Demarcated height adjustable load carrier rack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9725046-B2
Application number	US-201313946557-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2013
Priority date	Jul 31, 2012
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A height adjustable load carrier rack for a vehicle including a base member and an upright leg is disclosed. The base member can be mountable on a vehicle. The upright leg can be configured to be variously coupled to the base member at discrete locations along a length of the upright leg. Additionally, the upright leg can have a demarcated portion including a plurality of position labels, each label can signify individual ones of a plurality of discrete position settings of the upright leg relative to the base member. The base member can be configured to alternately engage with each of the plurality of the discrete locations along the length of the upright leg for height setting the load carrier rack in dependence upon user-selection among the position labels of the demarcated portion of the upright leg.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A height adjustable load carrier rack for a vehicle, comprising:
a cross bar;
an upright leg coupled to the cross bar and comprising a demarcated portion having a plurality of position labels indicating discrete positions along a length of the upright leg; and
a base member configured to be mounted on a bed rail of the vehicle, the base member comprising:
an elongate member comprising a receiving passage for the upright leg having an open top and open bottom disposed offset to an interior side of the bed rail of the vehicle,
a rotatable biasing knob, and
an internal plate coupled to the biasing knob having an interference surface comprising a first projection and a trough configured to engage and release the upright leg,

wherein the upright leg is generally perpendicular to the base and configured to be slidably disposed through the receiving passage, and
wherein the internal plate is configured to alternately engage the discrete positions along the length of the upright leg to set a height of the load carrier rack.

2. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second upright leg coupled to the cross bar and comprising a demarcated portion having a plurality of position labels indicating discrete positions along a length of the second upright leg; and
a second base member configured to be mounted on a second bed rail of the vehicle, the second base member comprising:
an elongate member comprising a receiving passage for the second upright leg having an open top and open bottom disposed offset to an interior side of the second bed rail of the vehicle,
a rotatable biasing knob, and
an internal plate coupled to the biasing knob having an interference surface configured to engage and release the second upright leg,

wherein the cross bar is coupled to an end of the first upright leg and an end of the second upright leg.

3. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a bolt coupled to the base member and a threaded portion of the rotatable biasing knob.

4. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 3 , wherein the bolt is disposed through an aperture in the internal plate.

5. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 1 , wherein rotating the biasing knob moves the internal plate towards and away from the upright leg.

6. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a biasing spring disposed between a side face of the elongate member and the internal plate.

7. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first projection and the trough of the interference surface correspond with a groove and a ridge on the upright leg.

8. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 1 , wherein the internal plate is circular.

9. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 1 , wherein the interference surface comprises a second projection, and wherein the trough separates the first and second projection.

10. A height adjustable load carrier rack for a vehicle, comprising:
an elongate base member;
at least one upright leg coupled to the elongate base member; and
a cross bar coupled to the at least one upright leg,
wherein the elongate base member is configured to be mounted on a bed rail of the vehicle, the elongate base member including a biasing knob coupled to an interference surface having a plurality of elongate projections configured to be engaged and released from the at least one upright leg, wherein the biasing knob is configured to be actuated by rotation about an axis through and perpendicular to the at least one upright leg,
wherein the at least one upright leg is disposed generally perpendicular to the elongate base member and configured to be variously coupled to the elongate base member at discrete locations along a length of the at least one upright leg,
wherein the at least one upright leg comprises a demarcated portion comprising a plurality of position labels, each label signifying individual ones of a plurality of discrete position settings of the at least one upright leg relative to the elongate base member, and
wherein the elongate base member is configured to alternately engage with each of the plurality of the discrete locations along the length of the at least one upright leg for height-setting the load carrier rack in dependence upon user-selection among the position labels of the demarcated portion of the upright leg.

11. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
a plurality of elongate base members, each configured to be mounted on a bed rail of the vehicle; and
a plurality of upright legs configured to be variously coupled, one each to a respective one of the plurality of elongate base members, at discrete locations along a length of the respective upright leg.

12. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 11 , wherein the plurality of elongate base members number four and the plurality of upright legs number four.

13. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 10 , wherein each position label is alphabetic.

14. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 10 , wherein each position label is numeric.

15. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 10 , wherein each position label is alphanumeric.

16. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 10 , wherein each of the at least one upright legs has a top end and the demarcated portion of each of at least one upright legs is similarly positioned with respect to the top end of the respective at least one upright legs, and
wherein each top end of the at least one upright legs is configured to engage with an upper support.

17. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 10 , wherein the plurality of discrete locations along the length of the at least one upright leg with which the elongate base member alternately engages are formed by a series of alternating troughs and ridges.

18. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 17 , wherein the series of alternating troughs and ridges that form the plurality of discrete locations along the length of the at least one upright leg are formed in a strip of material of the demarcated portion of the at least one upright leg.

19. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 17 , wherein the series of alternating troughs and ridges that form the plurality of discrete locations along the length of the at least one upright leg are formed in a strip of material of the demarcated portion of the at least one upright leg, wherein the strip of material is releasably coupled to the remainder of the demarcated portion.

20. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 17 , wherein the series of alternating troughs and ridges that form the plurality of discrete locations along the length of the at least one upright leg are formed in a strip of material of the demarcated portion of the at least one upright leg, wherein the strip of material is coupled to the remainder of the demarcated portion.

21. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 20 , wherein the plurality of position labels are demarcated on the strip of material.

22. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 21 , wherein the plurality of demarcated position labels are printed on the strip of material.

23. The height adjustable rack as recited in claim 21 , wherein the plurality of demarcated position labels are embossed upon the strip of material.

24. The height adjustable

Assignees

• Thule Sweden Ab

Inventors

• Perry Steven Robert

Classifications

• B60R9/06 Primary

  at vehicle front or rear {(rear luggage compartments within vehicle extensible externally of the vehicle body B60R5/041)} · CPC title

• B60R9/045 Primary

  Carriers being adjustable or transformable, e.g. expansible, collapsible {(transformable into tents B60P3/36; into beds B60P3/38)} · CPC title