Patent ID: 6883945

Claim:
A hitch light system for displaying illuminated messages and designs to enhance a motor vehicle's rear lights and turn signals comprising, in combination: a hitch assembly coupled to the rear of a motor vehicle with a horizontally extended female tube having a rectangular interior, the tube having a horizontal bore passing laterally there through, the assembly also having a female electrical connector to provide power and signals from an associated motor vehicle with regards to messages, turning and braking; a backing plate fabricated of a reinforced material from the class of reinforced materials including but not limited to plastic, fiberglass and metal to provide support to the system and having a generally rectangular configuration with a recessed upper portion, a beveled periphery, a forward face and a rearward face, the forward face having a horizontally extended male tube with a rectangular exterior adapted to be removably received in the female tube of the hitch assembly, the male tube further having a horizontal bore passing transversely there through and being adapted to align with the horizontal bore of the female tube when the hitch assembly and backing plate are releasably coupled, the backing plate further having a male electrical connector being adapted to couple with the female electrical connector of the hitch assembly to thereby receive power and signals from an associated motor vehicle; a locking pin of a cylindrical configuration adapted to pass through the aligned horizontal bores of the female tube and bores of the male tube to thereby provide a secure connection there between; an LED housing plate fabricated of an aluminum board and having a recessed upper portion, a front side, a rear side and a plurality of patterned holes there through, each hole being adapted to receive an LED, each LED having an exterior light emitting end and an interior power receiving end, each LED being coupled to the LED housing plate such that the light emitting end of the LED is adjacent the rear side and the power receiving end is adjacent to the front side, the LEDs being of various colors and designs as designated by the utility of the user, the LEDs adapted to be electrically coupled to a chip which is further connected to the male electrical connecter of the backing plate and thereby adapted to control the sequence of flashing and patterns of the LEDs; and a plastic lens cover of a generally rectangular configuration having a recessed upper portion, a closed rear portion and an open forward portion with a forward extending edge and being adapted to enclose the system by covering the LED housing plate with the rear side of the LED housing plate being adjacent to the closed rear portion of the plastic lens cover and having the forward extending edge of the open forward portion resting within the beveled periphery of the backing plate and a plurality of screws holding the lens in place.