Abstract:
A vehicle article carrier adapted to carry articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle. A pair of support rails are used, each formed from a non-metallic material, and each further including a bottom wall having at least one cutout potion at an intermediate point along its length. At least one cross bar may be supported from the support rails. At least one bracket may be associated with each support rail. The bracket is dimensioned to fit within the cutout portion in its support rail. The cross bar may be secured directly to the brackets such that ends of the cross bar are fully supported only by the brackets and the outer body surface of the vehicle. Thus, the support rails experience substantially no load from the brackets and the cross bar attached to the brackets.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/468,723, filed on Mar. 29, 2011. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to vehicle article carriers, and more particularly to a decorative blow molded support rail for a vehicle article carrier. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. 
     Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide variety of applications to transport articles on various forms of vehicles such as cars, minivans, SUVs and sometimes on trucks. Such vehicle article carriers typically include a pair of support rails which are fixedly secured to an outer body surface of the vehicle parallel to one another, and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Often one or more cross bars are supported from the support rails. The cross bars allow various articles to be supported thereon above the roof of the vehicle. 
     Typically the support rails are formed from aluminum or another high strength metallic material, and often extend 4-6 feet in length. The cross rails are then secured by suitable fasteners, sometimes RIVNUT® style fasteners, to the roof of the vehicle. However, manufacturing the support rails from a metallic material such as aluminum can be relatively expensive. The metallic material is needed for strength purposes to adequately support the cross bars and the weight they can be anticipated to carry at virtually any point along the length of the cross bars. However, in many instances, a wide degree of adjustability of the cross bars is not needed. Often a standardized spacing of the cross bars is sufficient to meet the needs of most individuals. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect the present disclosure relates to a vehicle article carrier adapted to carry articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle. The vehicle article carrier may comprise a pair of support rails formed from a non-metallic material, with each support rail further including a bottom wall having at least one cutout potion at an intermediate point along a length thereof. At least one cross bar may have a length sufficient to span a distance between the support rails. A plurality of fasteners may be used for securing the support rails to the outer body surface such that the support rails extend along a major longitudinal length of the vehicle and generally parallel to one another. At least one bracket may be associated with each one of the pair of support rails. The bracket may be dimensioned to fit within the cutout portion in its associated support rail. Each bracket may include a base portion and a mounting portion extending generally transversely of the base portion. Each bracket may have a pair of mounting flanges for securing opposing ends of the base portion to the bottom wall of its associated support rail. Each bracket may have a mounting post for securing to structure associated with the outer body surface. The mounting portion may include structure for enabling a fastening component associated the cross bar to be secured directly to the mounting portion of the bracket, such that an end of the cross bar is fully supported only by the bracket and the outer body surface of the vehicle. In this manner the associated support rail experiences substantially no load from the bracket and the cross bar attached to the bracket. 
     In another aspect the present disclosure relates to a vehicle article carrier adapted to carry articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle. The vehicle article carrier may comprise a pair of support rails formed from a non-metallic material, with each support rail further including a bottom wall having a plurality of cutout potions at intermediate points along a length thereof. At least one cross bar may be included which has a length sufficient to span a distance between the support rails. A plurality of fasteners may be used for securing the support rails to the outer body surface such that the support rails extend along a major longitudinal length of the vehicle and generally parallel to one another. A pair of brackets may be included, with each bracket being associated with one of the pair of support rails. The brackets may each be dimensioned to fit within a respective one of the cutout portions in its associated support rail. Each bracket may include a base portion and a mounting portion extending non-parallel to the base portion. Each bracket may further have a pair of mounting flanges for securing opposing ends of its base portion to the bottom wall of its associated support rail. Each bracket may further include a mounting component for securing to fastening structure associated with the outer body surface, such that the base portion is able to be secured against the outer body surface. The mounting portion may include structure that enables the cross bar to be secured directly to the mounting portion of the bracket such that an end of the cross bar is fully supported only by the bracket and the outer body surface of the vehicle. In this manner the associated support rail experiences substantially no load from the bracket and the cross bar attached to the bracket. The load from the articles supported on the cross bar is transmitted directly through the bracket to the outer body surface of the vehicle. 
     In still another aspect the present disclosure relates to a vehicle article carrier adapted to carry articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle. The vehicle article carrier may comprise a pair of support rails formed from a plastic material. Each support rail may include a bottom wall having a plurality of cutout potions at intermediate points along a length thereof. At least one cross bar may be included that has a length sufficient to span a distance between the support rails. A plurality of fasteners may be used for securing the support rails to the outer body surface such that the support rails extend along a major longitudinal length of the vehicle and generally parallel to one another. A pair of brackets may be included which are associated with each one of the pair of support rails. The brackets may each be dimensioned to fit within a respective one of the cutout portions in its associated support rail. Each bracket may include a base portion and a mounting portion extending generally perpendicular to the base portion. Each bracket may further have a pair of mounting flanges for securing opposing ends of the base portion to the bottom wall of its associated support rail. Each bracket may also have a threaded mounting post for securing to fastening structure associated with the outer body surface, such that the base portion is able to be secured against the outer body surface without interference from its associated support rail. The mounting portion may include at least one boss portion having a hole in registration with an opening in an inside wall portion of the associated support rail. This enables the cross bar to be secured directly to the mounting portion of the bracket such that an end of the cross bar is fully supported only by the bracket and the outer body surface of the vehicle. In this manner the associated support rail experiences essentially no load from the bracket and the cross bar attached to the bracket. The load from the articles supported on the cross bar is transmitted directly through the bracket to the outer body surface of the vehicle. 
     It should be understood that the following description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a motor vehicle having a vehicle article carrier in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure fixedly secured thereto; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of just one of the support rails shown in  FIG. 1  with no cross bars attached to it, illustrating the various components of the support rail; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the support rail of  FIG. 2  showing the metallic insert brackets secured to a decorative component of the support rail, where the decorative component is shown in phantom; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged, perspective view of a portion of the support rail of  FIG. 2  looking at an inside surface wall of the support rail, with the decorative component shown in phantom and one of the metallic insert brackets positioned within a cutout of the decorative component; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the support rail of  FIG. 4  but taken from the opposite orientation shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged, perspective view of the metallic insert bracket mounted within the decorative component, while looking at the inside wall portion of the decorative component; and 
         FIG. 7  is another implementation of the support rail which incorporates a length of track in place of one of the metallic insert brackets, to thus provide a degree of adjustability to one of the cross bars secured to the track. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a vehicle article carrier system  10  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The system  10  includes a pair of support rails  12  that are fixedly secured to an outer body surface  14  of a motor vehicle  16 , which in this example is an SUV. However, it will be appreciated that the vehicle  16  could be a sedan, a minivan, a truck, a van or virtually any other type of vehicle. As such, it will be appreciated that the system  10  will find utility with a wide variety of vehicles. The system  10  may be secured to the outer body surface  14  using any suitable fasteners. One well known suitable fastener is a RIVNUT® fastener. The fasteners, if same are provided by the vehicle manufacturer, are disposed in known, predetermined locations in the outer body surface  14 , and often are positioned in the roof ditch of a vehicle. Alternatively the vehicle manufacturer may simply provide holes in the vehicle&#39;s roof at predetermined locations. In either event, the locations of the holes or fasteners will be dictated by the vehicle manufacturer. Typically at least two holes or fasteners, but often up to four or five, will be provided by the manufacturer for fixedly securing each support rail  12 . 
     The system  10  further includes at least one cross bar  18 , and more preferably two cross bars  18 . The cross bars  18  in this example are identical in construction but they need not be identical. The cross bars  18  each have a length that spans the spacing between the support rails  12  and allow a wide variety of articles of various shapes and sizes to be supported thereon. Typically the articles are secured using various external cords or straps (not shown). End support assemblies  18   a  at the opposing ends of each cross bar  18  provide the means for securing the opposing ends to the support rails  12 . 
     One of the support rails  12  is shown in  FIGS. 2-6 . Since the construction of the two support rails  12  is identical in this instance, the description of one will apply to the other. With reference specifically to  FIG. 2 , the support rail  12  is unique in that includes a decorative plastic component  20  with one or more metallic insert brackets  22  (hereinafter simply “bracket  22 ”) positioned within it that form the attachment points for the cross bars  18 . Thus, the overall support rail  12  forms an extremely light weight and highly cost efficient component because only a relative small portion of the rail  12  is made from a metallic material. A particular manufacturing advantage is that the plastic component  20  can be formed using conventional blow molding technology, which is a highly cost efficient way of manufacturing hollow plastic articles. 
     In  FIGS. 2 and 3  it can be seen that securing assemblies  24  and  26  may be used to secure the outermost longitudinal ends of the decorative plastic component  20  to the outer body surface  14 , as well as to secure decorative plastic aerodynamic front and rear end pieces  28  and  30 , respectively, at the leading and trailing ends of the component  20 . The end pieces  28  and  30  effectively plug the ends of the component  20 . The securing assembly  32  may also help to secure the rear end piece  30  to the outer body surface  14 . While only two brackets  22  are shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , it will be appreciated that a greater or lesser number of brackets  22  could readily be incorporated into the decorative plastic component  20 . If more than two brackets  22  are used, then a user would be afforded a degree of adjustability in the spacing of the cross bars  18 , but the overall weight of each support rail  12  would be increased just slightly. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-6 , an enlarged portion of the decorative plastic component  20  is shown. The decorative component  20  has a hollow interior area  34  with a cutout  36  within a lower wall portion  38  ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ). In  FIG. 6  an inside wall portion  40  of the plastic component  20  includes two circular cutouts  42  for the bracket  22 . It will be appreciated that a cutout  36  and a pair of cutouts  42  will be provided for each bracket  22 . So if two brackets  22  are used with one decorative component  20 , then two pairs of cutouts  42  and two cutouts  36  will be provided. The cutouts  36  and  42  are further provided at those predetermined positions on the decorative component  20  where the brackets  22  are to be secured to the outer body surface  14 . Put differently, the attachment points on the outer body surface  14  control the placement and spacing of the cutouts  36  and  42 . The cutout  36  and the cutouts  42  may be formed in a subsequent machining operation on the decorative component  20  after the component  20  is formed in a blow molding operation. 
     With further reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the bracket  22  can be seen to include a base portion  44  and a mounting portion  46  integrally formed as a single piece component. The bracket  22  may be formed from any suitably strong metallic material but typically is formed from aluminum. While the bracket  22  is shown as a single piece component, it could just as readily be formed from two or more component pieces that are brazed, welded or otherwise joined by independent fasteners. However, it is expected that an especially economical means of manufacturing the bracket  22  will be by a stamping process, followed by drilling and other machining operations. The bracket  22  includes two opposed mounting flanges  48  extending from the base portion  44  which each have holes  50  through which rivets  52  may be inserted. The rivets  52  may be used to secure the bottom wall  38  of the decorative plastic component  20  to the bracket  22 . The rivets  52  extend through holes (not shown) in the bottom wall  38  and form a means for permanently attaching the bracket  22  to the decorative component  20 . 
     With continuing reference to  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6 , The flanges  48  may be offset from the base portion  44  such that when the base portion  44  is positioned in a roof ditch on the outer body surface  14 , the decorative component  20  will be presented generally flush with the outer body surface  14 . The base portion  44  may include one or more gussets  54  for providing structural strength and rigidity to the bracket  22 . A threaded mounting post  56  is secured within a hole  58  in the base portion  44  by a suitable fastener  60  ( FIG. 6 ). The mounting post  56  may used to attach the bracket  22  to the outer body surface  14  by inserting it through the pre-formed hole in the outer body surface  14  and fixedly securing it to the outer body surface  14  with an external threaded fastener (not shown). 
     The mounting portion  46  may be formed with two bosses  62  that each have a threaded hole  64  ( FIGS. 4 and 6 ). The holes  64  are configured (i.e., in size and spacing) to accept predetermined threaded fasteners associated with one of the end supports  18   a  at the opposing ends of one of the cross bars  18 . As such, it will be appreciated that when one of the cross bars  18  is attached to the bracket  22 , the cross bar will effectively be attached directly to the outer body surface  14  (e.g., the vehicle&#39;s roof) by the bracket  22 . Thus, the decorative component  20  will not be supporting the weight of the cross bar  18  or otherwise providing any of the attachment force that holds the bracket  22  to the outer body surface  14 . This is a principal feature of the system  10  that allows the plastic decorative component  20  to be made as a hollow, relatively low strength (as compared to aluminum), yet inexpensive component. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , another embodiment  12 ′ of the support rail  12  is shown. In this alternative implementation the support rail  12 ′ includes a decorative plastic component  20 ′ which may be secured to a short section of metallic track  70  having a channel  72 . The track  70  may be formed from aluminum or any other metallic material which is structurally strong. The track  70  need not extend along the entire length of the support rail  12 ′, but rather may be a selected length (e.g., 12 inches; 305 mm) that allows a degree of adjustability to the spacing of one of the cross bars  18  when the cross bar is secured to the channel  72  of the track  70 . The channel  72  will obviously require a different type of mounting structure to be incorporated in the end support  18   a , for example a threaded bolt and a conventional tap plate (not shown), where the tap plate is dimensioned to be able to fit within the channel  72 . The tap plate may then be used with its associated threaded bolt to secure the end support  18   a  to the track  70 . The track  70  itself may be secured directly to the outer body surface  14  at one or more predetermined locations on the outer body surface by one or more threaded members  74  that are fixedly secured to the track  70 . In this embodiment, the decorative component  20 ′ may be formed such that one or more edges are sufficiently thin in cross-sectional area so that the edges may be just slightly flexible. This would enable the one or more edges to be snapped over portions of the track  70 . 
     From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the various embodiments of the support rails  12  and  12 ′ form extremely lightweight components that may be manufactured in a highly cost competitive way. Blow molding is one especially cost effective means by which the decorative components  20  and  20 ′ of the support rails  12  and  12 ′, respectively, may be manufactured. Blow molding also enables the decorative components  20  or  20 ′ to be formed with a wide variety of contours and aesthetically and aerodynamically appealing features and surface details that might otherwise be too difficult or costly to implement if the entire support rail were to be formed from a metallic material such as aluminum. 
     While various embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications or variations which might be made without departing from the present disclosure. The examples illustrate the various embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, the description and claims should be interpreted liberally with only such limitation as is necessary in view of the pertinent prior art.