Abstract:
In an example, a quick release license plate holder with a low and/or compact profile is provided. In an example, the holder includes a bolt assembly having a first end to attach to a vehicle and a second end to quick release a support plate for holding the vehicle license plate. In an example, the quick release and re-attachment may be tool-less and/or may not require a re-leveling. In another example, the quick release may not require the same specific tool as a typical OEM license plate bracket and/or may require less application of the same specific tool.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/203,283, filed Mar. 10, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
       [0002]    ©2014 US Mill Works LLC. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR §1.71(d). 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Mechanized car washes can snag a license plate attached to a vehicle or the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) license plate bracket, bending the license plate or causing damage to the license plate bracket and/or the vehicle, or both. It is known that an OEM license plate bracket may be removed from a vehicle prior to washing the vehicle using the mechanized car wash. Removal and reattachment of known OEM license plate bracket may require a specific tool or may be time intensive, or both. 
         [0004]    Aftermarket equipment to replace the OEM license plate bracket is known. Aftermarket equipment may be marketed as more resistant to damage associated with mechanized car washes. However, aftermarket equipment may be installed differently on the vehicle than the OEM license plate bracket, which can create compatibility issues with other vehicle equipment, such as parking sensors. For example, if the aftermarket equipment extends too far from the vehicle, the parking sensor could be erroneously triggered; however, this is only one example of possible compatibility issues (other compatibility issues may involve interference with cruise control or other sensors, radiator operation, etc.). In addition, as the configuration/condition of the mechanized car washes can vary from one location or another, it is still possible to have damage when using a mechanized car wash with the aftermarket equipment installed, and removal/reattachment of some known aftermarket license plate equipment may require the same specific tool or may still be time intensive, or both. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The following is a summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
         [0006]    In an example, a quick release license plate holder with a low and/or compact profile is provided. In an example, the holder includes a bolt assembly having a first end to attach to a vehicle and a second end to quick release a support plate for holding the vehicle license plate. In an example, the quick release and re-attachment may be tool-less and/or may not require a re-leveling (e.g. may not require re-leveling after removal and reattachment for, say, utilizing a mechanized car wash). In another example, the quick release may not require the same specific tool as a typical OEM license plate bracket and/or may require less application of the same specific tool. 
         [0007]    In an example, the support plate slidingly engages with the second end of the bolt assembly. The support plate includes a front surface to engage with the vehicle license plate and a back surface having a shoe. In an example, the shoe forms an enclosure with a portion of the back surface of the support plate to provide a low and/or compact profile. In an example, the second end of the bolt assembly comprises a cleat having at least one edge structured to be removeably inserted into the enclosure. 
         [0008]    Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates license plate holder with a quick release feature. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates a process for installing the license plate holder of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of an example bolt assembly and a rear view of an example support plate for a low and/or compact license plate holder. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the bolt assembly of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  illustrates another example of a license plate holder. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the license plate holder of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  illustrates an exploded view of the bolt assembly of the license plate holder of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  illustrates a quick release the support plate of the license plate holder of  FIG. 5  from the bolt assembly. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]      FIG. 1  illustrates license plate holder with a quick release feature. 
         [0018]    The bolt assembly  100  includes a first end  8  and a second end  11 . The first end  8  may be threaded for installation in a threaded hole of a motor vehicle. In an example, the second end  11  may be rotatable relative to a remainder of the bolt assembly  100 , e.g. the first end  8 . In another example, the second end  11  may be rotatable and pivotable relative to a remainder of the bolt assembly  100 . 
         [0019]    The support plate  101  includes a first surface to which a license plate may be attached and a second surface. The second surface may correspond to a connector  12  to mate with the second end  11  of the bolt assembly  100 . The connector  12  may be structured to releasably couple, e.g. slidingly engage, to the second end  11 . 
         [0020]    In an example, the support plate  101  may be manufactured using sheet metal. In one such example, the first end  8  may include at least one prong, and the second end  11  may include an opening to mate with the prong. In an example, a support plate manufactured using sheet metal includes at least one tongue to form an opening to receive a prong of the first end  8 . The support plate manufactured using sheet metal may include an indented portion with an opening on the top or bottom, e.g. a slit cut on the top or bottom of the indented portion. 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  illustrates a process for installing the license plate holder of  FIG. 1  onto a vehicle. 
         [0022]    In block  201 , support plate  101  is attached to the end  11  of the bolt assembly  100 , e.g. slidingly engaged with the end  11  of the bolt assembly  100 . In block  202 , the support plate  101  may be used as a wrench to drive the threaded end  8  of the bolt assembly  100  into a motor vehicle. 
         [0023]    In block  203 , after driving the threaded end  8  of the bolt assembly  100  into the motor vehicle, the support plate  100  may be detached, e.g. released, from the end  11  of the bolt assembly  100 . In block  204 , a user may partially rotate the end  11  of the bolt assembly  100  relative to the threaded end  8  of the bolt assembly  100  for leveling. In an example, a component of the bolt assembly  100  may be loosened, released, removed, etc., in order to partially rotate the end  11 . For example, a tool such as a hex key may be used to loosen at least one fastener to allow the partial rotation, and the fastener(s) may be tightened once the leveling is complete. 
         [0024]    In block  205 , the support plate  101  may be re-attached to the bolt assembly  101 . In an example, the re-attachment may include slidingly engaging the support plate  101  with the bolt assembly  100 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of an example bolt assembly and a rear view of an example support plate for a low and/or compact profile license plate holder. 
         [0026]    The bolt assembly  310  includes a cleat  31 . The support plate  311  includes a back surface having a plurality  36  of holes arranged in a matrix. The matrix is a 2×5 matrix in the illustrated example, although in other examples the matrix may be greater or smaller than the illustrated matrix, for example a 2×8 matrix, a 3×11 matrix, etc. In an example, the cleat has at least one member  32 . 
         [0027]    A shoe  38  is mounted on a selected subset of the holes of the plurality  36 . In an example, the exposed surface of the shoe  38  has a u-shape. The subset of the plurality  36  may be selected for compatibility in regard to positioning the license plate on the vehicle and/or user preference. In the illustrated example, the shoe  38  is mounted as an upside down “U”. In other examples where the matrix includes at least three rows of holes, the shoe  38  may be mounted as a forwards or backwards “C” to maximize compatibility in regard to positioning the license plate on the vehicle and/or user preference, which may address compatibility concerns with regard to sensors, radiator operation, etc. 
         [0028]    The opposite surface of the shoe  38 , i.e. a surface that makes contact with the back surface of the support plate  311 , has a smaller footprint (illustrated by the dashed line  39 ). The shoe  38  forms an enclosure with a portion of the back surface of the support plate  311 . A portion of an edge of the cleat  31  may be removably inserted into the enclosure that is formed by portion of the back surface of the support plate  311  and the shoe  38  to mount the support plate  311  on the bolt assembly  310 . When the cleat  31  is removably inserted into the enclosure that formed by portion of the back surface of the support plate  311  and the shoe  38 , the front surface of the cleat  31  is adjacent to the back surface of the support plate  311 . 
         [0029]    The opposite surface of the shoe  38  may also be u-shaped with at least one cutout. Each cutout may correspond to a member of the at least one member  32 . In an example, the cutout only partially defines an opening for at least one member  32  of the cleat  31  (the opening is defined by the opposite surface of the shoe  38  and the back surface of the support plate  311 ). In an example, the member  32  extends through the opening defined by the opposite surface of the shoe  38  and the back surface of the support plate  311 . The protruding portion of the member  32  may have a pinhole (not illustrated) through which a pin, e.g. a cotter pin, may be inserted in order to secure the support plate  311  to the bolt assembly  310 . In the example including the pinhole, the pin when inserted may be oriented parallel to the back surface of the support plate  311 . 
         [0030]    It is noted that the demarking of the dashed line  39  applies to this particular example. In other examples, the footprint of the back surface of the shoe  38  is larger than the footprint of the opposite surfaces in order to form the enclosure with a portion of the back surface of the support plate  311 , but neither footprint necessarily need to have the same shape or dimensions shown. In another example, the overhang may correspond to only a portion of the interior edge of the shoe  38 , e.g. the oppositely facing interior edges. 
         [0031]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the bolt assembly of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0032]    A portion of a stud  401  of the bolt assembly  310  is shown (the end for securing to the vehicle, e.g. a threaded end, is not shown). An end of the stud  401  includes a cup having an inner sidewall to mate with a partial sphere  406 . In an example, the partial sphere  406  may be constructed from a different material than the stud  401 , e.g. plastic. 
         [0033]    A collar  408  having a curved interior surface slips over the stud  401  to mate with an outer sidewall of the cup. The collar  408  may have one or more openings (not illustrated) by which a plurality  409  of fasteners such as hex end screws may be used to connect the cleat  31 and the collar  408 . 
         [0034]    When the fasteners of the plurality  409  are inserted but not tightened, e.g. loosened, the cleat  31  may be pivoted relative to the stud  401  for leveling and/or other adjustment. The surfaces of the fasteners of the plurality  409  may be flush or recessed with respect to the front surface of the cleat  31  when tightened. When tightened, the collar  408  and the cleat  31  operate as a clamp to fix a position of the collar  408 , the partial sphere  406 , and the cleat  31  relative to the stud  401 . 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , it can be seen that the quick release license plate holder has a low and/or compact profile, which may reduce compatibility concerns with certain vehicles such as vehicles with parking sensors. A portion of the front surface of the cleat  31  may make contact with a portion of the back surface of the support plate  35 . 
         [0036]    The thickness of the cleat  31  may be determined based on numerous application specific variables, including but not limited to application requirements, the size of the front surface of the cleat  31 , the material used for the cleat  31 , operating environment, etc. However, when the cleat  31  is removably inserted into the enclosure formed by the back surface of the support plate  311  and the shoe  38 , a distance between the back surface of the support plate  311  and a front surface of a component of the bolt assembly  310  corresponds to the thickness of the cleat  31 . In the illustrated example, the distance between the back surface of the support plate  311  and the front surface of the collar  408  corresponds to the thickness of the cleat  31 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 5  illustrates another example of a license plate holder. 
         [0038]    The license plate holder  500  includes a  3 x 11  matrix of holes for mounting a shoe. The license plate holder  500  also includes larger openings  510 , e.g. larger holes, for weight reduction. The remaining holes  512  are for attaching a license plate to a front of the support plate  516  of the license plate holder  500 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the license plate holder of  FIG. 5 . 
         [0040]    In  FIG. 6 , the license plate  515  is shown attached to the front of the support plate  516 . The front of the support plate  516  has a shape to mate with a shape of a back of the license plate  515 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 7  illustrates an exploded view of the bolt assembly of the license plate holder of  FIG. 5 . 
         [0042]    The cleat  531  includes two members  532 .  FIG. 8  illustrates that each of the members  532  is removed from an enclosures that is formed by portion of the back surface of the support plate  516  and the shoe  538  (after the cotter pins  599  are removed), which releases the support plate  516  from a vehicle. 
         [0043]    It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims. 
         [0044]    Having described and illustrated the principles of the invention in a preferred embodiment thereof, it should be apparent that the invention may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. We claim all modifications and variations coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims.