Patent ID: 7806308

Claim:
For use with a bicycle rack having a base plate adapted to be secured to a vehicle bumper and a carrier structure defining a bicycle cradle and mounted on the base plate for pivotal movement between a forwardly extending operative position for receipt of a bicycle in the cradle and an upwardly extending stowage position, a quick connection and release assembly comprising: a bumper plate structure adapted to be fixedly secured to the bumper by fasteners and defining at least one tongue extending upwardly from an upper edge thereof; and a bicycle rack plate structure adapted to be fixedly secured to a rear face of the bike rack base plate by fasteners and including an aperture proximate an upper edge thereof sized to receive the tongue and retractable pins proximate lower side edges thereof; wherein: the bumper plate structure includes a bumper plate; and the bumper plate includes a planar vertical main body portion, a lower ledge portion extending horizontally forwardly from a lower region of the main body portion, and a lower lip portion extending vertically downwardly from a forward region of the ledge portion and coacting with the ledge portion to define a crotch area behind the lip portion and beneath the ledge portion for receipt of retractable pins of the bicycle rack plate structure.