Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to carriers attached to motor
vehicles for transporting loads and more par~icularly to
carriers which are attached to the rear of vehicles and
which swing downward from a vertical position to a horizon-
tal position for use and swing upward to a vertical position
when not in use.
Carriers attached to motor vehicles are illustrated in
a number of United States patents including Nos. 4,815,638
to Hutyra; 4,181,348 to Whitley et al.; 3,913,811 to Spen-
cer; 4,775,282 to Van Vliet; 4,813,584 to Wiley; and
4,705,448 to Mungons.
Carriers which are attached to the rear of motor veh-
icles are known and the patents referred to above describe
some of such carriers. A feature of many such carriers is
that they can be attached to a vehicle for use and removed
from the vehicle after use. Some of these carriers also have
provision for folding them out of the way when they are not
in use.
Known carriers which fold and unfold have a number of
shortcomings. Some carriers ~uch as that illustrated in U.S.
patent No. 3,913,811 to Spencer have obstructions on the
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surface where the object to be transported rests and is
accordingly inconvenient to load and unload. Other carrier~
such as that illustrated in ~.S. patent No. ~,181,3~8 to
Whitley et al. are complicated of construction and hence are
quite expensive to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a carrier
which has a simple construction and which has an obstruct-
ion-free surface on which a load rests.
Another object of this invention is to provide a car-
rier which is attached to a motor vehicle and which ~ay be
loaded from either one of its two sides.
Another object of this invention is to provide a car-
rier which may be easily attached and detached from a motor
vehicle and which, when attached, may be easily folded out
of the way when not in use.
These and other objects are accomplished by a a carrier
for transporting a load at the rear of a vehicle comprising:
a hitch having a sleeve for removeable engagement to the
rear of said vehicle; a platform having a rod pivotally
received in said sleeve and being moveable from a horizontal
position for receipt of A load to a vertical position for
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stowage of said plat~orm; and a pin slideable in an aperture
formed in said sleeve and removeably receivable in a recess
formed in said rod for selectively locking said platform in
a hori~ontal position and in a vertical position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described in detail with reference to
the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the carrier of the
invention shown in conjunction with the rear portion of a
motor vehicle;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the carrier and a
load resting on the carrier;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the
carrier shown partly cut away;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the entire carrier;
Figure 5 is an elevation of the carrier and the rear of
a vehicle;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the
carrier shown in a position for stowage in solid lines and
in position for use in broken lines;
Figure 7 is an elevation of the rear portion of a
vehicle and the carrier in a position for stowage in solid
lines and in position for use in broken lines;
Figure 8 is an elevation of the carrier and the rear of
the vehicle; and
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the carrier and a
removable cover for a load restin~ on the carrier.
Like reference characters refer to like parts through-
out the description of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED ENBODIMENT
With reference to Figure l, the carrier of the inven-
tion, indicated generally lO, is shown in conjunction withthe rear of a motor vehicle, generally 12. The carrier
includes a platform 14 on which the load to be transported
rests. The platform is pivotally attached to the motor
vehicle by means of a hitch, generally 16. The load is
loaded onto the carrier and unloaded from it by means of
ramp l8.
With reference to Figures 2 and 3, a number of aper-
tures 22 are spaced along the platform adjacent to each of
its four edges. A load hidden by a cover or tarpaulin 24
rests on the platform. Eyelets 26 are arranged in rows
adjacent to each edge of the tarpaulin and the tarpaulin is
lashed to the platform by passing a cord or rope 28 alter-
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nately throu~h an aperture in the platform and through aneyelet in the tarpaulin. The tarpaulin protects the load
from inclement weather and from water and salt which splash-
es up from the road.
Other means may be used to removably attach -the tarp-
aulin to the platform. The tarpaulin may for example be
attached by dome or snap fasteners.
A pair of brackets 30, 32 is attached, such as by
welding, to the underside of the platform. Each bracket has
spaced upper and lower walls 34, 36 disposed parallel to the
platform and an intermediate wall 38 which extends there-
between.
The brackets define a compartment for ramp 18. As
illustrated in Figure 3, the lower walls of the brackets
support the side margins of ramp 18 when it is stowed in the
compartment &nd the intermediate walls contact its side
edges and prevent the ramp from moving lon~itudinally with
respect to the motor vehicle.
When the ramp is stowed in the compsrtment it is pre-
vented from moving by means such as one or more bolts (notillustrated) which pass through apertures formed in the ramp
and in the platform. The bolts are secured by means of wing
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nuts which may be readily loosened and separated from thebolts so that the bolts may be be removed from the aper-
tures. Once the bolts are removed the ramp may be withdrawn
from the compartment.
The ramp may be slid along the brackets and removed
from ei-ther end of the compartment for use. When the ramp is
;n the position illustrated in solid lines in Figure 1~ the
brackets support the edge 18a of the ramp while edge 18b
rests on the ground. When the ramp is in the position il-
lustrated in broken lines in the same Figure, edge 18b rests
on the brackets and edge 18a rests on the ground.
With reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5, a portion of the
platform closest to the vehicle is cut away at 40 for acco~~
modation of a sleeve 42 of hitch 16. A rod 44 is attached to
the platform and passes through the sleeve. A number of
tubes 46 are connected to the sleeve and extend laterally
outwardly from it. The tubes are parallel to one another and
each removably receives a bar 48 (Figure 5) disposed beneath
the vehicle.
Bars 48 may be attached to the undercarriage of the
vehicle by suitable means such as by welding and are ar-
ranged and constructed to be received within the tubes when
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the hitch is attached to the vehicle as illustrated in
Figure 5.
Each tube is provided with an aperture 50 which is in
register with a like aperture in each bar so that the tubes
and bars may be interconnected by means of bolts (not illus-
trated). In order to remove the hitch from the vehicle it is
merely necessary to re~ove the bolts from the apertures and
draw the hitch backward to withdraw the tubes from the bars.
With reference to Figures 6 and 7, the sleeve is pro-
vided with two apertures adjacent to each of its ends, oneof which 55a extends vertically downward from the upper wall
of the sleeve and the other of which 55b extends inwardly
from the side wall which faces the cut portion of the plat-
for~.
A recess 54 is formed in the rod adjacent to each end
of the tube. That recess extends vertically downward and is
in register with aperture 55a when the platform is in the
vertical position illustrated in solid lines in Figure 6.
When the platform is rotated to a horizontal position illus-
trated in broken lines in the same Figure, aperture 55b isin register with recess 54.
A pin 55 is slideably accommodated in each aperture
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56a, b. Each pin is removably received in recess 5~ in order
to selectively secure the platform in a vertical or a hor-
izontal position. In Figure 6 the pin 55 which is illustated
in solid lines has a shank which extends inwardly and down-
wardly through aperture 55a and terminates at an inner end.
That end is received in recess 54 and serves to maintain the
platform in a vertical position. When the pin is removed,
the platform can be rotated clockwise to a hori~ontal pos-
ition and maintained in that position by passing pin 52b
through aperture 55b and into recess 54. Preferably the pins
are held within the apertures by means of conventional coil
springs (not illustrated) which bias the pins into contact
with the rod.
With reference to Figure 4 at the side of the platform
opposite rod 44 is a panel 60 which is attached to the
platform by A hinge 6~. That panel is provided with an outer
face 64 on which are mounted conventional back-up lights 66
and a holder 68 for a licence plate.
As illustrated in Figure 7-panel 60 pivots as the
platform is rotated so that the outer face of the panel is
always vertical. The back-up lights and the licence are
accordingly always visible from the rear of the vehicle
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whether the platform is vertical as illustrated in Figure 8
or horizontal as illustrated in Pigure 9.
With reference to Figures 4 and 5, a curved bracket 70
is attached to the lower edge of panel 60 and a stud 72 fits
into an elongated slot 74 formed in the bracket. The ~tud
may be tightened and loosened in an aperture formed in the
ènd of the platform. Tightening brings the bracket into
contact with the platform and prevents the panel 60 from
swinging. Loosening of the stud allows the panel to swing
freely. The outer face of the panel may thus be secured in a
vertical position whether the platform is horizontal as
illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 or vertical as illustrated in
Figure 7.
It will be understood of course that modifications can
be made in the preferred embodiment illustrated and des-
cribed herein without departing from the scope and purview
of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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