Patent ID: 8439239

Claim:
Apparatus for mounting a device to a vehicle, comprising: a vehicle mounting element, said vehicle mounting element being adapted to mount to the vehicle; a first coupler, one of said first coupler and said vehicle mounting element being formed with an anti-rotation pin and the other of said first coupler and said vehicle mounting element being formed with at least one cavity; a first mounting element connecting said first coupler to said vehicle mounting element so that said anti-rotation pin seats within said at least one cavity to resist relative rotational movement between said first coupler and said vehicle mounting element; a device mounting plate, said device mounting plate being adapted to support a device; a second coupler connected to said device mounting plate and to said first coupler; said one of first coupler and said vehicle mounting element having said at least one cavity being formed of a first material and said anti-rotation pin being formed of a second material, one of said first and second materials having a hardness greater than the other so that in response to the application of a force to the apparatus said anti-rotation pin or said one of said first coupler and said vehicle mounting element which is formed with said at least one cavity undergoes shearing causing said anti-rotation pin to break off or causing said anti-rotation pin to break through said at least one cavity thus permitting relative rotation between said first coupler and said vehicle mounting element.