Patent ID: 8371485

Claim:
A spare tire holder for a vehicle, comprising: a mount adapted to support a spare tire and to pivot downward in a tail region underneath said vehicle; an actuating mechanism adapted to hold said mount in a locked position and to selectively release said mount from said locked position; and two swing arms arranged on opposing sides of said mount, each swing arm comprising a double-jointed hinge having a first pivot joint and a second pivot joint arranged vertically on top of one another when said mount is in said locked position; wherein said spare tire holder is configured to pivot downwardly toward the ground only about said second pivot joint, with said first and second pivot joints substantially vertically on top of one another, upon said spare tire holder being released from said locked position, and further wherein said spare tire holder is configured to pivot about said first and said second pivot joints when said spare tire holder is manually drawn rearwardly while said spare tire holder is not in said locked position; and wherein each of said swing arms is bent in an L-shaped fashion, wherein a first limb of each swing arm forms an axle shaft of said first pivot joint, and ends of a second limb of each swing arm in which steel rod ends of said mount are arranged as axle shafts of said second pivot joint.