Abstract:
A pull has a concealable hoop that pivots into a housing when not in use to enhance the appearance of a vehicle storage area. The pull pivots 360° during use, thereby permitting the hoop to be aligned with the force applied by a cord secured to the hoop.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention is a pull having a concealable hoop that pivots 360° during use.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Various pulls have been proposed by other inventors. An example of a current pull is illustrated in Southco, Inc. Catalog No. 48 NA, p. L-6, 1998. This pull includes a hoop that pivots into a housing for concealment when not in use. However, it lacks the ability of rotate to align itself with the force applied when a cord is secured to it.  
           [0005]    The above-referenced publication is not seen to describe the present invention as claimed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The invention is a pull having a concealable hoop that pivots 360° during use. The pull includes a hoop pivotally secured to a plate, which is in turn pivotally secured within a housing.  
           [0007]    The housing includes a pair of sides, a pair of ends, a bottom, an interior defined therewithin, a top flange, and a pair of hollow bosses within the top flange for receiving mounting screws. The plate is pivotally secured near the top of the housing, preferably with a pin. The plate includes an elongated base and a central hollow stem. The stem is preferably angled with respect to the base, so that when the stem is vertical the base is angled from the horizontal. The hoop includes a flat base and a curved gripping portion. The hoop is secured to the plate by a stud passing through the hoop&#39;s base and plate&#39;s hollow stem. The bolt may be secured within the stem by the pin passing through a hole within the bolt.  
           [0008]    In use, the pull will be mounted within a storage area of a vehicle, such as the trunk of an automobile. The pull will fit within a slot within the trunk&#39;s floor, so that the housing is concealed except for the top flange. When the pull is not in use, the plate will be rotated so that the hoop is inside the housing, thereby improving the appearance of the trunk. When the pull is needed, the plate is rotated until the end of the plate abuts the top edge of the housing&#39;s interior, so that the hoop projects upward. A cord can then be secured to the hoop for securing cargo in position within the trunk. Once the cord is secured to the hoop and a force is applied to the cord, the hoop will rotate so that it is parallel to the force applied by the cord. Once the pull is no longer needed, the cord may be detached, the hoop rotated so that it is aligned with the housing, and the plate rotated so that the hoop is again concealed.  
           [0009]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a concealable pull.  
           [0010]    It is another object of the invention to provide a pull having a hoop that pivots between a concealed position and an exposed position for use.  
           [0011]    It is a third object of the invention to provide a pull having a hoop that rotates to align itself parallel to a force applied to it through a cord.  
           [0012]    These and other objects of the invention will become apparent through the following description and claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a top and front perspective view of a pull with a pivoting tie-down hoop according to the present invention, showing the hoop aligned parallel to the housing and exposed for use.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a top and front perspective view of a pull with a pivoting tie-down hoop according to the present invention, showing the hoop aligned parallel to the housing and exposed for use, and showing hidden features in phantom lines.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a top and front perspective view of a pull with a pivoting tie-down hoop according to the present invention, showing the hoop concealed.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a top and front perspective view of a pull with a pivoting tie-down hoop according to the present invention, showing the hoop concealed, and showing hidden features in phantom lines.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a top and front perspective view of a pull with a pivoting tie-down hoop according to the present invention, showing the hoop aligned perpendicular to the housing and exposed for use.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a pull with a pivoting tie-down hoop according to the present invention. 
     
    
       [0019]    Like reference numbers denote like elements throughout the drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]    Referring to FIG. 6, the invention is a concealable pull  10  with a pivoting tie-down hoop  12 . The pull  10  includes a housing  14 , a plate  16 , a stud  18 , and a pin  20 .  
         [0021]    The hoop  12  includes a flat base  22  preferably defining a hole  24 , and a curved gripping portion  26 . The hole  24  is dimensioned and configured to receive a stud  18 , having a head  28  and shaft  30 . The stud may define a hole  32  through and perpendicular to its shaft  30 , with the hole  32  being dimensioned and configured to receive a pin  42 .  
         [0022]    The plate  16  includes a base  34  and a stem  36 . The stem  36  is angled so that when the stem  36  is vertical, the base  34  will be angled. The stem  36  defines a coaxial hole  38 , being dimensioned and configured to receive the stud&#39;s shaft  30 , and a perpendicular hole  40 , dimensioned and configured to receive the pin  42 . The base  34  includes a first end  58  and second end  60 , with the end  58  extending farther than the end  60 .  
         [0023]    The housing  14  includes a pair of sides  44 , a pair of ends  46 , and a bottom  48 , defining an interior  50  therewithin. A top flange  52  attaches to the sides  46  and ends  48  along the top edge  54 . The top flange  52  may include means for securing the housing  14  within a slot defined in the bottom of a vehicle storage compartment, with a preferred means being a pair of hollow bosses  56 . The sides  44  preferably define a hole  62 , dimensioned and configured to receive the pin  42 . The distance between the ends  46  of the housing  14  is slightly shorter than the distance between the ends  58 , 60  of the plate  16 .  
         [0024]    Within the assembled pull  10 , the stud  18  passes through the hoop&#39;s hole  26 , and then into the hole  38  of the plate&#39;s stem  36 . The plate  16  is within the interior  50  of the housing  14 . The pin  42  passes through the housing&#39;s holes  62 , plate&#39;s hole  40 , and stud&#39;s hole  32 . The housing  14 , plate  16 , and stud  18  are thereby secured together by the pin  20 , and the hoop  12  is secured to the plate by the head  28  of stud  18 . This assembly provides a preferred and suggested means for pivotal securing of the plate  16  within the housing  14 , and a preferred and suggested means for pivotal securing of the hoop  12  to the plate  16 .  
         [0025]    When not in use, the pull  10  will generally be stored with the hoop  12  concealed within the housing  14 , illustrated in FIGS.  3 - 4 . In this position, the ends  58 , 60  of the plate  16  are adjacent to the top edge  54  of the housing, with the end  58  abutting the edge  54  to limit the rotation of the plate  16 . To use the pull  10 , the plate  16  is pivoted so that the hoop  12  is exposed, which may be accomplished either by raising end  58  or pushing on end  60  of the plate  16 . When the hoop  12  is positioned for use, the end  58  of the plate  16  abuts the edge  54  of the housing  14 , again limiting rotation of the plate  16 . The pull  10  is now in the configuration shown in FIGS.  1 - 2 . A cord can be attached to the hoop  12 . When a force is applied to the cord, the hoop  12  will rotate to align itself with the force applied, possibly as illustrated in FIG. 5. Once the cord is detached, the hoop  12  may be rotated so that it is aligned with the housing  14 , as illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 2 , and then the plate pivoted to the position illustrated in FIGS.  3 - 4  so that the hoop  12  is once again concealed.  
         [0026]    It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described herein, but encompasses all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.