AU8951598A - Vehicle protector for use with towing - Google Patents

Description

Lhi, P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: VEHICLE PROTECTOR FOR USE WITH TOWING 4* .o o~ ft Applicant: JOHN KAYSER FLAVEL The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:

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i: ;r i' i:i i: -2- VEHICLE PROTECTOR FOR USE WITH TOWING Field of the Invention This invention relates to a vehicle protector for use with towing, which will deflect stones downwardly from their upward trajectory when they are displaced by the rear wheels of a towing vehicle, thereby avoiding the stones impacting against the front of a towed vehicle.

Backgro L J of the Invention A great deal of superficial damage occurs on the front panels of towed vehicles due to stones being lifted from the road surface by the rear wheels of a towing vehicle. Additional, significant damage can often occur to the rear panels of S 15 towing vehicles, due to stones bouncing from the towed vehicle against the towing vehicle. This greatly reduces the value of both vehicles, and under some circumstances it is possible for windows of caravans, station wagons and four wheel drive vehicles to be broken by stones.

20 It is an aim of the present invention to provide a vehicle protector which will prevent stones damaging towed and towing vehicles, and which will cater for the changes in relationship between towed and towing vehicles when the towing vehicle turns a comer.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a vehicle protector for use with towing, the protector including an auxiliary bumper bar for attachment to a towing vehicle, a swivel arm assembly for attachment to a towed vehicle, and at least one canopy t securable substantially horizontally between the swivel arm assembly and the towed vehicle, wherein the swivel arm assembly includes a pair of arms extending naway from opposite sides of a substantially centrally located mounting member, -t -3each arm capable of swivelling towards the towed vehicle about the mounting member against a resilient bias.

In this form of the invention, when the towing vehicle turns, one end of its auxiliary bumper bar will come into contact with the opposed arm of the swivel arm assembly, and will urge the arm towards the towed vehicle against the resilient bias. Once the alignment of the towed vehicle and towing vehicle returns, the resilient bars urges the swivel arm to return to its at rest position.

This allows the swivel arm assembly to be located closely adjacent the auxiliary bumper bar (and indeed, near the towing vehicle bumper bar), leaving very little gap therebetween for the passage of stones or the like. The canopy thus covers enough of the space between the rear of the towing vehicle and the front of the towed vehicle to prevent stones hitting the towed vehicle.

As far as is known to the applicant, canopies have not previously been employed between towed and towing vehicles. It is envisaged thot a reason for this is that it S would be necessary for the canopies to be carried by one only of the vehicles, using a rigid frame. However, the use of such a rigid frame would clearly interfere A 20 with the turning of the two vehicles when hitched together.

Detailed Description of the Invention I A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings. However, it must be appreciated that the following description is not to limit the generality of the above description.

In the drawings: I

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Figure 1A is a part perspective view of a towed vehicle showing the swivel arms and canopy of a vehicle protector in accordance with a preferred embodiment of -Dl_ the present invention; 1

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Figure lB is a part perspective view of the rear end of a towing vehicle towing the auxiliary bumper bar arrangement of the vehicle protector of Figure 1A; Figure 2 is a plan view of the vehicle protector of Figures 1A and 1B in use; and Figure 3 is an isometric view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring first to Figures IA and 1B, a motor vehicle 10 is arranged as a towing vehicle and a trailer 11 as a towed vehicle. They are shown separated and only in 19 their adjacent situations before the trailer 11 is hitched to the motor vehicle The motor vehicle 10 is provided with a towbar assembly 12 which includes an o. addition to the conventional towbar 13, a transversely extending auxiliary bumper Sbar 14 which terminates as its ends in two vertically extending bars 15. The bars need not necessarily always extend precisely vertically but can slope to suit specific requirements. The bumper bar 14 may also include adjusting means at its ends to allow for the adjustment of the bars 15 towards and away from the rear of Sthe motor vehicle.

8 ,The trailer 11 is provided with a draw bar 18 in accordance with conventional construction, and the draw bar 18 terminates at its front end in a tow hitch 19 which is again conventional. However, attached to the tow hitch 19 at a location ii substantially central is a mounting member 20. The mounting member 20 has hinged to it a pair of swivel arms 21 (one being shown in a somewhat retracted position, and the other in an extended position), and the swivel arms 21 carry the S 25 forward ends of a mesh canopy 22 which is secured at its rear end at 23 to the front part of the tray of the trailer 11.

Referring now to the towbar assembly 12 in more detail, the auxiliary bumper bar 14, is preferably provided with means (not shown) to inhibit any tendency to rotate, and the towbar 14 is secured by means of a bolt (not shown) which also functions to secure the tow ball i 1 The hitch arrangement 19 on the trailer 11 is substantially in accordance with known art, but the mounting member 20 is secured rearwardly of the tow hitch 19 as best seen in Figure 2. It should be noted at this stage that Figure 2 illustrates a poor condition (from the point of view of normally accepted driving conditions) where there is very little distance between the trailer 11 and the towing vehicle so that the tow hitch 19 is drawn very short. Notwithstanding this, the invention is quite capable of functioning satisfactorily.

The tow hitch assembly 19 is conventionally provided with clamping bolts for securing to the draw bar 18, but these are not hE illustrated. However, they are utilised to secure the mounting member 20 which, as shown in Figure 3, may be a rectangular hollow tube. The mounting member 20 can be fitted to alternative vehicles by merely removing two bolts and securing to another vehicle.

15 Near each end of the hollow tube, the rearwardly facing vertical wall 27 is relieved at 29 to provide a space for the square tubular swivel arms 21 to swivel in a rearward direction. The swivel arms swivel about a swivel pin 28, but only when they are abutted by the vertically extending bars 15 of the auxiliary bumper bar 14 -that is, during a turning motion between the towing and the towed vehicles.

A resilient bias is provided by spring means 30 which urge the swivel arms to their at rest positions as shown in Figure 2. The soring means 30 illustrated are double helical torsion springs having their intermediate portion 31 secured to the forward facing vertical wall of the mounting member 20 by a fastener 32, while the two outwardly extending arms 33 bear against vertically extending abutment posts 34.

Each swivel arm 21 has two posts 34 which are aligned, one extending vertically upwardly and the other vertically downwardly, to accommodate top and bottom springs as shown in Figure 1A. However, it will be appreciated that other simple spring means can be incorporated if so desired.

The canopy 22 may be constructed as shown in Figure 3. A length of rope 36 is sewn in a hem 37 of the canopy 22, and thereby retained in a section extrusion 38 which is secured to the underface of the swivel arm 21. The rear end is also

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6"MWI i Clwa-kw Ur-I 1.-3 l*BCli;( similarly secured to the trailer 11. Of course, other joining arrangements may be adopted as necessary. Further in relation to the canopy 22, it will be appreciated that the canopy may be provided as a single canopy or as a plurality of pieces.

Additionally, the canopy may be made so as to include openings or apertures to fit around parts aid accessories on a towed vehicle. For instance, a caravan may include a gas bottle seated un the draw bar thereof, and the canopy may be made so as to snugly fit around tre gas bottle.

Finally, the swivel arm assembly may be mounted such that the canopy is inclined downwardly towards the towed vehicle. The angle of inclination wili generally not be substantial, and thus the canopy may still be regarded as being configured substantially horizontal. For instance, an inclination from horizontal in the order of up to 200 (but preferably only up to 1U0) is envisaged as possibly being useful.

15 There are a number of advantages with the vehicle protector described in the above embodiment. Firstly, it will be readily seen that the swivel arms 21 can be partly rotated about their respective swivel pins 28 by an ample amount to enable negotiation of curves likely to be encountered by the towingltowed vehicle combination. Also, the construction is very simple and inexpensive.

l- \Further, the amount of sag of the canopies 22 is small because the sag will lend to occur only on the outer edges by an amount insufficient for the canopy material to encounter the ground, and this will only be in very unusual circumstances. The spring arms 33 can be readily lifted away from the swivel arms 21 for garaging of the trailer for example. When this occurs, the swivel arms 21 can fold back to overlie the towbar 18.

Details of construction can of course be varied within a wide range, notwithstanding that the arrangement described herein and illustrated in the accompanying sketches constitutes the simplest and most effective known to the -A applicant at the time of preparing this specification. -U--lll -p-----8a~Qll In particular, the description heretofore has been directed mainly to a light-weight towed vehicle, but the arrangement shown is equally applicable to a heavier vehicle, the necessary changes being made.

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Claims (7)

1. A vehicle protector for use with towing, the protector including an auxiliary bumper bar for attachment to a towing vehicle, a swivel arm assembly for attachment to a towed vehicle, and at least one canopy securable substantially horizontally between the swivel arm assembly and the towed vehicle, wherein the swivel arm assembly includes a pair of arms extending away from opposites sides of a substantially centrally located mounting member, each arm being capable of swiveling towards the towed vehicle S about the mounting member against a resilient bias.

2. A vehicle protector according to claim 1 wherein the auxiliary bumper bar terminates at its ends in two substantially vertically extending bars.

3. A vehicle protector according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each arm co- acts with the mounting member via a spring means which provides the resilient bias. 20

4. A vehicle protector according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein at least one canopy is secured between the towed vehicle and the arms of the swivel arm assembly. Al

5. A vehicle protector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the vertically extending bars on the auxiliary bumper bar are capable of adjustment towards or away from the towing vehicle.

6. A vehicle protector according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein at least one canopy is inclined downwardly towards the towed vehicle. A 7 B -9-

7. A vehicle protector according to claim 1 substantially as herein described in relation to the accompanying drawings. DATED 26 October 1998 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for JOHN KAYSER FLAVEL '4. 1.. r