Abstract:
A mounting system for accessories, including motorcycle windshields and windscreens, that quickly and securely attaches the accessory in such a manner that that the accessory will not come unexpectedly detached. After the initial installation of the components of the mounting system, the installation of an accessory requires a minimum of force and the installation and removal of an accessory is accomplished without the use of tools.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/890,783, filed Feb. 20, 2007. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable 
     REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX” 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention generally relates to motorcycles and more specifically to an apparatus for allowing an accessory to be quickly, easily, and securely attached to a motorcycle in a secure manner and allowing the accessory to be quickly and easily detached from the motorcycle. 
     2. General Background of the Invention 
     In the United States, today&#39;s motorcycle industry is fueled and driven by enthusiasts who consider riding motorcycles a sport and accessorizing and personalizing them as an avocation. The motorcycle accessory aftermarket is a multibillion-dollar industry. But since motorcycles vary widely in their configuration, servicing the market demands stocking a large number of similar accessories adapted to fit specific models of motorcycles. To reduce the complexity of stocking inventory to fit all types of motorcycles, what is needed is an easy means for securely attaching a standard accessory to a large number of different motorcycle models. 
     In addition, many motorcycle enthusiasts only desire to have the accessory attached to their motorcycle for specific activities and do not want the accessory attached to their motorcycle for other activities. For example, many motorcycle enthusiasts desire to have a windscreen or windshield (hereinafter referred to only as “windshield”) when they are going to be taking a long ride at highway speeds in order to minimize fatigue resulting from the force of the wind and to reduce the probability of being injured by debris thrown into the air by other vehicles. Yet many of these same enthusiasts do not want a windshield when taking short trips or traveling at lower speeds because they desire to experience the wind in their face. Another example is the use of saddlebags. Many enthusiasts may want to use saddlebags when they are taking a long trip or traveling to the store to purchase items that they will have to carry home on their motorcycles, but they may not want to be burdened with the saddlebags when they are merely going out for a leisurely ride. Thus, what is needed is a means for securely attaching a standard accessory that allows the accessory to be easily removable from the motorcycle without the use of tools. And since enthusiasts will often operate their motorcycles with the accessories detached, any portion of the apparatus used to attach the accessories must be sleek and unobtrusive so as to not distract from the aesthetics of the motorcycle itself when the accessory is not attached to the motorcycle. 
     In addition to variations between motorcycle models, there is often a wide variation in the configurations of the different types a specific class of accessory that are available. For example, since most motorcycles are sold without windshields, a large variety of windshield styles are available to allow the owner of a motorcycle to accessorize the motorcycle with a windshield that appeals to the owner&#39;s sense of aesthetics. It goes without saying that a motor cycle owner will be much more likely to purchase a windshield, or even multiple windshields, if it can be easily and securely attached to the motorcycle and quickly and easily removed from the motorcycle. The same is true for other types of accessories as well. 
     Another factor that must be taken into account is the safety of the accessory when it is attached to the motorcycle. For example, a windshield must resist a great deal of force when the motorcycle is moving along a highway at speeds of 70 m.p.h or more. Any system of attaching the windshield must be able to resist this force. In addition to the wind force, the mounting system must also be able to resist other forces that the motorcycle is a subject to such as the force of impacts incurred by the motorcycles wheels as they encounter irregular road surfaces that is transferred through the motorcycle&#39;s suspension to the remainder of the motorcycle, including attached accessories such as a windshield. And yet another force that can be incurred on a windshield specifically is a large wind force from the side of the windshield or even from the rider&#39;s side of the windshield resulting from a large truck or similar vehicle passing by the motorcycle at a high speed. 
     Despite the known existence of these forces, existing, detachable mounting devices are known to fail, allowing windshields and other accessories to become suddenly, and unexpectedly detached from the motorcycle. One example is the device disclosed in now-expired U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,035 for a Quick Detachable Motorcycle Windshield, which is incorporated herein by reference. The motorcycle windshield disclosed in this patent utilizes a flimsy wire to retain the windshield in place, which is known to allow the windshield to detach from a motorcycle unexpectedly. In contrast, the present invention includes a latching mechanism that is biased to a latched position and positively locks into place eliminating the potential for the windshield or other accessory to unexpectedly detach from the motorcycle. 
     While the background for the present invention has been described in terms of its applicability to motorcycle accessories such as windshields and saddlebags, it should be obvious to one of skill in this art that this invention is equally applicable to other types of vehicles, boats, and airplanes as well as anywhere else a quick and secure means of attaching one thing to another that is also easily detachable without the use of tools is required. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an apparatus that allows a windshield or other accessory to a motorcycle to be installed and removed from the motorcycle without the use of tools once the components of the apparatus have been initially attached to the motorcycle and the accessory. The apparatus comprises a first docking member projecting from said object; a second docking member projecting from said object; a mounting plate connected to said accessory, said mounting plate defining a first slot and a second slot wherein the first slot is sized to slide onto the first docking member and the second slot is sized to slide onto the second docking member and located such that it engages said second docking member as the mounting plate is rotated about the first docking member; and a latch mechanism, said latch mechanism being pivotally attached to said mounting plate whereby said latch mechanism can be rotated from an open position wherein it does not occlude the opening of the second slot to a closed, latched position wherein the latch mechanism at least partially occludes the opening of the second slot and engages the bracket to latch. Alternatively, the docking members could be connected to the accessory and the mounting plate with the slots and the latching mechanism connected to the motorcycle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein: 
       FIG.  1 —Front view of the accessory portion of the invention with the latch mechanism in its closed position. 
       FIG.  2 —Side view of the accessory portion of the invention with the latch mechanism in its closed position. 
       FIG.  3 —Top view of the accessory portion of the invention with the latch mechanism in its closed position. 
       FIG.  4 —Front view of the accessory portion of the invention with the latch mechanism in its open position. 
       FIG.  5 —Rear view of the accessory portion of the invention showing a portion of the internal structure as hidden features. 
       FIG.  6 —Front view showing lower slot of the accessory portion of the invention engaged with the lower docking member and the latch mechanism in its open position. 
       FIG.  7 —Front view showing both slots of the accessory portion of the invention engaged with both docking members and the latch mechanism in its open position. 
       FIG.  8 —Front view showing both slots of the accessory portion of the invention engaged with both docking members and the latch mechanism in its closed position. 
       FIG.  9 —Illustration of the latch mechanism in its closed, latched position. 
       FIG.  10 —Illustration of the latch mechanism being moved to its closed, unlatched position. 
       FIG.  11 —Illustration of the latch mechanism being rotated to its open position after being unlatched. 
       FIG.  12 —Illustration of the latch mechanism being rotated toward its closed, latched position showing the interference between the sliding member of the latch mechanism and the bracket defining the slots. 
       FIG.  13 —Illustration of the latch mechanism being rotated toward its closed, latched position showing the sliding member of the latch mechanism moving toward an unlatched position by the bracket. 
       FIG.  14 —Illustration of the latch mechanism being rotated toward its closed, latched position showing the sliding member of the latch mechanism moving toward an unlatched position by the bracket. 
       FIG.  15 —Illustration of the sliding member of the latch mechanism sliding into its latched position after it clears the end of the portion of the bracket defining the slot. 
       FIG.  16 A—Perspective view of a docking member. 
       FIGS.  16 B—Exploded view of one of the docking members showing the shoulder washer, the two-piece nylon bushing, and the neoprene O-ring 
       FIG.  17 —View of the invention attaching a windshield to a motorcycle. 
         FIG. 18  perspective view of an application of the invention in which the docking members are mounted on a bracket. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , accessory portion  5  of the invention can be seen. This portion of the invention includes mounting plate  30  that defines slots  10  and  20  and latch mechanism  100  of the invention. Slots  10  and  20  are sized to engage docking members  40  and  50  respectively (docking members  40  and  50  can be seen in  FIGS. 6-8 ). Mounting plate  30  may take on a variety of configurations and sizes, and it may even be incorporated as an integral part of the accessory being mounted. In  FIG. 4 , latch mechanism  100  is illustrated in its open position; in this position, latch mechanism  100  does not occlude the opening of slot  20 .  FIG. 1 , on the other hand, illustrates latch mechanism  100  in its closed position in which latch mechanism  100  at least partially occludes the opening of slot  20 . It should be noted that latch mechanism  100  includes housing  110 , which is formed by first housing portion  120  and second housing portion  130 , and sliding member  150 . 
       FIG. 5  is a rear view of accessory portion  5 . In this figure, latch mechanism  100  is in the open position illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The hidden lines in  FIG. 5  illustrate the manner in which hook portion  152  of latching member  150  engages finger  22  that defines upper portion  21  of slot  20  to secure latch mechanism  100  into place. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6-8 , it can be seen that the first step in attaching an accessory, represented as mounting plate  30 , to object  60 , typically a motorcycle, is to slide slot  10  around docking member  40  as shown in  FIG. 6 . Mounting plate  30  is then rotated about docking member  40 , in the direction of arrow  12  until slot  20  has slid around docking member  50 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . Latch mechanism  100  is then rotated around connection point  102  in the direction of arrow  104  until hook portion  152  of sliding member  150  engages finger  22  of mounting plate  30  and latches mounting plate  30  into place on docking members  40  and  50 . While docking members  40  and  50  are shown as being directly connected to object  60 , docking members  40  and  50  could also be installed on a bracket that is then attached to the object  60 .  FIG. 18  illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which docking members  40  and  50  are attached to a bracket  62  that can then be mounted on a motorcycle or other object  60 . 
     Docking members  40  and  50  have the same basic structure, which is shown in the exploded view of docking member  40  in  FIG. 16B . Docking member  40  includes a two-piece nylon bushing  42 ,  44  that is supported by aluminum shoulder washer  46 . To allow for variation in the thickness of mounting plate  30 , neoprene O-ring  48  is contained in channel  49  that is defined in nylon bushing portion  44  such that neoprene O-ring  48  presses against aluminum shoulder washer  46  to maintain pressure on mounting plate  30 . In addition, slots  10  and  20  are sized to slide onto nylon bushings  42  and  44  without requiring the bushings to be compressed, resulting in a device that requires little force to install compared to prior art devices that depend on the compression of a rubber bushing in order to retain the accessory in place. Thus, the present invention can be used in applications where it is not possible to gain a sufficient mechanical advantage to compress a rubber bushing. 
     Also, in certain applications such as the installation of a motorcycle windshield, docking members  40  and  50  could each be attached to a motorcycle fork clamp such as the clamp disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,727 by the same inventor, which is incorporated by reference herein. Using this clamp allows the user to obtain the proper spacing between docking members  40  and  50  regardless of the particular shape of the motorcycle&#39;s fork. Alternatively bracket  60  could be attached to motorcycle fork F as shown in  FIG. 17 . In this example, mounting plate  30  is adapted to be connected to windshield W. While only the left side is shown, it is easily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that a mirror-image of the structure shown in  FIG. 17  is used on the right side of the motorcycle to secure windshield W. It is similarly understood that this invention allows for the rake angle of a windshield to be easily varied by varying the location of upper docking member  50  relative to lower docking member  40  or by varying the location of slots  10  and  20  in mounting plate  30  relative to the angle of windshield W. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 9-15 , the details of the internal structure of latch mechanism  100  can be observed as well as the operation of latch mechanism  100 . In these figures, first housing portion  120  has been removed revealing features that are generally internal to housing  110 , including sliding member  150  that is generally contained within housing  106 , raised screw bosses  132 ,  134 , and  135  that arise from the inner surface of second housing portion  130 , and spring  140 . 
     Spring  140  resides in slot  154  that is defined in sliding member  150 . Spring  140  is compressed between second boss  134  and the end of slot  154  such that spring  140  normally biases sliding member  150  to a latched position as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , it can be seen that sliding member  150  is moved to an unlatched position by applying pressure to finger pad  156 , which results in spring  140  being further compressed and hook portion  152  moving away from and disengaging finger  22  of slot  20 . It should be noted in this figure that the geometry of boss  134  and slot  154  cooperate to allow spring  140  to be compressed enough to allow hook portion  152  of sliding member  150  to disengage finger  22  of slot  20  but prevent spring  140  from being overly compressed by providing a physical limit on the movement of sliding member  150 . It should be further noted that first boss  132  and third boss  136  cooperate to prevent sliding member  150  from rotating. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , once sliding member  150  has been slid into its unlocked position, latch mechanism  100  is rotated in the direction of arrow  106 , which is the opposite of the direction indicated by arrow  104 , to its open position. In this position, mounting plate  30  can be slid around docking member  50  using slot  20 , or if mounting plate  30  had already been slid around docking member  50  using slot  20 , mounting plate  30  can be slid off of docking member  50 . 
     It should further be noted that the process of unlatching this mechanism requires the application of two different forces acting in different directions. The first of these forces is the force acting through finger pad  156  to slide sliding member  150  into its unlatched position, and the second force is the force acting in the direction of arrow  106  to rotate the latching mechanism to its open position. Thus, an accidental unlatching would be extremely unlikely since it would require the simultaneous, accidental application of forces to different portions of the latch mechanism that are acting in different directions. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 12-15 , the latching of latch mechanism  100  can be observed. Referring specifically to  FIG. 12 , sliding mechanism  150  includes shoulder portion  158  that interferes with finger  22  as latch mechanism  150  is rotated to its closed position in the direction of arrow  104 . The shape of shoulder portion  158  is designed to ride along the end portion of finger  22 , causing sliding member  150  to slide toward its unlatched position as latch mechanism  100  is rotated into its closed position. This progression is shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 . Once shoulder portion  158  is clear of finger  22 , spring  140  causes sliding member  150  to slide back into its latched position with hook portion  152  engaging finger  22 , as shown in  FIG. 15 . As such, the invention provides the user with confirmation that the accessory has been securely attached visually, through the observation of latch mechanism  100  in its closed position; tactilely, when the sliding mechanism pops into its latched position; and aurally, again when the sliding mechanism pops into its closed position. 
     While the above describes the illustrated embodiment, those skilled in the art may appreciate that certain modifications may be made to the apparatus and methodology herein disclosed, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Thus, it should be understood that the invention may be adapted to numerous rearrangements, modifications, and alterations and that all such are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.