Abstract:
An accessory mounting bracket provides a quick and easy removable attachment of various devices. The method of attachment of devices to the accessory mounting bracket may be compatible with the attachment of these devices to tee-slot style track systems, allowing the accessory mounting bracket to be used interchangeably with said track systems.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/954,253, filed Jul. 30, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/677,455, filed Jul. 30, 2012, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/680,254, filed Aug. 6, 2012, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates in general to the connection of accessory devices to vehicles or structures, and more particularly, to an accessory mounting system that may be fixed to an environment, providing a secure attachment point for various accessory devices. 
     Devices such as camera mounts, fishing rod holders, personal electronics cradles, marine depth finders, visibility beacons, and various other implements frequently require quick and easy attachment and removal from structures and vehicles, such as personal watercraft, boats, all terrain vehicles, airplanes, automobiles, military vehicles and other vehicles and structures utilizing such devices. 
     In addition to these devices, other items associated with various environments are commonly stored and organized as many environments contain a variety of items that need to be stored or organized. Within the scope herein, the term “device” shall refer to any item that may be stored or organized in a given environment, or a bracket designed to support such an item. 
     In some cases, it may be desirable to alter the deployment configuration of these devices, either by arrangement or position. It may also be desirable to interchangeably attach these devices to fixed mounts and track systems, with the fixed mount providing a rigid, low cost, single point of attachment and the track system providing a range of deployment positions that may be altered during attachment or while being used in the field. 
     These devices have been attached using a variety of methods, including direct and non-removable attachment to the environment, or removable attachment by means of a variety of mounting systems. While a variety of mounting systems have been utilized in some applications, they are each limited in performance by their respective designs. In most cases these attachment methods are not compatible with track systems. These mounting systems may also be too large to fit in tight spaces, and may not have a low profile design that is desirable in many applications. 
     There remains a need for an accessory mounting bracket that provides a secure means of removable attachment, is compatible with accessory track systems, utilizes a small footprint and low profile, and is designed for surface mounting. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention relates to an accessory mounting bracket that provides a quick and easy removable attachment of various devices. The method of attachment of devices to the accessory mounting bracket may be compatible with the attachment of these devices to tee-slot style track systems, allowing the accessory mounting bracket to be used interchangeably with said track systems. 
     Various advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an accessory mounting bracket attached to a supporting environmental surface with a device attached to the accessory mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of an accessory mounting bracket with an example of attachment hardware. 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of an accessory mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of an accessory mounting bracket taken along the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the accessory mounting bracket shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a projected bottom view of the accessory mounting bracket shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a projected perspective view of the top side of the accessory mounting bracket shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  is a projected perspective view of the bottom side of the accessory mounting bracket shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 9  is a partially exploded front elevational view of the accessory mounting bracket shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded elevational detail view of components partially revealed in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a cross sectional view taken along the line  11 - 11  in  FIG. 9 , in an unexploded state. 
         FIG. 12  is a bottom plan view of the accessory mounting bracket shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 13  is an elevational view of a tee-bolt assembly. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross sectional view of a tee-bolt assembly taken along the line  14 - 14  in  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded elevational detail view of components partially revealed in  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 16  is an exploded view of an arrangement demonstrating how a pair of accessory mounting brackets can be configured to attach a device to an accessory mounting track. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like components throughout all of the several figures, there is illustrated in  FIG. 1  an accessory mounting bracket  10  for removably attaching a device  12  to a supporting environmental surface  14 . 
     Exemplary devices are shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/897,916, filed May 20, 2013, entitled Monopod Turret Support, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/476,441, filed May 21, 2012, published as US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0293990, entitled Fold-Up Beacon and Associated Post for Vehicles, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     It shall be observed that the device  12  shown is an example (e.g., a ball for a ball and socket mounting system) of a device that may be attached to the accessory mounting bracket  10 , but a number of devices of many sizes, shapes, and uses, or brackets designed to clamp or support such devices, could be used instead of or in addition to the device  12 . The depiction of the device  12  shall not in any way be construed as a limitation as to the size, shape, or type of device that could be attached to the accessory mounting bracket  10 . 
     The supporting environmental surface  14  may be part of a vehicle, such as a boat or kayak, for example. The supporting environmental surface  14  may alternately be part of a structure, such as a wall in a building or an armrest of a tree stand, for example. It shall be observed that the supporting environmental surface  14  is a graphical representation of an example of such a surface, but that it does not limit in any way the size, shape, or configuration of possible supporting environmental surfaces or the method of attachment to such surfaces. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the accessory mounting bracket  10  may be attached to the environment with one or more mounting screws  16 , washers  18 , and nuts  20 . As previously mentioned, it shall be understood that alternate methods of attachment to the supporting environmental surface  14  may be utilized without limiting the scope of this disclosure. 
     Looking now at  FIGS. 3 through 8 , the accessory mounting bracket  10  may comprise a base structure  22  with attachment holes  24 . The attachment holes  24  may have a countersink feature  26  or a counter bore feature (not shown). 
     The accessory mounting bracket  10  may comprise one or more auxiliary device attachment holes  28 , a track attachment hole  30 , and an open ended slot  34 . The auxiliary device attachment holes  28  may have a nut retention pocket  29  (shown in  FIG. 6 ) on the opposite side of the accessory mounting bracket  10 . The open ended slot  34  may comprise a slot opening  36  on one end and a slot termination  38  on another end. 
     The accessory mounting bracket  10  may further comprise a device mounting interface  32 , a clearance channel  40  which may terminate at a retention pocket  42 , a left lateral support pad  44 , and a right lateral support pad  46 . The retention pocket  42  may have a chamfer  48  that exists around the perimeter, at the interface between the clearance channel  40  and the retention pocket  42 . 
     It may be mentioned at this point that, for the scope of this entire disclosure, orientation terms, such as “top” and “bottom” or “left” and “right”, refer to their subject matter as semantic conveniences only and not as a necessary condition of the accessory mounting bracket  10 , as the accessory mounting bracket  10  may obviously be utilized in any desired position or orientation. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 9 through 12 , a device  12  is shown being attached to the accessory mounting bracket  10 . There is a tee-bolt  50  comprising a head  52  and a stud  54  threaded into the device  12 . The tee-bolt  50  is in the open ended slot  34  (shown in  FIG. 3 ), oriented so that the stud  54  passes through the open ended slot  34  and into the threads in the device  12 . In the state shown in  FIG. 10 , the device  12  is in a position in which it is installed but not tightened. The preferred method of this installation is to insert the stud  54  of the tee-bolt  50  into the slot opening  36  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) until the stud  54  makes contact with the slot termination  38  (also shown in  FIG. 3 ). It should be appreciated that the clearance channel  40  is of sufficient depth to allow the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  to pass between the supporting environmental surface  14  and the accessory mounting bracket  10 . 
     Once the device  12  is fully inserted into the slot  34 , the device may be lifted in a direction perpendicular to and away from the device mounting interface  32 , causing the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  to enter the retention pocket  42 , which may be of sufficient width and length to accommodate the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  closely so that the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  is unable to turn a full rotation. We can see in  FIG. 12  that the retention pocket  42  may serve as a mechanical restraint, restricting rotation of the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the device  12  may have female threads  60 , which are threaded onto the stud  54  of the tee-bolt  50 . It should be appreciated that by rotating the device  12 , the threads  56  of the stud  54  may interact with the female threads  60 , which may urge the device  12  towards or away from the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50 , depending on the direction of rotation. When sufficiently rotated, the device  12  may be urged towards the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  until the mounting surface  13  of the device  12  makes contact with the device mounting interface  32  of the accessory mounting bracket  10  and the head upper surface  58  (shown in  FIG. 10 ) makes contact with the inside of the retention pocket  42  (shown in  FIG. 12 ). When the device  12  is turned further, friction may increase between these surfaces  13 ,  32  and  42 ,  58 , which may effectively lock the device  12  in position. 
     By rotating the device  12  in the opposite direction, the friction may be eliminated. However, because the distance D 1  (shown in  FIG. 11 ) between the inside of the retention pocket  42  and the device mounting interface  32  is substantially less than the distance D 2  (also shown in  FIG. 11 ) between the clearance channel  40  and the device mounting interface  32 , removal of the device  12  may not be achieved until the device  12  is continually rotated until the distance between the head upper surface  58  of the head  52  and the mounting surface  13  of the device  12  is greater than the distance D 3  (shown in  FIG. 10 ) between the clearance channel  40  and the device mounting interface  32 . This additional rotation of the device  12 , required for removal of the device  12  from the accessory mounting bracket  10 , may provide significant security against accidental removal of the device  12  from the accessory mounting bracket  10  if the device  12  is inadvertently rotated in the direction that urges the tee-bolt  50  away from the device  12 . 
     Looking now to  FIGS. 13 through 15 , we can see a tee-bolt  50  in its assembled state. The tee-bolt  50  may be an assembly, comprised of a flat metal head  52  and a threaded stud  54 . The threaded stud  54  may have a blind hole  53  whose shape may be circular or polygon, or another shape. The blind hole  53  serves as a central point from which a flare  55  may be formed. The flare  55  of the stud  54  interacts with the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  in a way that substantially inhibits separation of the head  52  and the stud  54 . The flare  55  may be formed by inserting a mandrel (not shown), which may be conical or some other shape, into a recessed pocket in the center of the threaded stud  54 , with the head  52  adequately supported to maintain its flatness, and applying pressure, which may form the flare  55 . Secondary operations may be utilized to create dimples or other features (not shown), which may enhance the mechanical interference between the head  52  and the threaded stud  54 . 
     It should be understood that although a tee-bolt attachment method is depicted in these drawings, other methods of secure and removable attachment of devices to the accessory mounting bracket  10  may also be used. As mentioned, one or more auxiliary device attachment holes  28  may be used to attach a device  12 . Looking at  FIG. 16 , we see how an alternate device  70  may be attached to an accessory mounting track  72  by utilizing two accessory mounting brackets  10  and two tee-bolts  50 , which may be inserted into the accessory mounting track  72 . The alternate device  70  may be different than what is depicted in these drawings. It should be understood that this is an example of an alternate use of the accessory mounting bracket  10  but other configurations with more or less accessory mounting brackets  10  may be used. 
     It should be clearly understood that the accessory mounting bracket  10  may comprise any suitable base structure  22  with any suitable number and design of attachment holes  24 , a device mounting interface  32 , a slot  36 , an optional retention pocket  42 , and lateral support pads  44 ,  46 . The accessory mounting bracket  10  may also comprise one or more auxiliary attachment holes  28  for alternate attachment methods of various devices. 
     The accessory mounting bracket  10  composition may be of a substantially strong and lightweight material, such as plastic or aluminum. The material or surface of the accessory mounting bracket  10  may be treated for resistance to harsh environments, such as UV radiation and saltwater exposure. 
     Attachment of the accessory mounting bracket  10  to the environment may be achieved by putting screws  16  through one or more of the attachment holes  24  and into a receiving feature on the surface on which it is to be mounted. In some configurations, the accessory mounting bracket  10  may be attached to another adapting bracket, such as a rail clamp or accessory mounting track  72 , for attachment to the environment. 
     As mentioned above, the tee-bolt  50  may have a head  52  on one end and threaded stud  54  on another end, and may be attached to the device  12  by screwing the threaded stud  54  of the tee-bolt  50  into the device  12 , leaving the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  extended some distance from the device  12 . 
     Attachment of the device  12  may be achieved by inserting the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  into the slot  36 , and rotating the device  12 . The interaction between the threads  56  in the device  12  and the threaded stud  54  of the tee-bolt  50  may urge the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  towards the device  12 , thus causing the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  to make contact with the underside of the retention pocket  42  and causing the device  12  to make contact with the device mounting interface  32  on the surface of the accessory mounting bracket  10  opposite the retention pocket  42 . Further rotation of the device  12  may continually urge the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  towards the device  12 , creating pressure on these areas of contact  13 ,  32  and  42 ,  58 , the resulting friction of which may be adequate to prevent rotation of the device  12 , with reasonable force, in either the tightening or the loosening direction. For removal, the device  12  may be rotated in the opposite direction, which may force the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  away from the device  12 . Initially this may require relatively high force to overcome the friction of the tightened system, but as the device  12  is rotated the friction may dissipate, and ultimately the distance between the tee-bolt  50  and the device  12  may become great enough to remove the device  12  from the accessory mounting bracket  10 . 
     In an alternate configuration, a slot nut and stud configuration (not shown) may be used instead of a tee-bolt. In this configuration, the nut is not permanently attached to the stud as it is in the tee-bolt configuration, but instead has threads which interact with the stud, resulting in the same tightening effect that is achieved with the tee-bolt configuration. 
     In applications in which excessive rotational forces may be applied to the device  12 , an external locking mechanism (not shown) may be used to prevent the device  12  from rotating in the loosening direction. 
     Another advantage of the accessory mounting bracket  10  is that the retention pocket  42  may captivate the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  in a way that requires a significant gap between the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  and the device  12  before the device  12  can be removed. In order to install the device  12  on the accessory mounting bracket  10 , the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  should be some distance from the device  12 . That is, the gap between the head  52  of the tee-bolt  50  and the device  12  must be greater than the thickness of the entrance of the slotted region of the accessory mounting bracket  10 . Because the retention pocket  42  is recessed some distance from the underside of the accessory mounting bracket  10 , the thickness of the accessory mounting bracket  10  is less in that region than in the entrance of the slotted region. As a result, the tee-bolt  50  must be further tightened once the device  12  is fully inserted into the slot  36  in order to eliminate play between the tee-bolt  50 , device  12 , and the accessory mounting bracket  10 . Likewise, when the device  12  is loosened by rotating, it preferably cannot be removed from the accessory mounting bracket  10  until it is further rotated, enough to create a gap which is substantial enough to allow clearance from the thicker slotted region. In this way, the retention pocket  42  may function as a security feature because if the device  12  is accidentally loosened a small amount, the device  12  may not accidentally slip off of the accessory mounting bracket  10 . 
     In an alternate application, the device  12  may be attached to the accessory mounting bracket  10  by fastening it to one or more auxiliary attachment holes  28  that may be present in the accessory mounting bracket  10 . In some applications of this configuration, the accessory mounting bracket  10  may serve as an adapting bracket to attach the device  12  to an accessory mounting track  72 . The shape of the bottom side of the accessory mounting bracket  10  may cooperate with the shape of the accessory mounting track  72  so that the accessory mounting bracket  10  may maintain its orientation with reference to the orientation of the accessory mounting track  72 , but slide along the accessory mounting track  72  when loosened to do so. 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.