Patent Publication Number: US-2005133556-A1

Title: Cargo carrier for a vehicle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application is a conversion of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/528,661, filed Dec. 11, 2003, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a cargo carrier for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cargo carrier which is attached to the rear of the vehicle and supported at both the front and rear of the cargo carrier by supports attached to the vehicle and pivotable away from the rear of the vehicle while still maintaining the support upon both the front and rear of the cargo carrier.  
      Motorized vehicles, such as cars, trucks, and vans are used to transport both people and cargo. In some instances, it may be preferred to locate the cargo outside the passenger compartment. For example, the cargo to be carried may exceed the available space within the passenger compartment or the cargo is not appropriate to be placed within the passenger compartment, such as carpenter tools or a hunter&#39;s game.  
      Cargo carriers of various sizes are known in the art. A wheeled cart may be towed behind the vehicle; however, fuel economy is typically poor when towing such a trailer. In addition, cargo racks that can be rigidly mounted to the roof of the vehicle are also available in the prior art; however, cargo racks mounted on the roof are often difficult to reach, may present an overhead clearance problem, and may reduce fuel economy. Furthermore, cargo carriers have been designed to attach to the rear of a vehicle by a trailer hitch; however, these cargo carriers often inhibit accessing the trunks of automobiles, the tailgates of pickup trucks, or rear doors of the vans or sports utility vehicles.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,737 to Clark discloses a cargo carrier for motor vehicles which is designed to be mounted to the rear of a vehicle by attaching to the trailer hitch. The Clark patent permits access to the rear of the vehicle by having a swing arm pivot from one side. However, this carrier supports the weight of the cargo carrier only upon the pivot hinge and may result in uncontrolled swinging of a cargo carrier about the pivot hinge. Therefore, the Clark patent&#39;s usefulness is tempered by the fact that it does not support the center of the carrier and one must be careful when pivoting the cargo carrier.  
      Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved cargo carrier for a vehicle.  
      A further objective of the present invention is to provide a rear mounted cargo carrier which permits a controlled pivotal movement of the cargo carrier between a closed position and an opened position which permits access to the rear of the vehicle.  
      A still further objective of the present invention is to provide a cargo carrier which has a cargo box separable from a cargo platform.  
      A still further objective of the present invention is to provide rear lighting and license plates to permit the cargo carrier to be compliant with traffic laws.  
      A still further objective of the present invention is to provide hinged rear lighting to prevent damage to the rear lighting when manipulating the cargo upon the cargo platform.  
      A still further objective of the present invention is to provide an attachment which may be adapted for a variety of vehicles.  
      A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a cargo carrier which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, efficient in use and simple in operation. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PICTURES AND DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the cargo carrier in an open position away from a vehicle.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the cargo carrier in an open position away from the vehicle.  
       FIG. 3  is a front view of the chassis mount of the cargo carrier of  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of section  4  of  FIG. 3 .  
       FIG. 5  is top view of the carrier platform.  
       FIG. 6  is a front view of an adjustable piece below the cargo platform  44 .  
       FIG. 7  is top view of the foldable member of the present invention.  
       FIG. 8  is a rear view of the carrier platform of the present invention.  
       FIG. 9  is a side view of the folding tail lights.  
       FIG. 10  is a front view of an alternate embodiment of the chassis mount with a rigidly mounted trailer hitch.  
       FIG. 11  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the foldable member for use with the chassis mount of  FIG. 9  having an adjustable section placed beneath the carrier platform.  
       FIG. 12  is an alternate embodiment of the chassis member that uses an existing vehicle hitch and receiving coupler adapters. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT  
      The cargo carrier of the present invention is referred to by numeral  10 . The cargo carrier  10  is designed to attach to a vehicle  12 . The vehicle  12  may have a door  14  that swings outward and a bumper  16 .  
      As seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cargo carrier  10  has a chassis mount  20  which attaches to the chassis of the vehicle  12 . The chassis mount  20  has a horizontal piece  22  which is approximately parallel to the bumper  16  of the vehicle  12 .  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the chassis mount  20  may have an angled piece  24  which is hollow attached to the horizontal piece  22 . The angled piece  24  is designed to accept a slidable member  26 . The interaction between the angled piece  24  and slidable member  26  provides support for the cargo platform  44 . The chassis mount  20  has brackets  28  designed to attach to the underside of the chassis  18 . The chassis mount  20  also has receiving couplers  30  designed to receive fittings  32 . On one of the couplers  32  is a bolt adjustable receiver  34  to be attached to the fitting  32  and a handle  36  designed for releasably securing to the other fitting  32 .  
      The slidable member  26  fits within the angle member  24  and attached at a pivot  38  is a support member  40 . At the end of the support member  40  is a hitch or socket  42 . The hitch  42  attaches to a receiving ball  46  at the rear of the carrier platform  44 . The cargo platform  44  has handles  48  and tie downs on the front and back for easy carrying, handling and moving of the cargo platform  44  from a closed position to an open position. The cargo platform  44  has tail lights  50  connected to the electrical system of the vehicle  12  by electric line  52 . The cargo platform  44  has license plate holder  54 .  
       FIG. 2  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the chassis mount  20  with a cargo box  56  and foldable member  58 . This chassis mount  20  does not use a slidable member  26  but rather uses a foldable member  58 . The foldable member  58  is pivotally attached to the horizontal bar  22  of the chassis member  20  at a point where the slidable member typically exits the angled member  24 . A first pivot  60  permits positioning of a center fitting  64  within a center receiving coupling  62 . A second pivot  66  permits a first piece  68  to be folded next to a second piece  70 . An adjustable piece  80  is provided to open and close the receiver arm.  
      As seen in  FIG. 3 , the chassis mount  20  may have adjustable receiving couplers  30  with adjustable stops designed to receive fittings  32  upon the cargo platform  44 . In addition, the receiving couplers  30  may have threaded bolts  72  for adjustments.  
      As seen in  FIG. 4 , a handle  74  is provided having a spring housing  76  which biases the handle to engage a center fitting  64  of the foldable member  58  inside the center receiving coupling  62 .  
       FIG. 5  illustrates a top view of the carrier platform  44 . The carrier platform  44  has handles  48  on opposite side of the platform  44  for handling purposes. Fittings  32  are located at opposite sides of the carrier platform  44 . The right fitting  32  as illustrated has a pivot which permits the fitting  32  to rotate into and out of the receiving coupler  30 .  
       FIG. 6  is a front view of the adjustable piece  80  that is provided to open and close the receiver arm.  
       FIG. 7  is a top view of the foldable member  58  for use underneath the carrier platform  44 .  
       FIG. 8  is a rear view of the carrier platform  44  showing a receiving ball  46  at the rear of the carrier platform  44 . The support member  40  extends under the carrier platform  44  and attaches to the receiving ball  46  by hitch  42 . The cargo platform  44  has tail lights  50  and a license plate holder  54 . As seen in  FIG. 9 , the lights  50  may be hinged to permit folding downward and enable easier placement of a cargo box  56  upon the platform  44 .  
       FIG. 10  is a front view of another embodiment of the chassis mount which has a rigidly mounted center receiving coupling  62 . Braces  78  support the center receiving coupling  62  to the horizontal piece  22 . Brackets  28  are provided to be mounted between the bumper and frame ends. Hinges and locking bolts  72  are provided for adjustments to the chassis mount  20  to permit better fitting with the carrier platform  44 .  
      As seen in  FIG. 11 , the foldable member  58  has threaded bolts  72  to provide adjustment element below the carrier platform.  
      These and other adjustment elements are provided to assure that carrier platform moves effectively between open and closed position. These adjustment elements contribute to a smooth rotation about pivot points and insertion into the couplings by fittings  32 ,  64 .  
       FIG. 12  is an alternate embodiment of the chassis mount  20  that uses an existing vehicle hitch  84  and receiving coupler adapters  82 . Hinges and locking bolts  72  are provided for adjustments to the chassis mount  20  and the carrier platform  44  to permit better fitting with each other.  
      In the pictures and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of a limitation. Changes in the form and the proportion of parts as well as in the substitution of equivalence are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.