Abstract:
The vehicle hitch assembly disclosed herein provides a system and method for modifying a vehicle such as, for example, a performance car, to haul or tow a load. As disclosed herein, the system and method provides an aesthetically pleasing towing assembly that cooperates with the vehicle frame to allow a performance vehicle to tow or haul a load. In one embodiment, a vehicle hitch assembly includes a hitch mounting bracket having a support sleeve, the hitch mounting bracket sized to cooperate with a cavity provided within a vehicle facia. The assembly further includes a hitch adaptor fixedly coupled to the hitch mounting bracket and sized to removably engage a mounting passage provided within the vehicle facia, and a mounting plate configured to removably engage the support sleeve.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     Vehicles are commonly utilized to tow or haul loads. For example, vehicles such as trucks and sport utility vehicles are often provided with factory installed hitches or couplers that allow them to tow trailers, boats, or other loads. Other vehicles such as station wagons or sedans are often not provided with factory preinstalled hitches, requiring consumers to retrofit or otherwise installed a hitch apparatus onto the vehicle.  
         [0002]      FIGS. 1 and 1 A depict two known hitch apparatuses  2 ,  2   a . The hitch apparatus  2  includes a bumper  4  adapted to support a ball hitch  6 . The bumper  4  attaches to the vehicle frame (see  FIG. 1A ) in any known manner that provides a secure connection therebetween. The ball hitch  6 , in turn, is supported by the bumper  4  adjacent to a cavity or recess  8  provided for a license plate (not shown) or other accessory.  FIG. 1A  depicts the hitch assembly  2   a  having a hitch plate  10  secured under the bumper  4  to a cross brace portion  12  of the vehicle frame  14 . The hitch plate  10  supports a hollow receiver  16  adapted to removably secure a hitch adapter  18 . The hitch adapter  18  may, in turn, support the ball hitch  6  or any other desired connector.  
         [0003]     Vehicles such as sports cars, compacts and subcompacts often have limited storage space and/or are not utilized to haul or tow loads. However, because space is at a premium in these vehicles it may often be desirable to carry or haul loads or personal items in a trailer or other support system. Thus, it may be desirable to provide a tolling or hauling system or assembly that could be utilized with any one of the above identified vehicles.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     The vehicle hitch assembly disclosed herein provides a system and method for modifying a vehicle such as, for example, a performance car or a compact car, to haul or tow a load. As disclosed herein, the system and method provides an aesthetically pleasing towing assembly that cooperates with the vehicle frame to allow the vehicle to tow or haul a load without adversely affecting the vehicle&#39;s styling. In one embodiment, a vehicle hitch assembly includes a hitch mounting bracket having a support sleeve, the hitch mounting bracket sized to cooperate with a cavity provided within a vehicle facia. The assembly further includes a hitch adaptor fixedly coupled to the hitch mounting bracket and sized to removably engage a mounting passage provided within the vehicle facia, and a mounting plate configured to removably engage the support sleeve.  
         [0005]     In another embodiment, the mounting plate includes a hitch sleeve sized to removably engage a hitch coupler.  
         [0006]     In another embodiment, the hitch coupler is attached to an accessory selected from the group consisting of: a ball hitch, a bike rack, a luggage rack and a storage container.  
         [0007]     In another embodiment, the mounting bracket includes first and second side panels contoured to conform to the profile of the vehicle facia.  
         [0008]     In another embodiment, the mounting bracket include at least one receiving hole positioned to align with at least one aperture formed within a frame member of the vehicle when the mounting bracket is positioned within the cavity.  
         [0009]     In another embodiment, the mounting bracket carriers a first bumper and a second bumper.  
         [0010]     In another embodiment, the mounting plate includes a pair of spring-loaded detents arranged to removably engage the support sleeve.  
         [0011]     In another embodiment, the mounting bracket includes a vehicle license plate mounting frame.  
         [0012]     In another embodiment, the hitch adaptor includes at least one tab configured to engage a receiving channel formed in a frame member of the vehicle.  
         [0013]     In yet another embodiment, a vehicle hitch assembly includes a mounting bracket sized to cooperate with a cavity provided within a vehicle facia. The mounting bracket includes a back plate, a receiving hole formed through the back plate, the receiving hole aligned with a mounting passage provided in the vehicle facia when the mounting bracket is supported within the cavity, a hitch adaptor fixedly attached to the back plate and sized to slideably engage the mounting passage, and a support sleeve. The assembly further includes a mounting plate configured to removably engage the support sleeve and carrying a hitch sleeve. The assembly further includes a hitch coupler sized to removably engage the hitch sleeve.  
         [0014]     In another embodiment, the hitch coupler is attached to an accessory selected from the group consisting of: a ball hitch, a bike rack, a luggage rack and a storage container.  
         [0015]     In another embodiment, the mounting bracket carriers first and second side panels contoured to conform to the profile of the vehicle facia.  
         [0016]     In another embodiment, the mounting bracket carriers a first bumper and a second bumper.  
         [0017]     In another embodiment, the mounting plate includes a pair of spring-loaded detents arranged to removably engage the support sleeve.  
         [0018]     In another embodiment, the mounting bracket includes a vehicle license plate mounting frame.  
         [0019]     In another embodiment, the hitch adaptor includes at least one tab configured to engage a receiving channel formed in a frame member of the vehicle.  
         [0020]     In yet another embodiment, a method of hauling a load with a vehicle is disclosed. The method includes providing a mounting bracket sized to cooperate with a cavity provided within a vehicle facia, the mounting bracket having a back plate, a receiving hole formed through the back plate, the receiving hole aligned with a mounting passage provided in the vehicle facia when the mounting bracket is supported within the cavity, a hitch adaptor fixedly attached to the back plate, the hitch adaptor sized to slideably engage the mounting passage and a support sleeve. The method further includes providing a mounting plate having a hitch sleeve and configured to removably engage the support sleeve. The method further includes providing a hitch coupler sized to removably engage the hitch sleeve.  
         [0021]     In another embodiment, providing the hitch coupler includes attaching an accessory to the hitch coupler selected from the group consisting of: a ball hitch, a bike rack, a luggage rack and a storage container.  
         [0022]     In another embodiment, providing the mounting bracket includes providing first and second side panels and contouring the first and second side panels to conform to the profile of the vehicle facia.  
         [0023]     In another embodiment, providing the mounting bracket includes providing a first bumper and a second bumper fixedly attached to the back plate.  
         [0024]     Additional features and advantages of the disclose system and method are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Brief Description of the Figures and the Detailed Description provided below. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0025]      FIGS. 1 and 1 A depict known vehicle hitch apparatuses configured to mount on a vehicle bumper.  
         [0026]      FIG. 2  depicts a rear view of a vehicle configured to support one embodiment of a hitch assembly constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.  
         [0027]      FIG. 2A  depicts an enlarged rear view of the vehicle shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0028]      FIG. 3  depicts a perspective view of one embodiment of the hitch assembly aligned with the vehicle shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 3A  depicts a perspective view of the hitch assembly generally shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 4  depicts an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the hitch assembly.  
         [0031]      FIG. 5  depicts an exploded perspective view of a mounting plate and representative accessories.  
         [0032]      FIG. 5A  depicts an exploded perspective view of another mounting plate.  
         [0033]      FIG. 6  depicts a perspective views of the vehicle hitch assembly cooperating with the vehicle and a trailer. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0034]      FIG. 2  depicts an exemplary vehicle  50  such as a sports car, a compact car or a subcompact car. The vehicle  50  could be, for example, a PORSCHE® BOXSTER®, a MAZDA RX-5® or any other vehicle for which additional towing or hauling capacity may be desired. The vehicle  50  includes side panels  52 ,  52   a , a rear facia  54  and a boot lid or cover  56  securely mounted to and covering a rear vehicle frame  58  (illustrated as a hidden line to indicate that it is concealed beneath the panels and fascia). The side panels  52 ,  52   a , the rear facia  54  and the boot lid  56 , are collectively referred to as the body panels and typically provide the vehicle  50  with aesthetic and styling elements. The rear vehicle frame  58 , and the vehicle frame in general, provides the vehicle  50  with structural integrity, stability and a matrix through which power and force can be distributed. Thus, the vehicle frame and the rear vehicle frame  58  play an integral role in distributing and supporting the force generated when the vehicle  50  tows or carries a load. Because the vehicle frame and the rear vehicle frame  58   
         [0035]     In one embodiment, a cavity  60  is integrally formed within the rear facia  54 . The cavity  60  can be bracketed or flanked by a pair of bumper  60   a  and  60   b . Alternatively, the cavity  60  can simply be a recess or indented portion of the rear facia sized to accept a license plate. The cavity  60  can further include a mounting passage  62  that provides access to the rear vehicle frame  58 .  FIG. 2A  depicts an enlarged view of the cavity  60  provided within the rear facia  54 . In the depicted embodiment, the mounting passage  62  is essentially a hole cut or formed within the material of the rear facia  54  that provides access to the rear vehicle frame  58 . However, the mounting passage  62  could include a reinforced portion or perimeter to provide additional support and structural integrity. The mounting passage  62  reveals that the rear vehicle frame  58  includes a channel  58   a  and a threaded aperture  58   b . In alternate embodiments, the rear vehicle frame  58  could be a single contiguous member that may be machine or otherwise modified to include apertures, channels, or other useful mounting and attachment features.  
         [0036]      FIG. 3  depicts a perspective view of the rear facia  54  of the vehicle  50  positioned such that the cavity  60  aligns with a vehicle hitch assembly  100 . In one embodiment, the vehicle hitch assembly  100  is sized to removably cooperate with the cavity  60  such that the vehicle hitch assembly  100  replaces the factory-installed or aftermarket license plate mounting bracket that is normally mounted within the cavity  60 . For example, the vehicle hitch assembly  100  can be designed to replace the standard license plate mounting hardware that supports, for example, a standard sized American license plate or a European-style license plate. In another embodiment, the vehicle hitch assembly  100  can further support removable or replaceable bumpers, e.g., the bumpers  60   a ,  60   b , or other damage prevention devices such as, for example, light, reflectors or a rearward facing charged coupled device (CCD) camera.  
         [0037]     In one embodiment, the vehicle hitch assembly includes a hitch mounting bracket  102 , a hitch mounting adaptor  104  (see  FIG. 4 ) and a hitch mounting plate  106 . The hitch mounting bracket  102  in this exemplary embodiment is a substantially rectangular structure that includes a flat back plate  108  having a back surface  108   b , and a front surface  108   a  sized to support a license plate. The back surface  108   b  of the plate  108  carries the hitch mounting adaptor  104 . The hitch mounting bracket  102  further includes a pair of side panels  110  and  112  and a bottom panel  114 . The side panels  110 ,  112  and the bottom panel  114  partially enclose the perimeter of the back plate  108  to protect the license plate and provide additional structural integrity to the bracket  102 . The license plate can be secured within the partially enclosed perimeter using mounting holes  118   a ,  118   b ,  118   b  and  118   d , collectively identified as mounting holes  118 . Alternatively, magnets or adhesive could be utilized to secure the license plate in a desired position.  
         [0038]      FIG. 3A  depicts the generally open rectangular structure of the hitch mounting bracket  102  aligned within the cavity  60 . The hitch mounting adaptor  104 , when the hitch mounting bracket  102  is positioned with the cavity  60 , extends through the mounting passage  62  to the rear vehicle frame  58  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The hitch mounting bracket  102  and the hitch mounting adaptor  104  can be secured to the rear vehicle frame  58 , and within the cavity  60 , by removably positioning a threaded fastener or bolt within a receiving hole  116  formed within the back plate  108 . The threaded fastener, in turn, passes through the hitch mounting adaptor  104  to engage the threaded aperture  58   b  provided within the vehicle frame  58 . In this manner a structurally secure connection between the hitch mounting bracket  102  and the rear vehicle frame  58  can be established through the rear facia  54 .  
         [0039]     While the hitch mounting bracket  102  and the cavity  60  are illustrated as having substantially rectangular configurations, it will be understood that many other configurations of the hitch mounting bracket  102  could be utilized in conjunction with the cavity  60 . For example, if the cavity  60  defines a substantially ellipsoidal shape, the hitch mounting bracket  102  could manufactured to provide a substantially complementary shape to thereby cooperate with a similarly shaped cavity  60 . Thus, it is clear that the general shape of the hitch mounting bracket  102  is less critical than the complementary nature between the hitch mounting bracket  102  and the cavity  60  formed within the rear facia  54  of the vehicle  50 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 3A  further depicts that the bottom panel  114  extends beyond the rear facia  54  and carries a support sleeve  120  along a top or inner surface  122 . The support sleeve  120  is sized to slideably support and engage the mounting plate  106 . In particular, the support sleeve  120  defines a hollow channel  124  into which the mounting plate  106  can be positioned. Once positioned within the hollow channel  124 , the support sleeve  120  can be secured via complementary apertures  126  formed through a top surface  128  of the support sleeve  120 . It will be understood that the complementary apertures  126  include the apertures  126   a  aligned with complimentary apertures  126   b  and  126   c  formed within the mounting plate  106  (see  FIG. 3 ) and the bottom panel  114 , respectively. These components can be removably secured together using fasteners such as, for example, removable posts and cotter pins, or spring-loaded detent pins secured within the mounting plate  106 . For example, the spring-loaded detent pins can be screwed or otherwise fastened within apertures  126   b  of the mounting plate  106  such that upon insertion into the hollow channel  124  of the support sleeve  120 , the detent pins are forced to retract by the narrow confines of the channel until extending into the complementary apertures  126   a  and  126   c . By depressing and extending the detent pins, the mounting panel  106  can be removably secured within the support sleeve  120  without the need for extra tools or hardware.  
         [0041]     The mounting plate  106 , when secured within the support sleeve  120 , extends substantially perpendicular to the rear facia  54  and the mounting bracket  102 . The extended mounting plate  106  includes a hitch sleeve  130  sized to slideably accept a ball hitch  132  fixedly or removably attached to a hitch coupler  134  (see  FIGS. 3A and 5 ). In this exemplary embodiment, the hitch sleeve  130  is manufactured from square tubing having a hollow interior  136  sized to accept and support the hitch coupler  134  (see  FIG. 3 ). In other embodiments, the hitch sleeve  130  and the hitch coupler  134  may be produced with other complementary cross-sections such as, for example, round or rectangular.  
         [0042]     The materials used in the production of the vehicle hitch assembly  100  could include, but are not limited to, steel, plastics and other polymers, Kevlar®, graphite and graphite mesh, and any combination of these materials. Furthermore, these materials may be treated using known heat treatment, plating and/or painting techniques to, among other things, match or compliment the finish of the vehicle  50  and improve the strength and performance of the assembly  100 . Moreover, the vehicle hitch assembly  100  can be treated and painted to blend into the design of a new vehicle while simultaneously providing additional towing or hauling capability, or can be retro-fitted as into the design of an existing vehicle to provide the same capabilities. For example, the vehicle hitch assembly  100  can be designed and shaped to match the curves and contours of the rear facia  54  and painted to match the vehicle color or detailing. Because the mounting passage  62  is concealed or located behind the hitch mounting bracket  102 , the modification does not alter the aesthetics of the vehicle  50 . In another embodiment, the hitch mounting bracket  102  could be replaced with a standard license plate holder or bracket when towing capabilities are not required or desired.  
         [0043]      FIG. 4  depicts an exploded perspective view of the hitch mounting bracket  102  aligned relative to the hitch mounting adaptor  104 . In this embodiment, the hitch mounting bracket  102  includes side panels  110   a ,  112   a  profiled to complement the contours of the rear facia  54 . It will be understood that other modifications may be made to the side panels  110   a ,  112   a , the back plate  108  and bottom panel  114  in order to provide seamless interface between the vehicle hitch assembly  100  and the cavity  60  provided within the rear facia  54 .  
         [0044]     The hitch mounting adaptor  104 , as illustrated in this embodiment, is a substantially rectangular adaptor sized to slideably engage the mounting passage  62 . The hitch mounting adaptor  104  may include an alignment plate  138  that provides additional structural integrity to the adaptor and includes an aperture  140 . When the hitch mounting adaptor  104  is secured to the back surface  108   b  of the back plate  108 , the aperture  140  and the receiving hole  116  will typically be co-linearly aligned to guide and support a threaded fastener (not shown) into rotational engagement with the threaded aperture  58   b  provided in the rear vehicle frame  58 . Alternatively, the hitch mounting adaptor  104  may be integrally formed or cast as a portion of the back plate  108  to eliminate the need to weld or otherwise couple the two components.  
         [0045]     The hitch mounting adaptor  104  further includes a pair of tabs  142   a ,  142   b  arranged distal to the back surface  108   b  when the adaptor  104  is securely mounted to the back plate  108 . The tabs  142   a ,  142   b  are, in this embodiment, arranged to extend into and cooperate with the channel  58   a  when the hitch mounting bracket  102  and the hitch mounting adaptor  104  are positioned within the cavity  60  and the mounting passage  62 , respectively. The cooperation of the channel  58   a  and the tabs  142   a ,  142   b  prevent the vehicle hitch assembly  100  from rotating or rocking when a torsional force is applied through the support sleeve  120 . Specifically, the tabs  142   a ,  142   b  are trapped within the channel  58   a  such that the torsional force acts against the rear vehicle frame  54  and not the vehicle hitch assembly  100  positioned within the cavity  60 .  
         [0046]      FIGS. 5 and 5 A depict various embodiments of the hitch mounting plate  106  and  106   a . As previously discussed, the mounting plate  106  carries the hitch sleeve  130 . The hitch sleeve  130  is sized to slideably accept various accessories or optional attachments such as, but not limited to, the ball hitch  132 , a bike rack  144 , a luggage rack (not shown) or a storage container (not shown). The accessories are secured within the hitch sleeve  130  by sliding or otherwise aligning the hitch coupler  134  to the hollow interior  136  and securing the two compartments via a locking pin  146 .  FIG. 5A  depicts another embodiment of the hitch mounting plate  106   a  in which the ball hitch  132  is removably attached using a threaded stud  148  and a locking nut  150 . In other alternate embodiments, the accessories such as the bike rack  144  could be secured to the mounting plate  106 ′ and coupled directly to the support sleeve  120 , thereby eliminating the need for the hitch sleeve  130  and the hitch coupler  134 .  
         [0047]      FIG. 6  depicts one embodiment of the vehicle hitch assembly  100  mounted on the vehicle  50  and configured to haul a trailer  152 .  
         [0048]     It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.