Abstract:
Assemblies for carrying cargo items on a vehicle. In particular, improvements for vehicle top carriers designed for mounting on the roof of a vehicle and transporting sporting goods or other cargo.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is based upon and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/734,891 filed Nov. 8, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.  
         [0002]     This application also incorporates by reference in their entirety for all purposes the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,053 issued Jun. 14, 2005; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,521 issued Jul. 19, 2005. This application also incorporates by reference in their entirety for all purposes the following U.S. patent applications: Ser. No. 10/767,398 filed Jan. 28, 2004; Ser. No. 11/152,674, filed Jun. 13, 2005; Ser. No. 60/695,977 filed Jul. 1, 2005; Ser. No. 11/219,578 filed Sep. 2, 2005; Ser. No. 60/729,503 filed Oct. 21, 2005; Ser. No. 60/740,705 filed Nov. 29, 2005; and U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. ______ filed Nov. 1, 2006 titled “Car Top Carrier Lid Support”. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present disclosure relates to assemblies for carrying cargo items on a vehicle. In particular, the invention provides improvements for cargo boxes or cargo trunks, collectively termed vehicle top carriers, designed for mounting on the roof of a vehicle and transporting sporting goods or other cargo.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0004]     Vehicle top carriers, such as cargo boxes or cargo trunks, have become quite popular in recent years. Enclosed carriers may be preferable over conventional open racks for a variety of reasons. For example, enclosed carriers protect cargo items from the elements such as wind, rain, and snow. Additionally, enclosed carriers may be more secure from theft or vandalism. Yet another advantage is that enclosed carriers may allow items to be fixed to the carrier in a simpler, less elaborate manner than exposed cargo roof racks, since security and stability for items within the carrier is provided partially by the carrier itself.  
         [0005]     However, some car top boxes have problems that make them difficult or cumbersome to use. For example, some enclosed car top carriers can only be accessed from one side, or from one side at a time. Depending upon where or how the vehicle is parked, or upon who is trying to access the carrier, a user may find it inconvenient or awkward always to access the box from the same side. Moreover, items stored on one side of the carrier may be difficult to access from the other side of the carrier.  
         [0006]     Another problem with car top trunks or boxes is that they are sometimes difficult to open. Typically, there are several latches on the side of the box that opens. The user may have to operate multiple latches simultaneously, and the latches may be separated by a long distance. This may require substantial strength, dexterity, and reach. Some boxes have an actuator that coordinates simultaneous release of multiple latches, but this configuration still may require special handling such as lifting of the cover while manipulating the actuator or handle.  
         [0007]     Yet another problem with car top trunks or boxes is that it is difficult for a user to gauge how much room remains in the carrier when the box is opened. Typically, the entire top lid of the carrier pivots upwardly from the base into an angled position on either side of the carrier. This provides access to remove items from the carrier, or to place items inside, but leaves no visual indication of the height of the top lid. It is not uncommon for too many items to be placed into the base such that the top lid cannot be properly latched closed.  
         [0008]     Yet another problem with car top trunks or boxes is that the top lid, when functioning as the door to allow access the interior of the carrier, is not stable. In order to provide a maximum amount of storage space, the top lid typically made as large as possible. Since the top lid is typically fabricated from a single piece of a polymer-based material that is form-pressed into a specific shape, the top lid generally flexes slightly, and may be difficult to maneuver under windy conditions or when the vehicle onto which the carrier is mounted is parked on an angled slope. Accordingly, there is a need for improved enclosed car top carriers that are easy to mount on a vehicle and easy to use, and which helps to overcome one or more of the problems described above. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a car top carrier with a pair of gull wing doors shown in a closed position, according to aspects of the present disclosure.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is another isometric view of the car top carrier of  FIG. 1 , where one of the gull wing doors is shown in an open position.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is an end elevational view of the car top carrier of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , where both of the gull wing doors are shown in an open position.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is an isometric view of a torsion bar assembly suitable for use with a car top carrier having gull wing doors, according to aspects of the present disclosure.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a magnified isometric view of a portion of the torsion bar assembly of  FIG. 4 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a sectional end elevational view of a car top carrier with gull wing doors and incorporating a pair of the torsion bar assemblies shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is an isometric view of the car top carrier of  FIG. 6 , where the top of the carrier has been depicted as semi-transparent, and where a portion of one of the gull wing doors has been cut away to show one of the torsion bar assemblies. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show isometric views of a car top carrier or box  10  with gull wing doors  12 , according to aspects of the present disclosure.  FIG. 1  shows the carrier with both doors in a closed position, and  FIG. 2  shows the carrier with one of the doors closed and the other in an open position. Whereas conventional car-top carriers include a top lid that opens from only one side, or from only one side at a time, to allow access to the contents inside, carrier  10  may include a top lid  14  that has two doors  12  positioned on each side of the box, to allow access to the contents from both sides simultaneously. As  FIG. 1  depicts, doors  12  are disposed on opposite sides of box  10 , and each door may be opened separately. The doors extend from an outer portion  16  of the top lid toward a central spine or support region  18  of the lid. A handle  20  may be provided to assist a user in conveniently opening and closing each door  12 . Alternatively or in addition to handle  20 , a loop or strap (not shown), adapted to be pulled by the user to close door  12 , may be mounted on an interior surface  22  of each door.  
         [0017]     Car top carrier  10  may be designed for attachment to a rack that is positioned on the roof of a car, van, sport utility vehicle, or the like. The rack may include two crossbars that are positioned substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle to which they are mounted. Carrier  10  may include mounting hardware for easily securing carrier  10  to the vehicle rack. Mechanisms for mounting carrier  10  to the cross bars are described, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/767,398 filed Jan. 28, 2004, previously incorporated by reference into the present disclosure.  
         [0018]     Cooperatively, doors  12  and central support region  18  of carrier  10  may form top lid  14  of the carrier. The lower portion of top lid  14  may be fixedly mated to a bottom or base member  24  of carrier  10  by fasteners such as screws, bolts or the like, or by welding, gluing, or other suitable techniques. Alternatively, top lid  14  may be removably mated to base member  24  so that a user may conveniently remove and replace the carrier on a vehicle in a tool-free or nearly tool-free manner. Carrier  10  may be available in any number of sizes, depending on its intended use. For example, carriers of  16 ,  18 , or  21  cubic feet may be available. Carrier  10  may include a top lid  14  that has a contoured aerodynamic profile, and accordingly, doors  12  are shown to fit flatly within a door aperture  26  in top lid  14 . As a result, the outer surface of doors  12  and central support  18  together may provide a continuous and aerodynamic surface of the carrier.  
         [0019]     Each of doors  12  may include a locking mechanism (not shown). In some embodiments, the locking mechanism of each door may be integrated with handle  20 , and may be similar in appearance and function to a conventional paddle-shaped car door handle. Locking mechanisms for carrier  10  also may include one or more receptors mounted on the inner surfaces of central support region  18 . Additionally or alternatively, carrier  10  may include a single locking mechanism that is adapted to secure both doors simultaneously.  
         [0020]      FIGS. 2 and 3  show box  10  with one or more of doors  12  in an open position.  FIG. 2  is an isometric view showing one of doors  12  open and one closed, and  FIG. 3  is an end elevational view showing both of doors  12  open and illustrating the rotational range of motion of the doors. As seen in  FIG. 2 , a pair of hinge members  28  is attached to each of doors  12 , and each hinge member also is attached to an interior surface  30  of the carrier. The hinge members allow rotation of the door away from central support region  18 , and may be configured to provide an upward rotational biasing force during some or all of the rotational motion of each door, to assist a user in opening the door and to hold the door in an open position. In other words, hinge members  28  may act both as a hinge and as a strut.  
         [0021]     Doors  12  and interior surface  30  of the carrier may include one or more ribs for strengthening the carrier and supporting the weight of doors  12 . For example, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , a rib  32  may be disposed on an inner portion of central support region  18 , and various ribs  34  may be formed on interior surface  22  of doors  12  to structurally strengthen the doors. In various embodiments, ribs  32  formed with or attached to central support region  18  may be disposed longitudinally along the length of top lid  14  at its apex, around the perimeter of top lid  14 , around the perimeter of door apertures  26 , or in any combination of these or other suitable locations. Furthermore, base member  24  also may include one or more ribs similar to ribs  32 . Ribs may provide structural stability to the doors, to the central support including door apertures  26 , and/or to the base member. Finally, although  FIG. 2  depicts only ribs  32  and  34  formed respectively on the interior surface  30  of carrier  10  and on the interior surface  22  of door  12 , alternatively or additionally, ribs may be formed on exterior surfaces of the carrier. This may provide additional structural stability to the carrier, and also may alter the aerodynamic properties of the carrier in desirable ways.  
         [0022]     As mentioned previously and as seen in  FIG. 2 , ribs disposed within box  10 , such as central rib  32 , may provide a location within the box to attach door mounting hardware such as hinge members  28 . As depicted in  FIG. 2 , the hinge members may include a conventional scissor-style hinge that acts as both a hinge and a strut. Additionally or alternatively, the door hardware may include separate hinges and struts (not shown). For example, the door hardware may include a conventional hinge or any other suitable mechanism to allow doors  12  to pivot freely away from central support region  18 , and either a separate or integrated strut, or any other suitable mechanism, to urge door  12  towards the open position and to support the door when open. The hinge mechanism and/or strut may include an over-center mechanism, a gas shock or strut, or a torsion bar assembly, the latter of which will be described in more detail below.  
         [0023]     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , to keep the contents of carrier  10  dry during potential inclement weather, door aperture  26  of the carrier may include an active water barrier formed around the perimeter of the aperture, a passive water barrier similarly formed around the perimeter of the aperture, or both. For example, the perimeter of aperture  26  may include an active water barrier such as, for example, a foam rubber seal  36  that is adapted to prevent water from entering the carrier when doors  12  are closed. Additionally or alternatively, a passive water barrier such as a channel or gutter  38  may be incorporated into door aperture  26 . Channel  38  may be adapted to catch any water that penetrates seal  36 , or that may flow into door aperture  26  when door  12  is open, and transport the water to a location from which it may flow away without reaching the interior of the carrier. In addition to its utility as a water barrier, channel  38  also may function as a supporting rib for the aperture, in the manner previously described.  
         [0024]     Carrier  10  may include additional elements (not shown) to facilitate convenient use of the carrier. For example, top lid  14  or base  24  may be configured with removable and/or adjustable partitions that allow a user to configure storage compartments within the carrier. Base  24  may be outfitted with an internal pad or floor cover adapted to cushion the impact of objects that are placed into the carrier, and/or to dampen noises resulting from objects moving within the carrier while the vehicle to which it is attached is in motion. Top lid  14  or base  24  also may include one or more locations adapted to attach netting or the like, into which small objects can be placed to keep them from scattering within the carrier.  
         [0025]     Additionally, top lid  14  or base  24  may include attachment loops to fasten around larger objects such as skis, oars, or the like. Top lid  14  or base  24  also may include a lighting fixture that may be fixedly or removably mounted within the carrier to cast light upon the contents, and that may include a switch operated by opening or closing the doors of the carrier. Additionally or alternatively, carrier  10  may include a mirror that may be fixedly or removably mounted on interior surface  22  of doors  12 . The mirror may allow a user to inspect the contents of the carrier without having to climb on top of the vehicle to which it is attached, or otherwise obtain a birds-eye view into the carrier. These additional elements are further described in Ser. No. 60/729,503 filed Oct. 21, 2005, previously incorporated by reference into the present disclosure.  
         [0026]     Carrier  10  may include other optional elements (not shown) that facilitate mounting the carrier to a vehicle and/or transportation of the carrier to and from the vehicle. For example, handles may be located on each end and/or the sides of the carrier, allowing the carrier to be transported by hand by at least two people. Additionally or alternatively, the carrier may include wheels disposed at one end to allow a single person to transport the carrier by wheeling it along, similar to a large suitcase. Carrier  10  may also include bumpers that are adapted to prevent damage to the surface of the carrier when it is removed from a vehicle and placed onto the ground. Bumpers may be discrete elements located at each corner of the box, or they may wrap around one or both ends of the carrier, similar to the bumpers of an automobile. Each of these elements may be either fixedly attached or removably attached to the carrier.  
         [0027]     Panels such as doors  12 , central support  18 , and base  24 , including any ribs such as ribs  32  or  34 , may be fabricated from any suitable material, including plastics or other polymers such as PC/ABS (Poly Carbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), steel or other metals, carbon fiber, and the like. These panels may be fabricated from a single sheet of material that is machined, injection molded, press-molded, or manufactured by any other suitable technique. Ribs, if included, may be fabricated separately from the same material as the panels, or from different materials, and may be attached to the panels by screws, fasteners, welds, glue, and the like. In one embodiment, panels may be fabricated using a twin sheet in which two sheets of a PC/ABS material are first form-pressed to fabricate an aerodynamic exterior surface on one sheet, and any structural ribs on a second sheet. These two sheets may then be pressed together under heat and pressure to fuse the two sheets into a final panel shape. Alternatively, ribs may be formed integrally with the panels.  
         [0028]     Car top carriers are typically mounted to the roof of a vehicle, above the head of a user. Therefore, for reasons of safety and convenience, it may be desirable to bias doors  12  towards their open position when the doors are unlatched. In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , carrier  10  is depicted with a scissor-style hinge that may include such a biasing mechanism to urge the doors to the open position. However, as mentioned previously, various other biasing hinge mechanisms may be suitable either alone or in combination with each other, including over-center hinge mechanisms; hinge mechanisms including one ore more gas struts; and/or hinge mechanisms including a torsion bar assembly. An over-center mechanism may, for example, be configured to exert an upward rotational biasing force on the associated door only when the door is within a predetermined range of rotational positions. When the door is outside that range, on the other hand, the over-center mechanism may be configured to exert either a downward biasing force, or to exert substantially no force. Examples of such mechanisms may be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. ______ filed Nov. 1, 2006 titled “Car Top Carrier Lid Support”, previously incorporated by reference into the present disclosure.  
         [0029]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4-7 , an embodiment of a torsion bar assembly suitable for use with a car top carrier is depicted.  FIGS. 4, 6  and  7  show a pair of torsion bar assemblies  50 ,  50 ′ suitable for use in a carrier having a pair of gull wing doors, whereas  FIG. 5  shows a magnified view only of assembly  50 . However, although the torsion bar assembly will be described below primarily with reference to assembly  50 , the features of which are denoted in the drawings by unprimed reference numbers, it should be appreciated that assembly  50 ′ is substantially similar to assembly  50  and includes the same features, which are denoted in the drawings by primed reference numbers. In some embodiments, torsion bar assemblies according to the present disclosure may be adapted to bias the doors of a car top carrier toward their open position. In other embodiments, torsion bar assemblies may include a mechanism, such as an over-center mechanism, adapted to bias the doors of a carrier toward both their open and closed positions, depending upon the degree of rotation of each door relative to its corresponding aperture in the car top carrier.  
         [0030]     Torsion bar assembly  50  includes first and second torsion bars  52 ,  54 , and first and second mounting brackets  56 ,  58  that may be mounted to a portion of a car top carrier, such as a central support portion, and to which the torsion bars are respectively attached. First torsion bar  52  is shown secured to first bracket  56  by a first angled end  60  of the bar protruding through an aperture  62  formed in first bracket  56 . At the other end of first torsion bar  52  is a second angled end  64  that passes through an aperture  66  formed in an adjustable pedestal  68  attached to second bracket  58 , and which abuts the undersurface of a paddle  70  (see  FIG. 5 ). Paddle  70  may be securely mounted to bracket  58 , for example through alignment with and attachment to an elevated portion  72  of the bracket, and is configured to rotate about an axis passing through an aperture  74  in the paddle. Abutment of angled end.  64  of torsion bar  52  against the underside of paddle  70  is such that second angled end  64  of torsion bar  52  exerts an upward biasing force against the paddle, which tends to rotate the paddle away from bracket  58 .  
         [0031]     In an analogous manner, second torsion bar  54  is secured to second mounting bracket  58  by a first angled end  76  of the second bar protruding through an aperture  78  in second bracket  58 . At the other end of second torsion bar  54  is a second angled end (not shown) that passes through an aperture  80  in an adjustable pedestal  82  attached to first bracket  56  and abuts the underside of a paddle  84 , which is securely mounted to bracket  56  in the same manner that paddle  70  is mounted to bracket  58 . Thus, abutment of the second angled end of torsion bar  54  exerts an upward biasing force against paddle  84  that may be approximately equal to the upward force exerted by torsion bar  52  against paddle  70 , resulting in a balanced biasing force at both ends of assembly  50 . However, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, second torsion bar  54  may exert a force opposing that exerted by first bar  52 , or may not be included at all. In precisely the same fashion, torsion bars  52 ′ and  54 ′ exert balanced or opposing biasing forces at both ends of assembly  50 ′.  
         [0032]     The adjustable pedestals of the torsion bar assemblies each include a plurality of apertures that may serve a dual purpose. For example, as seen in  FIG. 5 , pedestal  68  includes a plurality of apertures  69  through which fasteners such as screws, bolts, or the like may be inserted to attach the pedestal to bracket  58  after torsion bar  52  has been set into place against paddle  70 . Furthermore, tightening or loosening the fasteners passing through the pedestal may have the effect of selectively changing the amount of compressive force the pedestal exerts against bar  52 , which alters the amount of friction between the bar and aperture  66  of the pedestal (through which the bar passes). In this manner, rotational friction may be added or subtracted from the torsion bar assembly, to provide an additional mechanism for preventing abrupt and unwanted opening or closing motions of a door to which the assembly is attached (see  FIGS. 6-7  and accompanying description below). Similarly, pedestal  68 ′ includes a plurality of apertures  69 ′, pedestal  82  includes a plurality of apertures  83 , and pedestal  82 ′ includes a plurality of apertures  83 ′, all of which function in substantially the same manner as apertures  69  in pedestal  68 .  
         [0033]     Referring now particularly to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , torsion bar assemblies  50 ,  50 ′ are shown installed within a car top carrier  100 . As depicted in  FIGS. 6-7 , carrier  100  may include gull wing doors  102 , and may be substantially similar or identical to carrier  10  described previously with reference to  FIGS. 1-3 .  FIG. 6  is a sectional end elevational view of carrier  100  showing one of doors  102  in an open position, and  FIG. 7  is a semi-transparent isometric view in which carrier  100  is depicted with a portion of one of doors  102  cut away. However, although  FIGS. 6-7  show carrier  100  equipped with a pair of gull wing doors each rotatably biased with a torsion bar assembly, the disclosed torsion bar assemblies also may be suitable for use with carriers having differently configured doors, including carriers having only a single gull wing door, and those having doors that rotate around axes disposed near the edges of the carrier rather than around axes disposed near a central support portion of the carrier.  
         [0034]     In the depicted embodiment, carrier  100  includes a top lid  104  that incorporates gull wing doors  102 , and a bottom  106  that may be mounted to the roof of a vehicle, for example on the crossbars of a vehicle rack. Top lid  104  includes a central support region  108 , and as shown, doors  102  extend from near the junction of the top lid with bottom  106 , inward toward support region  108 . Support region  108  includes an internal T-shaped support structure or rib  110 , the structure of which is best seen in  FIG. 6 . Rib  110  is configured both to reinforce the carrier and to support torsion bar assemblies  50  and  50 ′. As shown, support brackets  58  and  58 ′ of the torsion bar assemblies are disposed inside the carrier and upon each side of T-shaped rib  110 , and may be securely attached to rib  110  using any suitable method such as with screws, bolts, clamps, butterfly fasteners, or the like.  
         [0035]     Paddles  70 ,  70 ′ of the torsion bar assemblies each are attached to the corresponding one of doors  102 , so that the doors rotate in conjunction with their respective paddles. In this manner, any biasing force exerted upon one of the paddles by its associated torsion bar will be transmitted to the door to which the paddle is attached. Thus if, as described previously, assembly  50  is configured so that paddles  70  and  84  each feel a balanced, upward biasing force, then the door  102  to which assembly  50  is attached (e.g., right-hand door  102  in  FIG. 6 ) will feel a balanced upward biasing force exerted upon it by paddles  70  and  84 . Similarly, the left-hand door  102  in  FIG. 6  will feel an upward biasing force exerted upon it by paddles  70 ′ and  84 ′. These forces may, in some embodiments, merely assist a user in opening the doors and prevent the doors from slamming shut in an uncontrolled manner, whereas in other embodiments the biasing forces may be sufficient to cause doors  102  to open automatically (e.g., when a latch is released) and/or to remain in an open position in the absence of a closing force.  
         [0036]     Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing operational principles and preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances that fall within the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0037]     It is believed that the disclosure set forth above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in its preferred form, the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. Where the disclosure or subsequently filed claims recite “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, it should be within the scope of the present inventions that such disclosure or claims may be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.  
         [0038]     Applicants reserve the right to submit claims directed to certain combinations and subcombinations that are directed to one of the disclosed inventions and are believed to be novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of those claims or presentation of new claims in that or a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to a different invention or directed to the same invention, whether different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are also regarded as included within the subject matter of the inventions of the present disclosure.