Vehicular roof rack mounting bracket

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189420-B2
Application number	US-201514815525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2015
Priority date	Aug 5, 2014
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A vehicular roof rack mounting bracket configured to be secured onto load carrier bars of different dimensions is presented. The bracket can include a pair of elongate clamps configured to be coupled to a bicycle fork anchor of a bicycle carrier. Each clamp can have a bar engagement portion configured to abut an exterior of an elongate support bar of a vehicular roof rack in a secured configuration in which each clamp is fastened to the support bar, and each of the pair of clamps can have a lengthwise oriented longitudinal axis such that each longitudinal axis is oriented at an oblique angle relative to the other longitudinal axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bracket assembly for securing a bicycle anchor of a bicycle carrier to an elongate support bar of a vehicular roof rack, the bracket comprising:
a pair of elongate clamps configured to be coupled to a bicycle anchor of a bicycle carrier, each clamp having a first end, a second end, and a bar engagement portion configured to abut an exterior of an elongate support bar of a vehicular roof rack in a secured configuration in which each clamp is fastened to the support bar,
wherein each clamp has a lengthwise oriented longitudinal axis and each longitudinal axis is oriented at an oblique angle relative to the lengthwise oriented longitudinal axis of the bicycle carrier, such that a distance between the first ends is greater than a distance between the second ends.

2. The bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps are oriented in a V-shape.

3. The bracket assembly of claim 2 , wherein the angle between the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps is an acute angle.

4. The bracket assembly of claim 3 , wherein the acute angle between the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps is less than 45 degrees.

5. The bracket assembly of claim 4 , wherein the acute angle between the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps is greater than 10 degrees.

6. The bracket assembly of claim 3 , wherein the acute angle between the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps is greater than 10 degrees.

7. The bracket assembly of claim 2 , wherein each one of the pair of elongate clamps is spaced apart, one from the other.

8. The bracket assembly of claim 7 , wherein each one of the pair of elongate clamps is positioned abreast of the other.

9. The bracket assembly of claim 8 , wherein each one of the pair of elongate clamps has a front end and a backend, and wherein the front ends of the pair of elongate clamps are spaced apart from one another at a greater distance than the backends are spaced apart from one another.

10. The bracket assembly of claim 8 , wherein each one of the pair of elongate clamps has a front end and a backend, and wherein the pair of elongate clamps taper toward one another from the front ends of the pair of elongate clamps to the backends of the pair of elongate clamps.

11. The bracket assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a bicycle accessory receiving space located outboard of and adjacent to the backends of the pair of elongate clamps.

12. The bracket assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a pair of brake receiving spaces, each located outboard of and adjacent to opposite sides of the backends of the pair of elongate clamps.

13. The bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bar engagement portion comprises a turn handle configured to operably release the pair of elongate clamps.

14. The bracket assembly of claim 13 , wherein the turn handle is engaged when perpendicular to the lengthwise oriented longitudinal axis of each elongate clamp and released when parallel to the lengthwise oriented longitudinal axis of each elongate clamp.

15. A bicycle fork anchor of a bicycle carrier securable to an elongate support bar of a vehicular roof rack, the fork anchor comprising:
an anchor body of a bicycle carrier;
a pair of elongate clamps coupled to the anchor body, each clamp having an upwardly facing bar engagement portion configured to abut an exterior of an elongate support bar of a vehicular roof rack in a secured configuration in which each clamp is fastened to the support bar,
wherein each one of the pair of clamps has a lengthwise oriented longitudinal axis and each longitudinal axis is oriented at an oblique angle relative to a lengthwise oriented longitudinal axis of the bicycle carrier.

16. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 15 , wherein the anchor body further comprises a downwardly facing bar engagement portion configured to abut the exterior of the elongate support bar of the vehicular roof rack in the secured configuration in which each clamp is fastened to the support bar.

17. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 16 , wherein the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps are oriented in a V-shape.

18. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 17 , wherein the angle between the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps is an acute angle.

19. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 18 , wherein the acute angle between the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps is less than 45 degrees.

20. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 19 , wherein the acute angle between the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps is greater than 10 degrees.

21. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 18 , wherein the acute angle between the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps is greater than 10 degrees.

22. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 17 , wherein each one of the pair of elongate clamps is spaced apart, one from the other.

23. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 22 , wherein each one of the pair of elongate clamps is positioned abreast of the other.

24. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 23 , wherein each one of the pair of elongate clamps has a front end and a backend, and wherein the front ends of the pair of elongate clamps are spaced apart from one another at a greater distance than the backends are spaced apart from one another.

25. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 23 , wherein each one of the pair of elongate clamps has a front end and a backend, and wherein the pair of elongate clamps taper toward one another from the front ends of the pair of elongate clamps to the backends of the pair of elongate clamps.

26. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 25 , further comprising a brake receiving space located outboard of and adjacent to the backends of the pair of elongate clamps.

27. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 25 , further comprising a pair of brake receiving spaces, each one located outboard of and adjacent to opposite sides of the backends of the pair of elongate clamps.

28. The bicycle fork anchor of claim 15 , wherein each of the pair of elongate clamps is located entirely beneath the anchor body in the secured configuration.

29. A bracket assembly for securing at least part of a sports equipment load carrier to an elongate support bar of a vehicular roof rack, the bracket assembly comprising:
a pair of elongate clamps configured to be coupled to a part of a sports equipment load carrier, each clamp having a bar engagement portion configured to abut an exterior of an elongate support bar of a vehicular roof rack in a secured configuration in which each clamp is fastened to the support bar,
wherein each one of the pair of clamps has a lengthwise oriented longitudinal axis and each longitudinal axis is oriented at an oblique angle relative to the other longitudinal axis,
wherein the lengthwise oriented longitudinal axes are in a common plane.

30. The bracket assembly of claim 29 , wherein the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps are oriented in a V-shape.

31. The bracket assembly of claim 30 , wherein the angle between the longitudinal axes of the pair of elongate clamps is an acute angle.

Assignees

• Thule Sweden Ab

Inventors

• Settelmayer Joseph

Classifications

• B60R9/042

  Carriers characterised by means to facilitate loading or unloading of the load, e.g. rollers, tracks, or the like · CPC title

• B60R9/08

  specially adapted for sports gear (vehicles specially adapted for carrying aeroplanes, for carrying boats B60P) · CPC title

• B60R9/052

  Carriers comprising elongate members extending only transversely of vehicle (B60R9/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R9/10 Primary

  for cycles · CPC title