Patent ID: 7461878

Claim:
An automotive vehicle bumper system comprising a transverse bumper, a vehicle frame and a pair of mounting brackets for removably securing the bumper to the frame; the frame including a pair of longitudinally extending rails each having a generally U-shaped cross-section comprising a generally horizontal bottom wall and two generally vertical side walls, the longitudinal ends of each of the three rail walls having mounting flanges for cooperative engagement with corresponding mounting surfaces of the mounting bracket; an improved mounting bracket capable of controlled deformation and energy absorption in response to impacts to the bumper including: a first end comprising mounting surfaces adapted for connection to said bumper, and a second end comprising mounting surfaces adapted for connection to said rail mounting flanges, said second end mounting surfaces being arranged and positioned for engagement with said three rail mounting flanges; first and second pairs of generally longitudinally extending walls, each of said longitudinally extending walls connected at its respective ends to said first and second end mounting surfaces; said second pair of longitudinally extending walls being located transversely between said first pair of longitudinally extending walls so that said first and second pairs of walls define a generally W-shaped configuration at a selected imaginary horizontal cutting plane, with said first pair of walls converging toward said first end, and said second pair of walls converging toward said second end; and said first pair of longitudinally extending walls being generally upwardly converging, and said second pair of longitudinally extending walls being generally upwardly converging.