Patent Publication Number: US-2007108729-A1

Title: Invertible gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/368,777, entitled “INVERTIBLE GOOSENECK TRAILER HITCH MECHANISM”, filed Feb. 19, 2003. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      Not applicable.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to “gooseneck” type trailer hitches for use in the bed of a tow vehicle, such as a pickup truck. More particularly, this invention relates to a gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism that allows a user to store the hitch ball in an inverted position when it is not needed to make the bed of the truck flat and thereby permit the user to make full use of the truck&#39;s bed.  
      The most common method of hooking a trailer to a vehicle for towing is attaching the trailer to a hitch ball that is mounted on or near the vehicle&#39;s rear bumper. However, by virtue of their arrangement, bumper pulled trailers have relatively small size and load restrictions. A common method is employed to tow larger trailers the use of a gooseneck trailer with a gooseneck trailer hitch. In a gooseneck trailer hitch arrangement, a hitch ball is mounted in or on the floor of a pickup bed and/or to the truck frame below the bed floor generally over or slightly ahead of the rear axle of the truck. The trailer has a long tongue portion which is curved and takes on the general shape of a goose&#39;s neck, thereby deriving its name. As a benefit of having the hitch ball mounted directly over or forward of the rear axle, as opposed to mounted on the bumper, the amount of load placed on the tongue of the trailer can be increased, because the load is passed directly onto the rear axle of the truck, instead of onto the bumper.  
      While gooseneck hitches of this type have been around for years, a problem associated with this hitching arrangement is that it often requires the presence of an upwardly projected and typically permanently mounted hitch ball in the middle of the floor of the bed. In the majority of the gooseneck hitch arrangements, the hitch ball is coupled with a large metal plate and the entire unit is bolted or welded to the floor of the truck bed and/or to the truck frame below the bed floor in a location which is generally in the center of the bed. This type of arrangement presents a problem in the event a user of the truck desires to lay large, flat sheet goods in the truck&#39;s bed. In that situation, the upwardly projecting hitch member does not allow the sheet goods to lay flat in the bed of the truck and can thereby damage the sheet goods. Similarly, if the user of the truck fills the bed with loose material, such as dirt or gravel, and attempts to shovel the loose material out, the upwardly projecting hitch member often interferes with the user&#39;s ability to shovel the loose material.  
      In an effort to solve these problems, several people have devised arrangements where the hitch ball is either completely removable or may be lowered beneath the floor of the bed. In the situation where the hitch ball is removable, a problem arises, however, in that, without a place to immediately store the removed hitch ball, the hitch ball is often misplaced and, eventually, lost. One arrangement that solved these problems has the hitch ball mounted in a pivoting arrangement that permits the hitch ball to be laid or folded down on its side below the bed surface when not in use. Another arrangement that solved these problems is the advent in recent years of a convertible type gooseneck hitch ball that permits the hitch ball to be retracted below the surface of the bed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,000 to PopUp Industries. These arrangements, however, often require a lot of space under the bed to mount the associated mechanism and are often costly to manufacture. Additionally, these methods do not permit the hitch ball member to rotate during use, a feature that has been found beneficial in some instances.  
      Therefore, there is a need for a gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism which permits the hitch ball to be easily moved from an upright use position to a position that permits full use of the truck bed while storing the hitch ball in a convenient location. There also is a need for a gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism which is compact in size and which is simple to manufacture. The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and fills these and other needs.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In order to overcome the above-stated problems and limitations, and to achieve the noted advantages, there is provided an invertible gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism having a housing with a generally vertical opening therein and a hitch member which is slidably received in the housing in either an upright use position or in inverted storage position. The hitch member has a ball portion and a base portion. The base portion includes a groove in an outer surface thereof that circumscribes the base portion. When the hitch member is in the use position, the groove aligns with a hole in the side of the housing through which a pin of a retaining assembly is slidably received. The pin selectively cooperates with the groove to permit or prevent the hitch member from being removed from the housing.  
      When a user desires to tow a gooseneck trailer with the hitch mechanism, the hitch member is received in the housing in the upright position and the pin is received in the groove in an extended position. When the user desires to make full use of the bed, the user can remove the hitch member from the housing by moving the pin from its extended position to a retracted position.  
      The pin is part of a retaining assembly that is coupled with the housing. The retaining assembly includes first and second members that cooperate in a camming fashion and a user engagable rod which extends away from the housing. The pin is biased to its extended position. A user can move the pin from its extended position to the retracted position by rotating the rod. When the pin is in the retracted position, the hitch member may be removed, flipped over, and reinserted in the housing in an inverted storage position. The rod may again be rotated to move the pin from its retracted position back to its extended position where it is again received in the groove and cooperates therewith to retain the hitch member in the housing in its storage position. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
      The features of the invention noted above are explained in more detail with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, in which  FIGS. 1-10  illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, and in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an invertible gooseneck hitch ball mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention and mounted for use in a bed of a pickup truck with a hitch member of the mechanism in an upright use position;  
       FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the mechanism with portions thereof cutaway for clarity and with the hitch member secured in the upright use position;  
       FIG. 3  is the view of  FIG. 2  with a retaining assembly being activated to move a pin from an extended position illustrated in  FIG. 2  to a retracted position illustrated in  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 4  is the view of  FIG. 2  with the pin in the retracted position to permit removal of the hitch member from a housing;  
       FIG. 5  is the view of  FIG. 2  with the hitch member being removed from the housing;  
       FIG. 6  is the view of  FIG. 2  with the hitch member being reinserted in the housing in an inverted storage position;  
       FIG. 7  is the view of  FIG. 2  with the hitch member secured in the inverted storage position;  
       FIG. 8  is a bottom plan view of the mechanism of  FIG. 7  with portions cutaway for clarity;  
       FIG. 9  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 6  with additional portions cutaway for clarity;  
       FIG. 10  is a bottom plan view of the mechanism of  FIG. 2 ; and  
       FIG. 11  is the view of  FIG. 2  with additional portions cutaway for clarity. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring now to the drawings in more detail and initially to  FIG. 1 , numeral  10  generally designates an invertible gooseneck trailer hitch mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention. The mechanism  10  is designed to be mounted to a tow vehicle  12 , such as the illustrated truck. The mechanism  10  is generally mounted in a bed  14  of the truck  12  adjacent a rear axle (not shown) connecting the vehicle&#39;s rear tires  16 . The mechanism  10  includes a frame  18  which is attached to a frame  20  of the truck  12 . The bed of the truck includes a floor  22 .  
      Looking now at  FIG. 2 , the mechanism  10  further includes a housing  24 , a hitch member  26  and a retaining assembly  28 .  
      The housing  24  is generally tubular in nature and, in the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying figures, is more preferably cylindrical in shape. It is, of course, within the scope of the present invention for the housing to have an alternate shape. The housing has a body  30  with an upper surface  32 , a lower surface  34  and an outer surface  36  therebetween. The housing  24  is coupled with the frame  18  of the mechanism. This can be accomplished by welding the outer surface  36  of the housing  24  to the frame  18 .  
      The housing  24 , being tubular in nature, includes an opening  38  therethrough. The opening  38  is preferably cylindrical in nature. A ledge  40  is provided in the opening  38  adjacent the lower surface  34 . The ledge  40  supports the hitch member  26  when it is received in the opening  38  in the housing  24  and prevents the hitch member  26  from falling out a bottom  42  of the housing  24 . Preferably, the ledge  40  is an annular ring inside the opening and provides for the opening  38  having a reduced diameter portion  43  adjacent the lower surface  34  of the housing  24  when compared to the diameter of the opening  38  adjacent the upper surface  32  of the housing  24 . The benefit of this arrangement will be readily apparent when its cooperation with the hitch member  26  is discussed below.  
      The housing  24  could be fabricated from a single piece of cylindrical tubing. In such instance, the ledge would be formed by removing additional material in the opening  38  above the desired location of the ledge  40 . Alternatively, the ledge can be formed by welding a washer type device to the bottom of a section of tubing.  
      The hitch member  26  includes a ball portion  44  and a base portion  46 . The ball portion  44  is of a shape well known in the art and is of standardized dimensions that are determined by the size of the hitch ball coupler on the trailer that is to receive the ball portion  44  during use.  
      The base portion  46  is preferably a cylindrical member having an outer surface  48  with a groove  50  therein. The groove  50  preferably circumscribes the base portion  46 . The base portion  46  has a top surface  52  and a bottom surface  54 . Preferably, the groove  50  is equidistant from the top and bottom surfaces  52 ,  54 , for reasons that will be discussed in greater detail below. As best seen in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the base portion  46  also includes a hole  56  in its bottom surface  54 . A shank  58  passes through the hole  56  in a transverse orientation. The shank  58  can be received in a tunnel  60  bored in the base portion  46  through the outer surface  48 .  
      The retaining assembly  28  includes a sleeve  62  having, as best illustrated in  FIG. 11 , a passage  64  therethrough. The sleeve  62  is coupled with the housing  24  with the passage  64  aligned with a hole  66  in a sidewall  68  of the housing  24 . Although not required, the passage  64  is preferably perpendicular to and in radial alignment with a central longitudinal axis  70  of the housing  24 . The passage  64  includes first and second areas  72 ,  74 , where the circumference of the first area  72  is larger than the circumference of the second area  74 .  
      The retaining assembly  28  also includes a pin  76  having a first portion  78  and a second portion  80 . The first portion  78  of the pin is sized for sliding receipt in the first area  72  of the passage  64  in the sleeve  62  and the second portion  80  of the pin  76  is sized for sliding receipt in the second area  74 . The change in the circumference of the passage  64  between the first area  72  and the second area  74  creates an end wall  82  in the passage  64  of the sleeve  62  similar to the ledge  40  in the opening  38  of the housing  24 .  
      A spring  84  is received on the second portion  80  of the pin  76  and is encased in the sleeve  62  in the first area  72  when the pin  76  is received in the passage  64  of the sleeve  62 . With the passage  64  aligned with the hole  66  in the side wall  68  of the housing  24 , the first portion  78  of the pin  76  is free to pass through the hole  66  in the housing  24  and into the opening  38  in an extended position, as illustrated in  FIGS. 2, 7 ,  8  and  11 . As the spring  84  is in the first area  72  intermediate the first portion  78  and the end wall  82 , when the pin  76  is moved to a retracted position, as illustrated in  FIGS. 4-6  and  9 , it is compressed.  
      The retaining assembly  28  also preferably includes a coupler  86  and a user engagable rod  88 . The coupler  86  has a through bore  90  which receives a portion of the second portion  80  of the pin  76 . A set screw  92  is received in a first internally threaded bore  94  to attach the coupler  86  to the pin  76 . A proximal end  96  of the rod  88  is also received in the through bore  90  of the coupler  86 , preferably in an end to end abutting relationship with the pin  76 . A second set screw  98  is threadably received in a second internally threaded bore  100  to couple the rod  88  with the coupler  86 . As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a distal end  102  of the rod  88  has a user engagable handle  104 . The sleeve  62  and the coupler  86  both have sloped surfaces  106 ,  108  respectively.  
      The hitch member  26  is designed to be selectively slidably received in the housing  24  in either an upright use position, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 ,  10  and  11 , or an inverted storage position, illustrated in  FIGS. 6-9 . The housing  24  is coupled with the mechanism&#39;s frame  18  and in turn the mechanism&#39;s frame  18  is coupled with the vehicle&#39;s frame  20  in a manner that permits the ball portion  44  of the hitch member  26  to project up above the floor  22  of the bed  14  of the truck  12  when the hitch member  26  is received in the housing  24  in the upright use position. Similarly, when the hitch member  26  is received in the housing  24  in the inverted storage position, the bottom surface  54  of the base portion  46  of the hitch member  26  is generally flush with the floor  22  of the bed  14  of the truck  12 .  
       FIG. 2  illustrates the hitch member  46  received in the housing  24  in the use position. The pin  76  is biased into the groove  50  by the spring  84  to prevent the hitch member  26  from being removed from receipt in the opening  38  of the housing  24 . A portion of the rod  88  passes through a passage in the vehicle&#39;s frame  20  such that the handle  104  of the retaining assembly  28  is accessible by a user in a wheel well  110  ( FIG. 1 ) of the vehicle  12 . In  FIG. 2 , with the pin  76  in its extended position, the sloped surface  108  of the coupler  86  is biased towards and abuts the sloped surface  106  of the sleeve  62  by virtue of the spring  84 . As a user rotates the rod  88  via the handle  104 , the sloped surfaces  106 ,  108  cooperate with one another in a camming fashion to remove the first portion  78  of the pin  76  from receipt in the groove  50  in the hitch member  26 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Though not critical, by virtue of its design, rotation of the handle  104  90° moves the pin from its extended position in  FIG. 2  to its retracted position in  FIG. 4 .  
      The sloped surfaces  106 ,  108  of the sleeve  62  and the coupler  86  terminate in flattened portions  112 ,  114  respectively. When the pin  76  is in its extended position, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the flattened portions  112 ,  114  are generally parallel to and opposite one another. However, as the rod  88  is rotated, the flattened portion  114  of the coupler  86  is moved toward the flattened portion  112  of the sleeve  62  until they abut one another when the pin  26  is in its retracted position, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . When the flattened portions  112 ,  114  abut one another, the coupler  86  cooperates with the sleeve  62  to hold the pin  76  in its retracted position. This permits a user to climb into the bed  14  of the truck  12  and remove the hitch member  26  from receipt in the opening  38  of the housing  24  by grasping the ball portion  44  and lifting the hitch member  26  straight up, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 .  
      The user may then flip the hitch member  26  end for end, reinsert the hitch member  26  back in the housing  24  in its inverted storage position (see  FIG. 6 ), climb out of the truck and rotate the handle  104  back to its original position, thereby reinserting the pin  76  in the groove  50  in the base portion  46  of the hitch member  26  to again secure the hitch member  26  in the housing  24  (see  FIGS. 7 and 8 ).  
      To return the hitch member  26  to its use position, the user simply rotates the handle  104  back to the position where the pin  76  is in its retracted position, sticks their finger or a tool down in the hole  56  in the bottom surface  54  of the hitch member  26  and removes the hitch member  26  from the housing  24  by pulling up on the shank  58 . The hitch member can then be flipped back over and dropped back down into the opening  38  in the housing  24 .  
      Many variations on the illustrated embodiment of the present invention can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. For example, while the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings discloses the housing, its opening, the base member, the sleeve, its passage, the pin, the coupler, its through bore and the rod as being cylindrical or formed from cylindrical stock, non-cylindrical items could be used. However, the use of cylindrical components has been found beneficial for several reasons, including ease of manufacturing. Additionally, the use of a cylindrical opening  38  coupled with a cylindrical base portion  46  with a circumscribing groove  50  permits the hitch member  26  to rotate in the housing  24  about the central longitudinal axis  70  during use. This has been found beneficial to reduce wear on the ball portion  44  and the trailer coupler and to prevent a locking up therebetween. Additionally, by centering the groove  50  between the top and bottom surfaces  52 ,  54  of the base portion  46 , the retaining assembly  28  can be used to hold the hitch member  26  in the housing  24  in both the upright and inverted positions.  
      Also, while the retaining assembly  28  discloses a retractable pin  76 , any arrangement that selectively cooperates with the groove  50  to retain the hitch member  26  in the housing  24  will suffice. For example, the pin could be securely mounted and the hitch member slide sideways to receive the pin in the groove. A block could then be used to hold the hitch member in cooperation with the pin. Further, the pin need not be biased. The pin could be pushed through the hole  66  and wedged in place. Similarly, it is within the scope of the present invention that the illustrated embodiment of the retaining assembly  28  could be used with a different hitch member  26 , say one with a bore instead of a groove, without departing from the scope of the invention.  
      Additionally, it is readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that, while the housing  24  as illustrated has an opening  38  therethrough, the side wall  68  of the housing  24  could be extended downwardly passed the ledge  40  a sufficient distance to permit the bottom  42  of the housing to be enclosed. Similarly, while the ledge  40  is illustrated as being annular, it should be readily understood that such is not necessary and the ledge  40  can be sectioned provided the ball portion  44  is still permitted to pass thereby to permit the top surface  52  of the ball portion  44  to rest on ledge  40  when the ball is in its inverted position to align the groove  50  with the pin  76 .  
      From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the invention.  
      Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative of applications of the principles of this invention, and not in a limiting sense.