Patent ID: 7434826

Claim:
A self-locking scissor coupler for attaching a trailer to a trailer hitch ball, comprising: a) a body; b) a pair of movable jaws; and c) a bail; wherein said body is for attaching to the trailer; wherein said pair of movable jaws are pivotally mounted to said body; wherein said pair of movable jaws are normally biased open; wherein said ball bail is pivotally mounted to said body; and wherein said bail is normally biased down so as to allow said movable jaws to be normally biased open when said bail is lifted up and disengaged from said pair of movable jaws, and when said pair of movable jaws are engaged by the trailer hitch ball, said pair of jaws close causing said bail to drop, engage said pair of movable jaws, and maintain said pair of jaws closed, thereby self-lockingly capturing the trailer ball in said pair of movable jaws; wherein said body is an inverted channel; wherein said body has a forward end; wherein said body has a back end; wherein said body has a pair of sides; wherein said body has a top; wherein said body has an open bottom; and wherein said open bottom of said body allows for capturing of the trailer in said body; wherein said top of body, at said forward end of said body, extends past said pair of sides of said body to form a jaw mounting platform; wherein said jaw-mounting platform of said body, at sides thereof, has a pair of jaw-mounting through bores; wherein said pair of jaw-mounting through bores in said jaw-mounting platform of said body are laterally spaced-apart from each other; and wherein said pair of jaw-mounting through bores in said jaw-mounting platform of said body extend vertically therethrough; wherein one side of the said pairs of sides of said body, at the front portion thereof, has a primary lock-mounting through bore, wherein said primary lock-mounting through bore in said one side of said pair of sides of said body extends horizontally therethrough; wherein each side of said pair of sides of said body, at an intermediate portion thereof, has a pivot pin-mounting through bore, wherein said pivot pin-mounting through bore in each side of sides of said body extends horizontally therethrough; and wherein said pivot pin-mounting through bore in each side of said pair of sides of said body aligns with said pivot pin-mounting through bore in the other side of said pair of sides of said body; wherein a side of said pair of sides of said body, at said front portion thereof, has a secondary lock-mounting through bore, wherein said secondary lock-mounting through bore in each side of said pair of sides of said body extends horizontally therethrough; wherein said secondary lock-mounting through bore in each side of said pair of sides of said body is below said pivot pin-mounting through bore in each side of said body; and wherein said secondary lock-mounting through bore in each side of said pair of sides of said body aligns with said secondary lock-mounting through bore in the other side of said pairs of sides of said body.