Patent ID: 7185451

Claim:
A license plate holding bracket to be attached to the rear of a tailgate above a rear bumper for holding a license plate behind said tailgate for closing said cargo bed by displacement thereof in a perpendicular direction when said tailgate is in a vertical state and for opening said tailgate by positioning said tailgate in a horizontal state in order to open said cargo bed, said license plate holding bracket comprising: a gate side fixing member to be fixed to said tailgate; a plate holding member rotatably connected to said gate side fixing member for being movable from a horizontal position of said license plate to an erected folded out position thereof; a stopper provided on said plate holding member for contacting said rear bumper when said tailgate is approximately horizontal and when said license plate is approximately erected folded out so as to be easily noticeable from behind when said cargo bed is open and to avoid unnecessary vibrations of said license plate; a lock mechanism for locking the gate side fixing member and the plate holding member when the license plate is in parallel with the tailgate, a rotational movement mechanism having a first end of a stay attached to the gate side fixing member for performing a reciprocal rotational movement; a member with a groove formed along the plate holding member, a pin arranged on said side of a second end of the stay being passed through the groove; and a pin engaging member for engaging with the pin when the plate holding member is erected folded out, wherein the plate holding member is supported by the stay when the plate holding member is erected folded out, on the gate side fixing member.