Abstract:
A carrier assembly for attachment to a utility vehicle for the safe carrying and enclosure of a removable door of the utility vehicle such as a Jeep™. The carrier assembly comprises a left support panel and a right support panel attachable in a parallel, spaced apart manner to a rear body portion of the vehicle to define an enclosure space therebetween. A swingable support frame is pivotally secured adjacent one of said support panels to provide a rearward securement to the enclosure space. A mounting bracket is arranged on each opposing face of the support panels so as to engage and secure a vehicle door or storage member between the spaced apart panels.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to modular assemblies for the attachment to the back of a utility vehicle, most specifically for carrying components of a utility vehicle on the rear end of that utility vehicle.  
         [0003]     2. Prior Art  
         [0004]     One of the more popular utility vehicles in the United States is one sold under the trademark JEEP and has had a number of corporate owners over the past few decades. The basic style remains generally the same. It is typically a four wheel drive vehicle with a removable/foldable top and a left side door and a right side door which are also removable with vertically disposed rear body panels.  
         [0005]     This vehicle has a generally small body configuration. When someone wants to remove the side doors there is an inconvenience in finding a place to store them when all the seats in this vehicle are being utilized.  
         [0006]     It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.  
         [0007]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide an enlarged storage capacity for the doors of a Jeep or other items which may be carried along with that Jeep vehicle.  
         [0008]     It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a modular assembly which is attachable to a utility vehicle such as a Jeep, which assembly will safely store and securely hold doors or other desirable components to take within during the vehicle&#39;s use.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention comprises a carrier assembly for securably enclosing removable vehicle side doors and holding them against the vertical panels at the vehicle&#39;s rear end, which carrier assembly is best suited for attachment to “Jeep” vehicles. Jeep vehicles typically have a boxlike rear body portion having a vertically disposed rear end comprising a left and a right rear panel. A flat rear door is typically arranged between the left and right rear panels and is typically hingedly attached to the right rear panel. A tail light is typically disposed on each rear panel as well. The carrier assembly of the present invention includes a generally Z-shaped left support frame and a generally Z-shaped right support frame. Each left and right support frame is attached to the lower side of the frame at the rear of the Jeep body. An elongated left support panel is arranged on the left support frame and is also secured to the left rear panel on the rear of the Jeep.  
         [0010]     A right support panel is secured to the right hand side of the taikgate. The right support panel in a plan view, is of L-shaped. The right support panel thus includes a right panel attachment plate. The right panel attachment plate is boltable to the rear door of the Jeep. When the tailgate of the Jeep is openable, the right support panel pivots to the right as the tailgate is opened.  
         [0011]     A spare tire support frame is hingedly attached to the distal end of the left support frame. The spare tire support frame has a distal end which engages a catch on the distal end of the right support frame attached to the right hand end of the bumper on the rear of the Jeep vehicle. An arm arrangement extends upwardly from a mid-portion of the spare tire support frame to support a spare tire panel. The spare tire panel, as the name implies, has the spare tire which is mountable thereon. The spare tire support panel by virtue of its being supported on the distal end of the left support frame and the distal end of the right support frame, is spaced rearwardly from the rear door of the Jeep vehicle. This spacing provides a location for components of the Jeep to be so carried. Such components may include the left door and the right door which are typically removable from a Jeep vehicle.  
         [0012]     A door latch receiving bracket is attached to the inward side of the left support panel. The door latch receiving bracket is generally of U-shape and is pivotable from a vertical position to a horizontal position. The door latch receiving bracket is attached relatively closely to the left rear panel on the rear side of the Jeep vehicle. A pair of left door receiving pintles are secured to the rearwardmost edge of the inner side of the left support panel.  
         [0013]     A door latch receiving bracket for the left door is attached to the rearward edge of the right support panel extending from the rear door of the Jeep vehicle. A pair of right door receiving pintles are attached adjacent the forward edge of the right support panel. The receiving pintles arranged on the respective left and right support panels are arranged to receive the hinge pins which are part of the left and right doors of a Jeep vehicle. The generally U-shaped downwardly swingable door latch receiving brackets are arranged to receive the catch on their respective doors that are placed between the left support panel and the right support panel.  
         [0014]     The carrier assembly for Jeep vehicles may comprise a kit which is attachable to the rear body panels and bumper of a Jeep vehicle by bolt attachment thereto.  
         [0015]     In a further embodiment of the present invention a stowable enclosure box may be supported between the left support panel and the right support panel and between the spare tire panel and the rear door of the Jeep. The storage container in this embodiment has a pair of downwardly projecting pins disposed on each lateral side. Each downwardly disposed pin is arranged to fit into the upper left support pintle and the upper right door support pintle on the respective left support panels on the rear of the Jeep vehicle. Such pin and pintle securement permits a large storage capacity which is secure and yet is removable from the rear of the Jeep by its owner. The cargo carried between the left support panel and the right support panel may in one embodiment, be latched nad/or locked therein by a latch and/or locking engagement of the spare tire support frame to the right support frame attached to the right hand side of the rear bumper of the Jeep vehicle. A frame may be arranged between the side panels to receive and lock in place skis, snowboards or other athletic equipment.  
         [0016]     The invention thus comprises a carrier assembly for attachment to a utility vehicle for the safe carrying and enclosure of a removable door of the utility vehicle. The carrier assembly may comprise a left support panel and a right support panel attachable in a parallel, spaced apart manner to a rear body portion of the vehicle to define an enclosure space therebetween. A swingable support frame is pivotally secured adjacent one of the support panels to provide a rearward securement to the enclosure space. A mounting bracket arrangement is disposed on each opposing face of the support panels so as to engage and secure a vehicle door or storage member between the spaced apart panels. The mounting bracket arrangement preferably comprises a pair of vertically spaced apart pintles, each of the pintles arranged to receive a hinge pin of a door or component of the vehicle. The mounting bracket arrangement may also include a pivotable latch. The pivotable latch being arranged to engage a door handle clip of the removable door. The swingable support frame is preferably arranged to carry a spare tire of the vehicle. The assembly may include a left support frame and a right support frame which are attachable to a portion of the frame of the vehicle for lower support of the left and right support panels. The right support frame is preferably of “L” shape. The right support frame may include a right panel attachment plate. The right panel attachment plate being attachable to a tailgate of the vehicle. The right support frame is attached to the vehicle frame and may have a swingable support frame locking means thereon, to secure and lock the swingable support frame to the support frame on the bumper. The storage member may comprise a storage box which is securable to the left and the right support panels. The storage box has an elongated pin arranged on each side thereof, so as to engage the mounting bracket arrangements on the opposing faces of each of the left and the right support panel. The elongated pin on each side of the storage box are preferably arranged adjacent diagonally opposed corners of the box. The storage box may in a further embodiment comprise a frame disposed between the left and the right support panels for pinchably receiving athletic equipment therebetween.  
         [0017]     The invention also comprises a method of storing doors of a vehicle on a back portion of the vehicle, comprising: attaching a pair of panels off of a rear portion of the vehicle; attaching a set of pintles onto each of the panels; and placing a hinge pin of the door into one of the pintles to support the door between the panels.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0018]     The objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when viewed in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the carrier assembly attached to the rear end of a Jeep vehicle;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the spare tire support frame;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the rear end of a Jeep vehicle with the carrier assembly attached thereto;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a view similar to  FIG. 3  with a spare tire shown attached to the spare tire panel;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a elevational view of the rear of a Jeep vehicle with the carrier assembly attached but without the spare tire support frame, for convenience of viewing;  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 5  showing a pair of Jeep doors attached between the left and right support panels of a carrier assembly;  
         [0025]      FIG. 7  is a plan view of the rearward end of a Jeep vehicle and a carrier assembly thereattached with the spare tire support frame and spare tire shown in an opened configuration with the front doors assembled between the side support panels;  
         [0026]      FIG. 8  is a view similar to  FIG. 7  with the spare tire support frame and tire thereon shown in its closed configuration;  
         [0027]      FIG. 9  is a side elevational view of the rear of a Jeep showing portions of the door latch receiving brackets enlarged for ease of viewing;  
         [0028]      FIG. 10  is a side elevational view of the rear of a Jeep with the carrier assembly attached thereon and an enclosure box shown relative thereto in an exploded configuration;  
         [0029]      FIG. 10A  is a plan view of the enclosure box shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 ;  
         [0030]      FIG. 11  is a view similar to the view shown in  FIG. 10  with the enclosure shown attached to the respective support panels and secured thereto;  
         [0031]      FIG. 12  is a view similar to  FIG. 10  showing a pair of support bars in an exploded representation;  
         [0032]      FIG. 13  is a view similar to  FIG. 10  showing sports equipment carried on a ski holder attached to the support bars of  FIG. 12 ; and  
         [0033]      FIG. 14  is a plan view of a ski holder frame attached to the support bars, showing it set up without any skis secured thereto.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0034]     Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to  FIG. 1 , there is shown the present invention which comprises a carrier assembly  10  for securably enclosing removable vehicle side doors and holding them against the vehicle&#39;s rear end, which carrier assembly  10  is best suited for attachment to “Jeep™” vehicles  12 . Jeep vehicles  12  typically have a boxlike rear body  14  portion having a vertically disposed rear end  16  comprising a left rear panel  18  and a right rear panel  20 . A flat rear door  22  is typically arranged between the left and right rear panels  18  and  20  and is typically hingedly attached to the right rear panel  20 . A tail light  24  is typically disposed on each rear panel  18  and  20  as well. The carrier assembly  10  of the present invention includes a generally Z-shaped left support frame  26  and a generally Z-shaped right support frame  28 . Each left and right support frame  26  and  28  is attachable to the lower side of the frame  30  on the rear end  16  of the Jeep body  14 , as may be seen in  FIGS. 1, 3 ,  4 ,  5  and  6 . An elongated left support panel  32  is arranged on the left support frame  26  and is also secured to the left rear panel  18  on the rear of the Jeep  12 , as shown in  FIGS. 1, 3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7  and  8 .  
         [0035]     A right support panel  34  is secured to the right hand side of the rear door  22 . The right support panel  34 , in a plan view, is of L-shape, as may be envisioned in  FIG. 1 , and as is shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The right support panel  34  thus also comprises a right panel attachment plate  36 . The right panel attachment plate  36  is boltable to the rear door  22  of the Jeep  12 , as is best represented in  FIG. 1 . When the rear door  22  of the Jeep  12  is opened, the right support panel  34  pivots to the right as the rear door  22  is opened.  
         [0036]     A spare tire support frame  40 , partially shown in  FIG. 1 , is hingedly attached to the distal end of the left support frame  26 , which may also be seen in  FIGS. 3, 4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 , and  8 . The spare tire support frame  40  is shown by itself in a plan view in  FIG. 2 . The spare tire support frame  40  has a distal end  42  which engages a catch  44  on the distal end of the right support frame  28 , attached to the right hand end of the frame  30 , (which may in a alternative embodiment be a bumper), on the rear of the Jeep vehicle  12 . An arm arrangement  46  extends upwardly from a mid-portion of the spare tire support frame  40  to support a spare tire panel  48 . The spare tire panel  48  has the spare tire  50  which is mountable thereon, as is represented in  FIGS. 4, 7  and  8 . The spare tire support panel  48 , by virtue of its being supported on the distal end of the left support frame  26  and the distal end of the right support frame  28 , is thus spaced rearwardly away from the rear door  22  of the Jeep vehicle  12 . This spacing provides a location for components of the Jeep  12  to be carried therebetween. Such components may include the left door  54  and the right door  56 , as represented in  FIGS. 6, 7  and  8 , which doors  54  and  56  are typically removable from a Jeep vehicle  12 .  
         [0037]     A door latch receiving bracket  70  is attached to the inward side of the left support panel  32 , as is represented in  FIGS. 1, 3 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7  and  8 . The door latch receiving bracket  70  is generally of U-shape and is pivotable from a vertical position to a horizontal position, as is shown more specifically in  FIG. 9 . The door latch receiving bracket  70 , as shown in  FIGS. 1, 7  and  8 , is attached relatively closely to the left rear panel  18  on the rear side of the Jeep  12 . A pair of left door receiving pintles  73  are secured to the rearwardmost edge of the inner side of the left support panel  32 , as shown in  FIGS. 1, 7  and  8 .  
         [0038]     A door latch receiving bracket  72  for the left door  54  is attached to the rearward edge of the right support panel  34  extending from the rear door  22  of the Jeep vehicle  12 , as shown in  FIGS. 3, 4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9   10  and  11 . A pair of right door receiving pintles  76  are attached adjacent the forward edge of the right support panel  34 . The receiving pintles  73  and  76  arranged on the respective left and right support panels  32  and  34  are arranged to receive the hinge pins  78  which are part of the left and right doors  54  and  56  of a Jeep vehicle  12 , as best represented in  FIGS. 6, 7  and  8 . The generally U-shaped downwardly swingable door latch receiving brackets  70  and  72  as best shown in  FIG. 9 , are arranged to receive the catch  77  on their respective doors  54  and  56 , that are placed between the left support panel  32  and the right support panel  34 , as shown in  FIGS. 6, 7  and  8 .  
         [0039]     The carrier assembly  10  for Jeep vehicles  12  may be comprised of a kit comprising the aforementioned, the components of which are attachable to the rear body panels and bumper of a Jeep vehicle by a bolt attachment thereto as shown herewithin.  
         [0040]     In a further embodiment of the present invention as shown in  FIGS. 10, 10A  and  11 , wherein a stowable enclosure box  80  may be supported between the left support panel  32  and the right support panel  34  adjacent the rear door  22  of the Jeep vehicle  12 . The storage container  80  in this embodiment has a pair of downwardly projecting pins  82  and  84  which are disposed diagonally apart from one another, one on each lateral side of the box  80  as represented in a plan view in  FIG. 10A . The respective downwardly disposed pins  82  and  84  are arranged to fit into their respective upper left support pintle  73  and the upper right door support pintle  76  on the respective left and right support panels  32  and  34  on the rear of the Jeep vehicle  12 . Such pin  82 / 84  and pintle  73 / 76  securement permits a large storage capacity which is secure and yet is removable from the rear of the Jeep  12  by its owner. The cargo carried between the left support panel  32  and the right support panel  34  may be locked therein by a latched and/or locking engagement of the spare tire support frame  40  to the right support frame  28  attached to the right hand side of the rear bumper  30  of the Jeep vehicle  12 , by a locking means  86 , represented in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0041]     In a further embodiment of the present invention, a pair of support bars  90  and  92  are shown in  FIGS. 12, 13  and  14 . Each support bar  90  and  92  has a pin  94  extending off an end thereof. The pins  94  engage their respective pintles  73  and  76 . A pinch frame  96  may be attached to each support bar  90  and  92 , as shown in  FIG. 13 . The pinch frame  96  may pinchably secure sports equipment such as skis  98 , as represented in  FIG. 13 .  FIG. 14  shows a pinch frame  96  secured to the upper support bar  90 , without any ski or sports equipment pinched therewithin.