Abstract:
A trunk-mountable equipment rack includes a frame having a cross member and a plurality of legs. The legs have straps attached that are capable of extending to couple the legs to the trunk of a vehicle. These straps allow the equipment rack to be placed on and secured to different sizes and shapes of trunks of vehicles. The invention also includes support bars for securing equipment to the equipment rack for transportation on a vehicle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates generally to equipment racks. Specifically, the invention relates to equipment racks that are adjustable and capable of holding sports equipment such as bicycles and skis, and that also mount and secure to vehicles for transportation.  
           [0003]    2. General Background and State of the Art  
           [0004]    There are many prior art equipment racks that mount on vehicles for the transportation of sports equipment and other articles. One such equipment rack, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,970, includes several structures removably mounted around a shaft. These structures are removable from the shaft and replaceable to create different angular positions relative to the shaft. However, the angles created by repositioning the structures are limited, and the removability of the structures creates a potentially cumbersome apparatus that hinders quick and easy handling.  
           [0005]    Another prior art equipment rack, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,323, includes a pair of mounting members for mounting to a vehicle and supporting arms connected to the mounting members. The mounting members are pivotally connected for rotation between a plurality of adjusted positions. Yet another prior art equipment rack is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,145, which discloses a heavy duty bicycle rack having support legs with limited angular movement. The invention also includes support arms for holding bicycles which are adjustable without having to the adjust the position of the legs. Both of these patents feature racks that have structural components which pivot relative to each other, limiting the positions in which the rack can be placed on a vehicle. Furthermore, there is no centralized frame around which all structural and support components move.  
         INVENTION SUMMARY  
         [0006]    The present invention improves upon the prior art by providing a mountable equipment rack having a plurality of legs connected to a cross member. The invention includes at least one equipment support bar for placing equipment such as bicycles and skis on the mountable equipment rack. The legs include a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs. The rear legs and the equipment support bar are rotatable relative to the cross member for storing in a compact position or maneuvering to a desired position, depending on the size of the trunk onto which the equipment rack will be placed. The front legs are fixed relative to the cross member.  
           [0007]    Particular embodiments of the invention also include a plurality of strap housing assemblies coupled to the legs that have retractable straps capable of securing the mountable equipment rack to a vehicle. Each strap housing assembly includes a cover, a retractable strap and a securing mechanism. Each retractable strap can be pulled out to couple a leg to the trunk of a vehicle and retracted back into the strap housing assembly. Therefore, the mountable equipment rack is easily placed onto and removable from a trunk of a vehicle.  
           [0008]    Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an equipment rack that is easily mountable on vehicles. One embodiment of the invention provides an equipment rack that is adjustable to conform to different types of vehicles, and which has structural members that are adjustable to fit different mounting positions. Other embodiments of the invention may also provide an equipment rack that is easily securable to a vehicle for the transportation of equipment. The equipment rack may also be adjustable for compact storage. Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the drawings, the detailed description and the claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mountable equipment rack in a secure position on the trunk of a vehicle;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a side view of the mountable equipment rack with an equipment support bar in an extended position;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a front view of the mountable equipment rack;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is an additional front view of the mountable equipment rack;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a rear view of the mountable equipment rack;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is an additional rear view of the mountable equipment rack;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the mountable equipment rack in a stored position;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 is a close-up perspective view of a positioning assembly of the mountable equipment rack;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 is an additional close-up view perspective of a positioning assembly of the mountable equipment rack; and  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 10 is an overhead view of a positioning assembly of the mountable equipment rack. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 shows a mountable equipment rack  10  having a cross member  12  disposed between a plurality of arcuately oriented legs, secured to the trunk of a vehicle. The plurality of legs includes a first rear leg  14 , a second rear leg  16 , a first front leg  18 , and a second front leg  20 . Although the legs are shown as arcuately shaped in FIG. 1, they may be straight or curved, and additionally the legs do not all need to be of the same shape. Each leg is coupled at one end to the cross member  12 . The mountable equipment rack  10  also includes at least one strap housing assembly  22 . Each strap housing assembly  22  includes a cover  24 , a retractable strap  26  and a securing piece  28 . As shown in FIG. 1, each retractable strap  26  is extended so that the securing piece  28  attached to each retractable strap  26  releasably secures the mountable equipment rack  10  to a part of the trunk of the vehicle. Each strap housing assembly  22  may also include a knob that can be turned to facilitate the retraction of a retractable strap  26  when not in use. The retractable straps  26  may be made of any material that is of sufficient strength to provide secure support for the equipment rack on a vehicle. The number of strap housing assemblies  22  used to secure the mountable equipment rack  10  to a trunk varies depending on the level of security desired. The invention contemplates that any number of strap housing assemblies  22  may be used to releasably secure the mountable equipment rack  10  to a vehicle. A strap housing assembly  22  is coupled to the mountable equipment rack  10  by either removably attaching to a leg or by fixedly attaching to a leg. A leg on which a strap housing assembly  22  is placed may have one or many of such strap housing assemblies. The invention contemplates that at least one strap housing assembly  22  is used to releasably secure the mountable equipment rack  10  to a vehicle. In one embodiment, each leg includes at least one strap housing assembly  22 . In another embodiment, the invention includes more legs than there are strap housing assemblies  22 , such that not every leg has a strap housing assembly coupled thereto.  
         [0020]    The mountable equipment rack  10  also includes a first axially oriented positioning assembly  30  disposed on said cross member  12  and a second axially oriented positioning assembly  32 , also disposed on said cross member  12 . Each of the axially oriented positioning assemblies  30  and  32  include a rotatable member  34  having a first rotatable ring  36  and a fixed member  38 . The rotatable member  34  of the first axially oriented positioning assembly  30  is coupled to the first rear leg  14 . Similarly, the rotating member  34  of the second axially oriented positioning assembly  32  is coupled to the second rear leg  16 . The fixed member  38  of the first axially oriented positioning assembly  30  is coupled to the first front leg  18 , and the fixed member  38  of the second axially oriented positioning assembly  32  is coupled to the second front leg  20 . Thus, each of the fixed members  38  fixedly couple a front leg to the cross member  12 .  
         [0021]    Each axially oriented positioning assembly  30  and  32  may also include a support bar member  48  having a second rotatable ring  50 . The mountable equipment rack  10  also includes at least one equipment support bar  46  coupled to the support bar member  48 . In one embodiment, the mountable equipment rack  10  includes two equipment support bars  46 , each equipment support bar  46  coupled to a support bar member  48  having a second rotatable ring  50 . In this embodiment, each support bar member  48  and second rotatable ring  50  are axially coupled to the cross member  12 . Therefore, the support bar members  48  and second rotatable rings  50  to which they are attached rotate together to allow the equipment support bar  46  to rotate relative to the cross member  12 . All first and second rotatable rings  36  and  50  have a plurality of holes. The plurality of holes allow a locking pin to be inserted between said holes to lock the first and second rotatable rings in place so that they can no longer rotate when the mountable equipment rack  10  is in use. Thus, the locking pins prevent the rings from moving, thereby securing the rear legs  14  and  16  as well as the equipment support bar  46  in place.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 also shows a plurality of traction members  52  coupled to distal ends of each of the front and rear legs. These distal ends are opposite to the ends of the front and rear legs that couple to the cross member. The traction members  52  provide additional support for each of the front and rear legs and prevent movement of the legs when mounted on a vehicle. The traction members  52  also prevent damage to the vehicle on which the mountable equipment rack  10  is placed, such as denting, scratching or the chipping of paint. The plurality of traction members  52  may be spherical in shape and may be made of rubber. However, it is to be understood that the plurality of traction members may be of any shape and may be made of any material suitable for the purposes for which the traction members are used. For example, the traction members may be made of foam and made be square in shape.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 shows a side view of the mountable equipment rack  10 . In FIG. 2, the retractable straps  26  and securing mechanisms  28  are shown retracted into the strap housing assemblies  22  such that they are not securing the mountable equipment rack  10  to a trunk of a vehicle. FIG. 3 shows a front view of the mountable equipment rack  10 . Both views in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show the positioning of the front and rear legs as they would generally be if they were positioned on a vehicle for storage of equipment. FIG. 4 shows a rear view of the mountable equipment rack  10 . FIG. 4 also shows the range of movement over which the equipment support bars  42  can rotate relative to the cross member  12 . FIG. 5 shows a rear view of the mountable equipment rack  10 , in a position similar to that of FIG. 3.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 6 shows a front view of the mountable equipment rack  10  with the equipment support bars  46  rotated at a higher angle than that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 6 also shows the ability of the equipment support bars  46  to rotate relative to the cross member  12 . By removing the locking pins that hold the rotatable rings together, the equipment support bars  42  are able to rotate relative to the cross member  12  to a position as desired by a user. FIG. 7 shows the mountable equipment rack  10  in a stored position. In this stored position, the locking pins, when removed from the rotatable rings, allow the rear legs and equipment support bars to rotate to a position in which the front and rear legs are positioned close together and the equipment support bars are positioned close to both the rear and front legs. By placing the locking pins back through the holes in the rotatable rings, the mountable equipment rack  10  can be easily carried in the position shown in FIG. 7 and stored.  
         [0025]    The cross member  12  of the mountable equipment rack  10  is made of metal. In one embodiment, the metal used to make the cross member  12  is aluminum. The front and rear legs of the mountable equipment rack  10  are made of any material strong enough to support articles placed on the equipment support bar  46 . In one embodiment, the materials used to make the front and rear legs are a substance comprising 80% polypropylene and 20% glass. The rotatable rings may also be made of a metal, for example aluminum.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 8 is a close-up perspective view of a positioning assembly on the cross member  12  of the mountable equipment rack  10 . As described above, each positioning assembly includes a support bar member  48  having a second rotating ring  50 , a rotatable member  34  having a first rotating ring  36 , and a fixed member  38 . The fixed member  38  includes a front leg, while the rotatable member  34  includes a rear leg. The fixed member  38  and front leg are fixedly coupled to the cross member  12  and do not rotate around the cross member  12 . The rotating member  34  and rear leg are rotatably coupled to the cross member  12 . The support bar member  48  couples to an equipment support bar  46 . FIG. 9 is a close-up perspective view of a positioning assembly with the equipment support bar  46  positioned lower than that shown in FIG. 8, and the rear leg also positioned lower than that shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 10 is an overhead view of a positioning assembly of the mountable equipment rack  10 . This view shows the equipment support bar  46  and support bar member  48  in a locked position, with a locking pin placed through the second rotating ring  50  of the support bar member  48  and through the first rotating ring  36  of the rotatable member  34 . This secures both the rear leg and the equipment support bar  46  for sturdy use on a vehicle.  
         [0028]    The foregoing presents particular embodiments of the invention. However, various alternatives fall within the scope of the invention. For example, the retractable straps of the strap housing assemblies may be elastic bands that stretch from a relaxed position to couple the legs to a vehicle. Also, the securing pieces may include hooks that releasably secure the legs to a vehicle. In another example, the rear legs may fixedly couple to the cross member while the front legs rotatably couple to the cross member. Consequently, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein.