Patent ID: 7182233

Claim:
A pod assembly for holding an end of a rail of a roof rack assembly mounted on a roof of a wheeled vehicle, said pod assembly comprising: a cluster of individual attachment members each of said attachment member of said cluster of individual attachment members being held in the upper outer surface of a roof of a wheeled vehicle at a location where said pod assembly is to be secured, each of said attachment members being secured to said roof; a pod portion having a pod body having a base, a compensating member attached at an inner end of said pod body and being movable with respect to said pod body, said compensating member having a rail holding portion having a socket into which an end of a straight rail having a uniform cross-sectional shape may be inserted, said pod body having a cluster of openings positioned to mate with said cluster of attachment members, each of said openings terminating at a lower end with a downwardly extending foot extending below said base of said pod body; and a plurality of holding members each holding member being adapted to fit into each of said openings, each of said holding members being secured by one of said cluster of attachment members and each of said holding members being tightenable to force the downwardly extending foot toward the roof and into contact with one of said individual attachment members whereby any curvature in said outer surface of said roof is separated from said base of said pod body by the lifting effect of each of said downwardly extending feet of said pod body by the lifting effect of each of said downwardly extending feet.