AU2012100198A4 - Elongate Load Supporting Structure for a Vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an elongate load supporting structure which includes an upright member, and a vehicle mount pivotably connected to the upright member. The invention also includes a lock which when engaged fixes the orientation of the upright member relative to the vehicle mount, and a lateral support connected to the upright member. This lateral support defines a cradle for a portion of an elongate load, where this cradle incorporates a resilient web. A method of loading an elongate load onto a vehicle is also within the scope of the invention. Figure la Figure lb 1 -7

Description

110(gkinmc .. meinnes patents AUSTRALIAN PATENT AMENDMENTS (INNOVATION PATENTS) ACT 2000 COMPLETE PATENT SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT Applicant: Rhino Rack Australia Pty Limited 3 Pike Street Rydalmere NSW 2116 Inventor(s): Richard Oswald Cropley Address for Service: HODGKINSON McINNES PATENTS Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys Level 21, 201 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 HMcIP Ref: P21383AU00 Invention Title: Elongate Load Supporting Structure for a Vehicle Details of Priority Application: Australian patent application no. 2011900763 in the name of Rhino Rack Australia Pty Limited, entitled: "Elongate load supporting structure for a vehicle" hodgkins 0'..... mcinnes patents AUSTRALIAN PATENT AMENDMENTS (INNOVATION PATENTS) ACT 2000 COMPLETE PATENT SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT Applicant: Rhino Rack Australia Pty Limited 3 Pike Street Rydalmere NSW 2116 Inventor(s): Richard Oswald Cropley Address for Service: HODGKINSON McINNES PATENTS Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys Level 21, 201 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 HMcIP Ref: P21383AU00 Invention Title: Elongate Load Supporting Structure for a Vehicle Details of Priority Application: Australian patent application no. 2011900763 in the name of Rhino Rack Australia Pty Limited, entitled: "Elongate load supporting structure for a vehicle" 2 ELONGATE LOAD SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR A VEHICLE TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an improved load supporting structure for a vehicle adapted to support long or elongate loads. The present invention also encompasses the method of configuring and using such a load supporting structure to both load and unload elongate loads. Reference in general throughout this specification will be made to the present invention being mounted to the rear of a road based vehicle to support elongate loads such as kayaks or canoes. The use of this invention with other types of vehicles and other types of elongate loads is however envisioned. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION In many instances it is of advantage for loads to be carried on the roof or the exterior of a vehicle and attached to a rack. Many types of conventional roof rack systems have been developed for road vehicles which allow large, bulky cargo to be secured to the roof of a vehicle without damaging a vehicle's paintwork. Roof racks generally allow a vehicle to carry significantly more cargo than would normally be possible by using the interior of the vehicle alone. Roof based cargo support systems are also useful when relatively long or oversized loads are to be carried by a vehicle. In a number of instances relatively long loads will not fit within the interior compartment of a vehicle and need to be secured to its exterior. However, with relatively long loads such as canoes or kayaks, only the centre sections of these types of vessels can be supported by a roof rack system. One attempt to address this issue has been through the provision of an additional 'T-Bar' or 'goal post' hitch which is mounted at the rear of a vehicle in addition to one or more transverse roof rack bars. Such goal post hitches can be used to support one end of a relatively long load whilst the 3 roof rack bars located towards the front end of the vehicle's roof support the opposite end or the centre of the load. One problem associated with the use of goal post hitches is the difficulty users experience lifting large, awkward loads up to the roof of their vehicle and subsequently manoeuvring these loads into alignment with both the roof rack bars and the goal post hitch. In the case of loads such as kayaks or canoes, the weight, size and length of the vessels can often prove difficult for two people to manoeuvre the vessel on or off the vehicle, and is almost impossible for one person to load or unload the vehicle. In the case of modern canoes or kayaks these vessels are often formed from light weight yet somewhat fragile materials such as fibreglass. Care needs to be taken when handling the vessels as they may easily be scratched and damaged if not adequately secured or if placed directly in contact with unyielding metal surfaces. In the case of these types of relatively fragile loads users generally need to employ some form of padding material which surrounds the roof rack bars. In general the bars of these roof racks placed in contact with these types of vessels are not customised to particular or specific hull shapes. This results in limited surface area contact, requiring these vessels to be strapped down tightly and putting localised loads on areas of the hull. It would therefore be of advantage to have an improved elongate load supporting structure for a vehicle which addressed any or all of the above issues. In particular, an elongate load supporting structure which allowed for the loading and unloading of loads from a vehicle easily and potentially by one person would be of advantage. Furthermore, an elongate load supporting structure which increased the contact surface area used to engage a load supporting structure with a load would also be of advantage.

4 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an elongated load supporting structure which includes: an upright member; a vehicle mount pivotably connected to the upright member; a lock which when engaged fixes the orientation of the upright member relative to the vehicle mount; and a lateral support connected to the upright member, the lateral support defining a cradle for a portion of an elongate load and wherein the cradle incorporates a resilient web. According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an elongate load supporting structure substantially as described above wherein the lateral support is connected to one end of the upright member and the vehicle mount is pivotably connected to an opposed end of the upright member. According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an elongate load supporting structure substantially as described above wherein the lateral support includes a pair of upright guide arms located at opposite ends of the lateral support. According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided an elongate load supporting structure substantially as described above wherein the cradle defined by the lateral support incorporates a resilient web located between the upright guide arms. Preferably, the resilient web is arranged to deform to provide a complimentary contact surface for an elongate load.

5 According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of loading an elongate load on to a vehicle using an elongate load supporting structure, characterized by the steps of: I. Pivoting an upright member of the support structure relative to a vehicle mount of the support structure to lower a lateral support connected to said upright member; II. Placing an end of the elongate load within a cradle defined by the lateral support to deform a resilient web of said cradle to provide a complimentary contact surface for the load; III. Sliding the elongate load through said cradle; IV. Pivoting the upright member relative to the vehicle mount to lift the elongate load; and V. Engaging a lock to fix the orientation of the upright member relative to the vehicle mount. The present invention provides a support structure which can be used in the transportation of elongate loads. This elongate load support structure is preferably adapted for use with road based vehicles. However those skilled in the art should appreciate that the present invention may be used in conjunction with other vehicles if required. Reference in general throughout this specification is made to the elongate loads supported by the invention being relatively long, lightweight, rigid, and fragile loads such as canoes, kayaks, surf ski's or other similar small water vessels. These types of vessels are usually operated by a single person and often this person acting alone is required to load and unload the vessel from a vehicle. Those skilled in the art should however appreciate that other forms of elongate loads may be supported in conjunction with the present invention. For example long lengths of lumber, piping or conduit materials may alternatively be supported if required.

6 The support structure provided includes an upright member. Preferably this upright member has a substantially vertical orientation when used to support an elongate load. An upright member can be used to lift a section of a load relative to a point on the vehicle to which the support structure is attached. The present invention also includes a vehicle mount which is used to connect the invention to a vehicle. Preferably the vehicle mount can be releasably engaged with a vehicle, allowing the invention to be removed from the vehicle when not required. In a preferred embodiment the vehicle mount may be adapted for connection to the rear of a vehicle. This connection may be provided by a customised connection to the rear of the vehicles chassis or through a connection to a conventional towing connection or tow ball of the vehicle. In alternative embodiments the vehicle mount may not necessarily be adapted for connection to the rear of a vehicle. For example, in an alternate embodiment the vehicle mount may be configured so as to engage with or attach to a region near the front bumper of a road vehicle, thereby allowing a portion of an elongate load to be supported towards the front of the vehicle. Reference in general throughout this specification is made to the preferred embodiment wherein the vehicle mount provided is releasably connected to a tow ball attachment of a vehicle located at the rear of a vehicle. As discussed above those skilled in the art should appreciate that these references should in no way be seen as limiting. Preferably the vehicle mount is pivotably connected to the upright member. This pivotal connection allows the relative orientation of the upright member to the vehicle mount to be modified depending on a user's requirements. For example, when the support structure is to be loaded or is in the process of being loaded the upright member may be orientated at an acute angle in relation to the rear of the vehicle and the surface of the road, thereby 7 reducing the effective height reached by the vehicle member. Alternatively when a load is to be supported the upright member may be orientated substantially perpendicular to the surface of the road, thereby providing the upright member with a substantially vertical orientation and maximising the height reached by the upper region of the upright member. In a further preferred embodiment the upright member may be pivotably connected to the vehicle mount through an axle system. An axle may be fixed onto or within either the vehicle mount or the upright member and allowed to rotate within a housing provided in the alternative component. For example, in a further preferred embodiment an axle may be fixed to the upright element and extend past the sides of the upright element into a complimentary bearing defined within the vehicle mount. In a preferred embodiment the present invention also includes a stop element. This stop element may be provided to prevent over rotation of the upright member relative to the vehicle mount. For example, in one embodiment a stop element may be formed from a projecting enclosure or bracket associated with the vehicle mount which provides a stop bar to prevent the travel of the upright member past a specific angle of rotation relative to the vehicle mount. Preferably the present invention also includes a lock which can be engaged or disengaged. The lock can be used to fix the orientation of the upright member with respect to the vehicle mount depending on whether - for example - a load is currently being supported, or if a load is being loaded or unloaded from the support structure. Such a lock can be used to fix the orientation of these two components and preferably is used to lock the upright member in a substantially vertical orientation when a load is to be supported. In a further preferred embodiment a lock may include a locking pin that is inserted through a set of aligned apertures formed in both the upright member and the vehicle mount. A locking pin is a relatively simple and effective form of locking system which can be readily employed by users.

8 The present invention also includes a lateral support connected to the upright member. The lateral support can define a cradle for a portion of the load to be supported, acting as a platform for one end of an elongate load. In a preferred embodiment a lateral support may incorporate a beam or length of material connected to the top of the upright member at approximately a right angle to the member, giving the lateral support a substantially horizontal orientation. In a preferred embodiment a lateral support may include a pair of upright guide arms, preferably positioned at either opposed end of the main body of the lateral support. In such embodiments the body of the lateral support may be formed by a substantially horizontally orientated beam where each of the guide arms can project up at substantially right angles from the ends of this beam to at least partially define the perimeter of the cradle. In a preferred embodiment the lateral support may also incorporate a resilient web located and supported between the upright guide arms of the lateral support. This resilient web can be arranged so as to deform according to the contours of the underside of a load placed in the cradle. The deformation of the resilient web provides a complimentary contact surface for the underside of a load placed within the cradle defined by the lateral support. This resilient web may be formed from a range of different types of material, such as tensioned strips of rubber or nylon webs for example. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that a range of resilient flexible materials may be employed in conjunction with the present invention to provide a resilient web. Reference in general throughout the specification is made to the cradle formed or defined by the lateral support including the main horizontal body or member of the lateral support, a pair of upright guide arms and the resilient web discussed above. However those skilled in the art should appreciate that other forms or arrangements of cradle may be defined by the lateral support in other embodiments.

9 For example, in one alternative embodiment the cradle provided by the lateral support may be implemented simply through the main body or horizontal member of the lateral support without any guide arms or resilient web. In other embodiments this cradle may be formed simply by the main horizontal member of the lateral support in addition to the pair of upright guide arms discussed above. Those skilled in the art should appreciate a range of different forms of cradle may be implemented in conjunction with the present invention. The elongate load support structure implemented in accordance with the present invention can provide a number of advantages over the prior art. Through the provision of a pivoting connection between the upright member and a vehicle mount an elongate load may be easily loaded onto the roof of a vehicle by one person only. This operation may be completed through the top of the upright member being lowered to allow the front end of a load to be placed onto the cradle provided by the lateral support. The load may then be slid through this cradle by a single person so that the front of the load will move up along the length of the vehicle and contact an additional support structure such as a roof rack. As the load progresses along the length of the roof the upright member may also be pivoted upwards to raise the end of the load as the end of this load comes into contact with the cradle. At all times within this loading process the elongate load can be controlled and lifted slowly onto the roof of the vehicle by a single person only. The opposite of this process can also be completed to unload the load in a controlled manner. Preferably the cradle defined by the lateral support can also include a resilient web which provides a complimentary contact surface for fragile or easily damaged loads such as canoes or kayaks. This resilient web can deform to wrap around the underside of loads and can also be placed under tension to provide a shock absorbing or cushioning system for loads during transportation.

10 In this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term "comprising" has the non-exclusive meaning of the word, in the sense of "including at least" rather than the exclusive meaning in the sense of "consisting only of". The same applies with corresponding grammatical changes to other forms of the word such as "comprise", "comprises" and so on. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures la and lb show side schematic diagrams of an elongate load supporting apparatus provided in a preferred embodiment. Figure la shows the apparatus in a loading/unloading configuration and Figure lb shows the apparatus a support configuration. Figure 2 shows a side cross section view of the embodiment shown in Figures la and 1b. Figures 3a and 3b show two end views of the cradle structure of the embodiment shown in Figure 1. Figure 3a shows the cradle structure when loaded with a load and Figure 3b shows the cradle structure when unloaded. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figures la, lb show side schematic diagrams of an elongate load supporting apparatus 1 provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment. Figure la shows the load supporting apparatus 1 arranged in a loading and unloading configuration, whereas figure lb shows the load supporting apparatus in a support configuration.

11 In the embodiments shown the load supporting apparatus 1 as illustrated includes an upright member 2 pivotably connected to a vehicle mount 3. The opposite end of the upright member 2 has a fixed connection to a lateral support 4 which defines a cradle for a portion of the load to be supported. Figures la and lb show two different orientations or configurations of the upright member 2 relative to the vehicle mount 3. In the loading/unloading configuration shown with respect to Figure la the upright member forms an acute angle in relation to the vehicle mount and the surface fo the road in order to reduce the effective height of the upright member and hence the height of the lateral support 4. Conversely, in the support configuration shown with respect to Figure 1b, the upright member 2 is substantially perpendicular in relation to the surface of the road, arranging the upright member in a substantially vertical orientation. In the support configuration the upright member maximises the height of the lateral support 4. The elongate load supporting apparatus 1 may be utilized to load kayaks, canoes, or other substantially elongate loads on to the roof of a vehicle. This process can be completed through rotating the upright member to the orientation shown in Figure la and placing one end of the elongate load preferably being a canoe or kayak - into the cradle defined by the lateral support 4. The load may then be slid through the cradle in a forward direction and the upright member 2 is pivoted to a vertical positional until the opposite end of the load is resident within the cradle of the lateral support 4 completing the loading procedure. Figure 2 shows a side cross-section view of the vehicle mount 3 illustrated in Figures la and 1b. The vehicle mount 3 is configured to engage with a conventional rear tow ball connection system of a road vehicle. The vehicle mount also incorporates a set of axle receiving bearings 5 with a form complimentary to 12 that of an axle defined in the base or bottom end of the upright member 2. A combination of the upright members' axle and these bearings within the vehicle mount provide a pivotal connection between the upright member and the vehicle mount. Figure 2 also illustrates the provision of a lock 6 in association with the vehicle mount 3. This lock is provided by a set of apertures defined within the bottom end of the upright member 2 and the vehicle mount which when aligned are arranged to receive a locking pin. The insertion of a locking pin through this aligned set of apertures engages the lock to fix the upright member in a substantially vertical orientation. Figure 2 also illustrates the provision of a stop element 7 in association with the vehicle mount. The stop element is preferably formed by a bracket arrangement which projects from one side of the vehicle mount and which impedes the rotation of the upright member past a specific angle with respect to the vehicle mount. This stop prevents the upright member being dropped into an entirely horizontal orientation and potentially colliding with a user or dropping and damaging the load that is to be supported. Figures 3a, 3b show end views of the load supporting structure shown in Figures la and 1b, in both a loaded (load not shown) and loading or unloaded position respectively. As can be seen from Figures 3a and 3b the cradle defined by the lateral support also incorporates a pair of upright guide arms 8 at either end of the horizontally orientated lateral support 4. At the top end at each of these guide arms a resilient web 9 is anchored to span the body of the lateral support. In the embodiment shown this resilient web 9 is provided by a tensioned nylon material strap strung between the ends of the two upright guide arms 8. The resilient web functions to provide a complimentary contact surface to the underside of any elongate load placed within the cradle of the lateral support. The weight of an end of a load will deform and depress the resilient web thereby forming a complimentary contact surface for the load on the lateral support.

13 In the embodiment shown, the web 9 also incorporates a section of padding material 10. This padding material is preferably made from a rubber or elastomer compound pad however those skilled in the art will appreciate other materials can be used and are within the scope of the invention. It will be apparent that obvious variations or modifications may be made which are in accordance with the spirit of the invention and which are intended to be part of the invention, and any such obvious variations or modifications are therefore within the scope of the invention. Although the invention is described above with reference to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is not limited to those embodiments, but may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims (7)

1. An elongate load supporting structure characterised in that the structure includes an upright member, a vehicle mount pivotably connected to the proximal end of the upright member and adapted for connection to a vehicle, a lock mechanism adapted to fix the orientation of the upright member relative to the vehicle mount, and a cradle arranged at the distal end of the upright member, configured to support a portion of an elongate load, said cradle incorporating a resilient web.

2. An elongate load supporting apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the cradle comprises a lateral support member and at least two upright guide arms located at opposite ends of the lateral support.

3. An elongate load supporting structure as defined in claim 2 wherein the cradle defined by the lateral support incorporates a resilient web located between the upright guide arms.

4. An elongate load supporting structure as defined in any one of the previous claims wherein the resilient web of the cradle is configured to deform to provide a complimentary contact surface for an elongate load.

5. An elongate load separating structure as defined in any one of the previous claims wherein the resilient web of the cradle is formed from a nylon material strap.

6. An elongate load separating structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the vehicle mount includes a stop bracket configured to limit the rotation of the upright member relative to the vehicle mount.

7. A method of loading an elongate load onto a vehicle using an elongate load supporting structure characterised by the steps of: 15 I. Pivoting an upright member of the support structure relative to a vehicle mount of the support structure to lower a lateral support connected to the upright member; II. Placing an end of the elongate load within a cradle defined by the lateral support to deform a resilient web of said cradle to provide a complimentary contact surface for the load; III. Sliding the elongate load through said cradle until the opposite end of the load is retained in the cradle; IV. Pivoting the upright member relative to the vehicle mount to lift the elongate load, and V. Engaging a lock to fix the orientation of the upright member relative to the vehicle mount.