Abstract:
An accessory mounting track provides quick and easy removable attachment and positioning of various devices. The method of attachment of devices to the accessory mounting track may be compatible with the attachment of these devices to other mounting systems, allowing the accessory mounting track to be used interchangeably with those systems.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/954,253, filed Jul. 30, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/677,455, filed Jul. 30, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/680,254, filed Aug. 6, 2012, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates in general to the connection of accessory devices to vehicles or structures, and more particularly, to an accessory mounting track that may be fixed to an environment, providing a secure attachment point for various accessories. 
     Devices, such as camera mounts, fishing rod holders, personal electronics cradles, marine depth finders, visibility beacons, and various other implements, frequently require quick and easy attachment and removal from structures and vehicles, such as personal watercraft, boats, all-terrain vehicles, airplanes, automobiles, military vehicles and other vehicles and structures utilizing such devices. 
     In addition to these devices, other items associated with various environments are commonly stored and organized. Many other environments contain a variety of items that need to be stored or organized. Within the scope herein, the term “device” shall refer to any item that may be stored or organized in a given environment, or a bracket designed to support such an item. 
     In some cases, it may be desirable to alter the deployment configuration of these devices, either by arrangement or position. It may also be desirable to interchangeably attach these devices to fixed mounts and track systems, with the fixed mount providing a rigid single point of attachment and the track system providing a range of deployment positions that may be altered during attachment or while being used in the field. 
     These devices have long been attached using a variety of methods, including direct and non-removable attachment to the environment, or removable attachment by means of a variety of mounting systems. While track systems have been utilized in some applications, they generally require tracks specifically designed for or fabricated into the vehicle or structure. The designs of these tracks make them unsuitable for surface mounting to environmental surfaces not designed to accept such a track and as a result are unstable and inadequate for such installations. 
     While there are existing methods of removable attachment for these devices, the scope of compatibility for those methods may be generally limited by the design of the attachment method, which may inhibit aforementioned versatility in deployment of the devices. 
     There remains a need for an accessory track that provides a secure means of removable attachment, utilizing a small profile designed for surface mounting. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention relates to an accessory mounting track that provides quick and easy removable attachment and positioning of various devices. The method of attachment of devices to the accessory mounting track may be compatible with the attachment of these devices to other mounting systems, allowing the accessory mounting track to be used interchangeably with those systems. 
     Various advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an accessory mounting track attached to a supporting environmental surface with a device attached to the accessory mounting track. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of an accessory mounting track. 
         FIG. 3  is an elevational view of the accessory mounting track shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a partially exploded end view of the components shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is similar to  FIG. 5  except it is not exploded and is shown at a section cut through the center of the device. 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of the detail referenced as  7  in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the accessory mounting track showing a head of a tee-bolt in a slot channel. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in  FIG. 1  an accessory mounting track  10  for removably attaching a device  12  or multiple devices to a supporting environmental surface  14 . Exemplary devices are shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/897,916, filed May 20, 2013, entitled Monopod Turret Support, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/476,441, filed May 21, 2012, published as US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0293990, entitled Fold-Up Beacon and Associated Post for Vehicles, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. An additional device is disclosed for example in U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/680,254, entitled Accessory Mounting System. 
     It shall be observed that the device  12  shown is an example (e.g., a ball for a ball and socket mounting system) of a device that may be attached to the accessory mounting track  10 , but a number of devices of many sizes, shapes, and uses, or brackets designed to clamp or support such devices, could be used instead of or in addition to the device  12 . The depiction of the device  12  shall not in any way be construed as a limitation as to the size, shape, or type of device that could be attached to the accessory mounting track  10 . 
     The supporting environmental surface may be part of a vehicle, such as a boat or kayak, for example. The supporting environmental surface may alternately be part of a structure, such as a wall in a building or an armrest of a tree stand, for example. It shall be observed that the supporting environmental surface  14  is a graphical representation of an example of such a surface, but that it does not limit in any way the size, shape, or configuration of possible supporting environmental surfaces or the method of attachment to such surfaces. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the accessory mounting track  10  may be comprised of a left support flange  20 , a right support flange  22 , and a central axis  24 , which is substantially parallel to a slot channel  50 . The accessory mounting track  10  may also comprise a proximal end  30  and a distal end  34  with a proximal slot entry point  32  and a distal slot entry point  36 . 
     It may be mentioned at this point that, for the scope of this entire disclosure, orientation terms, such as “proximal” and “distal” or “left” and “right”, refer to their subject matter as semantic conveniences only and not as a necessary condition of the accessory mounting track  10 , as the accessory mounting track  10  may obviously be utilized in any desired position or orientation. 
     The accessory mounting track  10  may also comprise attachment holes  40  linearly disposed parallel to the central axis  24  near the outermost edges of the left support flange  20  and the right support flange  22 . The attachment holes  40  may have a countersink feature  42  or a counter bore feature (not shown). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the accessory mounting track  10  may have a concave recess  44 , which may terminate at a left interface flat  46  and a right interface flat  48  on the bottom of the left support flange  20  and right support flange  22 , respectively. The left interface flat  46  and right interface flat  48  may be approximately aligned with the attachment holes  40  in the corresponding left support flange  20  and right support flange  22 . This arrangement may maximize the opportunity for the left interface flat  46  and the right interface flat  48  to have firm contact with the supporting environmental surface  14 . Because of the relatively wide spacing between the left interface flat  46  and right interface flat  48 , high lateral stability may be achieved. The concave recess  44  may minimize the opportunity for a curved or irregular supporting environmental surface  14  to make contact in regions between the left interface flat  46  and right interface flat  48 . 
     The accessory mounting track  10  may also comprise a slot channel  50 , which may have a slot opening  52 , which may be bounded on each side by a containment ledge  54 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a device  12  is shown being attached to the accessory mounting track  10 . There is a tee-bolt  60  comprising a head  62  and a stud  64  threaded into the device  12 . The tee-bolt  60  is in the slot channel  50 , oriented so that the stud  64  is in the slot opening  52 . In the state shown in  FIG. 5 , the device  12  may be positioned along the central axis  24  (shown in  FIG. 2 ), with the slot channel  50  containing the tee-bolt  60  within it, but not preventing movement along the central axis  24 . 
     Looking now at  FIG. 6 , the device  12  is shown after being fully installed on the accessory mounting track  10 . The device  12  has female threads  70 , which are threaded onto the stud  64  of the tee-bolt  60 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the tee-bolt  60  has a head  62  that is elongated so as to have a length and a width, wherein the length is greater in dimension than the width so that the head  62  of the tee-bolt  60  is unable to rotate a full rotation in the slot channel  50 . That is to say, opposite sides of the slot channel  50  serve as a mechanical restraint, restricting rotation of the head  62  of the tee-bolt  60 . It should be appreciated that by rotating the device  12 , the threads  66  of the stud  64  interact with the female threads  70 , which may urge the device  12  towards or away from the head  62  of the tee-bolt  60 , depending on the direction of rotation. When appropriately rotated, the device  12  is urged towards the head  62  of the tee-bolt  60  until the mounting surface  13  of the device  12  makes contact with the track upper surface  58  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) of the accessory mounting track  10  and the head upper surface  68  makes contact with the containment ledge  54 . When the device is turned further, friction is increased between these surfaces, which effectively locks the device  12  in position. By rotating the device  12  in the opposite direction, the friction is eliminated and the device  12  may once again be positioned along the central axis  24 , or removed from the track through the slot opening or by sliding it out of either end of the accessory mounting track  10 . 
     The accessory mounting track  10  may comprise an extruded profile with attachment holes  40 . The length of the track  10  may vary as may the number of attachment holes  40 . The attachment holes  40  may be disposed linearly near the outer edges of the track  10  or linearly, approximately centered and along the longest axis of the track  10 . The attachment holes  40  may be of counter bore or countersink type, or may be simple thru holes. The recess  44  may be concave, angular, or another shape, allowing clearance for attaching to rounded or irregular surfaces and maximizing stability by enabling the supporting environment to make contact with the track  10  along the edges. The region near the outer edges of the underside of the track  10  may be flat and approximately aligned with the rows of attachment holes  40  to maximize lateral stability. 
     The track  10  composition may be of a lightweight material, such as aluminum or plastic, or a composite comprising two or more such materials. The surface of the track  10  may be treated for harsh environmental exposure, such as UV radiation and saltwater. The upper surface of the track  10  may be textured with any suitable texture to improve the gripping characteristics of that surface, which may increase resistance to accessories mounted to that surface from slipping either by rotation or linearly along the axis of the track  10 . This texture may be the result of geometry in the track shape, such as ridges or grooves in the surface. Alternately or in addition to this geometry, the texture may be the result of etching, application of plastic or rubberized coating, or other surface treatments. 
     Attachment of the track  10  to the support surface may be achieved by putting screws or other suitable fasteners through one or more of the attachment holes  40  and into the surface on which the track  10  is to be mounted. In some configurations, the track  10  may be attached to an adapter bracket, such as a rail clamp, for attachment to the environment, or molded or integrated into the support surface. 
     The track profile may contain an internal C-shaped slot or other suitable shape to receive a tee-bolt, sliding nut, or other connecting feature internally with which to attach accessory devices. 
     The tee-bolt  60  may be attached to the device  12  by screwing the threaded stud  64  of the tee-bolt  60  into the device  12 , leaving the head  62  of the tee-bolt  60  extended some distance from the device  12 . 
     Attachment of the device  12  to the track  10  may be achieved by inserting the head  62  of the tee-bolt  60  into a slot opening  52 . The C-shape of the slot  50  may captivate the head  62  of the tee-bolt  10 , allowing movement only along the long axis of the track  10 . Once positioned, the device  12  may be immovably tightened to the track  10  by rotating the device  12 . The interaction between the threads in the device  12  and those on the stud  64  urges the head  62  of the tee-bolt  60  towards the device  12 , thus causing the head  62  of the tee-bolt  60  to make contact with the inside of the slot  50  and causing the device  12  to make contact with the upper surface of the track  10  opposite of the slot  50 . Further rotation of the device  12  creates pressure on these areas of contact, the resulting friction of which, with reasonable tightening force, is adequate to inhibit rotation of the device  12  in either the tightening or the loosening direction or from slipping linearly along the track  10 . As previously mentioned, texture on the mounting surface of the track  10  may increase this friction. 
     It should be understood that although a tee-bolt attachment method is depicted in these drawings, other methods of secure and removable attachment of devices to the accessory mounting track  10  may also be used. For example, in an alternate configuration, a slot nut and stud configuration (not shown) may be used instead of a tee-bolt. In this configuration, the slot nut is inserted into the slot  50  instead of the head of the tee-bolt. The slot nut is not permanently attached to the stud as it is in the tee-bolt configuration, but instead has female threads which interact with a stud, resulting in a tightening effect that is to that of the tee-bolt configuration. 
     In applications in which excessive rotational forces may be applied to the device  12 , an external locking mechanism (not shown) may be used to prevent the device  12  from rotating in the loosening direction. Also, mechanical features (e.g. grooves, serration, or teeth) may be incorporated into some surface on or surfaces on the track that cooperate with corresponding features on the device  12 , or that encourage increased friction between the track and the device. 
     On the sides of the track there may be grooves in a dovetail, radial, or other shape (not shown), which may allow attachment of devices by externally clamping the track  12 , in cooperation with or independent of the C-shaped slot  50  described above. In this application, the device  12  may have features that cooperate with the grooves so that when it is tightened, the features in the device  12  will mechanically interlock with the grooves. 
     The ends of the track  10  may be contoured to remove edges that may cause injury or snags or may be angled in such a way that interference of gear, persons or other external items is minimized. 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.