Abstract:
A lighting and safety unit for a vehicle trailer hitch providing enhanced rearward lighting to a motor vehicle for safety. The unit has a T-shaped support made from square tubing adapted for being received in a trailer hitch. The T-shaped support has a crossbar and a mounting bar perpendicular to the crossbar. A pair of halogen lamps are disposed at opposite ends of the crossbar. An accessory post is mounted on the mounting bar and may support additional lighting accessories, such as an elevated lighting assembly or a strobe light assembly.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/445,797, filed Feb. 10, 2003. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to auxiliary and safety lighting systems for a motor vehicle, and more particularly to a lighting and safety unit for motor vehicles that may be easily attached to and removed from a vehicle&#39;s existing trailer hitch and that provides a facility for mounting of additional safety accessories. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Motor vehicle lighting systems provide lighting for operation of the motor vehicle after dark. Typically, standard, factory installed, equipment for motor vehicles includes headlights that are well suited to driving in the dark. Factory installed taillights and backup lights typically provide weak lighting that illuminates for a limited distance and area, and may provide limited nighttime visibility at best. When operating the vehicle in reverse, the limited lighting, along with a typically restricted rearward view, may cause difficulty for the driver and may create a safety hazard for people and objects or property near the vehicle. 
     Vehicle headlights are often called upon to provide supplemental lighting for diverse outdoor activities. Vehicle headlights have provided supplemental lighting for emergency roadside service or repairs, illumination of a campsite while campers erect a tent after dark, lighting of work sites, and countless other outdoor lighting functions. However, the limited aim and focus of the vehicle headlights usually limits the effectiveness of such uses. 
     To address the fundamental safety concern of inadequate rearward lighting of motor vehicles, and to provide an improved light source for work or recreation involving a motor vehicle, an improved vehicle lighting and safety unit is desired. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,028, issued on Apr. 30, 2002 to C. R. Crouse et al., discloses a supplemental reverse lighting apparatus for motor vehicles. The apparatus consists of one or more lamp assemblies contained within an enclosed plastic housing. The housing has a shank that is used to attach the apparatus to a vehicle&#39;s trailer hitch. While the device provides improved rearward lighting, the lamps cannot be readily adjusted or re-aimed to suit a particular situation or need. This limits the device&#39;s usefulness, especially for special purpose vehicles, such as farm tractors or construction equipment, where other fixtures attached to the vehicle might block the light. Additionally, the plastic construction of the light housing will not offer significant protection for the lighting apparatus itself or for the vehicle in the event the vehicle is backed into an obstruction. 
     An attachable vehicle lighting system, disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,591, issued on Oct. 20, 1992 to M. J. Chudzik, is intended to overcome the problem of blocked lights inherent when objects, such as a bicycle rack filled with bicycles, are attached to a vehicle. The system disclosed is basically a pair of separate auxiliary lights that may be hung from, or tied or strapped to, various parts of a vehicle or devices attached to the vehicle. In one embodiment, the lights are attached to an extension bar that is attached to the vehicle or the various devices attached to the vehicle. While this system may be useful to overcome the problem of lights that are blocked by accessory devices attached to the vehicle, its use is somewhat limited. The auxiliary lights themselves are not adjustable. The lights will be pointed in a direction dictated by the available mounting place on the vehicle or the vehicle&#39;s attached accessory. Additionally, depending on the vehicle and any accessories attached thereto, it may be difficult to find a suitable place to attach the lights as needed. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,828, issued on Jan. 11, 2000 to G. A. Pearce, shows a device for attaching a light to a trailer hitch frame. The device is essentially a bracket to carry the light, with fixtures to retain tie wraps that are used to secure the bracket to the trailer hitch frame. The tie wraps are wrapped around the trailer hitch frame and secured to hold the light bracket in place. Tie wraps, typically made of plastic, are often made such that, once fastened, they cannot be unfastened. Thus, to remove the lights after they have been mounted may require cutting the tie wraps, further requiring that the tie wraps be replaced each time the lights are removed and replaced. Even if the tie wraps are releasable, they will become worn over time and require replacement before they break and possibly result in a lost or damaged light. 
     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, the lighting and safety unit for a trailer hitch of the present invention solving these problems is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The lighting and safety unit of the present invention is an enhanced vehicle lighting system that provides bright safety and supplemental lighting, having a pair of halogen, or similar, lamps pivotally mounted to a crossbar assembly that may be easily mounted on and removed from a vehicle. A mounting shank is inserted into the vehicle&#39;s trailer hitch receiver box, or bolted to the vehicle bumper, to mount the unit to the vehicle. The lamps are located at the ends of a crossbar, attached by brackets that will allow the lamps to be reoriented, directing the light as needed. An accessory mounting post allows the mounting of lighting and safety accessories, including an additional elevated light bar and a safety strobe. The elevated light bar provides an additional pair of lamps elevated to several feet above the trailer hitch. The elevated light bar may be turned to redirect the upper lights in any direction. The safety strobe provides an additional backup signal to other vehicles and people in the area that the vehicle is about to be backed up. 
     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide improved vehicle safety by increasing the amount and brightness of “backup” lighting when a vehicle is operated in reverse. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide an easily adjustable rearward lighting assembly having lights that can be easily reoriented to direct light as needed. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle-mounted source of additional lighting for work, recreational, and other purposes. 
     Yet another object of the invention is to provide an enhanced vehicle lighting system that may be easily mounted to and removed from a vehicle&#39;s trailer hitch receiver box. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a lighting and safety unit for a trailer hitch according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the lighting and safety unit for a trailer hitch with an elevated lighting bar attached. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the lighting and safety unit for a trailer hitch with a safety strobe light attached. 
         FIG. 4A  is a top elevational view of the lighting and safety unit for a trailer hitch. 
         FIG. 4B  is a side elevational view of the lighting and safety unit for a trailer hitch. 
         FIG. 5A  is a schematic diagram of the lighting and safety unit for a trailer hitch. 
         FIG. 5B  is a schematic diagram of the elevated lighting assembly accessory for the lighting and safety unit for a trailer hitch. 
         FIG. 5C  is a schematic diagram of the safety strobe assembly accessory for the lighting and safety unit for a trailer hitch. 
     
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is a lighting and safety unit for a vehicle trailer hitch, designated generally as  10  in the drawings. The lighting and safety unit  10  is designed to provide a safety and general purpose lighting source that may be easily attached to and removed from a vehicle. The lighting and safety unit  10  provides enhanced rearward lighting for improved ease and safety in operating a motor vehicle in the dark. The lighting and safety unit  10  also provides an additional source of general purpose lighting that may be useful for work, recreational, and other activities in the dark. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the lighting and safety unit  10  includes a crossbar  20  having first and second ends  22 ,  24 , and a longitudinal center  26 . A mounting bar  30  is attached perpendicularly to the crossbar  20  at the longitudinal center  26  of the crossbar  20 . Mounting bar  30  is of a size and shape to be mounted by insertion into a standard vehicle trailer hitch receiver. Two inch square steel box tubing material is preferred for both the mounting bar  30  and crossbar  20 . The square tubing is an appropriate size and shape for insertion into a standard vehicle trailer hitch receiver, and the use of steel box tubing allows the lighting and safety unit  10  to provide added collision protection to the vehicle, in addition to improved lighting. End caps  90  close the ends  22 ,  24  of crossbar  20 . An aperture  32 , seen in  FIG. 2 , is formed in the mounting bar  30  for receiving a locking pin  34  which secures the crossbar assembly to the receiver hitch. The lighting and safety unit  10  is mounted to the vehicle with the crossbar  20  in a horizontal orientation. While the preferred method for mounting the lighting and safety unit  10  is by inserting the mounting bar  30  into the vehicle&#39;s trailer hitch receiver, an alternate method, such as welding or bolting the mounting bar  30  to the vehicle&#39;s bumper, could be used. 
     A tow hook  70  is mounted on the lighting and safety unit  10 . Preferably, the tow hook  70  is bolted to the mounting bar  30  near the attachment to the crossbar  20 . An accessory mounting post  36  is affixed vertically to the mounting bar  30 . 
     For additional safety, a reflector  21  is affixed to the crossbar  20 . A single strip of a reflective tape, running the length of the crossbar  20 , provides a maximum reflective area. Alternatively, the reflective tape could be applied as multiple short strips. Other reflective devices could be substituted. 
     A lamp assembly  40  is mounted near each of the ends  22 ,  24  of the crossbar  20 . Attachment of the lamp assemblies  40  is shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . Each lamp assembly  40  includes a lamp  42  pivotally mounted to a bracket  44  such that the angle of the lamp  42  may be moved both horizontally and vertically within the bracket  44 . Lamp  40  is a halogen lamp, or a similar source of bright lighting. 
     Lamp mounting tabs  28  extend from the rear of the crossbar  20  so that the lamp assemblies  40  may be set back somewhat from the front edge of the crossbar  20 . This allows the lamp assemblies  40  to be protected by the crossbar  20 . The lamp mounting tabs  28  may be, for example, a one by two inch rectangular piece of sixteen gauge plate welded to the rear edge of the crossbar  20  so that it is horizontally flush with the crossbar  20  and extends rearward. A lamp assembly  40  is then mounted to the lamp mounting tab  28 . The lamp assemblies  40  preferably are halogen lamps. 
     The accessory mounting post  36  supports a variety of accessories. One such accessory is an elevated lighting assembly  50 , shown in  FIG. 2 . The elevated lighting assembly  50  includes a vertical post  52 , having lower  54  and upper  56  ends, and an elevated crossbar  60  attached to the upper end  56  of the vertical post  52 . The vertical post  52  is a tube having an inside diameter sufficient to fit over the accessory mounting post  36  for support. An aperture  58  is formed through the lower end  54  to receive, in cooperation with an aperture formed in the accessory mounting post  36 , an accessory locking pin  110 . The elevated crossbar  60  has first and second ends  62 ,  64 , and a longitudinal center  66 . A mounting post  68  is vertically attached to the longitudinal center  66 . The mounting post  68  is inserted into the upper end  56  of vertical post  52  to mount the elevated crossbar  60  atop the vertical post  52 . Lamp assemblies  40  are attached to the first and second ends  62 ,  64 , of the elevated crossbar  60 . 
     Another accessory that may be mounted to the accessory mounting post  36  is a safety strobe assembly  100 , shown in  FIG. 3 . The strobe assembly  100  includes a strobe light  102  attached to a strobe support post  104 . The strobe support post  104  is a tube having an inside diameter sufficient to fit over the accessory mounting post  36  for support. An aperture  106  is formed through the strobe support post  104  to receive, in cooperation with the aperture formed through the accessory mounting post  36 , the accessory locking pin  110 . 
     Wiring harness  80  is provided to connect the lamps and accessories to vehicle power. Connector  82  allows for a fast electrical connection to the vehicle power, and will typically be connected to the vehicle&#39;s reverse lighting power, so that the lamps are illuminated when the vehicle is put into reverse gear.  FIGS. 5A ,  5 B and  5 C show schematics of the wiring harness  80  along with accessory wiring.  FIG. 5A  shows a schematic of the lower crossbar lamp assembly.  FIG. 5B  shows a schematic of the optional elevated light assembly  50 , and  FIG. 5C  shows a schematic of the optional strobe lamp assembly  100 . As shown in  FIG. 5A , a switch  86 , along with a relay  88 , may be provided to allow the lamps  42  to be powered independently from the vehicle&#39;s reverse lighting power. Additionally, the unit may include an audible warning alarm  84  to provide a warning as a vehicle is moved in reverse for enhanced safety. An accessory power connector  120  may be provided for fast electrical connection to the accessory systems. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.