Abstract:
An accessory mountable to an ATV includes an extension rack that provides a substantially flat storage bed. A spreader assembly for storing and distributing granular material therefrom is supported in a position below the extension rack. In the preferred embodiment, the extension rack is mounted to the carrier rack of the ATV, and the spreader is mounted to the extension rack such that it is positioned under the extension rack. The extension rack preferably includes a door that provides a passageway to the spreader assembly and also includes side walls that are vertically disposed with respect to the substantially flat storage bed.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/585,625, filed on Jul. 6, 2004, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The invention relates generally to the field of accessories that are mounted onto an all terrain vehicle (ATV), and more particularly to multipurpose carrier accessories that are readily mounted to factory installed or pre-existing carrier rack assemblies.  
         [0004]     2. State of the Art  
         [0005]     All terrain vehicles (ATVs) are popular as a mode of transportation, particularly for various types of off-road activities. Typically, an ATV is equipped with a factory installed (or other pre-existing) carrier rack. The carrier rack generally consists of a plurality of tubular members that are mounted to the frame of the ATV. The tubular members are arranged to form a horizontal support area and spaced apart in a manner that allows various items such as tents, guns, fishing poles, tackle boxes, other field equipment, to be removably attached thereto using rope, bungee cords and the like.  
         [0006]     The rugged nature of the ATVs has also made it popular as a utility vehicle. For such purposes, it is cumbersome to repeatably lash items to the factory-installed carrier racks. Thus, it has become popular to mount accessory extension racks onto such factory-installed carrier racks. The extension racks provide a flat storage bed that is useful for carrying diverse items and animals, such as containers, bags, gear, tools, dogs, etc. An example of such an extension rack is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,728 to Savant.  
         [0007]     It is also known to mount a spreader accessory to the top of an ATV carrier rack. For example, an ATV-mounted spreader accessory known as the “Bumper-Buddy” is sold commercially. It includes a conical hopper (20-gallon/50-lb. capacity) that is mounted behind and above the ATV rear rack by bolt mount clamps. A spreader mechanism that includes an aluminum flow control valve, spinner plate and motor are supported underneath the conical hopper. The spreader accessory provides for distribution of large quantities of seed, corn, granulated salt and other dry pellet material.  
         [0008]     While the Bubby-Buddy spreader is useful, it suffers from several drawbacks. For example, because the spreader accessory is mounted on the ATV rear rack, an extension rack cannot also be mounted onto the rear rack due to interference between the two accessories. In the event that a user desires the functionality provided by both of these accessories, the user must independently demount and alternatively mount the respective accessories onto the ATV rear rack, which is cumbersome and time consuming. In addition, because the Bumper Buddy spreader is mounted above the ATV rear rack, it significantly obstructs rear vision, obstructs normal access and use of the rear rack, and also undesirably moves the center of gravity of the ATV so that the ATV is more prone to roll-over.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an accessory mountable to an ATV that provides both a flat storage bed as well as a spreader mechanism suitable for storage and distribution of large quantities of dry pellet material.  
         [0010]     It is another object of the invention to provide a multipurpose accessory for an ATV that is capable of carrying a wide variety of diverse loads and simultaneously capable of storing and distributing large quantities of dry pellet material, thus avoiding the need to switch between accessories.  
         [0011]     It is a further object of the invention to provide a spreader apparatus that is supported by an ATV in a manner that provides the operator with an unobstructed view while operating the ATV.  
         [0012]     It is another object of the invention to provide a spreader apparatus that is supported by an ATV in a manner that provides the operator with unobstructed normal access and use of the rear rack.  
         [0013]     It is also an object of the invention to provide a spreader accessory that is supported by an ATV in a manner that lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle, thereby enhancing stability and making the vehicle a bit more resistant to rollover.  
         [0014]     In accord with these objects, which will be discussed in detail below, an accessory mountable to an ATV includes an extension rack that provides a substantially flat storage bed. A spreader assembly for storing and distributing granular material therefrom is supported in a position below the extension rack. In the preferred embodiment, the extension rack is mounted to the carrier rack of the ATV, and the spreader is mounted to the extension rack such that it is positioned under the extension rack. The extension rack preferably includes a door that provides a passageway to the spreader assembly and also includes side walls that are vertically disposed with respect to the substantially flat storage bed.  
         [0015]     It will be appreciated that the multi-purpose ATV accessory of the present invention is positioned completely out of the way of the user and can be left in place. This feature enables the operator to avoid the time required to switch between accessories. It also provides the operator with an unobstructed view while operating the ATV together with unobstructed normal access and use of the rear rack. In addition, supporting the spreader accessory beneath the extension rack lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle, thereby enhancing stability and making the vehicle a bit more resistant to rollover.  
         [0016]     Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the provided figures. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an illustrative embodiment of a multipurpose accessory for an ATV in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the multipurpose accessory of  FIG. 1  in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]     Turning now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown an ATV accessory  10  in accordance with the present invention. The ATV accessory  10  is mounted to the rear rack of the ATV. More specifically, a factory-installed (or other pre-existing) rear rack is affixed to the frame of the ATV. The rear rack includes a plurality of tubular members that provide a horizontal support area above the rear fenders of the ATV as is conventional. The rear rack is hidden by the accessory  10  in  FIG. 1  and thus not shown. The accessory  10  includes an extension rack  12  that provides a flat storage bed as well as a spreader assembly  14  mounted below the extension rack  12 .  
         [0020]     The extension rack  12  includes a base frame  16  and a side frame  18  both constructed from tubular members. The base frame substantially extends in the horizontal plane and is attached to the pre-existing rear rack utilizing bolted-collars, spring-clips, brackets, or other suitable fastening mechanisms. The side rail frame  18  is vertically displaced from the base frame  16  and preferably includes a rail  18 A, vertical supports  18 B, metal mesh sections  19 A,  19 B,  19 C and metal sheet sections  21 A,  21 B. Similarly, the base frame  16  is preferably covered with metal mesh sections  23 A,  23 B,  23 C and metal sheet section  25 . In this manner, the covered base frame and side rail frame provide a flat storage bed that is suitable for carrying a wide range of diverse items.  
         [0021]     In accordance with the present invention, a door  27  is provided through the metal sheet  25  towards the rear of the extension rack  12  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The door  27  provides a passageway to the spreader assembly  14  that is disposed below the extension rack  12 .  
         [0022]     The spreader assembly  14  includes a gravity-feed hopper  31  and a dispensing mechanism  33  mounted thereunder. The hopper  31  is filled by loading material (e.g., seed, fertilizer, granulated lime, granulated salt, etc) through the door  27  and empties via outlet  35 . The dispensing mechanism  33  includes a spring-loaded gate  36  that slides relative to the outlet  35  to selectively control the flow rate of material exiting the outlet  35 . The position of the gate  36  is preferably controlled by pulling a wire/cable (not shown) to thereby open and close the gate. The dispensing system  33  also includes a spinner plate  37  that is operably coupled via rotating shaft  38  to an electric motor  39 . When the motor  39  is powered on, the rotating shaft  38  rotates, thereby driving rotation of the spinner plate  37 . When the spinner plate  37  rotates, material that exits the outlet  35  is distributed over a large area behind the spreader. Push button control can be used to selectively power the electrical motor on and off and thereby provide user control over distribution by the spinner plate. Alternatively, the dispensing mechanism  33  may include a motor-driven closure mechanism as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,035, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.  
         [0023]     The hopper  31  may include slots  41  in its structure that conform to the geometry of the base frame structure  16  of the extension rack  14  as shown in  FIG. 2 . These slots enable the top of the hopper  31  to mount flushly to the underside of the extension rack  14 . The spreader assembly  14  is preferably mounted below the extension rack  16  by L-shaped brackets  43  (one shown) and bolts that join the hopper  31  to the base frame structure  16  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Alternatively, the hopper  31  (and spreader assembly  14 ) may be permanently affixed to the extension rack  12  by welding or other means.  
         [0024]     It will be appreciated that ATVs typically include a rear hitch point that is used to removably couple a trailer thereto. The dispensing mechanism  33  is preferably located above the horizontal plane of the rear hitch point such that it does not interfere with the use of the rear hitch point.  
         [0025]     The ATV accessory  10  of the present invention has many advantages. Because the hopper  31  and dispensing apparatus  33  are operably disposed under the extension  16  and completely out of the way of the user, they may be left in place. This feature enables the operator to avoid the time required to switch between accessories. It also provides the operator with an unobstructed view while operating the ATV together with unobstructed normal access and use of the rear rack. In addition, supporting the spreader accessory beneath the deck of the extension rack lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle, thereby enhancing stability and making the vehicle a bit more resistant to rollover.  
         [0026]     There have been described and illustrated herein embodiments of a multipurpose accessory for an all terrain vehicle. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Thus, while particular hopper and dispensing mechanisms have been disclosed, it will be appreciated that other hopper and dispensing mechanisms can be used as well. For example, and not by way of limitation, the hopper and possibly the dispensing mechanism (or parts thereof) may be partitioned into multiple sections (e.g., with baffle(s)) in a manner that allows mixing of seeds and/or fertilizer of varying size and weight to be distributed simultaneously at the desired rate of dispersion. In another example, the hopper (and/or dispensing mechanism) can be designed to slide in and out of position below the extension rack utilizing, for example, a rail system. To load material into the hopper, the hopper would be slid out to allow the material to be poured into the hopper. After loading, the hopper is slid into position under the extension rack and secured for normal operation. Alternatively, one or more doors may be provided at (or near) the top of the side(s) of the hopper which are opened to load material into the hopper. In these configurations, the door through the floor of the extension rack may be omitted, and the hopper and dispensing mechanism can be readily adapted to be mounted under pre-existing extension racks by attachment to the extension rack, by attachment to the ATV frame or by other suitable means. Moreover, while particular configurations have been disclosed in reference to extension rack and mechanism for mounting the extension rack to the rear carrier rack of the all terrain vehicle, it will be appreciated that other configurations could be used as well. For example, the hopper and dispensing mechanism may be integrated with extension racks that have different sizes and shapes as those described herein. For example, a multi-level extension rack and/or an extension rack that extends down below the pre-existing rack cargo area. In another example, the extension rack and the dispensing mechanism mounted therebelow may be integrated into a front carrier rack of the ATV. In yet another example, the hopper and spreader assembly of the present invention may be adapted to mount to commercially-available ATV extension racks. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as claimed.