Patent ID: 7688187

Claim:
A method for transporting high-profile cargo on the exterior payload area of a motor vehicle without colliding into overhead obstructions, said method comprising the steps of: providing a motor vehicle having a passenger compartment, an exterior payload area, and an electrical power receptacle; securing an article of cargo to the exterior payload area such that the cargo extends above the motor vehicle; providing a detector capable of remotely detecting a distant obstruction in the path of the cargo extending above the motor vehicle; placing an alarm inside the passenger compartment, the alarm being capable of producing a warning signal inside the passenger compartment; automatically producing the warning signal in response to the detector detecting an obstruction in the path of the cargo; energizing the alarm by directly electrically interconnecting the alarm to the power receptacle; attaching the detector directly to a portion of the cargo extending above the motor vehicle; and wherein the detector has a directional sensing area, further including the step of angularly adjusting the detector relative to the cargo after said step of attaching the detector directly to the cargo by relaxing a bracket having an articulating joint and then tightening the bracket to securely restrain the detector in an angularly adjusted position.