Patent ID: 7360779

Claim:
A step rail assembly for a vehicle, comprising: an elongated rail body having two opposing edges defining a longitudinal channel; at least one mounting bracket having a first and a second end connected by a bracket arm, the first end adapted for a rigid connection to a mounting point of the vehicle, the second end having a generally upwardly-facing, generally flat mounting surface defining a first fastening hole and a first portion of an alignment device; a pinch clamp having a major dimension and a minor dimension disposed on generally perpendicular axes, the pinch clamp defining a second fastening hole and a second portion of the alignment mechanism, the major dimension being greater than a width of the longitudinal channel, the minor dimension being less than the width of the longitudinal channel; wherein the second portion of the alignment device is adapted to selectively engage the first portion and thereby prevent relative rotation between the mounting bracket and the pinch clamp when the minor dimension of the pinch clamp is substantially aligned with the longitudinal channel; wherein the rail body can be rigidly connected to the mounting bracket by first loosely inserting a fastener through the respective fastening holes in the mounting surface and the pinch clamp to rotatably attach the pinch clamp to the mounting bracket, then turning the pinch clamp to align the major axis with the longitudinal channel, then lowering the rail body toward the mounting bracket such that the pinch clamp passes between the opposing edges of the rail body and the opposing edges come into contact with the mounting surface, then rotating the pinch clamp to align the major axis perpendicular to the longitudinal channel such that the clamp overlies the opposing edges of the rail body and the first portion of the alignment device engages the second portion, and then tightening the fastener to pull the pinch clamp and flat face portion of the bracket arm tightly against opposite sides of the opposing edges of the rail body.