Patent Publication Number: US-2016230790-A1

Title: Retractable locking mechanism for a vehicle accessory mounting system

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This non-provisional patent application claims priority benefit with regard to all common subject matter of earlier-filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/112,544, filed on Feb. 5, 2015, and entitled “RETRACTABLE LOCKING MECHANISM FOR A VEHICLE ACCESSORY MOUNTING SYSTEM.” The identified earlier-filed provisional patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Locking mechanisms are often used to mount toolboxes, cargo, and other accessories to vehicles, floors, shelves, and other surfaces. Many conventional locking mechanisms extend from the accessories and often break or inadvertently catch on other objects. Conventional locking mechanisms also often make it difficult to open the accessories. Furthermore, locking features on conventional locking mechanisms often do not fully lock or can unintentionally become unlocked when other equipment or cargo inadvertently contact them. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present invention solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a distinct advance in the art of locking mechanisms. More particularly, the present invention provides retractable locking mechanisms for securing accessories to a surface such that the retractable locking mechanisms are retained in the accessories when not in use and cannot unintentionally become unlocked when in a locked position. 
     One embodiment of the retractable locking mechanism comprises a gear carriage, a gear assembly, an input mechanism, and a retractor lever. The gear carriage shifts between a deployed position and a non-deployed position and includes a gear assembly cavity. The gear assembly is positioned in the gear assembly cavity and includes one or more gears and an extendable locking member in driven engagement with the gears. The input mechanism rotates the gears for extending the extendable locking member into a locked position and retract the extendable locking member to an unlocked position when the gear carriage is in the deployed position. 
     Another embodiment of the present invention is a system of retractable locking mechanisms for securing an accessory to a surface. Each retractable locking mechanism includes a gear carriage, a gear assembly, an input mechanism, and a retractor lever. The gear carriage shifts between a deployed position and a non-deployed position and includes a gear assembly cavity. The gear assembly is positioned in the gear assembly cavity and includes one or more gears and an extendable locking member in driven engagement with the gears. The input mechanism rotates the gears for extending the extendable locking member into a locked position and retract the extendable locking member to an unlocked position when the gear carriage is in the deployed position. The retractable locking mechanisms may be aligned with and spaced apart from each other a pre-determined distance so that the retractable locking mechanisms may be received in spaced apart locking anchors of a vehicle accessory mounting assembly. 
     This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an assembly view of an accessory mounting assembly constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a lock anchor of the accessory mounting assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an input mechanism of a retractable locking mechanism constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is; a perspective view of a retractable locking mechanism constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a partial cutaway view of the retractable locking mechanism of  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a number of accessories stacked vertically in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description of the invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 
     In this description, references to one embodiment“, an embodiment”, or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to one embodiment“, an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein. 
     The retractable locking mechanism of the present invention may be used with a vehicle accessory mounting assembly illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  broadly comprises a base layer  12 , an upper floor layer  14 , a plurality of support members  16 , and a plurality of lock anchors  18 . 
     The base layer  12  supports the accessory mounting assembly in a vehicle bed  20  or other surface such as the bed of a truck or a storage shelf and may be formed of molded plastic, wood, metal, or any other suitable material. The base layer  12  includes a plurality of lock anchor recesses  22 , a plurality of vehicle bed fastener openings  24 , and left and right wheel well contours  26 . The base layer  12  may be sized to fit within any sized vehicle bed. Embodiments of the base layer  12  may also be configured for mounting in other places such as in a vehicle trunk. 
     The lock anchor recesses  22  receive the lock anchors  18  therein and may be square, rectangular, circular, or any other suitable shape. The lock anchor recesses  22  may be cavities or openings and may be arranged in a uniformly distributed pattern in lateral and longitudinal directions. In one embodiment, the lock anchor recesses  22  may be arranged in an orthogonal pattern with five rows with twenty-four lock anchor recesses total such that the first, fifth, and sixth rows have five lock anchor recesses each and the second, third, and fourth rows have three lock anchor recesses each. 
     The vehicle bed fastener openings  24  receive vehicle bed fasteners  28  therethrough and may be threaded and/or circular openings. In one embodiment, the vehicle bed fastener openings  24  may include eight openings with four openings positioned near left and right sides of the base layer  12  for securing the base layer  12  to the vehicle bed  20  by tightening the vehicle bed fasteners  28  through the vehicle bed fastener openings  24  into corresponding fastener openings in the vehicle bed  20 . The vehicle bed fastener openings  24  may be positioned so that an in-bed utility hitch may be used between the wheel wells in conjunction with the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10 . 
     The left and right wheel contours  26  may be large cut-out shapes extending inwardly from left and right sides of the base layer  12  for accommodating raised wheel well areas of the vehicle bed  20 . 
     The upper floor layer  14  supports accessories and cargo thereon and may be formed of molded plastic, wood, metal, or any other suitable material. The upper floor layer  14  may include a plurality of lock anchor upper openings  30  and left and right wheel well contours  32 . In one embodiment, the upper floor layer  14  may be sealed to the truck bed or other surface. 
     The lock anchor upper openings  30  receive the lock anchors  18  therethrough and may be square, rectangular, circular, or any other suitable shape. In one embodiment, the lock anchor upper openings  30  may be arranged in a uniformly distributed pattern in lateral and longitudinal directions. The lock anchor upper openings  30  may be arranged to correspond with the locations of the lock anchor recesses  22 . 
     The left and right wheel well contours  32  may be similar to and positioned above the left and right wheel contours  26  of the base layer  12  for accommodating the raised wheel well areas of the vehicle bed  20 . 
     The plurality of support members  16  distribute the weight of the accessories and cargo and absorb shocks and vibrations transmitted from the vehicle for protecting the accessories and cargo. The support members  16  are positioned between the base layer  12  and the upper floor layer  14  and spaced apart from each other. The support members  16  may be formed of shock absorbing material and/or may be shaped to dissipate the shock forces. In one embodiment, the support members  16  are clipped to the upper floor layer  14  for securing the upper floor layer  14  to the support members  16 . 
     The plurality of lock anchors  18  secure retractable locking mechanisms (described below) of the accessories thereto and are positioned in the lock anchor recesses  22 . The lock anchors  18  each may include an open-topped central cavity  34  and one or more side openings  36 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . In other embodiments, the lock anchors  18  may be shaped and/or integrated into the base layer  12  and/or the upper floor layer  14  for receiving locking mechanisms of the accessories shaped differently than the retractable locking mechanisms described below. 
     The open-topped central cavity  34  receives the retractable locking mechanisms therein and may be square, rectangular, circular, or other suitable shape. The open-topped central cavity  34  may have drainage holes and/or mounting holes at the bottom thereof. 
     The one or more side openings  36  each receive an extendable locking member (described below) therein for securing the retractable locking mechanism in the open-topped central cavity  34 . The one or more side openings  36  may be channels, recesses, slots, catches, or similar features and may extend diagonally upwards and outwards from any of the sides (such as opposite sides or all sides) of the open-topped central cavity  34 . The one or more side openings  36  may be angled at 26 degrees (1 degree less than the extendable locking members described below) to encourage friction therebetween as the extendable locking members are engaged. 
     Turning to  FIGS. 3-6 , accessories  38  such as toolboxes, containers, chests, cargo, and other objects can be secured to the accessory mounting assembly  10  via retractable locking mechanisms  40 . Each retractable locking mechanism  40  broadly comprises a gear carriage  42 , a gear assembly  44 , an input mechanism  46 , and a retractor lever  48 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3-5 . 
     The gear carriage  42  supports the gear assembly  44  and may be substantially square, rectangular, or other similar shape. The gear carriage  42  may include a cavity  50  for receiving the gear assembly  44  therein and one or more side openings for receiving gear shafts and the extendable locking members (described below) therethrough. 
     The gear assembly  44  converts a force received from the input mechanism  46  into a locking motion and includes a driver gear  52 , a primary gear  54 , a number of transfer gears  56 , a secondary gear  58 , one or more extendable locking members  62 . It will be understood that other force transfer and force conversion configurations, assemblies, and components such as pulleys, linkages, cams, bearings, and levers may be used. 
     The driver gear  52  receives rotational force from the input mechanism  46  and transfers the force to the primary gear  54 . The driver gear may include an engagement recess  64  or protrusion having a hexagonal, star, square, or similar shape for rotationally and engaging (and being disengaged from) the input mechanism  46 . The driver gear  52  may be spring loaded along its rotational axis and may be configured to engage a catch  60  when the spring force is unloaded such that the gear assembly  44  is unable to turn unless the driver gear  52  is urged against the spring force via the input mechanism  46 . 
     The primary gear  54  transfers rotational force from the driver gear  52  to one of the extendable locking members  62  and to the transfer gears  56 . The transfer gears  56  transfer rotational force from the primary gear  54  to the secondary gear  58 . The secondary gear  58  transfers rotational force to one or more other extendable locking members  62 . 
     The extendable locking members  62  shift between retracted unlocked positions and extended locked positions when the input mechanism  46  is turned by converting rotational force from the primary gear  54  and the secondary gear  58  into translational movement. The extendable locking members  62  may be 1.5 inches long and 1 inch wide. The extendable locking members  62  may include teeth  66  that are engaged by the gear teeth of the primary driver gear  52  and the secondary gear  58 . The extendable locking members  62  may be angled upwards at approximately 27 degrees for improved leverage. 
     The input mechanism  46  allows a user to lock the retractable locking mechanisms  40  to, and unlock the retractable locking mechanisms  40  from, the accessory mounting assembly  10 . The input mechanism  46  may include a shaft with a hexagonal, star, square, or similarly shaped shaft end  68  for rotationally engaging the driver gear  52 . The input mechanism  46  may be a knob, lever, dial, or other similar mechanism. 
     The retractor lever  48  shifts the retractable locking mechanism  40  between deployed and un-deployed positions and may extend through a vertical slot  70  in the accessory  38 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The retractor lever  48  may be spring loaded and may be lockable in the deployed and/or un-deployed positions. 
     Use of the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  will now be described in more detail. First, the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  may be mounted in a truck bed, trunk, trailer, or similar cargo area, storage space, shelf, or other surface by tightening the vehicle bed fasteners  28  through the vehicle bed fastener openings  24  of the base layer  12  to the cargo area. An accessory  38  such as a toolbox or toolkit may be placed on the upper layer  14  of the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10 . The retractable locking mechanisms  40  of an accessory  38  may be aligned with one or more of the lock anchors  18  so as to organize one or more accessories on the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  as desired. The accessory  38  may be oriented laterally or longitudinally so long as the retractable locking mechanisms  40  are aligned with the lock anchors  18 . The retractor levers  48  of the accessory  38  may then be pushed downward so as to shift the retractable locking mechanisms  40  into a deployed position within the open-topped cavities  34  of the lock anchors  18 . 
     Each retractable locking mechanism  40  may be locked to the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  as follows. The input mechanism  46  may then be pushed axially inward so that the input mechanism  46  engages the driver gear  52  and frees the driver gear  52  from the catch  60 . The input mechanism  46  may then be rotated so as to transfer a rotational force through the gear assembly  44  to the extendable locking members  62  and urge the extendable locking members  62  outward into the side openings  36  of the lock anchors  18  in a locking position. The input mechanism  46  may then be pulled axially outward to disengage the input mechanism  46  from the gear assembly  44  such that the driver gear engages the catch  60  and prevents the retractable locking mechanism  40  from being unlocked. The accessory  38  will thus be locked in place on the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10 . 
     The retractable locking mechanism  40  may then be unlocked from the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  as follows. The input mechanism  46  may be pushed axially inward so that the input mechanism  46  again engages the driver gear  52  and frees the driver gear  52  from the catch  60 . The input mechanism  46  may then be rotated so as to transfer a rotational force to the extendable locking members  62  and retract the extendable locking members  62  from the side openings  36  of the lock anchors  18 . The retractor lever  48  may then be pulled upwards to urge the retractable locking mechanism  40  from the open-topped central cavity  34  of the lock anchor  18 . The input mechanism  46  may then be pulled axially outward to disengage the input mechanism  46  from the gear assembly  44  and re-engage the driver gear  52  with the catch  60  to prevent the retractable locking mechanism  40  from unintentionally shifting to a locked position. The accessory  38  may then be picked up and/or rearranged as desired. 
     It will be understood that the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  may be used in truck and other vehicle beds, in vehicle trunks, on top of truck bed walls, in or on trailers, vehicle roofs and vehicle roof racks, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), aircraft, stud walls, garages, and any other location for temporarily or permanently storing, transporting, securing, and arranging accessories and vehicle components. For example, the vehicle accessory mounting assembly may be formed into “one segment” strips having a single row of lock anchors. The strips may be mounted to wall studs for attaching wall accessories and features such as cabinets, benches, shelves thereto. The strips may also be mounted to the floor of an aircraft for anchoring aircraft seats thereto. In other embodiments, the strips may be mounted in or on a trailer, an SUV, a car, or other implement. In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the accessories  38  may be stacked on top of each other for further organized transport or storage. 
     The present invention provides many advantages over prior art accessory locking mechanisms. For example, the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  allows the user to positively lock accessories in place without additional clamps, hooks, cables, or netting. The vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  allows the user freedom to rearrange accessories as desired and allows any accessories with retractable locking mechanisms  40  to be attached to the vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10 . The vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  also absorbs shocks and vibrations between the vehicle and the accessories to prevent the accessories from becoming damaged. The retractable locking mechanisms  40  retract completely into the accessories to protect the retractable locking mechanisms  40  and to prevent them from catching on other objects when not in use. The vehicle accessory mounting assembly  10  also protects the vehicle bed from exposure to the elements and damage from the accessories. 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention.