Patent Publication Number: US-6213608-B1

Title: Trailer hitch alignment mirror

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. The Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a vehicle hitch viewing mirror device where the mirror device can be attached to the vehicle hitch in a manner to provide the driver of the vehicle a view of the hitch connection point and the connection point on the tongue of a trailer. 
     2. The Prior Art 
     A common way of connecting a trailer to a towing vehicle is by engaging a single connection point on the trailer with a single connection point on the towing vehicle. The connection point on the towing vehicle is typically a ball mounted on a hitch at the rear of the vehicle. The connection point on the trailer is typically a socket towards the front end of the trailer tongue. To make the connection between the trailer and the towing vehicle, the trailer tongue is elevated so that the socket is somewhat higher than the vehicle hitch ball. The vehicle is then backed up until the vehicle hitch ball is positioned directly under the trailer socket. Finally the trailer tongue is lowered over the vehicle hitch ball to make the connection. Normally the driver does not have a direct view of the vehicle hitch ball and the trailer tongue socket while backing up the vehicle. This makes unaided connection of a trailer to a tow vehicle difficult. Numerous devices have been invented to allow the driver to view the vehicle hitch connection point and the trailer connection point while backing up the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,914 (Dietrich); U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,606 (Granno), U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,468 (Stephens); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,289 (Johnson) disclose devices where a viewing mirror is mounted on the trailer. These devices only provide the driver a view of the vehicle hitch connection point when the front to back center line of the vehicle is aligned laterally with the front to back center line of the trailer. This is often not the case when the driver is backing up the tow vehicle. Therefore these devices are of only limited assistance to a driver. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,966 (Lowell, Jr.) discloses a device with a viewing mirror that is attached to both the towing vehicle and the trailer. This device is complicated to fabricate and use. 
     A device that attaches a viewing mirror to the side of the tow vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,669 (Wun). This device is of limited usage in attempting to determine the lateral alignment of the tow vehicle hitch connection point and the trailer tongue connection point. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,376 (Neely); U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,182 (Haworth); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,175 (Brewington) disclose devices where a viewing mirror is mounted on the tailgate of a pickup truck used as a tow vehicle. The devices provide a view from above of the truck hitch connection point regardless of the alignment of the truck front to back centerline and the trailer front to back centerline. However, the devices are not readily usable for other types of vehicles such as cars and sport utility vehicles. 
     Several devices have been invented which use suction cups to attach a viewing mirror to the towing vehicle. These devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,287 (Lord et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,913 (Quesada); U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,342 (Quesada); U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,681 (Mazarac); U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,500 (Ackerman); U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,213 (Howard); U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,564 (Mazarac); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,555 (Wilcox et al.) These devices share a common problem in that suction cups do not adhere well to rough or dirty surfaces. They are prone to moving about on, or even falling off, the tow vehicle. Also the viewing mirrors have to be aligned each time the devices are installed. Also, some of these devices are complicated to fabricate and use. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,101 (Roberson) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,310 (Staggs) disclose devices which use magnets to attach a viewing mirror to the towing vehicle. These devices tend to have the same problems and limitations as the devices that use suction cups to attach a viewing mirror to the towing vehicle. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a simple way to use a viewing mirror to assist in connecting a variety of tow vehicles to a trailer. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The viewing mirror device of the present invention comprises a mirror for viewing the tow vehicle hitch connection point and the trailer tongue connection point; a tube or channel for connecting the device to the tow vehicle hitch; and a mast for controlling the position and alignment of the mirror relative to the hitch connection point. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a view from the side of a vehicle of the mirror device attached to a vehicle extended trailer hitch 
     FIG. 2 is a view from behind a vehicle of the mirror device attached to the vehicle extended trailer hitch 
     FIG. 3 is a view from above showing the alignment sight 
     FIG. 4 is a view of the trailer hitch and the trailer tongue as seen in the mirror 
     FIG. 5 is a view from above showing the trailer hitch section of a vehicle rear bumper 
     FIG. 6 is a view from behind showing the trailer hitch section of a vehicle rear bumper 
     FIG. 7 shows the hitch attachment clamp attached to a vehicle extended trailer hitch 
     FIG. 8 is a view from behind of the mirror device showing a mast with two vertical sections 
     FIG. 9 is a view from the end of the hitch attachment channel 
     FIG. 10 shows the mirror ball and ball encompassing clamp 
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS IN FIGURES 
       21 —tow vehicle 
       22 —tow vehicle rear window 
       23 —tow vehicle rear bumper 
       24 —tow vehicle rear bumper hitch section 
       25 —tow vehicle extended hitch 
       26 —tow vehicle extended hitch top surface 
       27 —tow vehicle extended hitch side surface 
       28 —tow vehicle extended hitch bottom surface 
       29 —tow vehicle hitch ball 
       31 —trailer tongue 
       32 —trailer tongue socket 
       33 —trailer tongue alignment mark 
       41 —viewing mirror 
       42 —viewing mirror attachment tube 
       44 —mirror connecting ball 
       45 —mirror attachment tube ball encompassing clamp 
       51 —hitch attachment tube 
       53 —hitch attachment clamp 
       54 —hitch attachment clamp fixed upper horizontal section 
       55 —hitch attachment clamp fixed vertical section 
       56 —hitch attachment clamp fixed lower horizontal section 
       57 —hitch attachment clamp moveable horizontal section 
       59 —hitch attachment channel 
       60 —adjustment screw 
       71 —mast 
       72 —mast bottom horizontal section 
       73 —mast vertical section 
       74 —mast top horizontal section 
       75 —mast vertical section inner shaft 
       76 —mast vertical section outer tube 
       81 —alignment sight 
       82 —alignment sight clamp 
       91 —driver&#39;s line of sight to the tow vehicle hitch 
       92 —driver&#39;s line of sight to the trailer tongue 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is now made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numerals throughout. 
     FIG. 1 is a view of the first embodiment of the mirror device of the present invention attached to a vehicle extended trailer hitch  25 . The view is from the side of a tow vehicle  21  The extended vehicle trailer hitch  25  is located immediately below the vehicle rear bumper  23 . The tow vehicle hitch ball  29 , which is the tow vehicle connection point, is located towards the end of the vehicle extended trailer hitch  25 . The hitch attachment tube  51  is permanently attached to the extended vehicle trailer hitch top surface  26 . The mast  71  of the mirror device extends from the hitch attachment tube  51  to the mirror  41 . The inside diameter of the hitch attachment tube  42  is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the mast bottom horizontal section  72 . The mast bottom horizontal section  72  is inserted into the hitch attachment tube  51 . The mast vertical section  73  extends upward. The mast top horizontal section  74  is connected to the mirror attachment tube  42 . The trailer tongue  31  is behind the tow vehicle hitch ball  29 . The trailer tongue socket  32  is positioned behind and above the tow vehicle hitch ball  29 . The driver&#39;s line of sight to the tow vehicle hitch  91  passes through the tow vehicle rear window  22  to the viewing mirror  41  and down the tow vehicle hitch ball  29 . Likewise the driver&#39;s line of sight to the trailer tongue  92  passes through the tow vehicle rear window  22  to the viewing mirror  41  and down to the trailer tongue socket  32 . 
     FIG. 2 is a view from behind the mirror device when it is attached to the tow vehicle extended trailer hitch  25 . The hitch attachment tube  51  is permanently attached to the vehicle extended hitch  25 . The mast bottom horizontal section  72  extends through the hitch attachment tube  51 . The mast bottom horizontal section  72  may be slid left or right through the hitch attachment tube  51  to adjust the left to right position of the mast vertical section  73 . The mast bottom horizontal section  72  may be rotated within the hitch attachment tube  51  to adjust the fore and aft position of the top of the mast vertical section  73 . An adjustment screw  60  penetrates the hitch attachment tube  51  and engages the mast bottom horizontal section  72 . This secures the position of the mast bottom horizontal section  72  relative to the hitch attachment tube  51 . An adjustment screw  60  penetrates the hitch attachment tube  51 . This secures the position of the mast bottom horizontal section  72  in the hitch attachment tube  51 . 
     The mast vertical section  73  comprises a mast vertical section inner shaft  75  and a mast vertical section outer tube  76 . The mast vertical section inner shaft  75  telescopically engages inside the mast vertical section outer tube  76 . This provides means for viewing mirror  41  to be raised or lowered relative to tow vehicle rear window. An adjustment screw  60  penetrates the mast vertical section outer tube  76  and engages the mast vertical section inner shaft  75 . This secures the position of the mast vertical section inner shaft  75 . 
     The mirror attachment tube  42  is permanently attached to the back side of the viewing mirror  41 . The inside diameter of the mirror attachment tube  42  is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the mast top horizontal section  74 . The mast top horizontal section  74  extends through the mirror attachment tube  43 . The mirror attachment tube  42  may be slid left or right over the mast top horizontal section  74  to adjust the left to right position of the viewing mirror  41 . The mirror attachment tube  42  may be rotated around the mast top horizontal section  74  to raise or lower the driver&#39;s line of sight to the tow vehicle hitch  91  and the driver&#39;s line of sight to the trailer tongue  92 . An adjustment screw  60  penetrates the mirror attachment tube  42  and engages the mast top horizontal section  74 . This secures the position of the mirror  41  on the mast top horizontal section  74 . 
     FIG. 3 shows the alignment sight  81 . The alignment sight  81  extends horizontally out from the alignment sight clamp  82  on the mast vertical section  73  as shown in FIG.  2 . The alignment sight  81  is positioned in the driver&#39;s line of sight to the tow vehicle hitch ball  29 . An adjustment screw  60  penetrates the alignment sight clamp  82  and engages the alignment sight  81 . This secures the position of the alignment sight  81  relative to the tow vehicle hitch ball  29 . 
     FIG. 4 shows the driver&#39;s view of the tow vehicle hitch ball  29  and the trailer tongue socket  32  in the viewing mirror  41 . The trailer tongue alignment mark  33  is located on the top surface of the trailer tongue socket  32  directly over the point where the center of the tow vehicle hitch ball  29  is located when the trailer tongue socket is properly engaged with the tow vehicle hitch ball. When the alignment sight  81 , as seen in the viewing mirror, is directly over the trailer tongue alignment mark  33 , the tow vehicle connection point is aligned fore and aft with the trailer connection point. 
     To use the present invention first the hitch attachment tube  51  is positioned on the tow vehicle extended hitch  25  perpendicular to the front to rear tow vehicle centerline. Next, the hitch attachment tube  51  is secured to the tow vehicle trailer hitch by means of adhesive, weld or fasteners. The mirror device is mounted to the tow vehicle trailer hitch and adjusted as follows: The mast bottom horizontal section  72  is inserted into the hitch attachment tube  51 . The mast  71  is adjusted so that the viewing mirror  41  is positioned over the tow vehicle connection point (tow vehicle hitch ball  29 ). The hitch attachment tube adjustment screw  52  is tightened to secure the position of the mast  71 . The mast vertical section  73  is adjusted so that the viewing mirror  41  is visible to the driver in the vehicle rear view mirror. An adjustment screw  60  is tightened to secure the position of the mast  71 . The viewing mirror  41  is adjusted so that the driver&#39;s line of sight to the tow vehicle hitch  91  is centered left to right towards the top of the viewing mirror  41 . The mirror attachment tube adjustment screw  43  is tightened to secure the position off the viewing mirror  41 . The alignment sight  81  is adjusted so that it appears over the center of the tow vehicle hitch ball  29  in the driver&#39;s line of sight to the tow vehicle hitch  91 . Then, the driver backs the tow vehicle  21  towards the trailer tongue  31  until the trailer tongue socket  32  is visible in the viewing mirror  41 . The driver maneuvers the tow vehicle left or right as needed to align the tow vehicle hitch ball  29  laterally with the trailer tongue socket  32 . The driver backs the tow vehicle until the alignment sight  81  is directly over the trailer tongue alignment mark  33 . The driver can then lower the trailer tongue socket  32  onto the tow vehicle hitch ball  29  and secure the trailer to the tow vehicle. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 show a tow vehicle rear bumper hitch section  24  that is integral to the tow vehicle rear bumper  23 . The hitch attachment tube  51  is attached to the tow vehicle rear bumper hitch section  24  to one side of the tow vehicle hitch ball  29  so as to facilitate inserting and adjusting the mast bottom horizontal section  72  into the hitch attachment tube  51 . 
     An alternate means of attaching the hitch attachment tube  51  to the tow vehicle extended hitch  25  is shown in FIG. 7. A hitch attachment clamp  53  is removeably attached to the vehicle extended hitch  25 . The hitch attachment clamp fixed upper horizontal section  54  is positioned directly above the tow vehicle extended hitch top surface  26 . The hitch attachment clamp fixed vertical section  55  is positioned adjacent to the tow vehicle extended hitch side surface  27 . The hitch attachment clamp moveable horizontal section  57  is positioned directly below the tow vehicle extended hitch bottom surface  28 . An adjustment screw  60  penetrates the hitch attachment fixed lower horizontal section  56 . The adjustment screw  60  is tightened against the hitch attachment clamp moveable horizontal section  57 . This creates pressure between the hitch attachment clamp moveable horizontal section  57  and the tow vehicle extended hitch bottom surface  28 . It also creates pressure between the hitch attachment clamp fixed upper horizontal section  54  and the tow vehicle extended hitch top surface  26 . The pressure between the hitch attachment clamp  53  and the tow vehicle extended hitch  25  secures the hitch attachment clamp  53  to the tow vehicle extended hitch  25 . 
     An alternate embodiment of the mast is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the mast  71  of this alternate embodiment is a single piece. It has two mast vertical sections  73 . The mast vertical sections  73  are of fixed length. The lengths of the mast vertical sections  73  are fabricated for a particular type of vehicle such as a sports utility vehicle. An open hitch attachment channel  59  as shown in FIG. 9 replaces the hitch attachment tube  51  of the first embodiment. The inside cross section of the hitch attachment channel  59  is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the mast bottom horizontal section  72 . The mast bottom horizontal section  72  is lifted in and out of the hitch attachment channel  59 . An adjustment screw  60  secures the position of the mast bottom horizontal section  72  in the hitch attachment channel  59 . 
     An alternate attachment system for the viewing mirror  41  is shown in FIG. 10. A mirror connecting ball  44  is attached to the back side of the viewing mirror  41 . A mirror connecting ball encompassing clamp  45  replaces the mirror attachment tube  42 . The mirror connecting ball  44  can be rotated within the mirror connecting ball encompassing clamp  45  so as to allow the viewing mirror X to be rotated around a vertical axis. This allows the mirror device to be mounted to one side of the tow vehicle front to back centerline. The mirror device can therefore be used on tow vehicles in which the driver&#39;s line of sight to the tow vehicle hitch  91  is blocked in the center of the vehicle.