Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 BACKGRO~ND
This invention relates generally to spare tire
carriers and more specific~lly to spare tire carriers for
the stora~e and transportation of spare tires outside of a
vehicle.
With the increasing popularity of pickup type
vehicles, there is an increasing need for spare tire carriers
allowing the removal of the spare tire from the interior
of the vehicle to a position outside of the vehicle and
thus creating more usable space inside the vehicle. Prior
known spare tire carriers which attempted to solve this
need were deficient for many reasons including not being
very handy a~s well as subjecting the vehicle body to stresses
for which they were not designed and incapable of handling.
The present invention then provides an improved vehicle
spare tire carrier which allows the storage and transportation
of a spare tire outside of a vehicle and which is not plagued
with the problems of prior known spare tire carriers.
It is thus an alm of the present invention to
provide an improved vehicle spare tire carrier.
It is a further aim of the present invention
to provide such a vehicle spare tire carrièr allowing the
storage and transportation of a spare tire outside of a
vehicle.
It is a further aim of the present invention
in thc most preferred case to provide such a vehicle spare
tire carrier which transfers the weight of the carrier and
1 spare tire mounted the~eon to the vehi.cle subs-tructure
and not to the vehiele body.
It is a further airn of the present inventi.on
to provide sueh a vehiele spare tire earrier which is pivot-
ally mounted to the vehicle.
It is a further aim of the present invention
in the most preferred case to provide such a vehicle spare
tire carrier whieh is pivo-tal simultaneously with the vehicle
elosure from its closed positioll to its open position.
1() It is a further aim of the present inven-tion
in the most preferred case to provide a spare tire carrier
includinc3 first and second arms having an overcenter type
pivotal relation.
It is further an aim oE the present invention
to provide such a vehiele spare tire earrier whieh is of
simple design, can be easily manufactured and assembled
from cJenerally inexpensive parts.
It is a further aim of the present invention
to provide such a vehicle spare tire carrier which can be
: 20 readily attached to a mo-tor vehicle without the need for
reinforcing the vehicle body or other vehicle portions.
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1 It is further an aim o~ the presen~ invention
to provide a novel vel~icle spare tire carrier includincj a
torsion bar in mechanical conllectiorl to a pivotal arm.
It is further an aim of the present invention
to provide a novel vehicle spare tire carrier which is
pivotal simultaneously with the vehicle closure from its
closed position to its open position utilizing a torsion bar
for compensatiny for the added pivotal load on the vehicle
closure.
It is further an aim of the present invention
to provide a novel vehicle spare tire carrier including a
torsion bar in mechanical connection with a pivotal arm
for assisting the pivotal movement of the arm from a geller-
ally vertical position to a nonvertical position.
These and further aims and advantages of the
present invention will become clearer in the light of -the
following detailed description of illustrative embodiments
of this invention descrlbed in connection with the drawings.
~ RIPTION OE' TH~ DRA~INGS
The illustrative embodiments may thus be bes~
described by reference to the accompanying drawings where:
Fiyure 1 shows a perspective view of a vehicle
spare tire carrier according to the present invention mounted
on a vehicle.
Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of
the spare tire carrier of E'igure 1.
Figure 3 shows a side view of the spare tire
carrier of Figure 1, with portions of the spare tire shown
as broken away and a phantom position shown.
Figure 4 shows an enlarged, partial side view of
a portion of the spare tire carrier of Fiyure 1.
Figures5 and 6 show fragmentary side sectional
views of an alternate embodiment of the vehicle spare tire
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L carrier accorclirly to the teachlncJs of the present invention.
Figure 7 5hows a bot-tom view of tlhe vellicle spare
tire carrier oE Figures 5 and 6 according to viewing line
6-6 of Figure 5.
All fi.yures are drawn for ease of explanatiorl of
the basic teachings of the present inventi.on only; the
extensions of the figures with respect to number, position,
relationship, and dimensions of the parts to Eorm the preferred
embodiment wlll be explained or will be obvious from the ex-
planation given.
~ ere used in the various figures of the drawings,
the same numerals designate the same or similar parts in
the spare tire carrier. Furthermore, ~hen the terms "right",
"left", "vertical", "horizontal", "first", "second", and
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1 simi.lar terms are used herein, it should be understoocl
tha-t these terms have re:Eerence only to the structure S]
in -the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the
drawings and are utiliæed only to facili-tate describing
the invention.
DESCRIPTION
Referring to the drawings, a vehicle spare tire
carrier according to the teachings of the present invention
is shown and c3enerally indicatecl as 1Ø Generally, carrier
10 stores and transports a vehicle spare tire 12 for a
motor vehicle 14. Vehicle 14 includes a superstruc-ture or
frame 16 to which a vehicle bumper 18 is attached. Vehicle
14 further includes vehicle body 20. Body 20 includes a
closure member, door, tailgate, or endgate 22 which is
pivotal from a closed position to an open posi-tion abou-t a
pivot axis 24. In the preferred embodiment, pivot axis 24
is horizonta]. such that tailgate 22 is pivotal from a vertical
closed position to a horizontal open posi-ti.on.
Carrier 10 includes a first, lower arm 26 having
a first end 2~ and second end 30. ~rm 26 is elongated, in
the preferred embodimen-t, has a length which is less than
the diameter of tire 12, and has a U-shaped cross section.
Arm 26 further includes provisions for mounting tire 12
thereto. In the preferred e~lbodiment, a tire mounting
bracket 32 is attached thereto by bolts 34. Bracket 3~
includes a firs-t leg 36 which e~tends generally perpendicular
to arm 26, a second leg 38 which extends generally perpendicular
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from leg 36 and parallel to arm 26, and a third leg 39
which extends anyularly from leg 38 and arm 26. Thus,
when arm 26 is in a vertical position, leg 36 acts as a
shelf in positioning tire 12 for attachment to bracket
5 32. In the preferred embodiment, tire 12 is attached to
bracket 32 by a bol-t 4C which extends through an abutting
member 42 which abuts with the rim oE tire 12. A hook
member 44 can further be provicled for holding tire 12 on
bracket 32 while bol-t 40 is being positioned and fastened.
Carrier 10 further includes provisions for pivoting
arm 26 with tailyate 22 which, in the preferred embodiment, is
shown in the form of a lower pivot member 4 8 pivotally attached
to end 28 of arm 26 and attached to vehicle 14 along with a
sesond, upper arm 50 pivotally attached to end 3 0 of arm 26
15 and to tailgate 22.
In the preferred embodiment, arm 50 is elongated
but has a length shorter than the length of arm 26 and has
a U-shaped cross section. Arm 50 includes a first end 52
pivotally attached to end 3 0 of arm 26 about a pivot
20 member which forms axis 54 which is parallel to axis 24.
For pivotally moun-ting second end 56 of arm 50 to tailga-te
22, an upper pivot member 58 is provided, attached to
tailgate 22, and pivotally attached to end 56 of arm 50
about a further pivot member which forms axis 60. ~xis 60
25 is parallel -to axes 24 and 54. In -the preferred embodrment,
upper pivot rnember 58 has a U- shape.
Lower pivot member 48 includes a firs-t generally
flat member 62 and a second generally U-shaped member 64
extendiny generally perpendicular thereto. Member 64 inclucles
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a generall~ fla-t section 66 having legs 68 ex-tending
from -the opposi-te sides thereof. Lower pivot member 48
is arranged, in the preferred embodimen-t, to be attached
to vehicle frame 16, and in the preferred embodiment, is
attached to bumper 18 by bol-ts 70 which extend through
member 62 and section 66 of member 48.
Legs 68 of member 48 include a first abutting
surface 72, best shown in Figure 4, which ex-tends parallel
to member 62 and which is generally parallel to tailga-te
22 in its open position. A second abu-tting surfac~ 74,
also shown in Figure 4, extends at an angle slightly less
than 90 from surface 72 and generally parallel to tailgate
22 in its closed position.
End 28 of arm 26 is pivotally attached to member
48 hy a pivot member which forms axis 7 6 which extends
through legs 68 of member 48 and arm 26. Axis 76 is parallel
to axes 24, 54, and 60~ A torsion spring 78 biases arm 26
:~ with respect to member 4 8.
In use, when tire carrier 10 is in its first
position as shown in solid lines in Figure 3, tire 12 can
be attached to or removed from bracket 3 2 in a manner similar
to conventional tire carriers. In opera-tion, in the first
position oE carrier 10, arms 26 and 50 are generally in
line, or in other words, generally parallel to each other,
with arm 50 extending from second end 3 0 o f arm 26. I:~ it
is desired to open closure 22, closure 22 is simply opened
and pi~7oted from its first closed position to its second
1 open position as :if carrier 10 were not located on
vehicle 1~ or attached to closure 22. Thus, as closure 22
pivots about axis 2fi, arms 26 and 50 similarly pivot about
axes 54, 60, and 76 to i-ts second positi.on as shown in
phantom in Figure 3. Thus, arms 26 and 50 pivot in relation
to each other, or in other words, fold from their first
generally s-traiyht position -to their second angular or
folded position. In the preferred embodiment, arms 26 and
50 are approximately at a 50 angle in the second position
f carrier 10.
In its second posi.tion, arm 50 is at an angle to
arm 26 and in the preferred embodiment, does not extend
genera].ly beyond second end 30 of arm 26. Specifically,
due to the length of arm 26, tire 12 extends beyond second
end 30 of arm 26 such that tire 12 preven-ts someone from
accidentally bumping into pivotal ends 30 and 52 of arms
26 and 50, respectively. ~dditionally, due to the lengths
of arms 26 and 50 in the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, in its second position, pivotal ends 30 and 52
f arms 26 and 50, respectively, extend equidistant wi-th
closure 22 or in o-ther words to a point yenerally vertically
below the end of closure 22 and thus do not obstructively
pro-trude beyond closure 22 and thus present an obstruction
point to passers-by even when tire 12 is removed from carrier
lOo
Thus, it can be appreciated that the respective
and comparative lengths of arms 26 and 50 of the preferred
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1 embodimen-t of the present inVelltiOn allow an overcen-ter
type of mountincJ of arms 26 and 50 as described and provides
several advanta~es, some of which are set forth hereinbe-fore.
Prior to the present invention, known spare -tire
carriers are considered to have had serious shor-tcomings.
For example, many tire carriers were attached to and supported
by vehicle body 20 rather -than frame 16 or bumper 18. There-
fore, it was necessary to reinforce body 20 at the at-tachment
locations which often required removal and replacement of the
vehicle interior, and thus was very time consuming. Further,
due to bouncing and jars as vehicle 14 travelled along a
roadbed, prior art carriers would often pull away from body
20, thus damaging body 20.
Further, many known prior tire carriers required
that the tire carrier be pivoted out of the way and separately
from closure 22 before closure 22 could be opened. Thus, a
two step proceclure was necessary, firs-t to unlatched and
pivot the tire carrier and second to unlatch and pivot
closure 22. Thus, these known prior tire carriers do not
work simultaneous~y with closure 22, as does the present
invention, but must be operated separately. This is not
very handy and is a time consuming procedure.
Additionally, many known prior tire carriers pre-
vented operation of the vehicle with closure 22 in its open
position because the tire carrier could not be secured with
closure 22 in its open position.
The present :invention solves these and other
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1 prohlems of tt~e prior art. Specifically, carrier 10
accordln~3 to the teachings of the present invention operates
simultaneously with closure 22. Specifically, closure 22
can be opened and closed as if carrier 10 were not connected
to vehicle 14. Carrier 10 pivots simultaneously wi-th closure
22 in a single procedure. Thus, the two step procedure of
the prior art is not required.
Further, in the preferred embodiment, spring 78
can be arranged to compensate for the added pivotal load
on closure 22 and permi-t closure 22 to open and close as
if carrier 10 were not mounted thereon. ~dditionally,
sprin~ 78 can be arranged as a two position torsion spring
such tha-t carrier 10 will not hold closure 22 in a position
between its open and closed position when tire 12 is removed
from carrier lo.
Further, carrier 10 of the present invention, in
its most preferred mode, transfers all weight of carrier
10 and the spare tire mounted-thereto to frame 16 of vehicle
14, and thus, carrier 10 is carried by frame 16 of vehicle
14 rather than vehicle body 20. Specifically, lower pivot
member 48 receives all the weight of carrier 10 which transfers
the weight to bumper 18 which in turn transfers the weight
to frame 16. Additionally, due to the cons-truction of
pivot member 48 of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention and specifically due to the overcenter pivoti~g
arrangemen-t of arm 26 with pivot member 48 at pivot axis
76, when carrier 10 is in its lowered position, inside
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1 surface 73 oE arm 26 abuts with surface 72 and thus
~cts as a stop for carrier 10 to prevent arm 26 from pivoting
therebeyond. Thus, when closure 22 is in its open position,
the weight of carrier lQ is carried by pivot member 48
through arm 26 and surfaces 72 and 73 and thus carrier 10
does not place any weight on closure 22 and eliminates
unnecessary forces and stress on closure 22. Further, it
can then be appreciated that vehicle 14 can be operated
with carrier 10 and closure 22 in its open position.
In its raised or transport posi~ion when closure
22 is in its closed position, the weight oE carrier 10 is
transEerred to pivot member 48 by inside surface 73 of arn
26 abutting with surface 74. In the preferred en~odiment
of the present invention with surface 74 being at an angle
15 slightly less than 90, or in other words s~u^face 74 is at
a slight an~le to the vertical, the weight transfer at
surface 74 is cnhanced. Thus, surface 74 stops any Eurther
movement of arm 26 therebeyond and further elimillcltes unneces-
sary orces and stresses on closure 22
Now that the basic teachings of the present invention
have been explained, many extensions and variations will
be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art. For
example, although carrier 10 is especially adapted for and
preferred for use with vehicles having closures which pivot
25 about a horizontal axis, carriers 10 utilizing the teachings
of -the present invention could be constructed for vehicles
having closures which pivot about a vertical axis
1 I.ikew:Lse, :Lrl an a~terllatc elllbo(l:iment. of t~le preserlt
inven~ic)n as best seerl :Ln Fig~lres 5-7, carr:ier lO' includes a
torsion bar or rod 80 for bi.asing arm 26 with respect to member
48 and thus wit.h respect to vehicle 14. Specifically, torsion
bar 80 includes an elongated central portion 82, a firs~
leg 84 attached to the first end 85 of portion 82, and a
second leg 86 at~ached to the second end 87 of portion 82.
In i.ts rmost preferred forrn, legs 84 and 86 are generally
perpendicular to portion 82. Leg 86 in its most preEerred
form i.ncludes a leg portion 88 attached there-to and in its
most preferred form attached generally perpendicular to leg
86 and generall~ parallel to por-tion 82 but extending beyond
second end 87 of portion 82.
Torsion bar 80 is mounted to frame 16 of vehicle
14 such that leg 84 abu-ts with a portion of frame 16 or
other portion of vehicle 14, central portion 82 is free to
twist or rotate, and wlth leg portion 88 being located adja--
cent arm 26 and free to rotate about an axis defined by
central portlon 82. In its preferred form, bar 80 is mounted
by U-shaped clips 89 attached to frame 16 and throuyh which
central portion 82 of bar 80 extend. In its most preferred
form, clip 89 adjacent end 85 of bar 80 is mounted to the
portion of frame 16 attached to bumper 18 and clip 89 adjacent
end 87 of bar 80 is mounted to a support bracket interconnected
between the portion of frame 16 supporting the fuel tank of
vehicle 14 and bumper 18. Thus, first leg 84 acts as an anchor
for preventing first end 85 of central portion 82 of torsion
bar 80 from rotating. Second leg 86 acts as a lever or crank
arm for placin~ a twis-ting or torsional force on the second
end 87 of central portion 82 of torsion bar 80.
Carrier 10' further includes an ear 90 formed on
arm 26 adjacent first end 28. A turnbuckle assembly 92 is
further provided having a first end 94 for pivotal connection
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1 to leq portioll 8~ anc~ ving a secorlcl end ~6 for plvotal con--
nectlon to ear 90. Turnb-lckle assembly 92 ha5 a varia~le
length to take u~) mountlny and manufacturing tolerances
and to allow variatlons in weigh-ts oE spare tire 12.
To asslst or replace surfaces 72 and 73 in per-
forminy the function of preventing arm 26 Erom pivotiny below
a generally horizontal position and transferring the weight of
carrier 10' to vehicle 14, carrier 10' includes a cable stop 98
having a first end 100 attached to arm 26 and second end 102
attached to pivot number 48. Thus, as bes-t seen in Figure 6
when carriex 10' is in i-ts second position, cable stop 98 is
tight between member 48 and arm 26 and thus prevents further
pivoting of arm 26 beyond its second position.
In its most preferred form, the plane of leg 84
and the plane of leg 86 and leg portion 88 are at an angle
to each other. Thus, carrier 10' is biased in either its
first and second position and will not move from either
position, wlthout addi-tional force. Specifically, with
assembly 92 attached between ear 90 of arm 26 and torsion
bar 80, to move carrier 10' from its first posi-tion to its
second position requires that leg portion 88 be pivoted
about central portion 82. However, since leg 84 abuts
with frame 16, a torsional force must be placed on central
portion 82. ~hus, a sufficient force such as the force of
the operator opening closure 22, must be placed on carrier
10' to overcome this torsional force.
It can be appreciated that arm 50 at-tached to
closure 22 and second end 30 of arm 26 holds arm 26 in its
vertical position since closure 22 is locked in position.
Further, it can be appreciated that the overcenter pivoting
arrangement of arms 26 and pivot member 48 at pivot axis 76
and the abutting surface 73 of arm 26 with surface 72 trans-
fers generally all weight of carrier 10' and spare -tire 12
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1 moullted -thereos-l Lo bw~Jer 18 rather than closure 22 even
thouyh jars, bumps, allcl other Moverllent i5 made on carrier 10'
as vehicle 1~ travels on tlle road surface.
Likewise, when arm 26 and carrier 10' is moved be-
tween its first position and its second position, a torsional
force is placed on central portion 82 of torsion bar 80.
This torsional force counteracts with the force of gravity
~laced on tire 12 and carrier 10' and allows the gradual
pivoting of arrn 26 frorn ei-ther its vertical position to its
horizontal position or from its second, horizontal position
to its first, vertical position. Thus, in the alternate embod-
iment of Figures 5-7, torsion bar 8Q compensates for the
added pivotal load on closure 22 and permits closure 22 to
be opened and closed as if carrier 10' were not mounted
thereon. It can then be appreciated that torsion bar 80
insures that undue weight or stress is not placed on closure
22 as closure 22 is pivoted betwéen its first and second
positions in addition to reducing the effort required in
pivotiny carrier 10' with closure 22. ~dditionally, it
should be noted the torsional force of torsion bar 80 is not
sufficient by itself to move -the mass of carrier 10' and
closure 22 from its open to closed position, even if spare
tire 12 is removed from carrier 10'.
It can then be appreciated that the use of torsion
bar 80 according to the teachings of the alternate embodiment
of the present invention rather than the torsion spring 76
of the first described embodiment of the present invention
provides several advantages includiny the ability to better
compensate for the added pivotal load on closure 22. Further-
more, torsion bar 80 can be utili~ed with other methods andconstructions for holding arm 26 in its vertical position
during transport, whether or not arm 26 is pivotal simultan-
eously with vehicle closure 22.
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