Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ANTI-WOBBLE DEVICE FOR RECEIVER-TYPE TRAILER HItCH
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to receiver type trailer hitches, and more specifically
to a
s device for eliminating rattling due to movement of connecting parts in the
hitch.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In receiver-type hitches, in order to avoid seizing of the mount inside the
receiver
tube, the mount and receiver tube ace adapted to engage each other loosely-
the receiver tube is made wider or the mount is made nan~ower. Due to the
io receiver tube receiving the mount non-frictionly, there will consequently
result a
wobbling movement between the mount and the receiver tube causing vibrations
and rattling noises.
Various devices and methods have been invented to deal with this problem.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,656 issued May 7, 2002, to
is Johnson, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,989 issued August 22, 2000, to Linger;
U.S.
Pat. No. 5,988,667 issued November 23, 1999, to Young; U.S. Pat. No.
6,010,143 issued January 4, 2000, to Stein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,938 issued
October 17, 2000, to Speer; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,539 issued April 7, 1998,
to
Kravitz.
2o Although these devices and methods inhibit wobble movement of the mount
inside the receiver tube, they all require a considerable amount of skill and
effort,
and they are all time consuming. Therefore, there is a need for an eas~to-use,
quick-to-install, anti-wobble receiver-type trailer hitch device.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In response to this need, the present invention provides an anti-wobble
receiver-
type trailer hitch device comprising a receiver tube having an open end; a
mount
slidably insertable into and removable from the open end of the receiver tube,
the
s mount having a leading end for leading it into the receiver tube; an
elongated
embosser on at least one of said receiver tube and mount and parallel to its
longitudinal axis; and an elongated channel in the other of said receiver tube
and
mount, parallel to its longitudinal axis, and adapted to snugly engage said
embosser for locking the receiver tube and mount against wobbling movement.
io The present invention further provides an anti-wobble arrangement for use
with a
receiver-type trailer hitch having a receiver tube having an open end, and a
mount slidably insertable into and removable from the open end of the receiver
tube, comprising: an elongated embosser on at least one of said receiver tube
and mount and parallel to its longitudinal axis; and an elongated channel in
the
is other of said receiver tube and mount, parallel to its longitudinal axis,
and
adapted to snugly engage said embosser for locking the receiver tube and mount
against wobbling movement.
The present invention also provides the advantage of inhibiting wobbling
movement of the mount inside the receiving tube without requiring much effort
or
2o time to install. Other advantages will suggest themselves to those skilled
in the
art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention, its organization, construction and operation will be best
understood by reference to the following detailed description taken into
2s conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
s The following description shows only preferred embodiments of the present
invention. Various modifications are apparent to those skilled in the art
without
departing from the scope of the present invention, which is only limited by
the
appended claims. Therefore, the embodiments shown and described are only
illustrative, not restrictive.
io Also, throughout the following description, specific details are set forth
in order to
provide a more thorough understanding of the invention; the invention,
however,
may be practiced without these particulars. In other instances, well-known
elements have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily
obscuring of the invention.
is Referring to Figure 1, there is illustrated in a perspective view, an anti-
wobble
receiver-type trailer hitch device (generally indicated by reference numeral
100)
in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The
hitch
device includes a receiver tube 102, which is usually attached to the towing
vehicle, and a mount 101. The mount 101 telescopes with (and, specifically,
2o inserts into) the receiver tube 102, which is hollow.
When the mount 101 is fully telescoped to the receiver tube 102, a
conventional
cross pin (not shown) is inserted through the holes 106, 105 to hold the
components 102 and 101 together. The mount 101 may have a cut-off comer
108 to facilitate its insertion into the receiver tube 102.
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To prevent the seizing of the mount 101 inside the receiver tube 102, the
components (101, 102) are adapted to telescope loosely, resulting in the
wobbling of the mount 101 inside the receiver tube 102. In the present
invention,
to inhibit such wobbling, the bottom wall of the receiver tube 102 comprises
an
s elongated embosser (tongue) 104 along its longitudinal axis, while the
bottom
wall of the mount 101 comprises an elongated groove (channel) 103 along its
longitudinal axis. The embosser 104 and groove 103 are adapted so that when
the mount 101 is inserted into the receiver tube 102, the embosser 104 snugly
receives groove 103 locking the mount 101 against wobbling movement inside
io the receiver tube 102.
A conventional trailer ball 107 is attached to the other end of the mount 101
the
non-inserted end. While the preferred embodiment of the instant invention is
described in reference to a ball mount 101, it can be used without adaptation
or
with modification in conjunction with a variety of adapted mounts-mounts
is comprising a channel (or an embosser, as explained below-insertable and
removable into and from the receiver tube 102, such as hitch mountable bicycle
carriers, ski carriers, utility shelf carriers, truck ramps, truck-bed
extensions, and
other devices mountable to a receiver tube 102 of a receiver type trailer
hitch.
In this document, the embosser 104 and groove 103 were illustrated as being
2o formed along the bottom walls of the receiver tube 102 and mount 101,
respectively. This should be regarded as a preference, rather than a
restriction.
Also, Figures 1 and 2 show the embosser 104 and groove 103 along the middle
of the aforementioned walls. This, too, is not a restriction. Furthermore, the
invention would also work by having the embosser formed on the mount, and the
2s groove formed in the receiver tube.
The alternative embodiments discussed in the preceding paragraph are not
shown. However, Figure 2 shows yet another embodiment of the present
invention. (Like parts have been given the same reference numerals.) In this
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embodiment, the mount 201 is hollow (a sleeve) and the elongated channel is in
the form of a slot 203 formed along its bottom wall. Due to the thickness of
the
sleeve (not shown), the slot 203 has vertical walls (not shown), which snugly
engage the vertical walls 209 of the embosser 104 of the receiver tube 102 to
s inhibit any wobbling of the components 102, 201.
A portion of the top wall of the sleeve mount 201 can be curled to form a
handle-
like member 210 to be utilized in pulling the mount 201 out of the receiver
tube
102. Of course, the invention can be used with or without a handle--culled or
otherwise. For example, in the case of a ball mount, one could use the trailer
ball
lo 107 to pull the mount 201, 101 out of the receiver tube 102.
Other embodiments and uses of the invention will be apparent to those skilled
in
the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention
disclosed herein. The specification and examples should be considered
exemplary only and do not limit the intended scope of the invention.
s
