Abstract:
A rack for carrying cargo on top of a vehicle includes a pair of crossbars. Each crossbar spans a pair of rails. The crossbars are connected to the rails by towers. Each tower has a claw assembly which is adjustable along two axes.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/132,956, filed Jun. 23, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference. Also incorporated herein by reference is U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2006/0273123, published Dec. 7, 2006. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Sports equipment racks for vehicles typically include a pair of crossbars configured to extend across a vehicle roof width-wise for securing recreational equipment items. Typically, each crossbar is attached to the vehicle roof via a pair of towers. 
     Many different types of rack towers are known, and may be configured to be attached to a vehicle roof in any of a number of different ways. For example, some rack towers are configured for attachment to rain gutters. Others are designed for attachment to vehicle roof rails. Roof rails are elongate, linear, rigid structures mounted to the roofs of many vehicles, often by the vehicle manufacturer. A vehicle with roof rails typically has two rails running in parallel at least partially along the length of the roof. Roof rails may include a slotted track containing one or more mounts or connectors. Roof rails may be raised or flush with respect to the vehicle roof. 
     One of the problems with existing towers for securing crossbars on top of vehicles is that the variability in rail configurations requires numerous different tower designs. This places a manufacturing and design burden on manufacturers which increases product costs. The complexity of rail and tower designs also complicates the purchasing process for consumers who must determine which tower design is most appropriate for a given rail configuration. Consumers typically need to select from a line of tower designs configured to fit specifically small raised rails, large raised rails, and flush rails. Reduction of the number of tower products required to fit the various types of vehicle roof rails is an important objective. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cargo rack on the roof of a vehicle. 
         FIGS. 2 and 3  are front views of a tower used to connect cross bars to the roof of a vehicle. 
         FIG. 4  is a series of isolated schematic views taken from  FIG. 2 . 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are partial cross-sectional views of the tower used to connect a cross bar to the roof of a vehicle. 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  are partial cross-sectional views isolated from the tower shown in 
         FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an alternative tower embodiment used to connect a cross bar to the roof of a vehicle. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the tower embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of another tower embodiment used to attach a cross bar to the roof of a vehicle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This disclosure provides numerous selected examples of invented devices for carrying cargo on or with a vehicle. Many alternatives and modifications which may or may not be expressly mentioned, are enabled, implied, currently possessed, and are therefore supported by the disclosure. 
       FIG. 1  shows rack  20  configured for carrying cargo on vehicle  22 . Rack  20  includes a pair of cross bars  24   a ,  24   b . Rack towers  26   a - d  clamp cross bars  24   a ,  24   b  to roof rails  28   a ,  28   b . Towers  26   a - d  may be adapted to clamp cross bars onto raised rails, having a gap between the rail and the roof of the vehicle, and also to flush rails which do not have a gap between the rail and the vehicle roof. 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  focus on the tower portion of rack  20 , particularly an adjustable claw assembly that is used to adapt the tower to clamp onto different rail configurations. In preferred embodiments, the claw assembly has two parts, an upper base portion or upper claw that attaches to the tower and translates horizontally. A lower claw or hook portion is vertically adjustable to accommodate different rail thicknesses. A lower hook portion may also be replaceable to extend the adjustment range. The claw vertical position may be retained by teeth on the upper and lower claw portions. To adjust the claw, the lower claw is rotated toward the rail until the teeth clear the teeth on the upper claw. The lower claw may then slide up or down. When the lower claw is rotated back into place, the teeth retain the position of the lower claw. Clamping the tower against the bar presses the lower claw teeth into the upper claw and retains the vertical position of the hook portion. Additionally, a screw may be used to clamp together the upper and lower claws to retain the adjustment position. The screw is not essential for function but may be helpful to prevent the lower clamp from accidentally changing positions when the tower is not mounted on the bar. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , tower  26   a  is used to clamp cross bar  24   a  onto a rail (not shown). Claw assembly  40  is shown in dashed lines, moved horizontally. Claw assembly  40  includes upper claw or base portion  42 . Base portion  42  extends into the housing of tower  26   a  and is slideable in a track. Lower claw or hook member  44  is connected to base portion  42  and is slideable vertically, as shown in dashed lines. Screw  46  is provided for securing hook member  44  in a selected vertical position relative to base portion  42 . 
       FIG. 3  is similar to  FIG. 2  except hook member  44  has been replaced with hook member  50  in order to provide an extended vertical clamping position. The configuration shown in  FIG. 3  adds adaptation to a taller or deeper rail dimension. The curvature profile of hook member  50  is also different from the curvature on hook member  44  which may work better for particular rail shapes. 
       FIG. 4  shows a series of two views of claw assembly  40 . Base portion  42  has teeth  52  which compliment teeth  54  on hook member  44 . In the first view, teeth  54  engage teeth  52 , thereby fixing the vertical location of hook member  44  relative to base portion  42 . In the second view, hook member  44  is pivoted in a clockwise direction, disengaging teeth  54  from teeth  52 , thereby allowing vertical sliding of hook member  44  relative to base portion  42  in a track  56  in base portion  42 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate mechanisms relating to horizontal positioning of the claw assembly relative to a fixed wall of a tower housing, for purposes of securing the tower to a rail on the top of a vehicle. In preferred embodiments, a claw assembly horizontal position is driven by a long screw. The head of the screw may be attached to a lever and the threads may be attached to an upper claw or base portion of a claw assembly. To clamp the tower onto a rail, the screw is turned until the claw is loosely clamping the rail. The adjustment screw may be turned by fingers or a tool. A locking cam cover may then be raised or closed to cover the screw. When the cam cover is raised, a cam surface moves the lever which pulls on the screw. When the screw is pulled, it moves the claw a distance, for example, a half an inch which tightens the clamp on the side rail. Closing the cam cover may also cover a second screw that is used to clamp the tower to the cross bar, as discussed in more detail below. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show details of the preferred mechanism for adjusting the horizontal position of claw assembly  40 . Horizontal movement of claw assembly  40  relative to fixed internal wall  58  allows clamping of tower  26   a  to a rail on top of a vehicle. Screw  60  threads into base portion  42  of claw assembly  40 . Head  62  of screw  60  is accessible for horizontal adjustment of claw assembly  40  when installing tower  26   a  on top of a vehicle. Rotation of head portion  62  of screw  60  causes lateral movement of base portion  42  in track  59  of tower  26   a . Head  62  of screw  60  is contained in compartment  64  of tower  26   a . Pivotal lever  26  is connected to screw  60  near head  62 . In use, loose adjustment of claw assembly  40  around a rail (not shown) is accomplished by manipulating head  62  of screw  60 . Compartment cover  70  is shown in open position in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 6  shows compartment cover  70  pivoted to a closed position which accomplishes at least several functions. First, closure of cover  62  blocks access to head  62  of screw  60 , thus prohibiting adjustment or loosening of claw  40 , i.e., removal of tower  26   a  from the vehicle. Further, cover  70  has cam surface  71  which engages lever  66  when cover  70  is rotated to its closed position, causing the opposite end of lever  66  to pull screw  60  horizontally, thus tightening claw assembly  40  relative to fixed wall  58  around a rail. Lid  70 , as shown, also has lock device  72  for locking cover  70  in the closed position to avoid theft. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  show close-up cross-sectional views of another clamp device used to secure the tower&#39;s grip on a cross bar. As shown in  FIG. 7 , tower  26   a  grips and supports cross bar  24   a . Screw  80  is threaded through wedge member  82 . Head  84  on screw  80  may be manipulated to urge wedge  82  forward. As shown in  FIG. 8 , as wedge  82  moves forward it also moves upward toward cross bar  24  as it slides up ramp  85 . Head  84  of screw  80  is contained in compartment  64 , similar to head  62  of screw  60 . Accordingly, access to screw  80  is only available when cover  70  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ) is open. 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate another embodiment of a tower for securing a cross bar to a raised rail on the roof of a vehicle. As shown in  FIG. 9 , tower  110  supports cross bar  112 . Dial  114  may be manipulated to alter the length of slack on belt  116 . Belt  116  is intended to loop around a raised rail.  FIG. 10  shows a cross section through tower  110  of  FIG. 9 . Belt  116  wraps around rotatable drum  118  which is connected to external dial  114 . Pawl  120  is spring biased toward engagement with teeth  122  on drum  118 . When pawl  120  engages teeth  122 , drum  118  may only be rotated in one direction (clockwise, as shown) to tighten belt  116  around a raised rail. To loosen belt  116 , pawl  120  must be manipulated causing rotation in a counterclockwise direction, thus disengaging pawl  120  from teeth  122 . When pawl  120  is disengaged from teeth  122  on drum  118 , dial  114  may be turned in a counterclockwise direction, thus loosening belt  116  and enabling removal of tower  110  from a rail on top of a vehicle. Cover  124  may be opened or closed. In the closed position, cover  124  prevents manipulation of pawl  120 . Access to pawl  120  is provided when cover  124  is open. Screw  126  engages and interacts with wedge member  128  to secure tower  110  around cross bar  112 , substantially as previously described. 
       FIG. 11  shows another tower embodiment which combines elements of previously described embodiments in a different way. Tower  150  supports cross bar  152 . Drum  154  is connected to belt  156 . Rotation of drum  154  in a clockwise direction causes belt  156  to pull claw assembly  158  toward fixed wall  159 . Similar to previously described embodiments, claw assembly  158  includes base portion  160  and vertically slideable hook member  162 . Pawl  164  is spring biased into engagement with teeth  166  on drum  154 . Cover  168  may be closed or open. When cover  168  is closed, as shown, access to pawl  164  is blocked. When cover  168  is open, pawl  164  may be manipulated in a counterclockwise direction, disengaging pawl  164  from teeth  166  of drum  154 , thereby permitting horizontal movement of claw assembly  158  away from fixed wall  159  so that tower  150  may be removed from a rail on top of a vehicle. Similar to previously described configurations, screw  170  engages wedge member  172  for purposes of clamping tower  150  around cross bar  152 . 
     The various structural members disclosed herein may be constructed from any suitable material, or combination of materials, such as metal, plastic, nylon, plastic, rubber, or any other materials with sufficient structural strength to withstand the loads incurred during use. Materials may be selected based on their durability, flexibility, weight, and/or aesthetic qualities. 
     Although the present disclosure has been provided with reference to the foregoing operational principles and 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 disclosure. The present disclosure is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances. Where the disclosure recites “a,” “a first,” or “another” element, or the equivalent thereof, it should be interpreted to include one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Furthermore, any aspect shown or described with reference to a particular embodiment should be interpreted to be compatible with any other embodiment, alternative, modification, or variance.