Patent ID: 8485403

Claim:
A roof rack assembly for a vehicle, comprising: a first and a second elongated roof rail substantially parallel and spaced from one another; an elongated cross member secured to the first roof rail and configured to be selectively securable to the second roof rail; wherein the cross member is pivotable between a stowed position and a use position; wherein the cross member is substantially parallel with the first roof rail and is not secured to the second roof rail in the stowed position; wherein the cross rail is not parallel with the first roof rail and is secured to the second roof rail in the use position; wherein the cross member has a first and a second opening therethrough, wherein the first and the second openings are spaced from one another along the cross member; wherein the first roof rail is substantially U-shaped to at least partially define a cavity; and wherein the cross member is configured to be nested within the cavity when in the stowed position so that the first roof rail partially surrounds the cross member; a first pin secured to the first roof rail and extending through the first opening of the cross member to secure the cross member to the first roof rail; a first locking mechanism connected to the first roof rail, spaced from the first pin, and selectively lockable to further secure the cross member to the first roof rail at the second opening and selectively releasable to permit pivoting of the cross member about the first pin; and a second locking mechanism connected to the second roof rail and selectively lockable to secure the cross member to the second roof rail at the second opening such that the cross rail extends between the roof rails in the use position, and selectively releasable to permit the cross member to pivot about the first pin back to the stowed position; wherein the first and second locking mechanisms each include a respective translatable pin configured to be selectively movable between a locked position in which the respective translatable pin extends through the second opening to further secure the cross member to the respective first and second roof rails, and a release position in which the respective translatable pin does not extend through the second opening; and wherein the translatable pin of the first locking mechanism extends through the second opening when the cross member is in the stowed position, and the translatable pin of the second locking mechanism extends through the second opening when the cross member is in the use position.