Abstract:
A hitch, which can be rigidly yet removably attached to a vehicle-mounted sleeve, comprises a longitudinally extending member which is configured to slide into the sleeve and which locks therewith with a transverse locking device in a conventional manner. The member is divided into two sections along a plane which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the member. The sections are connected together by a bolt threading into one section while being operable from the outside of the other section. Due to the inclined plane separating both sections, tightening of the bolt causes the sections to slide in opposite directions within the sleeve until they abut and press on opposite inner walls of the sleeve, thereby eliminating play between the member and sleeve. The hitch is conceived such to prevent a user to drive without the locking device in place.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     There are no cross-related applications. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to hitches and hitch assemblies and more particularly to anti-rattling and/or anti-wobbling hitches and hitch assemblies. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Hitches have long been used to provide a mechanism for connecting a trailer to a towing vehicle. Such hitches, especially when used to connect a trailer to a motor vehicle, are typically detachable from the towing vehicle. 
     Hitches are made detachable from the towing vehicle to solve the following dilemma. It is useful for a hitch to extend beyond the rear of the towing vehicle to facilitate attachment of the trailer to the hitch, and to allow the trailer to pivot freely relative to the towing vehicle. 
     A hitch is commonly attached to the towing vehicle by means of a rigid square or rectangular sleeve which is fixedly mounted at the rear of the vehicle. The corresponding square or rectangular member of the hitch, which is slightly smaller than the sleeve, is inserted into the sleeve. A locking device, such as a pin, a bolt or any other suitable element, is then inserted transversally through matching holes in the side walls of the sleeve and the member, and is then locked with a locking device, typically via a cotter pin, to prevent the locking device from slipping out of the holes. 
     Some space is usually left between the inner walls of the sleeve and the outer walls of the member to allow easy attachment and detachment of the hitch. For the same reason, space is usually left between the locking device and the holes in the walls of the member and sleeve. These spaces are large enough to allow for ease of coupling and decoupling of the hitch despite imperfections in the machining of the hitch and sleeve and despite rust and other surface accumulations (e.g. ice, mud, dirt, dust, etc.). 
     The problem with these spaces is that they allow play in the connection between the hitch and the sleeve that can be noisy, more particularly when carrying an empty trailer. The play between the outer walls of the hitch and the inner walls sleeve can cause clanging noises and vibrations that can be felt within the towing vehicle. That play may also be magnified by the lever arm of the hitch so that it is felt more strongly by the trailer. The play between the locking device and the holes in the walls of the member and sleeve can be felt mainly in the acceleration and deceleration of the trailer relative to the towing vehicle. 
     Prior art discloses systems wherein the outer walls of the member of the hitch are pressed against the inner walls of the sleeve. This configuration decrease the level of vibration and noise but it presents an inconvenient. Some users can forget to install the locking device to lock the hitch in the sleeve. The installation of the locking device may be forgotten since the member is press fitted in the sleeve of the vehicle and may seem to be secured. Consequently, when the vehicle is in use, there is a high risk that the hitch will come out from the sleeve, principally because of the vibration of the vehicle. 
     For the aforementioned reasons, there is clearly a need for an improved hitch wherein the shortcomings of prior art hitches are at least mitigated. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is providing a hitch for use in cooperation with a vehicle-mounted sleeve, the sleeve comprising a longitudinal opening and a pair of aligned mounting holes configured to receive the locking device, the hitch comprising a member adapted to slide into the sleeve, the member comprising a first section comprising a first extremity and a second extremity, the second extremity having a first plane inclined relatively to a longitudinal axis of the member, the first section comprising mounting holes; a second section comprising a first extremity and a second extremity, wherein the first extremity of the second section comprises a second plane inclined relatively to the longitudinal axis of the member, the second inclined plane configured for engagement with the first inclined plane, the second section comprising a threaded portion; a bracket extending from the second section, the bracket further comprising an opening and a nut; a bolt extending in the member, one end of the bolt being threaded, the threaded end being configured to be received by the threaded portion of the second section, wherein the threaded end of the bolt is configured to abut against the locking device such that when the bolt is screwed, the bolt pulls the second section toward the first section to slide against each other along their inclined planes, and wherein a length of the threaded end bolt being such that the second section cannot be pulled toward the first section if the locking device is not inserted into the mounting holes. 
     In a further embodiment, the present invention is providing a hitch for use in cooperation with a vehicle-mounted sleeve and a locking device, said sleeve comprising a longitudinal opening and a pair of aligned mounting holes configured to receive said locking device, said hitch comprising a longitudinally extending member having a first section having transversal mounting holes and a second section, said first section and said second section having opposing end surfaces inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of said member, and said second section comprising a threaded portion; a bolt extending in said member and operatively connectable to said second section with said threaded portion, said bolt being connectable to said second section for urging said inclined surfaces against each other thereby to cause displacement of said sections transversely to said bolt and make frictional retentive engagement of said hitch assembly with said sleeve, said bolt having a threaded end configured for abutment against said locking device; wherein said second portion cannot be pulled toward said first portion if said locking device is not inserted in said mounting holes of said sleeve and of said first section. 
     The present invention is also providing a method to install a hitch on a vehicle-mounted sleeve comprising transversal mounting holes, said hitch comprising a member having a first section having transversal mounting holes and a second section, a bolt extending in said member and operatively connected to said second section with a threaded portion, said first section and said second section having opposing end surfaces inclined relative to a longitudinal direction of said member, said bolt being connected to said second section for urging said inclined surfaces against each other thereby to cause displacement of said sections substantially transversely to said longitudinal direction of said member and make frictional retentive engagement of said hitch assembly with said sleeve, said method comprising the steps of inserting said member into said sleeve; inserting said locking device into said mounting holes of said sleeve and of said first section; screwing said bolt such that said threaded end of said bolt abuts against said locking device; screwing said bolt such that said bolt pulls said second section toward said first section along the two inclined surfaces; wherein said second portion can not be pulled toward said first portion if said locking device is not inserted in said mounting holes of said sleeve and of said first section. 
     The aforesaid and other shortcomings of prior art hitches are generally mitigated by the present hitch which member comprises sections configured to slide in opposite directions, when actuated by a bolt, such as to press against opposite inner walls of the sleeve, thereby eliminating play between the member and the sleeve and preventing unwanted movements of the member with respect to the sleeve. Furthermore, the present invention discloses a security mechanism preventing the hitch to be mounted to the sleeve if the locking device is not mounted first. 
     Hence, the present hitch generally comprises a longitudinally extending member which is configured to be slidingly received into a receiving sleeve secured to a vehicle. The member is provided with mounting holes in its side walls which are configured to receive a conventional locking device. 
     The member is provided, at one of its extremities, with an attachment portion for receiving hitch-mounted accessories such as, but not limited to, a trailer ball or a bicycle rack. The attachment portion is welded or otherwise fixedly, yet possibly removably, secured to the member. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the member is divided into two complementary sections or parts along a plane which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the member. Each of the first and second sections therefore comprises a bevelled or wedged extremity which is substantially complementary with the bevelled or wedged extremity of the other section. 
     The two sections of the member are coupled together via a longitudinally extending bolt which extends through the first section of the member and is threaded into the second section via a nut or some other functionally equivalent fastener. The bolt is operable from outside the member, and/or the attachment portion, and the sleeve. 
     In use, as the bolt is tightened and is further threaded into the second section, this second section is pulled toward the first section. This pulling motion causes the second section to slide in a first direction (e.g. upwardly) and the first section to slide in a second opposite direction (e.g. downwardly) due to the inclined plane between the two sections. Understandably, the two sections will move in opposite directions until they abut and press upon opposing inner walls of the sleeve, firmly wedging the member within the sleeve. Otherwise said, the second section slides on the first section along their respective inclined plane. 
     Still, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the bolt and the second section of the member are particularly configured such that the second section cannot be pulled toward the first section unless the locking device is installed. 
     This particular feature adds another layer of security to the hitch as it prevents the hitch to be properly mounted unless the locking device is in place. 
     Other and further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice. The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of the hitch incorporating the principles of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side exploded view of the hitch of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the hitch of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the hitch of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the hitch of  FIG. 1  as mounted to a sleeve. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the hitch of  FIG. 1  as mounted to the sleeve of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIGS. 7A to 7C  are sequential side views of the hitch of  FIG. 1  during installation. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross section view of the hitch shown in  FIG. 7A . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A novel hitch will be described hereinafter. Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiments, it is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby. 
     Referring first to  FIGS. 1 to 7 , an embodiment of a hitch in accordance with the principles of the present invention is illustrated. The hitch  10  generally comprises a member  12  (as best shown in  FIG. 4 ), comprising a first section  20  and a second section  22 , having, at one of its extremities  14  and  16 , an attachment portion  18  for receiving a conventional trailer ball (not shown). Understandably, the present hitch  10  could be used for other vehicle-mounted accessories such as bicycles racks or platforms; the present invention is understandably not limited to trailer hitches. 
     The member  12  of the hitch  10  generally comprises a longitudinally extending tube which is configured to be received into a typical sleeve  70  fixedly mounted to a vehicle (not shown) in a known manner. The cross-section of the member  12  is preferably complementary to the cross-section of the sleeve  70  such that the member  12  can be easily inserted into the sleeve  70 . However, the outer dimensions of the member  12  are preferably slightly smaller than the inner dimensions of the sleeve  70  such that the member  12  can be easily inserted into the sleeve  70 . 
     As typical sleeves  70  have a substantially square cross-section, in the present embodiment, the member  12  also has a square cross-section. Other cross-sections are however possible. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the member  12  is separated into two sections  20  and  22  along a plane  24  which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis  26  of the member  12 . 
     In the present embodiment, the angle  28  formed between the plane  24  and the axis  26  is about 45°. Other angles are however possible. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , the first section  20  of the member  12  is provided with substantially aligned mounting holes  30  formed in the side walls  32  and  34 . The mounting holes  30  are configured to receive a conventional locking device  90 . 
     Understandably, as best shown in  FIGS. 5 to 7C , the sleeve  70  is also provided with substantially aligned mounting holes  72  formed in the side walls  74  and  76  of the sleeve  70 . In that sense, the skilled addressee will understand that the mounting holes  30  of the first section  20  are configured to be substantially aligned with the mounting holes  72  of the sleeve  70  when the member  12  of the hitch  10  is properly inserted into the sleeve  70 . In addition, as the skilled addressee will understand, the locking device  90  will transversally extend through both pairs of mounting holes to secure the member  12  to the sleeve  70 . 
     As illustrated in the figures, the second section  22  is typically, though not necessarily, shorter than the first section  20  of the member  12 . The second section  22  comprises a bracket  36  having a substantially rectangular side opening  38  extending therethrough. 
     The bracket  36  extends longitudinally partially inside the second section  22  and partially outside such that the outer portion  42  of the bracket  36  can slide inside the free extremity of the first section. Notably, when the outer portion  42  of the bracket  36  is received into the first section  20 , the side opening  38  of the bracket  36  is more or less aligned with the mounting holes  30  of the first section  20  such that when the locking device  90  is inserted through the mounting holes  30 , the locking device  90  also extends through the side opening  38  of the bracket  36 . Understandably, the bracket  36  and its side opening  38  must be suitably sized to accommodate the locking device  90 . 
     In the present embodiment, the bracket  36 , or the inner portion  40  thereof, is preferably welded, or otherwise fixedly secured, to the second section  22 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the bracket  36  comprises, at the extremity of the outer portion  42 , a nut  44  or a functionally equivalent threaded fastener. The nut  44 , which is preferably welded to the extremity of the outer portion  42 , is configured to receive the threaded end  48  of the bolt  46  which will be described below. 
     The extremity of the outer portion  42  is provided with an aperture which is coextensive with the opening  45  in the nut  44 . This aperture allows the threaded end  48  of the bolt  46  to extend within the bracket  36 . 
     The bolt  46  typically comprises a threaded end  48 , a tool-actionable head  50  (e.g. a hexagonal head), and an unthreaded shank or central portion  52 . 
     The bolt  46  is particularly configured such that, as it will be better understood below, the second section  22  cannot be pulled toward the first section  20  unless the locking device  90  is installed. 
     In that sense, the length of the bolt  46  and/or the length of the threaded end  48  are particularly chosen such that if the bolt  46  is fully inserted into the member  12 , i.e. the head  50  abutting on the attachment portion  18 , the threaded portion  48  will not be long enough to completely pull, via threading, the second section  22  toward the first section  20  and wedge the member  12  within the sleeve  70 . In other words, the length of the bolt  46  is intentionally chosen, with respect to the length of the threaded end  48 , such that, if the threaded end  48  is fully threaded into the nut  44 , a portion  98  of the non threaded portion  52  will still extend outside the attachment portion  18 , as best shown in  FIG. 8 . This means that the assembly of the second section  22  and of the bolt  46  will be free to slide within the member  12  and will therefore prevent the wedging of the member  12  within the sleeve  70 . Thus, the bolt  46  is threaded on one end so as to thread into the nut  44  and has a head  50  on its other end that protrudes from the attachment portion  18  so as to be controllable from outside the member  10  and sleeve  70 , the head  50  providing a means for rotation of the bolt. The hitch may further comprise a lock washer (not shown) on the bolt  46  between the head  50  and the aperture in the attachment portion  18 , the lock washer also being too large to pass through the aperture. 
     Understandably, the length of the bolt  46  must not be too long as to extend too far outside of the hitch  10  and interfere with the trailer ball or the vehicle-mounted accessory secured to the attachment portion  18 . Still, the bolt  46  must be long enough, with respect to the length of the threaded end  48 , to prevent the wedging of the member  12  unless the locking device  90  is installed. 
     In use, the first section  20  and the second section  22  are typically coupled together via the bracket  36  and are further connected together via the bolt  46  which extends through the first section and that is threaded into the nut  44  of the second section  22 . Hence, in use, the hitch  10  is typically wielded as a single or unitary structure. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 7A to 7C , to install the hitch  10  into the sleeve  70 , the member  12  is inserted into the sleeve  70  until the mounting holes  30  of the first section  20  are substantially aligned with the mounting holes  72  of the sleeve  70 . Then, the locking device  90  is inserted through the mounting holes  72  of the sleeve  70 , the mounting holes  30  of the first section  20  and through the side opening  38  of the bracket  36 . The locking device  90  can then be further locked in a known manner via a conventional cotter pin or a padlock (not shown). 
     To further secure the hitch  10  to the sleeve  70 , and eliminating play therebetween, the bolt  46  is typically first pushed until the bracket  36  or the threaded end  48  abuts on the locking device  90 . 
     At this point, it is generally normal that a portion of the bolt  46  extends outside the attachment portion  18  and that the head  50  does not abut on the attachment portion  18 . 
     Once the bracket  36 , or the threaded end  48 , abuts on the locking device  90 , as best shown in  FIG. 8 , the bolt  46  is screwed, via its head  50  extending outside the hitch  10 . The threading of the bolt  46  effectively pulls the second section  22  toward the first section  20 . Then, due to the inclined plane  24  between the first section  20  and the second section  22 , the pulling motion forces the second section  22  to slide in a first direction (upwardly in the present embodiment) and forces the first section  20  to slide in a second opposite direction (downwardly in the present embodiment). 
     The bolt  46  is threaded until the first section  20  and the second section  22  abut and press on opposite inner walls  78  and  80  of the sleeve  70 . At this point, the hitch  10  should be firmly held in place without play between it and the sleeve  70 . 
     As explained before, since only a predetermined portion of the bolt  46  is threaded, if a user tries to mount the system without the locking device  90 , it will not be possible to mount the first section  20  and second section  22  into the sleeve in a press fitted arrangement. Indeed, if the locking device  90  is not mounted in the system (inserted through the mounting holes of the first section and of the sleeve), the threaded portion  48  of the bolt  46  will pass completely through the nut  44  without the head  50  of the bolt  46  contacting the attaching portion  18 . Thus, the first section  20  and second section  22  are still free to move relatively to each other and relatively to the inner walls  78  and  80 . 
     Now, when the locking device  90  is in place, the threaded portion  48  of the bolt  46  abuts against the locking device  90 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 8 . In this configuration, when the bolt  46  is screwed, it engages the nut  44  and then it pull the second section  22  towards the first section  20 . When the inclined plane of the second section  22  contacts the inclined plane of the first section  20 , the second section  22  slide on the first section  20  along their inclined plane until the first section  20  and the second section  22  press against the inner walls  78  and  80  of the sleeve. 
     It is to be noted that the bracket is not limited to the shape shown in the drawing. Furthermore, the assembly of the nut in combination with the bracket could be replaced by a bracket having a threaded opening configured to receive the bolt, for example. 
     In variant of the present embodiment, the inclined surfaces of first and second sections are coated with a friction reducing material. The friction reducing material may be grease, polytetrafluoroethylene, ultra-high molecular weight (“UHMW”) polyethylene, or low coefficient of friction film. 
     It will be understood that the present embodiment of the invention allows the hitch  10  to be installed in such a way as to prevent rattling and/or wobbling, and to be installed in a safe manner which absolutely requires the presence of the locking device  90 . 
     While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.