Abstract:
A bumper hitch and guard composed of a hitch bar and transverse bars for vehicles with trailer hitch receivers where the hitch bar is insertable and secured into the trailer hitch receiver of the vehicle, the bumper hitch and guard serving to protect the rear of the vehicle from damage. The bumper hitch and guard are easily removable.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/516,268, filed Apr. 1, 2011 and Design Application 29/374,147, filed Jul. 11, 201, the entirety of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to the field of guards used to protect bumpers on vehicles, and, more particularly, to guards to protect rear bumpers on autos, trucks, SUV&#39;s, and similar vehicles. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    There are many devices available which may be used as guards to protect front bumpers of vehicles from damage. With few exceptions, these guards are bulky, being made of metal pipe often as large as three or more inches in diameter. In most cases, these are fitted to pickups and other trucks to protect headlights and grilles from damage by brush if and when the driver takes the vehicle off-road. These brush guards must be attached to the front of the vehicle by a process that may take hours. This process often involves drilling, fitting, and bolting. This fitting can be painstaking if parts are not perfectly sized or aligned. The process may be all but impossible if the vehicle has been heavily used causing it to have bent or misaligned parts. 
         [0004]    Someone seeking a bumper hitch and guard available for attachment to the rear of a vehicle has fewer to choose among. These also must be installed using drilling, fitting, and bolting. These bumper guards are heavy and, once installed, are seldom removed. They are also often impractical for all but a few vehicles. Many vehicles have trunk lids, tailgates, rear doors, liftgates, and similar body parts permitting access to compartments in the rear of the vehicle. A large, heavy rear bumper hitch and guard can prevent access to a trunk or rear compartment. Thus, these large, bulky guards are not a good solution to the problem of protecting the rear of a vehicle for most users. 
         [0005]    For ordinary vehicles, including cars and SUV&#39;s, it is rare that such vehicles would be taken off road. Ordinary vehicles face other problems, however. Rear-end collisions, especially at low speed, are commonplace. Drivers sometimes back their own vehicles into hard objects, such as, lampposts, signposts, and trees. With the high cost of repair of bumpers and body parts, there has been a need for a better way to protect the rear of such an ordinary vehicle. The present invention solves that problem. 
         [0006]    The present invention is lightweight and installs in seconds. Yet it protects the expensive rear bumper of a vehicle. The invention takes advantage of a vehicle&#39;s trailer hitch receiver. Such trailer hitch receivers are usually made of ferrous metal formed into a square tube and attached to the vehicle under the rear portion. These trailer hitch receivers are available in two sizes—one-and-one-quarter inch high and deep and two inches high and deep. Lengths may vary with model due to there being no standard vehicle underbody configuration. 
         [0007]    Most trailer hitch receivers contain two apertures, one on each vertical side, and located directly opposite one another so that a pin or bolt may be inserted into the aperture on one side, pushed through, and the inserted end will project from the aperture on the opposite side. The trailer hitch receiver is not claimed as part of the present invention. 
         [0008]    The present invention discloses a bumper hitch and guard. One part of the bumper hitch and guard is a hitch bar for insertion into a trailer hitch receiver. The hitch bar is square to match the size and shape of the trailer hitch receiver. The hitch bar is made in two sizes, one to fit into a one-and-one-quarter inch trailer hitch receiver and the other to fit into a two inch trailer hitch receiver with some tolerance to allow the hitch bar to easily slide in and out of the trailer hitch receiver. The length of a hitch bar may vary with the model of the vehicle on which it is to be installed. Most hitch bars are between four and twelve inches long hut may be longer. It is not unusual for users to purchase a hitch bar longer than necessary for their application and to remove—or have removed—as much of the end of the hitch bar as they deem necessary to match personal preferences. Hitch bars may be constructed of solid material or may be hollow. Most hitch bars are made of ferrous metal but may be made of non-ferrous metal. 
         [0009]    Hitch bars contain one or more pin apertures so located that the pin or bolt inserted through one pin aperture in the trailer hitch receiver will pass through the corresponding pin aperture or apertures in the hitch bar and then through the aperture on the opposite side of the trailer hitch receiver where the user may lock the pin or bolt in place. If the hitch bar contains more than one pin aperture, the pin apertures may be spaced along the length of the hitch bar at any distance apart that a hitch bar manufacturer may consider functional as well as structurally sound. Hitch bars are well-known in the art. 
         [0010]    The present invention, by employing widely-used trailer hitch receivers and hitch bars, provides many advantages. One is advantage is low-cost. Existing, bolt-on bumper hitches and guards, consisting as they do of large amounts of metal, can cost hundreds of dollars. It can be costly to install an existing, bolt-on bumper hitch and guard. The present invention costs but a fraction of what a large, heavy bumper hitch and guard costs and can be installed by almost anyone in a minute or two by inserting the hitch bar into the trailer hitch receiver and securing the hitch bar into place. 
         [0011]    In addition, if a large, heavy bumper hitch and guard is damaged, such as, in an collision, it can be costly to remove and repair. The present invention, however, is removed by disconnecting the pin or attaching bolt and sliding the bumper hitch and guard out of the trailer hitch receiver. A replacement bumper hitch and guard can be installed in place of the damaged one in almost no time. 
         [0012]    The present invention can, in low speed impacts, serve as a sacrificial element. An impact which would have damaged the rear bumper and body parts might damage only the rear bumper hitch and guard. Vehicle body repair often means being without one&#39;s vehicle for days on end. With the present invention in use, the owner of the auto incurs only the most minor inconvenience. The owner can make the repair with no need to be without the vehicle. 
         [0013]    It is common in rear end impacts for taillights of vehicles to be damaged. It is illegal in many states to drive without taillights and it is dangerous to do so. Protecting the rear end of a vehicle from this type of damage adds an element of safety. 
         [0014]    The above summary of the present invention and its advantages over the existing art are not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment, aspect, or every implementation of the present invention. The figures and detailed description and claims that follow more particularly exemplify these and other embodiments and further aspects of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    The figures show the present invention in more detail. 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a view of the bumper hitch and guard as seen from directly behind the vehicle (vehicle not illustrated). 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a view of the bumper hitch and guard as seen from above. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a view of the bumper hitch and guard as seen from below. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a view of the bumper hitch and guard as seen from the right side where right side refers to the right side of the vehicle (vehicle not illustrated). 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the bumper hitch and guard as seen from above and to the right side of the vehicle (vehicle not illustrated). 
       
    
    
       [0021]    While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not necessarily to limit the invention to the particular embodiments, aspects, and features described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention and as defined by the appended claims. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be described in detail with regard for the best mode and preferred embodiment. 
         [0023]    In this description, the term “vehicle” will refer to any vehicle on which the bumper hitch and guard is installed unless it is clear from the context that the term refers to a different type of vehicle. The term will include, but not be limited to, automobiles, trucks, SUV&#39;s, and trailers. 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  shows upper transverse bar  11  and lower transverse bar  13  from what would be the rear of the vehicle when the bumper hitch and guard are installed on the vehicle. These transverse bars  11  and  13  are constructed of metal from solid or hollow tubes. In the preferred embodiment, the metal is ferrous but the metal is non-ferrous in alternate embodiments. In the preferred embodiment, upper transverse bar  11  is 37 inches long and lower transverse bar  13  is 26 inches long. Upper and lower transverse bars  11  and  13  are joined to one another by two or more connectors  12  by methods well-known in the art. 
         [0025]    Connectors  12  are short components welded or otherwise attached to upper transverse bar  11  and lower transverse bar  13 . Connectors  12  are, in alternate embodiments, attached by bolts or screws to upper transverse bar  11  and lower transverse bar  13 . In another embodiment, upper transverse bar  11 , connectors  12 , and lower transverse bar  13  are formed from a single casting. The lengths of connectors  12  will determine the distance separating upper transverse bar  11  from lower transverse bar  13 . In one embodiment, connectors  12  are one-half inch long. Connectors  12  need not be the same length. Where connectors  12  are the same length, upper transverse bar  11  and tower transverse bar  13  lie parallel to one other. In the preferred embodiment, upper transverse bar  11  is longer than lower transverse bar  13 . in another embodiment, upper transverse bar  11  is the same length as lower transverse bar  13 . The relative positions of the upper transverse bar  11  and lower transverse bar  13  can be inverted by the user simply rotating the hitch bar 180 degrees about its long axis. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  also shows one end  14  of hitch bar  21  ( FIG. 2 ). Hitch bar end  14  is connected to upper transverse bar  11  and lower transverse bar  13  by means welt-known in the art, including welding or bolting. In one embodiment, upper transverse bar  11 , connectors  12 , lower transverse bar  13 , and hitch bar  21 , including end  14 , are formed of a single casting. 
         [0027]      FIG. 2  shows a top view of upper transverse bar  11  as well as the upper side of hitch bar  21 . In the preferred embodiment, upper transverse bar  11  is longer than lower transverse bar  13 . Thus, lower transverse bar  13  is not visible in the top view. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  shows a bottom view of lower transverse bar  13 . In a bottom view of the preferred embodiment where upper transverse bar  11  is longer than lower transverse bar  13 , the ends of the upper transverse bar  11  are visible beyond the ends of the lower transverse bar  13 . Where upper transverse bar  11  and lower transverse bar  13  are the same length, upper transverse bar  11  would not be visible in this view. 
         [0029]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of the bumper hitch and guard. Trailer hitch receivers are well-known in the art. In the vast majority of examples, trailer hitch receivers contain hollow square tubes into which hitch bars are inserted for attachment by means well-known in the art. Trailer hitch receivers are widely available in two main sizes where one size is one-and-one-quarter inch per side and the other size is two inches per side. To fit into these trailer hitch receivers, hitch bars, such as  21 , are similarly available in sizes with sides one-and-one-quarter inch high and deep and two inches high and deep. In practice, these measurements are not exact. The hollow tube of the trailer hitch receiver is made slightly larger and the exterior dimensions of the sides of the hitch bar slightly smaller in order for the hitch bar to fit easily into the trailer hitch receiver. 
         [0030]    Because the hitch bar  21  is square, it can be inserted into a trailer hitch receiver in any of four orientations. In the preferred embodiment, in which the upper transverse bar  11  is longer that the lower transverse bar  13 , the hitch bar  21  is oriented with the upper transverse bar  11  above. A user, if so inclined, by rotating the hitch bar  21  about its long axis 180 degrees, could insert hitch bar  21  into a trailer hitch receiver so that upper transverse bar  11  lies below lower transverse bar  13 . 
         [0031]    Hitch bar  21  contains one or more pin apertures  23 . Said pin apertures are, in the preferred embodiment, one-half inch in diameter and pass entirely through hitch bar  21 . One or more pin apertures  23  are located on hitch bar  21  to match pin apertures in trailer hitch receivers. Said pin apertures  23  are adapted to receive a holding pin (not shown) which inserts through said pin apertures in said trailer hitch receiver to secure the bumper hitch and guard to the trailer hitch receiver. Precise locations of said pin apertures on both trailer hitch receivers and hitch bars  21  are standardized within the art and are not claimed in this invention. 
         [0032]    The length of hitch bar  23  is, in the preferred embodiment, eight inches. However, other lengths are well-known within the art. Longer or shorter lengths determine how far beyond the trailer hitch receiver the bumper hitch and guard will position the upper transverse bar  11  and lower transverse bar  13 . If, for example, the vehicle has a liftgate, it may require a longer hitch bar  21  so that a liftgate, when being raised, will not contact the bumper hitch and guard. 
         [0033]      FIG. 5 , the perspective view of the bumper hitch and guard, shows all parts of the invention in the preferred embodiment. 
         [0034]    The above descriptions disclose a bumper hitch and guard with two transverse bars. In alternate embodiments the bumper hitch and guard comprise one or more transverse bars connected to the hitch bar such that the transverse bars lie parallel to the plane of the ground on which the vehicle stands. 
         [0035]    It is understood that equivalents and substitutions for certain elements set forth above may be obvious to those skilled in the art, and therefore, the true definition and scope of the invention are to be as set forth in the following claims.