Abstract:
A racking assembly for securely storing and transporting recreational equipment on vehicles includes a hitch mount, an equipment support assembly, and pair of support members having lower ends pivotally coupled to the hitch mount and upper ends pivotally coupled to the equipment support assembly. The support members are configured to allow the racking assembly to collapse away from a user placing equipment thereon so that injury is prevented from the weight of the equipment causing the racking assembly to collapse onto a user.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/234,536 filed Sep. 22, 2000, whose entire contents are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates generally to racking assemblies. Specifically, the invention relates to racking assemblies capable of being mounted onto hitch attachments of vehicles to transport equipment, such as bicycles, skis and luggage. 
     2. General Background and State of the Art 
     There are many prior art racking assemblies capable of securely holding articles while being mounted on vehicles. Some prior art racking assemblies are capable of attaching to the rear of vehicles having a hitch. These prior art racking assemblies are placed on vehicles by positioning the racking assembly onto the hitch and locking the racking assembly in place using a pin. When the pin is in place, the racking assembly cannot move forward or backward relative to the vehicle, thereby providing a secure assembly for transporting a variety of articles. However, as the vehicle moves, unstable movement of the racking assembly may occur. Movement of the vehicle, especially at high speeds, may cause the racking assembly to vibrate. In such a situation, the articles placed on the racking assembly can loosen and may fall off while the vehicle is in motion. This can cause injury to other drivers by creating a potential road hazard. Also, attempting to remove loosened articles from the racking assembly after a vehicle has stopped may also cause injury. Therefore there is a need for a racking assembly which does not fall forward into a user when in an unlocked position while an article is being placed onto the racking assembly. There is also a need in the art for a racking assembly capable of attaching to a vehicle provide for stable support while the vehicle is in motion 
     One prior art pivoting vehicle rack, found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,498, includes a hitch connector, an upright support, an equipment carrier and a lower plate. This rack is positionable on the hitch of a vehicle and supports equipment placed on the equipment carrier. One problem associated with this type of rack, and with other similar racks, is the operation of the rack when equipment is placed onto the equipment carrier. For example, when equipment or other weight is placed on the carrier, the rack has a tendency to fall forward toward the person placing the equipment on the rack. Therefore there is a need in the art for a racking assembly that does not fall toward a person loading equipment onto the racking assembly for transportation or storage. 
     INVENTION SUMMARY 
     The present invention provides a pivotable racking assembly capable of coupling to a vehicle&#39;s hitch mount for transporting equipment. The racking assembly includes a pair of frame support members that are generally parallel and longitudinally aligned. Each frame support member has an upper end and a lower end. The lower ends are pivotally coupled to a hitch member and the upper ends are pivotally coupled to an equipment support assembly. The assembly also includes a pair of pivoting mechanisms which allow movement of the racking assembly forward and backward. In one embodiment, the pair of frame support members are different sizes. 
     In one embodiment, the upper end of one of the frame support members curves inward toward the upper end of the other frame support member near the equipment support assembly. This results in the spacing between the ends of the frame support members being greater at the hitch mount than at the equipment support assembly. That is, the frame support members are positioned more closely together at the equipment support assembly than at the hitch mount. This configuration allows the pivotable racking assembly to collapse backward away from a person as equipment is placed on top of the equipment support assembly. When the racking assembly is mounted on the rear of a car, for example, this difference permits the racking assembly to rotate backward toward the vehicle when weight is applied to the racking assembly. 
     The configuration of the upper ends of the frame support members allows a person to safely place equipment onto the racking assembly without the possibility of accidentally collapsing the racking assembly toward himself or herself. As equipment is placed onto the equipment support bars connected to the equipment support assembly, the weight of the equipment forces the frame support members to pivot relative to the hitch member and equipment support assembly such that the racking assembly falls backward away from the user. As a force is applied to the equipment support bars, the force is transferred to the frame support members by the curvature of the upper end of one of the frame support members and the smaller difference in distance between the two frame support members at the upper ends than at the lower ends. The racking assembly pivots around a locking pin coupling the curved frame support member to the equipment support assembly, and the applied force is distributed between the longitudinal axis of the second frame support member and the pivot point of the first frame support member. This causes the frame support members to pivot away from the application of the force, and therefore it is the curvature of the upper end of the frame support that causes the racking assembly to collapse backwards away from a user standing adjacent to the equipment support bars. 
     In another embodiment, the second frame support member includes a pair of tubes of the same length and curvature welded together. This configuration provides additional security for the entire racking assembly and more support for items place on the equipment support assembly. 
     Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a racking assembly that falls away from a person loading equipment onto the racking assembly. It is another object of the present invention to provide a racking assembly that is easily securable to prevent equipment from falling from the racking assembly. It is further an object of the present invention to provide a racking assembly that is easily placeable onto a vehicle to transport or store equipment. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a racking assembly in a substantially upright position and mounted on a vehicle; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the racking assembly in its substantially upright, locked position, 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the racking assembly in a pivoting position toward the hitch member; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the racking assembly in a pivoting position away from the hitch member; 
     FIG. 5 shows a further pivoting position away from the hitch member than that shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 shows the racking assembly in its fully extended pivoting position away from the hitch member; and 
     FIG. 7 shows the components of the pivoting mechanism that couples the equipment support assembly to the frame support members. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     A racking assembly  10  of the present invention is articulable from a generally upright position, shown in FIG. 1, to a variety of declined positions as shown in FIGS. 2-6. The racking assembly  10  is mountable to a hitch of a vehicle, and when so mounted, enables equipment of various types to be carried thereon. Although the invention is generally described in the context of providing a rack for carrying bicycles, it is to be understood that the racking assembly is equally suited for carrying other types of equipment or articles, among which are included but not limited to surf boards, kayaks, canoes, skis, and luggage. 
     Both frame support members are generally tubular and constructed from a durable metal such as extruded steel, although any suitable material which is able to withstand the demands of an equipment-carrying, vehicle mounted racking assembly may be used. Such materials should possess sufficient strength characteristics so that various types of equipment, which often might weigh one hundred or more pounds, may be carried by the racking assembly and supported when the racking assembly is moved between upright and declined positions, without over-stressing any of the parts described herein. The frame support members may also be generally rectangular with straight edges instead of curved edges. 
     FIG. 1 is a view of the racking assembly  10  mounted onto a vehicle. The racking assembly  10  includes a pair of substantially parallel support members which are longitudinally aligned relative to each other. The frame support members include a first frame support member  12  and a second frame support member  14 . The frame support members may each include a single member or a plurality of members welded together for additional strength. The first frame support member  12  may also include a padding  13  to provide protection and a convenient place to grasp the first frame support member  12 . The second frame support member may also include similar padding. FIG. 1 also shows a hitch member  16  coupled to the frame support members  12  and  14 . The distance between the lower ends of the first and second frame support members is slightly larger at the point where the coupling with the hitch member occurs as opposed to the upper ends. A first locking pin  18  is also included, shown in its locked position in FIG. 1, which provides stable support for the racking assembly  10  when mounted onto a vehicle. Removal of this first locking pin  18  causes the frame support members  12  and  14  to pivot relative to the hitch member  16  and therefore the racking assembly  10  is capable of being moved from its locked position. 
     Also coupled to the frame support members  12  and  14  is an equipment support assembly. The distance between the first and second support members at the point where the upper ends couple to the equipment support assembly is slightly smaller than the distance between the lower ends. The equipment support assembly has a cross member  20  perpendicularly positioned relative to the frame support members  12  and  14 . The cross member  20  may have a particular shape, including but not limited to a rectangle or a cylinder, and may be positioned at any angle relative to the first and second frame support members. FIG. 1 also shows a pair of equipment support bars  22  and  24  coupled to the cross member  20 . These equipment support bars  22  and  24  may have a plurality of straps capable of holding equipment in place while placed on the equipment support bars  12  and  14 . FIG. 1 shows an example of the inclusion of the straps, in which each equipment support bar has three straps. 
     FIG. 1 shows the racking assembly  10  in a use position in which equipment is capable of being placed on the equipment support bars  22  and  24  and carried on the racking assembly  10 . Each of the frame support members  12  and  14  has a locking pin, placed through one end of the frame support member. The first frame support member  12  has the first locking pin  18  placed through the frame support member on the end closest to the hitch member  16 . The second frame support member  14  has a second locking pin  26  placed through a housing and close to the equipment support assembly. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the racking assembly  10  in a locked, substantially upright position. Shown in FIG. 2 are the first and second frame support members  12  and  14 , the hitch member  16  and the equipment support assembly. The second frame support member  14  is curved at an upper end towards the first frame support member  12 . This configuration allows a person, when using the racking assembly  10  in its unlocked position, to place an article onto the equipment support assembly such that when weight is applied to the equipment support assembly the entire racking assembly  10  is forced to move away from the person and towards a vehicle, if the racking assembly is mounted onto a vehicle at that time. Therefore, the positioning and configuration of the first and second support members  12  and  14  prevents the person from being injured when placing articles onto the racking assembly. The curved nature of the second frame support member relative to the first frame support member causes the equipment support assembly and the frame support members to collapse away from the person and stop when it hits the vehicle. 
     FIG. 3 shows the movement of the racking assembly  10  when an article is placed onto the equipment support assembly. The curved nature of the upper end of the second frame support member  14 , and the resultant spacing difference between the first and second frame support members at their respective upper ends and lower ends, distributes the force applied to the equipment support bars and causes the entire racking assembly to move away from the person standing in front of the equipment support bars. The force applied to the equipment support bars is distributed such that the pivot point lies between the longitudinal axis of the second frame support member  14  and pivot axis of the first frame support member  12 . The pivot point (i.e. second locking pin) of the second frame support member  14  therefore serves as the point where the racking assembly moves when an article is placed on the equipment support assembly. Also referring to FIG. 3, note that the first locking pin  18  has been removed from the hitch member  16  and from the first frame support member to which it is coupled. This allows for the pivoting of the first and second frame support members relative to the hitch member. 
     FIGS. 4 and 5 show movement of the racking assembly  10  in the opposite direction from that shown in FIG.  3 . In FIGS. 4 and 5 the hitch member  16  of the racking assembly  10  is placed onto a hitch at the rear of a vehicle. Because of the curved nature of the second frame support member  14 , placement of an article onto the equipment support assembly causes the racking assembly  10  to move in the opposite direction than that shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Therefore in order to force the racking assembly  10  to move in the direction shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the equipment support assembly must be pulled forward away from the vehicle and towards the person (with the person standing in front of the equipment support bars). FIGS. 4 and 5 show examples of the directional movement in which the racking assembly is capable of moving. Note also in FIGS. 4 and 5 that the first locking pins  18  have been removed from the hitch member  16 , allowing the pivoting of the first and second frame support members  12  and  14  relative to the hitch member  16  and the equipment support assembly. 
     FIG. 6 shows further movement of the racking assembly  10  in the same direction as that shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 6 is intended to show the furthest possible movement of the racking assembly in the direction shown. Therefore, as above, as the first locking pin  18  is removed from the hitch member  16  and the equipment support assembly is pulled forward, the first and second frame support members  12  and  14  pivot relative to the hitch member  16  and collapse the racking assembly away from the vehicle. 
     FIG. 7 is a close-up view of the internal connection between the equipment support assembly and the first and second frame support members  12  and  14  and the housing encompassing the internal connection. The equipment support assembly includes an upper pivoting mechanism. The second locking pin  26  is placed through the second frame support member  14 , and an upper locking bolt  28  and its corresponding upper locking washer  30  secure the first frame support member  12  to the equipment support assembly. An equipment support housing piece  32  is also shown in FIG.  7 . The curved upper end of the second frame support member  14  is pivotally held within the housing piece  32  by the second locking pin  26 . The bolt  28  passes through the housing piece  32  and through the first frame support member  12  to fixedly couple the first frame support member  12  to the housing piece  32  with the washer  30 . A latch piece  34  is also included to secure the second locking pin  26  to the housing piece  32  and the second frame support member  14 . 
     In the locked position, the racking assembly, and specifically the equipment support assembly, cannot pivot and therefore the equipment support assembly cannot move relative to the first and second frame support members. However, once the second locking pin  26  has been removed, the equipment support assembly can rotate relative to the first and second frame support members.