IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0396385
(2012-02-14)
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등록번호 |
US-8915411
(2014-12-23)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
14 |
초록
▼
Utility rack attachments for rack systems used with automobiles, trailers, or stationary objects are used to conveniently transport or store the same. The invented rack system is basically comprised of an easily mountable and slidable assembly unit designed for quick locking to a rail mounted to a v
Utility rack attachments for rack systems used with automobiles, trailers, or stationary objects are used to conveniently transport or store the same. The invented rack system is basically comprised of an easily mountable and slidable assembly unit designed for quick locking to a rail mounted to a vehicle or trailer that is in tow by a vehicle. In a typical setup a quick locking and unlocking assembly unit is mounted to each of two rails that are separated by a distance that is spanned by the load it is carrying or by a platform which carries the load. The slidable and fixable nature of a complete assembly enables a person to quickly mount and dismount it to a rail and position and reposition a load at any location along the rail thus making it very versatile to accommodate a range of objects to be transported.
대표청구항
▼
1. A device as part of a utility rack system used to transport articles capable of use with vehicles and trailers in tow by said vehicles comprising in combination: a) at least two rigid elongated members hereinafter more conveniently referred to as rail(s), attached to vehicle or trailer with said
1. A device as part of a utility rack system used to transport articles capable of use with vehicles and trailers in tow by said vehicles comprising in combination: a) at least two rigid elongated members hereinafter more conveniently referred to as rail(s), attached to vehicle or trailer with said rail's longitudinal sides mounted as parallel as possible to each other,b) a cassette having means to attach or carry articles for transport or storage being assembled with two or more bar assemblies and a rigid member connecting said bar assemblies, said rigid member can either be an integral element to the cassette or the load itself, said bar assemblies having slots of a shape to receive said rails; said slot shapes of sufficient size to allow sliding along longitudinal length of said rails, said bar assemblies having means to negate spatial clearance between said bar assembly and said rail in at least one axis normal to longitudinal axis of said rail thereby having means to temporarily or removably fix said cassette to said rail. 2. The device according to claim 1 wherein bar assembly is comprised of a bar with a general “U” cross sectional shape having one straight wall and one tapered wall inwardly disposed from open end of “U”, a wedge also having one straight surface and one opposed tapered surface parallel with bar's tapered surface and is intentionally displaced in a plane perpendicular to said rails along said surfaces, said displacement in a direction perpendicular to said rails causes a substantial lateral or horizontal displacement, negating clearance between straight surfaces of said wedge and said rail with sufficient opposing forces to statically bind said bar-wedge assembly and said rail together, and an actuator having means to cause said intentional displacement of said wedge along contacting surfaces of said wedge and said rail. 3. The device according to claim 2 wherein said actuator having means to cause wedge displacement is caused by forcible rotation of a cam. 4. The device according to claim 3 wherein said cam is lever operated, said cam lever is rigidly connected to large cylindrical body, said large cylindrical body having eccentrically placed hole through said large cylindrical body along longitudinal axis, a small cylindrical body of slightly smaller diameter dimension as said hole in said large cylindrical body slidably fitting inside said hole, said small cylindrical body having means to attach said wedge, a bracket having means to fix large cylindrical body or cam rotation center, such that when cam lever is operated, said wedge is forcibly translated in either said substantially opposed vertical directions. 5. The device according to claim 4 further including a means to lock said cam lever in position that binds said wedge against said rail. 6. The device according to claim 2 wherein: said actuator having means to cause wedge displacement is caused by forcible rotation of a screw. 7. The device according to claim 6 wherein: said bar of said bar assembly has hole with screw pitch in vertical axis to accept screw with mating screw hole pitch, said screw having a plurality of teeth on upper end of screw body, said teeth project outward from said surface in direction parallel to screw axis, said teeth have a sloped surface, a vertical surface, and a horizontal surface relative to axis of screw threads, said sloped surface is oriented with positive or upwards slope in same rotational direction that raises screw relative to said bar, said screw at end opposite said teeth having means to loosely attach said wedge, a knob with mating teeth or of corresponding said sloped, said vertical, and said horizontal surfaces at its bottom side, a spring that seats on surface opposite said knob's bottom surface, a fastener with means to hold said screw, said knob, and said spring assembly together, rotating said knob in direction causing screw to raise in vertical direction causes said wedge and said screw to also raise by means of engaging correspondingly sloped surfaces between said knob and said screw, torque applied to said knob in raising said wedge and causing static binding between said wedge and said bar is controlled or limited by physical characteristics of said spring, reversing rotational direction of said knob causes said vertical surfaces of teeth between said knob and said screw to engage thereby forcibly transmitting a downward force causing friction bind between said wedge and said bar to break. 8. The device according to claim 6 further including a means to lock cam lever in position that binds said wedge against said rail. 9. The device according to claim 2 wherein said rails are rigidly supported at both ends by a base, said base also allows for said rails to be independently rotationally adjustable in axis parallel to longitudinal axis of said rails for means to enable user to make rail surfaces parallel thereby enabling engagement between said rails and said cassette assembly. 10. The device according to claim 2 wherein said cassette is comprised of two said bar assemblies and spanner where in at least one bar assembly is slidably attached to said spanner allowing for sliding translation in axis parallel to spanner and free rotation of said bar assembly relative to said spanner in axis normal to longitudinal axis of said bar or said rail providing means to compensate for said rails' non parallelness, the result of imperfect mounting of said rails. 11. The device according to claim 2 wherein said rail has at least one substantially vertical wall. 12. The device according to claim 11 wherein a portion of said rail's surface has a protrusion extending in direction normal from surface between bottom and top surfaces of said rail along its longitudinal length providing means to prevent undesired release of said sliding bar assembly from said rail, forcing said wedge into position such that said surfaces of both said wedge and said bar disengage, said bar is thereby free to separate from said rail. 13. The device according to claim 11 wherein a lever, a handle or some other actuating feature of binding mechanism thereof has means in its position to force said wedge into said disengaging position. 14. The device according to claim 1 wherein bar assembly which mounts to said rail is comprised of a bar with general ‘U” cross section shape, said rail having a cross sectional shape with upper portion wider than lower portion hereinafter referred to as head. 15. The device according to claim 14 wherein said actuator having means to cause clamping bar displacement is caused by forcible rotation of cam. 16. The device according to claim 15 wherein said bar assembly is comprised of a rigid slidable bar and clamping means comprised of a cam having means for forced rotation or actuation, said cam with large cylindrical body shape having eccentrically placed hole through said large cylindrical body along longitudinal axis, a small cylindrical body of slightly smaller diameter dimension as said hole in said large cylindrical body slidably fitting inside said hole, said small cylindrical body having means to attach clamping bar, a bracket having means to fix large cylindrical body or cam rotation center, such that when cam lever is operated, said clamping bar is forcibly translated into or away from said rail, said clamping bar having cross sectional shape with a portion of surface oriented such that when clamping bar is forced into contact with rail the resulting force vector forces said rail against wall of said “U” with sufficient force to bind it against said rail, also said clamping bar having a portion of surface protruding into space under said head of rail for better securement of clamping bar to said rail, operating said cam in opposite direction to said clamping actuation of said cam moves clamp bar to most opposed clamped position enabling removal of said bar assembly from said rail, when said cam is in intermediate position or between extreme positions portion of clamp bar remains protruded into space under said head of said rail preventing inadvertent separation between said bar assembly and said rail. 17. The device according to claim 16 wherein said small cylindrical body acts directly on said clamping bar, said clamping bar made of both incompressible and compressible materials. 18. The device according to claim 16 wherein said cassette comprised of two said bar assemblies and said spanner where in at least one bar assembly is slidably attached to said spanner allowing for sliding translation in axis parallel to spanner and free rotation of said bar assembly relative to said spanner in axis normal to longitudinal axis of said bar or said rail providing means to compensate for said rails' non parallelness, the result of imperfect mounting of said rails. 19. The device according to claim 16 wherein said bar assembly's clamping mechanism is comprised of a clamping bar, a spring loaded intermediate element rigidly connected to said clamping bar on one end, said spring loaded intermediate element connected rotationally free on opposite end by shaft extending through holes of both said intermediate element and eccentrically positioned hole in said cam, operation of said cam in direction to thrust said clamp bar against said rail compresses said springs in said intermediate element, compression of said springs in operation of said cam compensates for dimensional differences between total connected length of spring preloaded intermediate element and said clamping bar and distance between center of said shaft in said cam and said surface of rail that said clamp bar contacts when said cam is in clamped position. 20. The device according to claim 14 wherein said bar assembly's clamping mechanism is comprised of a clamping bar, a spring loaded element having at least one guide rod on which said clamping bar is guided, a push rod that acts against said clamp bar when said cam is in position such that said clamp bar is pushed away from said rail causing enough separation from said rail for said bar assembly to either slide or be removed from said rail, said preloaded springs provide clamping force between said clamp bar and said rail when cam is in least energy state, when said springs are further compressed by said cam in position of higher energy state said bar assembly is free to slide along said rail or be removed from said rail.
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