Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The Applicants claim the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/344,344 filed on Jan. 4, 2002, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    A. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The invention relates generally to vehicle cargo racks, more particularly, to cargo racks being positionable in at least a deployed position and a stored position.  
           [0004]    B. Detailed Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    Vehicle cargo racks are commonly used to provide additional storage capacity for items such as bicycles, skis, cargo boxes, kayaks, and the like. Aftermarket “strap on” cargo racks are available to attach bicycles and the like to a rearward surface of a vehicle such as a minivan or sport utility vehicle. While removable strap-on racks can be taken off, they are often difficult to install and remove. Often, several straps, hooks, snaps, clamps and other fasteners are used to securely fasten the rack to the vehicle, which may take considerable time to set up and may be difficult for an individual to perform alone. Furthermore, fasteners can scratch, dent, or otherwise damage the underlying paint or body panel, which can lead to accelerated corrosion, and generally detracts from the vehicle&#39;s appearance.  
           [0006]    Thus, a need exists for a vehicle cargo rack that is positionable in a deployed position and a stored position without having to be removed from the vehicle.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    According to one embodiment of the present invention, an integrated bike rack for a vehicle is provided, comprising a sill horizontally slidably connected to the vehicle, and a rack vertically slidably connected to the sill. The rack comprises at least two horizontally rotatable joints, each joint having an arm configured to support a bicycle.  
           [0008]    According to another embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle cargo rack is provided, comprising a sill connected to the vehicle, at least one rotatable joint mounted on the sill, and at least one arm coupled to the at least one rotatable joint and configured to hold cargo.  
           [0009]    According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of securing cargo to a vehicle is provided, comprising deploying at least one joint from a sill attached to a vehicle, and rotating the at least one joint such that an arm coupled to the at least one joint extends outward from the vehicle.  
           [0010]    According to another embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle cargo rack is provided, comprising means for slidably deploying a sill from the vehicle, and means for rotatably supporting an arm attached to the sill. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cargo rack undergoing deployment according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cargo rack of FIG. 1 undergoing further deployment according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a fully deployed cargo rack according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]    Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred embodiments of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.  
         [0015]    As shown in FIG. 1, the rear end of a vehicle  10  (e.g., a minivan, sport utility vehicle, etc.) has a sill  14 , such as a step, which contains rack  20  for holding and supporting gear (e.g., a bicycle, snowboard, etc.). The sill  14  is connected to the vehicle  10  so that it can be slid in a horizontal direction (for example, manually using a handle recessed in the sill or via a motorized drive). When the sill  14  is slid outward (in a direction away from the vehicle  10 ), a top surface of the sill  14  is approximately level with an interior or “cargo” surface  12  of the vehicle  10 . The sill  14  is preferably designed and configured to be able to support the weight of a human, so that the sill  14  can be used as a step or surface on which a human can stand in order to gain access to a roof rack (not shown) on a top surface of the vehicle  10 .  
         [0016]    Preferably, the sill  14  can be locked in an inward “stored” position, so that an outer surface of the sill  14  is approximately flush with an outer surface of the vehicle  10  and the sill  14  does not protrude outward from the vehicle. Also, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the sill  14  may be locked in an outward “deployed” position, where the sill  14  can be used as a step or as a support for a bike (via the rack  20 ).  
         [0017]    The sill  14  preferably includes rack  20 , which has two joints  16 , each joint being connected to a respective arm  18 . The joints  16  are horizontally rotatable-i.e., they can be rotated with respect to the vehicle  10  about a vertical axis. The rack  20  is connected to the sill  14  so that it can be slid in a vertical direction with respect to the sill  14 . When the rack  20  is in a lower “stored” position, as shown in FIG. 1, a top surface of each of the joints  16  is approximately flush with the top surface of the sill  14 , and the arms are below the top surface of the sill  14  so that they are not exposed. When the rack  20  is in an upper “deployed” position, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the arms  18  are above the top surface of the sill  14 , so that they can rotate with joints  16  with respect to the sill  14 . When the rack  20  is in its lower position, the sill  14  can be used as a step, as discussed. When the rack  20  is in its upper position, the rack  20  can be used to support gear (e.g., a bicycle, snowboard, etc.) by swinging out the arms  18  so that their free ends face a direction away from the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0018]    Preferably, the rack  20  can be locked in one or both of its two positions. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rack  20  may be locked in one of the upper and lower positions using a “touch-and-pop” mechanism, in which, when the rack  20  is in the lower position, the rack  20  can be moved to the upper position by lightly pushing down on the rack  20  and then releasing. A spring or other similar device in the touch-and-pop mechanism then pushes the rack  20  into the upper position. Similarly, the rack  20  can be returned to the lower position by pushing down on the rack  20  to a position slightly beyond (or lower than) the lower position and then releasing.  
         [0019]    When the rack  20  is in its upper position, the arms  18  can rotate via the joints  16 . Preferably, the rotation of the joints  16  is limited so that the arms  18  can only swing between a closed position (as shown in FIG. 2) and an open position (as shown in FIG. 3). In a closed position, the arms  18  are approximately parallel to an axis passing through the width of the vehicle  10  (i.e., a major axis of the sill) and an unattached or free end of each arm  18  points in a direction of the joint  16  of the other arm  18 . In an open position, the arms  18  are approximately perpendicular to the major axis of the sill and the unattached or free end of each arm  18  points in a direction away from the vehicle  10 . In other words, each joint  16  is configured to rotate through an angle of approximately 90° from a position in which the arms  18  are closed to a position in which the arms  18  are open. In one embodiment, the arms  18  may lock in one of the open and closed positions.  
         [0020]    The arms  18  may be bent, as shown in FIG. 3, so that there is a slight dip or groove in the approximate middle of each arm  18  to help stabilize or prevent movement of a bicycle that is supported by the rack  20 . The arms may be configured other than as shown in FIG. 3 and may include additional curves, hooks, and other features. The arms  18  may also have a protective coating, such as rubber, to pad the bicycle and prevent damage or scratches. The joints (and the free ends of the arms  18  when the arms are in the open position) may be separated by a distance of approximately 20 inches.  
         [0021]    The operation of the rack will now be described. Starting from an initial position in which the sill  14  is in the inward position, the sill  14  can be slid (e.g., manually) to the outward position. While the Figures show the interior surface  12  of the vehicle  10 , in which case the hatchback door or lift gate door (not shown) is open, the rack may also be operated while the hatchback door/lift gate door is closed. The sill  14  may then be used as a step or support. To use the rack  20 , the rack  20  can be moved from a lower position (FIG. 1) to an upper position (FIG. 2) by, for example, slightly pushing down on the rack  20  and then releasing, by lifting the arms  18  and then rotating them, etc. If a touch-and-pop or press-and-release mechanism is used, the arms  18  are then rotated from a closed position (FIG. 2) to an open position (FIG. 3) after the joints  16  are raised. The door is then preferably closed, at which point a bicycle or the like may be mounted on top of the arms  18  and held in place, for example, using rope or elastic ties. It should be appreciated that while the Figures show the door open during initial deployment, the door is preferably closed after the arms  18  are deployed. Alternatively, the sill  14  may, in some embodiments, be slid out while the door is closed, thus not necessarily requiring the door to be open for deployment of the rack.  
         [0022]    The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. For example, the vertical height between the arms (in the deployed position) and the top of the sill may be varied. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application and to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents.

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