WO1995019524A1

WO1995019524A1 - Universal holder

Info

Publication number: WO1995019524A1
Application number: PCT/SE1995/000005
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tommy Petersson
Original assignee: Tommy Petersson
Priority date: 1994-01-17
Filing date: 1995-01-05
Publication date: 1995-07-20
Also published as: SE9400122D0; SE501502C2; SE9400122L

Abstract

A universal holder for mounting of car accessories, like e.g. extra headlights, consisting of a mounting bracket (40) and a support arm (50). The mounting bracket consists of two opposite U-shaped elements (1, 2) which can be slidably fitted inside each other and be locked in the required position by means of screw joints through holes (13, 23) in the upstanding legs. Due to the special design of the holes (13) in at least one of the pairs of upstanding legs, the centre rib parts (10, 20) of the U-shaped elements are rotatable through at least ± 90° relative to each other as well as simultaneously slidable relative to each other in two planes, after which they can be locked together in the required position with the screw joints. The mounting bracket is compact and intended for mounting on an arbitrarily inclined surface on the vehicle by means of externally accessible screw joints. The invention also comprises a support arm (50) which is adjustable longitudinally as well as angularly. The forward arm part is a wire design so as to be easy to cut to the desired mounting length. The mounting bracket as well as the support arm are preferably made from stainless steel.

Description

UNIVERSAL HOLDER

Technical area

The present invention relates to a universal holder for fitting of e.g. car accessories like supplementary head- lighζs„ antennae etc., consisting of a mounting bracket and a supplementary support arm for fixing the accessory with one or two fastening points and at the same time preventing vibrations of the accessory when driving.

State of the art

Extra headlights are one of the most common accessories for passenger cars and lorries, having been used for many years. The same is of course valid for the mounting brackets for these accessories. However, especially pas- senger cars have developed considerably since the time when the extra lights became standard accessories. The car design has developed towards a closer integration and assembly of all components closer to each other, espe¬ cially at the front of the car, in order to achieve less air resistance, and the shapes have become more and more rounded. On the material side, the trend has been towards ever more corrosion protected or corrosion-free materi¬ als. Bumpers that were previously made of steel are today manufactured almost exclusively from plastic resins.

The mounting brackets for extra lights do not seem to have developed at the same pace. The mountings available on the market today still consist of fairly crude, bent steel bars, with or without an anti-corrosive zinc plating and/or an enamel coating. In fact the mounting brackets of today look the same as in those days when car bumpers were made of chromed steel sheets mounted on horizontal longitudinal flat-iron brackets.

In time with the car design becoming more modernised and encapsulated, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find easily accessible fixation points for these mounting brackets, which has lead to their being today both long and heavy, with a complicated shape and consisting of many parts. Furthermore, different mounting brackets are usually required for every car model, and even for different year models of the same car model, as the design behind today's plastic shells are often also modi¬ fied for new year models. Also, the assembly of the brackets is becoming complicated, as part of bumpers, spoilers and covers must often be removed for access during assembly. All this makes both the brackets and their mounting unnecessarily costly.

Object of the invention

The object of the present invention is a. o. to provide a universally adaptable mounting system for e.g. extra lights on cars and lorries, antennae on lorries and agri¬ cultural tractor cabs, etc., which is adapted to today's technology, which is easy to fit on the exterior of rounded car fronts and cabin shapes etc., which is stur¬ dily fixed and which can be used in the same design on most car models on the market. Furthermore, the design must be corrosion-resistant.

These objects are achieved according to the present invention by a universal holder, the characteristics of which will be evident from the accompanying patent claims . Detailed description of the invention

The invention will be described in detail below, by way of embodiment examples, referring to the enclosed draw¬ ings, whereby:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of all component parts of a first preferred embodiment of the invention, with the mounting bracket 40 as well as the support arm 50 in a disassembled state,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled mounting bracket 40 according to Fig. 1, with the two U- profiles somewhat displaced vertically and with their centre rib parts parallel to each other,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the assembled mounting bracket 40 according to Fig. 1 with the two U- profiles in a maximally displaced vertical, somewhat horizontally displaced and at the same time angled, position,

Fig. 4 is a top view of the assembled support arm 50, with the shorter, rear arm part fastened to the forward arm part in a suitable longitudinal dis¬ placement position and angled to fit the loca¬ tion of an appropriate fastening hole on the vehicle, while the forward, wire-shaped arm part is ready to have its rear superfluous ends cut of and its front end eye is ready for affixing to the headlight,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of all component parts of a second preferred embodiment of the invention, with the mounting bracket 40 as well as the support arm 50 in a disassembled state, Fig. 6 shows a section of a modern car bumper having mounting brackets 40 according to the present invention fitted on three differently angled exterior surfaces of the bumper, whilst still allowing the accessory to be fitted on a hori¬ zontally or vertically positioned centre rib part 10, whichever is required.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a support arm 50, fit¬ ted between the body of an extra headlight and a suitable, preferably hidden, mounting location on the front of the vehicle.

The first preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in Figs. 1-4 comprises a mounting bracket 40 and a support arm 50 as necessary. The mounting bracket is made of two U-shaped elements 1, 2, and a screwed joint, in the first preferred embodiment consisting of two screws 3, locking washers 4 and 5, and of two threaded holes 23 in the upstanding legs 21 of one of the U-shaped elements, 2, into which the screws 3 can be fitted and tightened up. The upstanding legs 11 of the other U- shaped element, 1, are each equipped with an L-shaped slot having the centreline of one leg 14 thereof located in a plane perpendicular to the main area of the centre rib part 10 and the centreline of the other leg 15 of said slot located in a plane parallel to said main area. The adjustment of the bracket is thus done by both turn¬ ing one U-shaped element with the two screws 3 as turning centre and displacing said element in two planes by letting the screws 3 slide in either one or the other pair of legs of the slots 13. When the wanted position has been obtained, the screws 3 are tightened up. How the screw joint and the mounting bracket 40 look and function in an assembled state can be clearly seen from Figs. 2 and 3. From these figures it can also be understood how one of the U-shaped elements 1 of the mounting bracket 40 can be turned through ± 90^* as well as be displaced along the two legs 14, 15 of the L-shaped slot 13 in two planes relative to the other U-shaped element 2, in order to provide an optimally adjusted position for e.g. an extra headlight being mounted on the vehicle by means of the universal mounting bracket according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a corresponding view as in Fig. 1, but of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the upstanding legs 11 resp. 21 of both U-shaped elements 1, 2, show identical L-shaped holes 13. The screwed joint in this embodiment consists of screws 3, washers 4 and 5, and of separate nuts 31, as the threaded holes 23 in the legs 21 have been replaced with said slot 13. Otherwise, the design is identical to the one of the first preferred embodiment. This embodiment provides a still larger adjustment range in said two planes.

The centre rib part 10 of one of the U-shaped elements 1 is equipped with a mounting hole 12 adapted to commonly used sizes of mounting bolts of extra headlights and radio antennae, etc. The centre rib part 20 of the other U-shaped element 2 is equipped with a number, e.g. four, of holes 22 for e.g. fastening screws intended for fastening the mounting bracket to a suitable surface on the vehicle, e.g. on the front bumper or on a so called front spoiler, when fitting extra lights on cars.

The mounting bracket 40 according to the present inven- tion thus provides the possibility of simple mounting on external, narrow, inclined surfaces, without any time- consuming dismounting of bumper sections, cover plates or similar, and without making recesses in spoilers or other masking equipment in order to lead a fastening bracket down to a mounting point behind the front of the vehicle. These properties make the mounting bracket according to the invention suit almost all car models available today independently of model year, which eliminates the large number of special versions that the conventional technol- ogy has heretofore demanded.

Said mounting bracket 40 also provides an advantage compared to conventional mounting brackets, that it is very compact and will thus allow an extremely short distance between the fastening point to the car body and the fastening point to the extra headlight. This property will substantially reduce the tendency of vibration of the light during driving, which means that the, for con¬ ventional brackets, absolutely essential support arm 50 in many cases can be eliminated, when using the bracket according to the present invention.

A further advantage, especially with the first preferred embodiment, is that all screwed joints are easily acces- sible, as the U-shaped element 2 is fitted on the vehicle before assembly with the second U-shaped element 1, which in turn is first mounted to the fastening bolt of the extra headlight or antenna. Thereafter, the two bracket halves 1 and 2 are easily joined together from the sides, using the two screws 3 with adherent washers 4 and 5 which are screwed into the threaded holes 23, everything easily accessible from the outsides of the bracket 40.

The support arm 50, shown disassembled in Figs. 1 and 5, and assembled in Fig. 4, consists of a forward part 6 made of stainless steel wire, having a fastening eye 61 at the front end to be attached to the housing of the extra headlight which may need to be supported. The rear part 7 of the support arm consists of an as such known plate design which is clamped, with the aid of a screw passing through a hole 71 and a threaded nut plate 9, at any desired longitudinal position, on said forward part 6. The difference between the support arm according to the invention and conventional support arms is partly that the forward part 6 is made of a wire instead of a plate, which makes it simple to cut off superfluous parts 62 of said front part 6 after completed assembly, using only a pair of wire nippers, and partly that the side walls of the nut plate 9 are not higher as to allow the rear part 7 to be angled to the side, should that be more suitable than running it in a straight rearwards line, during assembly. The plate 7 also has two mounting holes 72 for fastening to a suitable point on the front of the vehicle, and it may be bent to a suitable angle as neces- sary.

The material used in the mounting bracket 40 as well as in the support arm 50 and all adhering screw joints is preferably stainless steel, which allows an elegant surface finish and secures a holder having a long service life without needing additional surface treatment.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment examples described above, but other variants are foreseeable within the scope of the below patent claims.

Thus, the centre rib part 10 intended for connection to the fastening bolt of the extra headlight may be manufac¬ tured with a spherically indented surface around the hole 12, where a corresponding spherical connection body on the headlight can fit, whereby further adjustment possi¬ bilities, such as tilting in yet another plane, are created.

The dimensions of the integral parts may of course also be varied, such as the height of the upstanding legs 11, 21, of the U-shaped parts and/or the length of the slot legs 14 and 15, etc.

Claims

Patent Claims

Universal holder for mounting of e.g. car accessories, like supplementary headlights, antennae etc., on vehic- les, consisting of a mounting bracket (40) and a support arm (50) , the mounting bracket consisting of two opposite U-shaped elements (1, 2) having a design to allow the legs (21) of one U-shaped element (2) to fit inside or outside of the corresponding legs (11) of the other U- shaped element (1), both leg pairs (11 resp. 21) of both U-shaped elements (1, 2) being provided with assembly holes (13, 23) which can be located to a common turning axle and are intended for a rotary and lockable joining of the leg pairs of the two U-shaped elements by means of screw joints (3, 4, 5, 23 resp. 3, 4, 5, 31), one U- shaped element (2) being provided with a number of holes (22) in its centre rib part (20), whereby said holes are intended for fastening devices (e.g. screw joints) to be applied against a suitable surface on said vehicle, and the other U-shaped element (1) being provided with one hole (12) in its centre rib part (10), whereby said hole is intended for mounting of a required accessory, and the support arm (50) comprising two mutually displaceable and lockable arm parts (6, 7), c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the centre rib parts (10, 20) of both U-shaped elements (1, 2) of the mounting bracket (40) are, through the design of said assembly holes (13, 23) which can be located to a common turning axle, on said leg pairs (11, 21), rotatable through at least ± 90' relative to each other and at the same time slidable relative to each other in two planes, and can be locked in the required position after adjustment by means of said screw joints, and in that said mounting bracket (40) is very compact and intended for mounting on a horizontal, vertical or inclined surface by means of screw or rivet joints acces¬ sible from the outside.

2. Universal holder according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said rotatability, slidability and lockability is obtained by the assembly holes in the upstanding legs (11) of one of the U-shaped elements (1) being designed like L-shaped slots (13) located with the centreline of one slot leg (14) in a plane perpendicular to the main area of said centre rib part (10) of said U-shaped element (1) and the centreline of the other slot leg (15) in a plane parallel to the main area of said centre rib part (10) of said U-shaped element (1), whereas the upstanding legs (21) of the other U-shaped element (2) have circular holes (23) having substantially the same diameter as the width of the L-shaped slot (13), and in that the upstanding legs (11, 21) are joined and locked by screw joints.

3. Universal holder according to claims 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said circular assem¬ bly holes (23) in one of the U-shaped elements (2) are equipped with threads for assembly screws (3) and in that the upstanding leg pairs (11, 21) are joined with two separate screw joints.

4. Universal holder according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that that said rotatabil¬ ity, slidability and lockability is obtained by the assembly holes in the upstanding legs (11, 21) of both U- shaped elements (1, 2) being designed like L-shaped slots (13) located with the centreline of one slot leg (14) in a plane perpendicular to the main area of said centre rib part (10) of said U-shaped element (1) and the centreline of the other slot leg (15) in a plane parallel to the main area of said centre rib part (10) of said U-shaped element (1) , in that the U-shaped elements are turned during assembly so that the slot legs (15) which are parallel to the centre rib parts (10, 20) of the respec- tive U-shaped elements (1, 2) point in opposite direc¬ tions relative to a plane through' the centrelines of those slot legs (14) which are perpendicular to said centre rib parts, and in that the upstanding leg pairs (11, 21) are joined and locked with two separate screw joints (3, 4, 5, 31) .

5. Universal holder according to any one of the above claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the two main parts (6, 7) of the support arm (50) are adjustable in the longitudinal direction as well as being rotatable, relative to each other, in that the forward, longer part (6) of the support arm is designed as a wire loop which can easily be adjusted in length after assembly by cutting off superfluous wire length (62) by e.g. a pair of wire nippers, whereas the shorter rear part (7) consists of a plate bar which may be easily bent for adaptation to an angled attachment surface, and in that the material in the mounting bracket (40) as well as in the support arm (50) and all screw joints is stainless steel.