when the locking pin is in one of the apertures, thereby to trap the pin and prevent the pin working loose and accidentally falling out of the aperture. 9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 6 - 9 in which the locking pin is attached to the remainder of the apparatus by a retainer member. 10. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims and including at least one strip of moulded plastics interlocking material along an outer face of each of the side members, and at least one strip of moulded plastics interlocking material on adjacent parts of the web. 11. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the web is reinforced with reinforcing wires. 12. Apparatus according to claim 11 and including a lock for locking the web in its load-covering position. 13. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the web is made of a substantially inextensible material. 14. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the web is provided with longitudinal folds.

Inventors: EGLINTON DANNY JOHN, EGLINTON, DANNY, JOHN
Applicants: EGLINTON DANNY JOHN, EGLINTON, DANNY, JOHN
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B60R9
IPC codes: B60R9