Abstract:
An accessory rack for mounting on a vehicle is described. In an embodiment, the accessory rack includes an anchor that mounts to the frame and a stand that is supported by the anchor so as to provide a strong yet compact accessory rack. The small size provides potential benefits in the reduction of fuel consumption and/or reductions in wind noise in the event the user does not remove the accessory rack from the vehicle during periods of disuse. The accessory rack may include a stand configured to support standard sized carriers while providing improved ergonomics during installation of objects onto the carrier.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to the field of vehicle accessories, more specifically to an accessory rack for mounting on a vehicle.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     The use of accessory racks for vehicles is known. Generally, the accessory rack is first mounted on the vehicle and then various carriers may be mounted on the accessory rack. While there are numerous variations, a common arrangement is for the accessory rack to use two roof mounts connected together by a horizontal bar. By mounting two horizontal bars a distance apart, a carrier may be mounted to the two bars and objects may be carried. Carriers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and range from specialized carriers configured to hold bicycles or skis to more general purpose carriers configured to hold luggage or containers. While existing accessory racks are configured to mount a number of vehicles, they are generally unsuitable for certain types of sports cars and convertibles because on such vehicles the body, particularly the roof, is not configured to support the weight of an object mounted thereto.  
         [0005]     Certain accessory racks have been mounted to the rear of vehicles, somewhat like a trailer hitch, but these accessory racks are poorly suited to carry objects longer than the vehicle is wide. Therefore, vehicles exist that have no suitable way to carry a longer object such as a kayak. Furthermore, these hitch-like accessory racks, which are most often used for bicycles, often do not securely support a bicycle in a manner that prevents the bicycle from bumping the body of the vehicle.  
         [0006]     In addition, accessory racks are mounted on bumpers, trailer hitches, spare tire mounts or lift gate hinges. While these accessory racks have been somewhat effective for certain purposes, they are unsuited for a vehicle that does not have a bumper, trailer hitch, spare tire mount or lift gate. For example, sports cars with tubular space frames and fiberglass or plastic bodies are sometimes unable to accept any existing accessory rack.  
         [0007]     Furthermore, many accessory racks take up substantial room when being stored and are difficult to remove from the vehicle. Therefore it is common for the accessory rack to be left on the vehicle even when not it use, potentially causing significant reductions in fuel economy.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     In an embodiment, an accessory rack includes a first support and a second support.  
         [0009]     The first support is mounted to a structural hard point and extends through the vehicle body. The second support mounts to a second structural hard point located rearward of the first structural hard point. The second support also extends through the vehicle body. In an embodiment, the first and the second support are configured to accept a variety of carriers. In an embodiment, the first and second support includes an anchor that is configured to mount to the structural hard points and a support mounted to the anchor, the support configured to accept a carrier. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of an accessory rack mounted on a vehicle in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment of a simplified frame of a vehicle.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of an accessory rack mounted to a frame in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates an alternative embodiment of an accessory rack mounted to a frame in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of a front support in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6   a - 6   b  illustrate front and side views of a rear anchor in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 7   a - 7   b  illustrate front and side views of a horizontal stand in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 8  illustrates a faux anchor in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  illustrates a method of installation in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]     In embodiments of the present invention, an accessory rack is provided that has the potential to provide a reduced impact on vehicle fuel consumption and undesirable wind noise generation. As is known, the mounting of an accessory rack on a vehicle generally causes the vehicle to consume additional fuel during use, especially at higher rates of speed. This is expected and somewhat difficult to avoid while transporting an object with the accessory rack. However, when the accessory rack is not being used it would be beneficial to minimize any increase in fuel consumption caused by the failure of the user to remove the accessory rack while not in use.  
         [0021]     Turning to  FIG. 1 , a vehicle  1  is depicted. The vehicle  1  includes a first side  2 , a second side  3 , a front  4 , a rear  5  and a roof  6 . The exterior portion or skin of the vehicle  1  may be referred to as a body  7 . Mounted through the body  7  on the first side  2  is an accessory rack  10 . The accessory rack  10  includes a front support  20  and a rear support  30 . As the front and rear supports  20 ,  30  extend through the body  7 , a grommet  40  seals the front support  20  to the body  7  and a grommet  45  seals the rear support  30  to the body  7 .  
         [0022]     As can be appreciated from  FIG. 1 , the accessory rack  10  is configured to be mounted to the vehicle  1  in a particular location. The depicted mounting point of the accessory rack  10 , while not required, has several potential advantages. For example, the lower mounting height (depicted as being below the roof of the vehicle) reduces the effective height of the vehicle when the object is installed on the accessory rack  10 . The lower mounting height also makes it easier to install the object onto the accessory rack  10 . The ease of mounting of an object to the accessory rack  10  is further amplified because the accessory rack  10  is on the first side  2  of the vehicle  1  rather than over the roof  6  between the first and second sides  2 ,  3  of the vehicle  1 .  
         [0023]     Locating the accessory rack  10  substantially behind the passenger compartment of the vehicle  1  may also reduce the observation of noises in the passenger compartment caused by the carrying of an object that may have less than an ideal shape from the standpoint of generating wind noise.  
         [0024]     It should be noted that in an embodiment, the body  7  will be provided without holes configured to accept the fronts and rear supports  30 ,  40 . Therefore, two holes may be formed in the body  7  so that the supports  30 ,  40  can be mounted accordingly. In an embodiment the holes in the body  7  may be formed by drilling although other known methods of generating holes in the body  7  may also be used in other embodiments.  
         [0025]     Turning to  FIG. 2 , a simplified portion of a frame  50  is depicted. As can be appreciated, the frame  50  of a vehicle will vary greatly depending on the design of the vehicle and the purpose of the vehicle. Therefore,  FIG. 2  is merely for purposes of illustration with the understanding that an actual vehicle frame will have a somewhat different configuration. It is also noted that some care should be used when deciding where to mount to the frame so as to avoid inadvertent structural damage to the vehicle.  
         [0026]     As depicted, the frame  50  includes a member  55  supporting a cross-member  60 . In an embodiment, the cross-member  60  may be a roll bar. A first structural hard point  65  is depicted as being positioned on the cross-member  60 . A second structural hard point  70  is provided on the member  55 . These structural hard points  65 ,  70  may be provided on the frame  50  for the purpose of accepting an accessory rack or may be holes or points on the frame  50  that provide suitable places to support an accessory rack. Thus, in an embodiment the structural hard points  65 ,  70  will be existing features on the frame  50  that are suitably located so as to provide adequate support for an accessory rack.  
         [0027]     As can be appreciated, the structural hard points  65 ,  70  provide sufficient rigidity to support the accessory rack  10 . It should be noted that the structural hard points may be provided in a variety of locations depending on the design the vehicle, such as, but not limited to, seatbelt anchors, strut braces, roll bars, and frame rails. The structural hard points may be available in the vehicle as designed or may require modification of the existing vehicle before the structural hard points are configured to accept the supports  20 ,  30 .  
         [0028]     It should be noted that the frame  50  may include additional components and may be made in a number of methods and out of a number of different materials. As the particular shape and materials used to provide the frame are not critical to the present invention, the frame construction will not be discussed further.  
         [0029]     Turning to  FIG. 3 , an exemplary embodiment of a portion of the frame  50  is depicted with the accessory rack  10  mounted to a cross-member  60 . For the sake of clarity, the body of the vehicle is omitted. The accessory rack  10  comprises the front support  20  and the rear support  30 . In operation, the front support  20  and the rear support  30  would extend through the body  7  ( FIG. 1 ).  
         [0030]     As depicted, the front support  20  is mounted to the first structural hard point  65  and comprises a front anchor  22  and a vertical stand  24 . In an embodiment, the front anchor  22  mounts to the cross member  60  and extends through the body  7  ( FIG. 1 ).  
         [0031]     While numerous methods of mounting the front support  20  to the first structural hard point  65  are possible, as depicted the front anchor  22  mounts to the cross-member  60  through the first structural hard point  65 . The vertical stand  24  then mounts to the front anchor  22 . Thus, as depicted the front anchor  22  mounts to the first structural hard point  65  at a horizontal inclination.  
         [0032]     The rear support  30  is depicted mounted to the second structural hard point  70  that is provided on the support bar  58 . In an embodiment the rear support  30  comprises a rear anchor  32  that supports a horizontal stand  34 . As depicted, the rear anchor  32  is mounted to the support bar  58  at the second structural hard point  70  and then the horizontal stand  34  is mounted on the rear anchor  32 . Thus,  FIG. 3  provides a method for mounting a front and rear support to structural hard points of a vehicle.  
         [0033]     It should be noted that numerous variations in how the various components interface are possible and considered within the scope of the present invention. However, the configuration depicted in  FIG. 3  has a certain advantage in that the front support  20  connects horizontally to the frame  50  and the rear support  30  connects vertically to the frame  50 . This mounting configuration helps ensure the accessory rack  10  as a whole is more secure because of the strength of the mounting in different directions provides addition securing of the relevant degrees of freedom. Thus, the rear support  30  helps ensure that the accessory rack  10  is secure in the vertical direction and the front support  20  helps ensure that the accessory rack  10  is secure in the horizontal direction. This can be advantageous over conventional accessory racks that mount to a vehicle in the same direction and therefore cannot provide the additional strength of an accessory with two substantially perpendicular mountings.  
         [0034]     Turning to  FIG. 5 , additional details of the embodiment of the front support  20  depicted in  FIG. 3  are provided. The front anchor  22  is depicted in an exploded view with the vertical stand  24 . As depicted, the front anchor  22  is configured to accept a first double-sided stud  25  and a second doubled-sided stud  26 . In an embodiment, the front anchor is machined and drilled and threaded on each end. A black anodized coating or powder coating may then be added. The doubled-sided stud  25  is configured to mount to the structural hard point  65  ( FIG. 3 ) and the double-sided stud  26  is configured to aid in mounting the vertical stand  24  to the front anchor  22 .  
         [0035]     In an embodiment, the double-sided stud  25  may be about 100 mm long and may be inserted through the structural hard point  65 . Thus, when mounting to a tubular section the stud  25  may be configured to interface with two sides of the tubular section so as to increase the strength of the mounting. On the other end of the front anchor  22 , the length of the doubled sided stud  26  may be configured to be suitable for accepting a fastener. A nut (not shown) may then be used to fasten the vertical stand  24  to the front anchor  22  and the vertical stand  24  may be cut at an angle  27 .  
         [0036]     The angle  27 , if provided, may be  8  and  10  degrees, depending on the orientation and may be configured to align the accessory rack  10  with the slope of the vehicle  1  when the accessory rack  10  is installed.  
         [0037]     Thus, in an embodiment, one or more threaded holes may be provided in the first structural hard point  65  for accepting the double-sided stud  25 . The double-sided stud  25  may be mounted in the threaded hole(s) and the front anchor  25  may be mounted to the double-sided stud  25 . The threaded stud  26  may then be mounted to the front anchor  22  as shown. A vertical stand  24  may then be mounted to the threaded stud  26  with a fastener (not shown). The configuration discussed herein has the advantage of being relatively easy to mount to the frame of a vehicle that is not preconfigured to accept such a support.  
         [0038]     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the grommets  40 ,  45  may be installed before, during or after the installation of the front support  20  and rear support  30 . For example but without limitation, the double-sided stud  25  may be installed first and then the grommet  40  may be mounted to the hole in the body  7 . The front anchor  20  may then be installed and the rest of the front support may be installed as discussed above.  
         [0039]      FIGS. 6   a ,  6   b ,  7   a  and  7   b  illustrate details of an embodiment of the rear support  30 .  
         [0040]     The rear anchor  32  is configured to be inserted into the second structural hard point  70  and includes a passage way  35  that is configured so that the rear anchor  32  may be bolted to the second hard structural point  70  ( FIG. 3 ). On the other end of the rear anchor  32  a threaded hole  36  is provided and is configured to accept a screw or double-sided threaded stud. The horizontal stand  34  includes a hole  37  configured to be fastened to the rear anchor  32 . The horizontal stand  34  also includes a flattened section  38  that may be configured to be the shape of a standard support bar on a rack.  
         [0041]     Looking next at  FIG. 4 , an exemplary embodiment of an accessory rack according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. As depicted, a first front support  20  is mounted to the frame  50  opposite a second front support  20  that is also mounted to the frame  50 . A bar  80  joins the two supports  20 . Similarly, a first rear support  30  is mounted to the frame  50  opposite a second rear support  30  and the bar  80  connects the two rear supports  30  together. Thus, the bars  80  provide a larger platform for mounting carriers to the accessory rack  10  and may also be configured to support greater amounts of weight as compared to the accessory rack configured to mount to just one side of the vehicle. In an embodiment the bars  80  will be configured to accept standard sized carriers.  
         [0042]     It should be noted that the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 4  has an advantage over traditional roof mounted rack systems because it mounts to the frame and, therefore, will generally provide a more secure mounting. Accordingly, the accessory rack  10  may be more readily configured to support higher weight limits.  
         [0043]     As can be appreciated, the components of the accessory rack  10  preferably will be manufactured out of a suitable material that is both light and strong. For example, but without limitation, aluminum or titanium or steel alloys may be used. If an aluminum alloy such as 7075-T651 is used it may be beneficial to anodize or powder coat the aluminum components if there is any interface with other metals so as to minimize corrosion that is caused by the interaction between dissimilar metals. If multiple components are used to form the front and rear support, it may be advantageous to use a steel fastener to join the components.  
         [0044]     In an embodiment, the accessory rack  10  may be mounted to an LOTUS ELISE. This would be beneficial because existing accessory racks cannot be mounted on a LOTUS ELISE. The accessory rack  10  may be mounted to an existing hole (e.g. structural hard point  65 ) and an existing recess (e.g. structural hard point  70 ) as depicted in  FIG. 3 . These structural hard points may be prepared as needed. For example, an existing hole may be threaded and additional holes may be added as need to provide additional mounting points and/or cotter pin type restraint. In an alternative embodiment, the accessory rack  10  may be configured to be mounted on different structural hard point and on a different vehicle.  
         [0045]     It should be noted that while it may not be required, it is expected that at least a portion of the front support  20  and rear support  30  will be modified if the accessory rack  10  is to be installed on a different vehicle.  
         [0046]     As depicted in  FIG. 3 , the front support  20  includes the front anchor  22  and the vertical stand  24 . It should be noted that these components may themselves consist of subcomponents. For example, the front anchor  22  may be a two-piece construction where one of the pieces may be removed. This may allow the removal of the piece that extends through the body  7  ( FIG. 1 ) so that it may be replaced with a substitute piece that seals to and is relatively flush with the body  7  (see  FIG. 8 ). Numerous other configurations are possible.  
         [0047]     One thing to note is that mounting the accessory rack will make a slight change to the vehicle geometry and will also extend out from the vehicle. While the accessory rack is reasonably attractive, it may be desirable to provide a faux anchor to fill in the hole in the body while providing a substantially flush look when the anchor is not installed.  
         [0048]      FIG. 8  provides an embodiment of a faux anchor  100 . While numerous other designs are possible and the desired design would depend on the configuration of the body and the frame, as depicted the faux anchor  100  includes a body  110 , a grommet  120  and a threaded stud  130 . In an alternative embodiment, the faux anchor may be replaced with a flat plug.  
         [0049]     In operation, the front and rear supports  20 ,  30  may be removed and the faux anchor  100  may be installed. Alternatively, the vehicle may be provided with the faux anchor  100  installed and its removal will allow the supports  20 ,  30  to be installed.  
         [0050]     While various methods are possible,  FIG. 9  depicts one possible method that may be used to install the accessory rack  10  to the vehicle  1 . In step  900 , holes are formed in the body as needed. In an embodiment, two holes are formed near the first and second structural hard points. Depending on the vehicle and the frame and the resultant aesthetics, this location may vary as desired. It may be advantageous to locate the holes in substantially the rear half of the vehicles body because this may potentially reduce the propagation of noise into the vehicle compartment.  
         [0051]     In step  910 , the first structural hard point is prepared to accept the front support. This may include threading an existing hole in the frame or may include drilling a hole in the frame and threading it or some other method of preparation. In step  920 , the second structural hard point is prepared to support the rear support. As in step  910 , the preparation of the second structural hard point may vary depending on the configuration of the second structural hard point.  
         [0052]     Next, in step  930 , grommets are mounted to the holes in the body. It should be noted that in alternative embodiments the grommets may be installed after the supports are mounted to the structural hard points. In an alternative embodiment, the grommets may be incorporated into the supports and step  930  may be eliminated. It should be noted that the grommets may be made of one or more pieces and as the use of grommets to seal two adjacent surfaces is generally known, no further details will be provided herein.  
         [0053]     In step  940 , the front support and rear support are mounted to the structural hard points. This may include, for example, inserting a doubled-sided stud into a threaded hole and then attaching an anchor to the stud. Of course, depending on the configuration of the supports and the holes in the body and the body itself, the supports may also be one piece or more than two piece construction. In the event that either the front or rear supports are two or more piece units comprising an anchor and stand, in optional step  950  the stand(s) is/are mounted to the anchor(s).  
         [0054]     In optional step  960 , a carrier is mounted to the stands. Step  960  may be eliminated by the inclusion of a carrier into the stands. However, as a more generic stand may accept a variety of carriers, it is generally preferable to have the carrier by a separate component. In an embodiment, the stand may provide standard sized mounting surfaces configured to interact with standard carriers such as those provided by, for example but without limitation, YAKIMA or THULE.  
         [0055]     It should be noted that when multiple components are used, such as an anchor and a stand, the geometries of the various components may be configured so that the components align together in a secure and integrated manner. It is further noted that the components depicted in  FIG. 3 , while configured for mounting to a first side of the vehicle, may also be configured to mount to the opposite side of vehicle. In an embodiment, the front support may include an anchor and a stand and the anchor may be configured to be used on either the left or right side of the vehicle. When designing the accessory rack it is desirable to configure it so that the trunk and other access doors and/or panels are still readily accessible while the accessory rack is installed. This issue is typically less of a concern for designs using the half rack depicted in  FIG. 3  rather than the full rack depicted in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0056]     The present invention has been described in terms of preferred and exemplary embodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of this disclosure.