Abstract:
A system and method for forming a vehicle article carrier having a single side release crossbar assembly. The crossbar assembly includes a trigger style, horizontally arranged actuating lever that simultaneously locks and unlocks a pair of locking pins at opposite ends of the crossbar assembly from their respective support rails. The support rails are fixedly secured to an outer body surface of a vehicle such that the crossbar assembly is supported above the outer body surface. The single side release feature eliminates the need for the operator to walk back and forth to both sides of the vehicle to unlock and lock the crossbar assembly when the crossbar assembly needs to be repositioned on the support rails.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present application relates to vehicle article carrier systems, and more particularly to a vehicle article carrier system having a single sided locking mechanism with a trigger style actuating lever. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide variety of applications with various types of motor vehicles. Typically a vehicle article carrier will be disposed on the roof portion of a vehicle, or possibly in the bed of a pickup truck. In many instances the typical vehicle article carrier will include a pair of crossbars that are each supported at their opposite ends from a corresponding support track or support rail. The support rail is typically fixedly secured to an outer body surface of the vehicle. In many instances one or both of the crossbars may be adjustable; that is, one or both of the crossbars may be moveable along the support rails and locked at a desired position to enhance the utility of the crossbars in supporting various sizes and shapes of articles being carried on the crossbars. 
         [0003]    When repositioning either of the crossbars, typically the user must release some form of locking or latching arrangement at each end of the crossbar. This necessitates that the user first perform an unlocking (or unlatching) operation at one side of the vehicle, then walk to the other side of the vehicle and perform the same operation. The crossbar may then be moved along the support rails to the desired position. The user then locks (or latches) one end of the cross bar to its associated support rail and then walks around to the other side of the vehicle to perform the same action at the opposite end of the crossbar. Accordingly, the simple act of repositioning a crossbar can be somewhat cumbersome for the user. If the user uses his/her vehicle article carrier system frequently to transport articles of widely varying sizes and shapes, then the above-described unlocking and locking action must be performed each time the crossbar is repositioned. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present disclosure is related to a vehicle article carrier system and method that incorporates a single side release mechanism. The system is adapted to be used above or adjacent an outer body surface of a vehicle to support articles above the outer body surface. In one embodiment the system includes first and second support rails that are secured fixedly to the outer body surface and generally parallel to one another. Each of the support rails also includes at least one hole formed therein. 
         [0005]    The system also includes a crossbar assembly having a pair of outer ends. The outer ends are supported by the support rails so that the crossbar assembly sits above the outer body surface, and thus is able to support articles thereon above the outer body surface. The crossbar assembly includes a crossbar component having opposite ends, with first and second end supports coupled to the opposite ends. The first end support includes a first locking pin and is moveable between extended and retracted positions. The second end support includes a second locking pin and is also moveable between extended and retracted positions. When the first and second locking pins are in their extended positions, they are each able to engage a hole in their respective support rail. This enables the cross bar assembly to be fixedly secured at a specific location along the support rails. 
         [0006]    The first end support also includes a trigger shaped actuating lever adapted to be engaged with at least one finger. The actuating lever is pivotally moveable within a horizontal plane when the cross bar is secured to the support rails. The actuating lever is adapted to move the first locking pin into its extended position to engage the hole in the first support rail. This secures the first end support stationary relative to the first support rail. The actuating lever is also adapted to move the first locking pin into the retracted position, which withdraws the first locking pin from the hole in the first support rail, and thus enables the first end support to be moved relative to the first support rail. 
         [0007]    An elongated element is used for coupling the actuating lever with the locking pin in the second end support so that movement of the actuating lever enables both of the locking pins to be moved simultaneously between retracted and extended positions. Thus, the user is able to release both end supports of the crossbar assembly from engagement with the support rails simultaneously while standing adjacent one end of the cross bar assembly. The crossbar assembly can then be repositioned at a desired position along the support rails, and then locked at the newly desired position from the same side of the crossbar. Thus, there is no need for the user to walk back and forth to both sides of the crossbar assembly to accomplish unlocking, repositioning, and locking of the crossbar assembly. 
         [0008]    In one specific embodiment the elongated element comprises a cable that extends through an interior area of the crossbar assembly. At least one biasing element is included in one of the end supports to assist in biasing both of the locking pins into extended positions relative to their respective end supports. In one specific embodiment a pair of biasing elements is used, with one biasing element being disposed in each end support. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment each end support includes at least one support foot that is adapted to engage the support rail. In this regard, the support rail may include a channel having dimensions in accordance with the support foot. Optionally, but preferably, the support foot may include at least one rotationally mounted wheel to assist in enabling smooth movement of each end support along its respective support rail. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a vehicle article carrier apparatus in accordance with the present disclosure; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of one of the crossbar assemblies of the vehicle article carrier shown in  FIG. 1 , with a cable connecting a pair of locking pins at opposite end supports of the assembly shown in dashed lines; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the first one of the end supports of the crossbar assembly shown in  FIG. 2  from a bottom perspective; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4A  shows the first end support of  FIG. 3  assembled with one end of the cable coupled thereto; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of a surface of the actuating lever; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of a second one of the end supports at the opposite end of the crossbar assembly to that shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of the end support at  FIG. 5  but with a portion broken away illustrating the biasing element used to bias the locking pin held in the second end support; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is an end view of the first end support of the crossbar assembly with its associated support foot supported within its associated support rail; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a plan view of the crossbar assembly of  FIG. 2  positioned on the support rails with the locking pins in locked positions holding the crossbar assembly locked at a desired position; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a view of the crossbar assembly of  FIG. 8  but with the actuating trigger lever engaged to simultaneously retract both of the locking pins, thus enabling adjustable positioning of the crossbar assembly along the support rails. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a vehicle article carrier apparatus  10  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated supported on an outer body surface  12  of a motor vehicle  14 . In this example the motor vehicle  14  is illustrated as a sport utility vehicle (SUV), however it will be appreciated that the apparatus  10  could just as readily be employed on the roof of a van, station wagon or even over the bed of a pick-up truck. The apparatus  10  may be employed in connection with virtually any vehicle where it is desired to transport articles above the generally planar outer surface of the vehicle. 
         [0022]    The apparatus  10  includes first and second support rails  16  and  18  that are fixedly secured to the outer body surface  12  of the vehicle  14 . The support rails  16  and  18  include channels  20  and  22 , respectively. Within the channels  20  and  22  may be formed a plurality of spaced apart holes  24 . A first crossbar assembly  26  is supported by the support rails  16  and  18  above the outer body surface  12 . Similarly, a second crossbar assembly  28  is also supported by the support rails  16  and  18  above the outer body surface  12 . While two crossbar assemblies  26  and  28  have been illustrated, it will be appreciated that a greater number of crossbar assemblies could be employed if needed. Similarly, in this example, crossbar assemblies  26  and  28  are identical in construction, however, one of the crossbar assemblies  26  and  28  could be formed as a fixed component that is non-moveable relative to the support rails  16  and  18 . For the purpose of discussion, it will be assumed that crossbar assemblies  26  and  28  are identical in construction, and thus the construction of only crossbar assembly  26  will be described in detail here. Each of the crossbar assemblies  26  and  28  may be secured at the positions defined by the holes  24 , and thus may be positioned to support a wide variety or articles of different shapes and sizes thereon. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the first crossbar assembly  26  is illustrated. Crossbar assembly  26  includes a first end support  30  and a second end support  32  coupled to opposite end portions of a tubular crossbar component  34 . The end supports  30  and  32  are fixedly secured to the crossbar component  34  such that the crossbar assembly  26  forms a sturdy, unitary component suitable for supporting articles thereon. 
         [0024]    The first end support  30  includes a housing  36  having an opening  38  defined by a trigger guard  40 . Disposed within the opening  38  is a pivotally mounted trigger style actuating lever  42 . The actuating lever is supported in a horizontal plane when the crossbar assembly  26  is mounted on the support rails  16  and  18 . This provides an especially convenient, ergonomically comfortable component that can easily be engaged with one or more fingers of a hand. Movement of the actuating lever  42  in a horizontal plane further enables shorter individuals, who may have trouble lifting an actuating member in an upward direction, to easily manipulate the actuating lever. The housing  36  also includes at least one, and more preferably a pair, of support feet  44  that engage within the channel  20  of the first support rail  16  to retain the first end support  30  to the first support rail  16 . Optionally, but preferably, each support foot  44  includes at least one rotationally mounted wheel  46  for assisting in providing smooth, linear movement of the first end support  30  along the channel  20 . 
         [0025]    A first locking pin  48  is operatively coupled to the actuating lever  42  and can be moved between an extended position, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , and a retracted position when the actuating lever is manually engaged with one or more fingers of a hand of the user. The first locking pin  48  may engage a selected one of the holes  24  in the first support rail  16  to securely lock the first end support  30  at a desired position along the first support rail. 
         [0026]    Referring further to  FIG. 2 , the second end support  32  is similar in construction to the first end support  30  and also includes a housing  50  having an opening  52  formed by a trigger guard portion  54 . The housing  50  may also include one, but more preferably a pair, of support feet  56  that may engage within channel  22  of the second support rail  18 , to thus retain the second end support  32  to the second support rail. Preferably, each support foot  56  includes a rotationally mounted wheel  58 . Each wheel  58  is mounted via an associated threaded fastener  59  that extends through an associated threaded bore  56   a  in one of the support feet  56 . The wheels  58  enhance linear movement of the second end support  32  along the channel  22  of the second support rail  18 . A second locking pin  60  is disposed for sliding movement within the second end support  32  between an extended position (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) and a retracted position. As will be explained further in the following paragraphs, an elongated element, in one embodiment a cable  62 , extends through an interior area of the crossbar component  34  and couples the second locking pin  60  with the actuating lever  42 . This enables both of the locking pins  48  and  60  to be simultaneously retracted and extended by movement of the actuating lever  42 . 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the first end support  30  can be seen in greater detail. The housing  36  includes a neck portion  64  which receives an end  66  of the crossbar component  34 . A pair of threaded fastening members  68  may be inserted through corresponding openings  70  in the neck portion  64  to engage within holes  72  in the end  66  of the cross bar component  34 , to thus secure the end support housing  36  fixedly to the crossbar component  34 . The housing  36  also includes a recessed area  74  within which the trigger style actuating lever  42  is disposed. The actuating lever  42  may be secured via a threaded member  76  that extends through a hole  78  in the actuating lever and then into a hole  80  in the housing  36 . Wheels  46  may be secured to the support feet  44  by threaded fasteners  82  that extend into engagement with threaded holes  44   a  adjacent each support foot  44 . 
         [0028]    With reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4A , the first locking pin  48  is disposed within a bore  84  and is able to move linearly within the bore. A head portion  48   a  of the first locking pin  48  is adapted to engage within one of the holes  24  in the first support rail  16 . An opposite end  48   b  has a hole  88  through which a pin  86  extends to couple the first locking pin  48  to the actuating lever  42 . The head portion  48   a  also has a shoulder  48   c , as best seen in  FIG. 3 , that forms a surface against which a coil spring  90 , positioned over a neck portion  48   d  of the first locking pin  48 , may abut. The coil spring  90  is captured within the bore  84  and abuts an interior wall  92  ( FIG. 4A ) so as to be captured within the bore  84 . Thus, the movement of a trigger portion  42   a  of the actuating lever  42  into an “unlocked” position causes retraction of the first locking pin  48  against the biasing force of the coil spring  90 . Once the trigger portion  42   a  is released, the coil spring  90  biases the first locking pin  48   a  outwardly into the position shown in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the actuating lever  42  also includes a raised portion  42   b  for capturing a head portion  62   a  of cable  62 . 
         [0029]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the second end support  32  is shown in greater detail. The housing  50  includes a neck portion  94  that receives an end  96  of the crossbar component  34 . A pair of fastening members  97  may be used in a manner similar to fastening members  68  to secure the end  96  within the neck portion  94  of the housing  50 . The housing  50  also includes a bore  98  formed in one of the support feet  56  for receiving the second locking pin  60 . The second locking pin  60  also includes a head portion  60   a  and a neck portion  60   b  over which a coil spring  100  may be positioned. An end  62   b  of cable  62  may be secured to the neck portion  60  in any fashion, for example, by being pressed into a grove (not shown) in the neck portion  60   b , or by any other suitable means. With brief reference to  FIG. 6 , the coil spring  100  is captured within the bore  98  and abuts an interior wall portion  102  of the housing  50 . In  FIG. 6 , the second locking pin  60  is shown in its extended position. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , the first end support  30  is shown supported by the first support rail  16 . One of the wheels  46  is visible along with one of the foot portions  44  disposed within the channel  20  of the support rail  16 . The head portion  48   a  of the first locking pin  48  is shown engaged in one of the holes  24 . The wheels  46  enable smooth, linear movement of the first end support  30  along the length of the support rail  16  and help to prevent binding or “crabbing” of the crossbar assembly  26  as it is adjustably positioned along the support rails  16  and  18 . In  FIG. 7 , it can also be seen that the actuating lever  42 , when positioned within the recess  74 , is generally flush with a lower surface  104  of the housing  36 . 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , to adjust the position of the crossbar assembly  26 , the user walks to the side of the vehicle  14  where the first end support  30  is located. The user uses one or more fingers to engage the trigger portion  42   a  of the actuating lever  42  and to move it into the position shown if  FIG. 9 . This causes the first and second locking pins  48  and  60  to be retracted from their corresponding holes  24  in the support rails  16  and  18 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . While holding the trigger portion  42   a  engaged in the orientation shown in  FIG. 9 , the entire crossbar assembly  26  may be moved along the support rails  16  and  18  and repositioned as needed. When the locking pins  48  and  60  are aligned with a new corresponding pair of holes  24 , the user releases the trigger portion  42   a  of the actuating lever  42 . The coil springs  90  and  100  simultaneously bias the locking pins  48  and  60  outwardly into the extended positions shown in  FIG. 8 . Thus, both of the end supports  30  and  32  are easily simultaneously unlocked, as well as locked, from their respective support rails  16  and  18  from a single side of the vehicle  14 . Therefore, the user is not required to first unlock one end support, and then walk to the other side of the vehicle  14  to unlock the other end support, and then to reposition the crossbar assembly, and then separately lock both end supports. 
         [0032]    This vehicle article carrier  10  of the present disclosure significantly enhances the ease of adjustably positioning the crossbar assembly without unnecessarily complicating its construction or adding significantly to its cost or weight. The vehicle article carrier  10  can thus permit rapid and easy repositioning of the crossbar component  26  as needed to best position the crossbar assemblies  26  and  28  to suit articles having widely varying shapes and sizes.