Abstract:
The present application discloses a method for mounting a vehicle jack in a stored position on a motor vehicle. The present application also discloses a combination of a vehicle and a jack stored on the vehicle, and a vehicle jack configured to be stored on a vehicle. Further, the present application also discloses a motor vehicle having an arrangement for retaining a vehicle jack thereon in a stored position.

Description:
[0001]    The present application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/082,215, filed Feb. 26, 2002, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/330,631, filed Oct. 26, 2001, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a method for mounting a vehicle jack in a stored position on a motor vehicle. The present invention also relates to a combination of a vehicle and a jack stored on the vehicle, and a vehicle jack configured to be stored on a vehicle. Further, the present invention also relates to a motor vehicle having an arrangement for retaining a vehicle jack thereon in a stored position.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Typically, vehicle jacks are retained in a secured position by a bracket that is fixed to a structural member of the vehicle by bolts or welding. In prior art brackets, a pivoting bar is mounted to the base. When the jack is disposed on the base in its stored position, the bar is pivoted so that it is adjacent to and extending across the load rest. The user then operates the jack&#39;s raising and lowering mechanism slightly so that the pivoting bar is tensioned. This secures the jack in its stored position between the pivoting bar and the jack base.  
           [0004]    In the motor vehicle industry there is a consistent demand to reduce vehicle cost and weight. To meet this demand, OEMs and suppliers are looking for ways to reduce part count in existing components. Reduced part count typically leads to a decrease in cost, as less parts need to be manufactured and assembled, and a decrease in weight, as less parts typically mean less weight.  
           [0005]    The present invention relates to vehicle jacks, and particularly to a method and arrangement for retaining a vehicle jack in a stored position on a structural member of a vehicle without the need for the intervening bracket. Eliminating the bracket is a desirable feature because it eliminates the both the weight and manufacturing and assembly costs associated with the bracket and the elements thereon for securing the jack thereto, such as the pivoting bar discussed above.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    One aspect of the present invention provides a method for mounting a vehicle jack in a stored position on a motor vehicle without the use of an intervening bracket. In the method of this aspect of the invention, the jack comprises a plurality of assembled structures including (a) a load rest for engagement with an underside of the vehicle, (b) a base having a ground engaging surface for engagement with a ground surface below the vehicle, and (c) a raising and lowering mechanism having a drive element constructed and arranged to have an input force applied thereto. The raising and lowering mechanism is constructed and arranged to translate the input force applied to the drive element into upward and downward movement of the load rest relative to the base for affecting respective raising and lowering movements of the vehicle relative to the ground surface. At least one of the assembled structures has a recess formed on an edge portion thereof. The motor vehicle comprises a vehicle body including (a) a structural member to which the vehicle jack is to be mounted, (b) a mounting element having a post member extending directly from the structural member and a jack engaging surface extending from the post member and facing generally towards the structural member, the jack engaging surface and the post member at least in part defining a jack retaining space, and (c) a releasable jack retainer constructed and arranged to cooperate with the mounting element to retain the jack on the structural member.  
           [0007]    The method of this aspect of the invention comprises positioning the jack in the stored position directly adjacent the structural member of the vehicle; positioning the edge portion in the jack retaining space such that the post member is received in the recess; and moving the jack retainer to a jack retaining position wherein the jack retainer engages another portion of the jack spaced from the edge portion to substantially prevent the jack from moving away from the mounting element to thereby maintain the edge portion in the jack receiving space. As a result, the jack engaging surface and the jack retainer cooperate to substantially prevent the jack from moving away from the structural member of the vehicle, and the jack retainer and the post member in cooperation with the recess substantially prevent the jack from moving generally parallel to the structural member.  
           [0008]    Another aspect of the present invention provides a combination comprising a motor vehicle and a vehicle jack. The motor vehicle comprises a vehicle body including (a) a structural member, (b) a mounting element having a post member extending directly from the structural member and a jack engaging surface extending from the post member and facing generally towards the structural member, the jack engaging surface and the post member at least defining a jack retaining space, and (c) a releasable jack retainer movable between a jack retaining position and a jack releasing position. The jack comprises a plurality of assembled structures including (a) a load rest for engagement with an underside of the vehicle, (b) a base having a ground engaging surface with a ground surface below the vehicle, and (c) a raising and lowering mechanism having a drive element constructed and arranged to have an input force applied thereto. The raising and lowering mechanism is constructed and arranged to translate the input force applied to the drive element into upward and downward movement of the load rest relative to the base for affecting respective raising and lowering movements of the vehicle relative to the ground surface. At least one of the assembled structures has a recess formed on an edge portion thereof. The jack is positioned in a stored position adjacent the structural member of the vehicle with the edge portion in the jack retaining space such that the post member is received in the recess. The jack retainer is positioned in the jack retaining position thereof wherein the jack retainer engages another portion of the jack spaced from the edge portion to substantially prevent the jack from moving away from the mounting element to thereby maintain the edge portion in the jack receiving space. As a result, the jack engaging surface and the jack retainer cooperate to substantially prevent the jack from moving away from the structural member of the vehicle, and the jack retainer and the post member in cooperation with the recess substantially prevent the jack from moving generally parallel to the structural member. The jack retainer is movable to the jack releasing position wherein the jack retainer is disengaged from the another portion of the jack so as to allow the jack to be moved out of the stored position for use by (a) moving the jack generally parallel to the structural member so as to remove the edge portion from the jack receiving space and (b) moving the jack away from the structural member.  
           [0009]    Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle jack configured for storage on a motor vehicle without the use of an intervening bracket. The vehicle comprises a vehicle body including (a) a structural member to which the jack is to be mounted, (b) a mounting element having a post member extending directly from the structural member and a jack engaging surface extending from the post member and facing generally towards the structural member, the jack engaging surface and the post member at least in part defining a jack retaining space, and (c) a releasable jack retainer movable between a jack retaining position and a jack releasing position. The vehicle jack comprises a plurality of assembled structures including (a) a load rest for engagement with an underside of the vehicle, (b) a base having a ground engaging surface for engagement with a ground surface below the vehicle, and (c) a raising and lowering mechanism having a drive element constructed and arranged to have an input force applied thereto. The raising and lowering mechanism is constructed and arranged to translate the input force applied to the drive element into upward and downward movement of the load rest relative to the base for affecting respective raising and lowering movements of the vehicle relative to the ground surface. At least one of the assembled structures has a recess formed on an edge portion thereof. The jack is constructed and arranged to be positioned in a stored position adjacent the structural member of the vehicle with the edge portion in the jack retaining space such that the post member is received in the recess to thereby enable the jack retainer to be positioned in the jack retaining position thereof wherein the jack retainer engages another portion of the jack spaced from the edge portion to substantially prevent the jack from moving away from the mounting element to thereby maintain the edge portion in the jack receiving space. As a result, the jack engaging surface and the jack retainer cooperate to substantially prevent the jack from moving away from the structural member of the vehicle, and the jack retainer and the post member in cooperation with the recess substantially prevent the jack from moving generally parallel to the structural member.  
           [0010]    Yet another aspect of the invention provides a motor vehicle including an arrangement for retaining a jack thereon in a stored position thereon without the use of an intervening mounting bracket. The jack comprises a plurality of assembled structures including (a) a load rest for engagement with an underside of the vehicle, (b) a base having a ground engaging surface for engagement with a ground surface below the vehicle, and (c) a raising and lowering mechanism having a drive element constructed and arranged to have an input force applied thereto. The raising and lowering mechanism is constructed and arranged to translate the input force applied to the drive element into upward and downward movement of the load rest relative to the base for affecting respective raising and lowering movements of the vehicle relative to the ground surface. At least one of the assembled structures has a recess formed on an edge portion thereof. The vehicle comprises a vehicle body including (a) a structural member to which the jack is to be mounted, (b) a mounting element having a post member extending directly from the structural member and a jack engaging surface extending from the post member and facing generally towards the structural member, the jack engaging surface and the post member at least in part defining a jack retaining space, and (c) a releasable jack retainer movable between a jack retaining position and a jack releasing position. The jack retainer and the mounting element are arranged with respect to one another to enable the jack to be positioned in a stored position adjacent the structural member of the vehicle with the edge portion in the jack retaining space such that the post member is received in the recess. The jack retainer is constructed and arranged such that in the jack retaining position thereof the jack retainer engages another portion of the jack spaced from the edge portion to substantially prevent the jack from moving away from the mounting element to thereby maintain the edge portion in the jack receiving space. As a result, the jack engaging surface and the jack retainer cooperate to substantially prevent the jack from moving away from the structural member of the vehicle, and the jack retainer and the post member in cooperation with the recess substantially prevent the jack from moving generally parallel to the structural member. The jack retainer is constructed and arranged such that in the jack releasing position thereof the jack retainer is disengaged from the another portion of the jack so as to allow the jack to be moved out of the stored position for use by (a) moving the jack generally parallel to the structural member so as to remove the edge portion from the jack receiving space and (b) moving the jack away from the structural member.  
           [0011]    Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle jack mounted to a structural member of a motor vehicle in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle jack of FIG. 1 taken from a different perspective;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mounting element and the base of the vehicle jack of FIG. 1 isolated from the structural member of the vehicle and the remaining components of the jack;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the jack of FIG. 1 with the structural member of the vehicle omitted to illustrate the manner in which the mounting element and the jack retainer cooperate to retain the jack;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 taken from a different perspective.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle jack, generally indicated at  10 , constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The jack  10  is installed in a stored position on a structural member  12 . The structural member  12  is part of a vehicle body, but is illustrated in isolation from the remainder of the vehicle for clarity purposes. The structural member  12  can be any structural member constituting a part of the vehicle body, including but not limited to, an interior floor pan of the passenger compartment, an interior wall of the passenger compartment, an interior floor pan or wall of a trunk compartment, or a floor pan or wall of a truck bed. In the context of the present invention, if the structural member has a protective or decorative layer thereon (such as the carpeting often used on a passenger compartment floor pan, padding/molding used on a passenger compartment wall, or bed liners in truck beds), the protective/decorative layer is considered to be part of the structural member  12 . Thus, when an element is said to be engaged directly with or positioned directly adjacent the structural member, the protective/decorative layer should be considered part of the structural member  12 .  
         [0019]    The jack  10  comprises a plurality of assembled structures including a base  14  having a ground engaging surface  16  (FIG. 4) configured for engagement with a ground surface beneath the vehicle when the jack  10  is being used. The assembled structures of the jack  10  also comprise a load rest  18  constructed and arranged to be engaged with structure on an underside of the vehicle. The load rest  10  is stamped from a single metal piece to form an upper wall  20  and two side walls  22  depending downwardly therefrom. The upper wall  20  is recessed in the middle to facilitate stable engagement between the load rest  18  and the underside of the vehicle. The base  14  is also stamped from a single piece of metal and has a bottom wall  24  and a pair of side walls  26  extending upwardly therefrom.  
         [0020]    The vehicle jack  10  illustrated is of the pantograph scissors type, and thus its plurality of assembled structures includes four arms  28 ,  30 ,  32 ,  34  interconnected in an articulated manner between the base  14  and the load rest  16 . Specifically, the side walls at the lower end of lower arm  28  is connected by a pivot pin  36  inserted through a pair of aligned apertures in the side walls  26  of the base  14 . The side walls at the lower end of lower arm  30  is connected by pivot pin  38  through another pair of aligned apertures in the side walls  26  of the base  14 . The upper end of lower arm  28  and the lower end of upper arm  32  are pivotally connected to a trunion  40  and the upper end of lower arm  30  and the lower end of upper arm  34  are pivotally connected to a trunion  42 . The upper end of upper arm  32  is connected by a pivot pin  44  inserted through a pair of aligned apertures in the side walls  22  of the load rest  18  and the upper end of upper arm  34  is connected by a pivot pin  46  inserted through another pair of aligned apertures in the side walls  22  of the load rest  18 .  
         [0021]    Trunion  42  has a bore formed therethrough which is threaded internally. A threaded drive screw  48  is threadingly received in the bore of trunion  42 . One end of the drive screw  48  provides a drive element  50  to which a manual input force is applied. The input element has an opening  52  into which a jack tool (not shown) is inserted to enable the user to apply manual torque for purposes of rotating the drive screw  48 . The opposite end of the drive screw  48  is rotatably received in trunion  40  and locked therein against axial movement. As a result of this construction, rotation of the drive screw  48  causes trunion  42  to move axially along the drive screw  48  towards and away from trunion  40 . This in turn causes a translation of the input force wherein the arms  28 ,  30 ,  32 ,  34  pivot in an articulating manner to affect upward and downward movement of the load rest  16  relative to the base, which affects respective raising and lowering movements of the vehicle when the jack  10  is in use. The lower ends of arms  28 ,  30  have a pair of intermeshed gear portions  54 ,  56  integrally formed therewith and the upper ends of arms  32 ,  34  have also have a pair of intermeshed gear portions  58 ,  60  integrally formed therewith. The intermeshed gear portions synchronize the pivoting movement of the arms to ensure that the load rest  14  is maintained in parallel relation to the base during the raising and lowering movements.  
         [0022]    The arms  28 ,  30 ,  32 ,  34 , the drive screw  48 , input element  50 , and trunions  40  and  42  may be considered to constitute a raising and lowering mechanism, which is considered to be part of the plurality of assembled structures of the vehicle jack  10 . In the broader aspects of the present invention, the raising and lowering mechanism may be of any type suitable for affecting the relative movement between the load rest and the base and the exemplary embodiment disclosed herein is not intended to be limiting.  
         [0023]    In the broader aspects of the present invention, the jack  10  may of any type with any suitable construction and the exemplary embodiment disclosed herein is not intended to be limiting. For example, the jack  10  may be of the half-scissors type wherein only a pair of pivoting arms are utilized.  
         [0024]    In the embodiment of FIGS.  1 - 4  the bottom wall  24  of the base  14  has an edge portion  62  with a U-shaped recess  64  formed therein. The recess  64  is formed during the stamping operation that forms the base  14 . The recess is formed inwardly from the edge portion  62  to an extent that is somewhat longer that its width at the opening. In the embodiment illustrated, the inward extent of the recess  64  is about 1.5 to 2 times its width at the opening. The configuration of the edge portion  62  and the recess  64  can be best appreciated from FIG. 3.  
         [0025]    The vehicle&#39;s structural member  12  has a mounting element  66  extending directly therefrom. In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting element  66  is a threaded shoulder bolt threaded in fixed relation into an aperture on the structural member  12 . The mounting element  66  includes a post member  68  extending directly from the structural member  12  and a flange  70  extending outwardly from the end of the post member  68  and providing a jack engaging surface facing generally towards the structural member  12 . The flange  70  is positioned in spaced relation from the structural member  12  so that the jack engaging surface of the flange  70 , the post member  68 , and the structural member  12  define a jack receiving space  74  therebetween. The mounting element  66  may be formed intergrally with the structural member  12 ; securely threaded into a bore in the structural member  12 ; or formed or attached in any suitable manner.  
         [0026]    The structure providing the jack engaging surface may take any form. For example, the jack engaging surface could be provided by a groove formed inwardly on the mounting element. Specifically, the jack engaging surface would be that surface facing generally towards the structural member  12  and the post member would be that portion of the mounting element received in the jack&#39;s recess  64 . The remainder of the jack receiving space would then be defined by either the structural member  12  or a surface spaced from the jack engaging surface.  
         [0027]    The vehicle&#39;s structural member  12  also has a jack retainer  76  that cooperates with the mounting element  66  in a jack retaining position to maintain the jack  10  in its stored position. As will be discussed below, the jack retainer  76  is also movable to a jack releasing position to enable the jack  10  to be removed from the stored position. In the illustrated embodiment, the jack retainer  76  comprises a threaded rod  78  extending directly from the structural member  12  and a locking member  80  with an internal threaded bore threaded onto the rod  78 . The locking member  80  has a cone-shaped camming surface  82  and a pair of projections  84  for facilitating manual turning of the locking member  80 . Due to the threaded engagement, rotation of the locking member  80  causes it to move axially along the rod  78  towards and away from the structural member  12 . The end of the rod  78  the locking member  68  defines a mounting portion  81 . The mounting portion is received in an aperture in the structural member  12  and is welded in place to secure the same.  
         [0028]    Arms  28  and  32  of the vehicle jack  10  define a rod receiving opening  86  extending therethrough. Specifically, the opening  86  is bounded on one lateral side by the arms  28 ,  32  and one the opposite lateral side by the drive screw  48 . The opening  86  is configured to be moved over and along the rod  78  when positioning the jack  10  in its stored position. The opening  86  is only slightly wider in its lateral direction than the rod  78  to substantially prevent lateral movement of that end of the jack  10  generally parallel to the structural member  12 . However, the opening  86  is slightly oversized in the direction extending towards the mounting element  66 , namely the longitudinal direction of the jack  10 . This enables limited relative movement of the jack  10  towards and away from the mounting element  66  when the locking member  80  is disengaged from the jack  10 . As will be discussed in further detail below, this limited relative movement allows the edge portion  62  to be moved into and out of the jack receiving space  74  while received on the rod  78 .  
         [0029]    To mount the vehicle jack  10  in its stored position, the user positions the jack  10  in its stored position directly adjacent said structural member In the illustrated embodiment, positioning the jack in the stored position thereof comprises engaging the ground engaging surface  16  of said base  14  with the structural member  12  and moving the jack receiving opening  86  over and along the rod  78 . Then., the edge portion  62  is positioned in the jack retaining space  74  defined between said flange  70  and the structural member  12  of said vehicle such that the post member  68  is received in the recess  64 . This is accomplished in the illustrated embodiment by moving the jack  10  relative to the rod  78  as accommodated by the rod receiving opening  86  being oversized with respect to the rod  78 .  
         [0030]    Then, the jack retainer  76  is moved to a jack retaining position wherein the jack retainer  76  engages the arms  28 ,  32 , particularly the upper arm  28 , to substantially prevent the jack  10  from moving away from the mounting element  66  to thereby maintain the edge portion  62  in the jack receiving space  74 . As a result, the flange  68  and the jack retainer  76  cooperate to substantially prevent the jack  10  from moving away from the structural member  12  and the jack retainer  76  and the post member  68  in cooperation with the recess  64  substantially prevent the jack  10  from moving generally parallel to the structural member  12 . The jack retainer  76  may be used to engage any other portion of the jack  10  to retain the same in the stored position and the invention is not limited to the arms. However, the illustrated arrangement is considered advantageous because it takes advantage of the opening  86  which is typically present in the design of a scissors jack, thus eliminating the need for modification to provide the opening  86 .  
         [0031]    In the illustrated embodiment, moving the jack retainer  76  to the jack retaining position thereof comprises moving the locking member  80  rotationally and axially along the rod  78  toward the structural member  12  such that the arms  28 ,  30  of the jack  10  are positioned between the locking member  80  and the structural member  12 . As a result, the aforesaid cooperation between the flange  70  and the jack retainer  76  to substantially prevent the jack  10  from moving away from the structural member  12  is accomplished by both the flange  74  substantially preventing the edge portion  62  from moving away from the structural member  12  and the locking member  80  substantially preventing the arms  28 ,  32  from moving away from the structural member  12 . Also, the aforesaid cooperation between the jack retainer  76  and the post member  68  to substantially prevent the jack  10  from moving generally parallel to the structural member  12  is accomplished by both the edge portion  62  engaging the post member  68  to substantially prevent movement of the base  14  generally parallel to the structural member and the surfaces of the arms  28 , 32  and the drive screw  48  defining the rod receiving opening  86  engaging the rod  80  to substantially prevent movement of the arms  28 ,  32  generally parallel to the structural member  12 . Specifically, the rod  86  substantially prevents the jack  10  from pivoting about the post member  68  and the post member  68  substantially prevents the jack  10  from pivoting about the rod  78 .  
         [0032]    The camming surface  82  of the locking member  80  is configured such that, as the locking member  80  is moved axially along the rod  78  towards the jack  10 , the camming surface  82  engages the upper one of the jack arms  32  and forces the jack  10  toward the mounting element  66  to provide secure engagement between the post member  68  and the edge portion  62  of the base  12 .  
         [0033]    It should be understood that the jack retainer  76  may have any construction suitable for retaining the jack  10  in its storage position in cooperation with the mounting element  66 . For example, the jack retainer could be designed to simply push the jack  10  towards the mounting element  66  to provide secure engagement. The retainer could thus be provided with a deformable material to assist in frictionally preventing movement of the jack  10  in cooperation with the mounting element  66 .  
         [0034]    To remove the jack  10  from its stored position for usage in raising the vehicle, the user rotates the locking member  80  so as to move it axially along and off the end of the rod  78 . Then, the user shifts the jack  10  to withdraw the edge portion  62  from the jack receiving space  74 . Then, the user moves the jack  10  away the structural member  12  and off the rod  78 . After usage, the user can replace the jack  10  back in its stored position in the manner described above.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIGS. 5 and 6 disclose an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the structural arrangement is basically the same as that shown in FIGS.  1 - 4 , except that the edge portion  62 ′ and its recess  64 ′ are provided on the load rest  18 ′ instead of the base  14 ′. Thus, the same references numerals are used to refer to the same structures, except that a ‘is used to differentiate between the two embodiments.  
         [0036]    It should be understood that the edge  62  and the recess  64  could be provided on any one of the assembled structures of the jack  10 . The base  14  is the preferred location because its ground engaging surface  16  is already designed to be engaged with a flat surface, which is typical of the types of structural members  12  to which the jack  10  would normally be mounted. The load rest  18 ′ is also a preferred location for the edge portion  62  and the recess  64  because it likewise has a flat upper surface suitable for engagement with the structural member  12 . However, the broadest aspects of the invention are not intended to be limiting to such arrangements.  
         [0037]    It can thus be appreciated that the objectives of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It should be understood the embodiment illustrated is provided solely for the purposes of disclosing the structural and functional principles of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting.