Patent Publication Number: US-2006017261-A1

Title: Hitch guard

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to tow hitches and, more specifically, to a hitch guard that prevents injuries to a person if he or she should hit against the sharp edges of a tow hitch on a back of a vehicle.  
      Current hitch guards may prevent a person from injuring himself or herself on a tow hitch on the back of a vehicle. However, these guards are not securely fastenable to the hitches. In addition, these guards are not able to withstand moderate force as they are commonly made of a lightweight material, such as foam or plastic. Thus, if a person utilizing a current hitch guard had a slight force exerted upon the hitch, for example, from a low speed rear end accident or from backing up into an object, the hitch guard and hitch would become damaged.  
      Thus, the need exists for a new hitch guard that accommodates various tow hitches, is securely fastenable to the hitch, prevents injury to someone who walks into a hitch and is made of a durable material so as to withstand force caused by other cars hitting the hitch, a user backing the hitch into another object and similar accidents.  
      The relevant prior art includes the following patents:  
                                                       Patent No.                   (U.S. unless stated otherwise)   Inventor   Issue Date                          5,575,494   DeVries   11-19-1996           Des. 422,951   Everett   04-18-2000           6,039,339   Bello   03-21-2000           6,322,094   Poe   11-27-2001           6,412,806   Peacock   07-02-2002           4,955,968   Beckerer, Jr.   09-11-1990           Des. 273,778   Ruhland   05-08-1984           Des. 316,069   Yocum   04-09-1991                      
 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The primary object of the present invention is to provide a hitch guard that protects a person from becoming injured if he or she bumps into a tow hitch.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a hitch guard that is easy to install.  
      A further object of the present invention is to provide a hitch guard that permits a tow hitch to be used when the hitch guard is in place.  
      An even further object of the present invention is to provide a hitch guard that is durable.  
      An additional object of the present invention is to provide a hitch guard that is able to withstand light to moderate impact.  
      An even additional object of the present invention is to provide a hitch guard that is aesthetically pleasing.  
      The present invention fulfills the above and other objects by providing a hitch guard having a horseshoe shape comprising a sturdy body, preferably made of steel, surrounded by a soft peripheral cover, preferably made of a soft rubber. The device attaches to a hitch by sliding it under a ball base after the nut is slightly loosed from the hitch. Once the U-shaped opening is under the ball base near the U-shaped side, the nut is tightened to hold the device in place under the ball base. The device may remain on the vehicle at all times, even during use, so a user does not have to remove and reinstall it to the tow hitch.  
      The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
      In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the hitch guard of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the arm side of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is an outer end of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  along line  4 - 4 ; and  
       FIG. 5  is a side plan view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  installed on a tow hitch.  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      For purposes of describing the preferred embodiment, the terminology used in reference to the numbered components in the drawings is as follows:  
                                      1.   hitch guard       2.   body       3.   covering       4.   opening       5.   U-shaped end       6.   arm side       7.   hitch ball       8.   pole       9.   tow hitch       10.   ball base       11.   nut       12.   tow hitch arm       13.   top surface       14.   bottom surface       15.   locking device       16.   rounded corner                  
 
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , the hitch guard  1  comprises a generally horseshoe shaped device having a U-shaped end  5 , two arm sides  6 , a top surface  13  and a central opening  4 . The body  2  of the device is made of a sturdy and durable material, preferably steel, which is covered by a soft and resilient covering  3 , preferably rubber. The U-shaped end  5  preferably has rounded corners  16  so as to prevent injury when a user walks into the hitch guard  1 .  
      In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , differing views of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  are shown. Each arm side  6  is connected to the U-shaped end  5 . The bottom surface  14 , arm sides  6 , U-shaped end  5  and a portion of the top surface  13  are covered with a soft covering  3 .  
       FIG. 4 , depicts the body  2  of the hitch generally being formed so as to create a central opening  4  between the two arm sides  6 .  
       FIG. 5 , shows the opening  4  of the hitch guard  1  sized so as to accept the tow hitch arm  12  of a typical tow hitch  9 . The typical tow hitch  9  comprises a hitch ball  7 , pole  8 , ball base  10  and nut  11  for use as a locking device  15  to secure the hitch guard  1  to the tow hitch  9  when the hitch guard  1  is on the tow hitch arm  12 .  
      To use the present invention, a user simply unscrews the nut  11  to loosen the hitch ball  7 , ball base  10  and pole  8  from the tow hitch arm  12 . Then, the user lifts the ball  7 , and thus attached ball base  10  and pole  8 , to create a gap to slide the hitch opening  4  onto the tow hitch arm  12 . The user inserts the pole  8  into a hole located on the tow hitch arm  12  and tightens the nut  11  so the ball base  10  is flush against the top surface  13  of the hitch guard  1 . The soft rubber outer covering  3  protects a user from injury caused by bumping into the tow hitch  9 . In addition, because the body  2  of the hitch guard  1  is made of a durable material, preferably steel, a user need not worry about moderate impacts damaging the shape of the tow hitch arm  12 .  
      It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and drawings.