Patent ID: 8308183

Claim:
A ball mount storage device mountable on a vehicle for storing a ball mount of a receiver type hitch, said ball mount including a metallic tubular stem having a rectangular cross section and a ball retaining portion affixed to or integral with the tubular stem and extending from one end of the tubular stem, said rectangular tubular stem having a first pair of oppositely disposed side walls, said stem side walls each having a hitch pin receiving aperture passing therethrough proximate the other end of the tubular stem, each of the hitch pin receiving apertures in operative alignment with one another and adapted to receive a hitch pin, a ball affixed to said ball retaining portion, said ball mount storage device comprising: an elongated mounting bracket having mounting bracket apertures passing therethrough proximate opposite ends thereof, a first ball mount stem receiving pin affixed at a proximal end thereof to said mounting bracket proximate one of said mounting bracket apertures proximate an end of said mounting bracket and extending perpendicularly from the top surface of said mounting bracket, said first ball mount stem receiving pin having a ball mount locking aperture passing therethrough proximate a distal end thereof, a stem stop wall affixed to said elongated mounting bracket proximate an edge thereof at a position offset from said first ball mount stem receiving pin and proximate the one end of said tubular stem in the operative position, said stem stop wall extending perpendicularly from the top surface of said elongated mounting bracket, said stem stop wall adapted to operatively contact said tubular stem of the ball mount proximate said one end of said tubular stem, a ball mount lock member sized to pass through said ball mount locking aperture and adapted to fixedly engage said first stem receiving pin, magnetic field means affixed to or embedded on a first surface of said stem stop wall in restraining magnetic arrangement with said rectangular tubular stem in the operative position, or a first U-shaped retainer affixed to an edge of said mounting bracket opposite said stem stop wall, a second U-shaped retainer affixed to a distal edge of said stem stop wall, a first helical spring member attached at one end thereof to said first U-shaped retainer, a first hook member affixed to said helical spring member at the other end thereof, said first hook member adapted to engage said second U-shaped retainer in the operative position.