WO2002014108A1

WO2002014108A1 - Load carrying device for vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO2002014108A1
Application number: PCT/GB2001/003627
Authority: WO
Inventors: Donald Murray Western
Original assignee: Donald Murray Western
Priority date: 2000-08-12
Filing date: 2001-08-10
Publication date: 2002-02-21
Also published as: GB2382060A; AU2001282279A1; GB0303460D0

Abstract

A load attachment device for a vehicle having a load space closed by a tailgate (11), the device comprising an elongate anchor member (9) adapted to be placed in the load space so as to extend across its width, which is provided with attachment means for the connection of straps (3, 4), so that the anchor member (9) can be trapped in the load space when the tailgate (11) is closed with the straps (3, 4) extending out through the edge of the tailgate (11). The invention also provides a load carrying device for a vehicle comprising a box, rack or frame having attachment means including flexible straps or hooks whereby it can be attached to abut against the rear bumper area of the vehicle.

Description

"Load Carrying Device for Vehicles"

This invention is concerned with the provision of additional carrying capacity for a motor vehicle and/or attachment of a rack, such as a bike rack.

While there are available various products such as roof-racks/boxes, trailers and bike-racks for the purpose of providing a substantial increase in additional carriage space to a motor vehicle, in many cases they are complex and time consuming to fit. Roof rack/boxes can prove difficult to load or fit for some people. Roof racks/boxes can also be a hazard should the vehicle be involved in a collision, as they have been known to detach from the vehicle and cause further damage or injury because of their position on the vehicle. While trailers in most cases are more easily loaded, they firstly require the vehicle to have a tow-bar, which can be expensive to fit, and in addition they are required to have a trailer board. Trailers also entail a speed restriction when attached and can be hazardous while being towed or manoeuvred.

Similarly while many of the bike-racks that are available for the attachment to the rear of a vehicle are effective in use, they are mostly time consuming and difficult to fit. This is in many cases, because of the number of straps required and the location of the strap attachment points for the attachment of the rack to the vehicle.

The present invention mitigates many of the aforementioned difficulties and offers a quick and simple solution for providing a reasonable amount of additional carrying capacity to a motor vehicle, which is also easy to load.

Many motor vehicles on the road today are produced with moulded bumpers attached to the front and rear of the car. The bumper at the rear of the car is usually positioned below the opening section of an opening tailgate or boot/lid, both of which will be referred to below for convenience, as a "tailgate".

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a load attachment device for a vehicle having a load space closed by a tailgate, the device comprising an elongate anchor member adapted to be placed in the load space so as to extend across its width, which is provided with attachment means for the connection of straps, so that the anchor member can be trapped in the load space when the tailgate is closed with the straps extending out through the edge of the tailgate. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a load carrying device for a motor vehicle, including a load carrying member which is adapted to abut against the outside of the vehicle, which is attached to an elongate anchor member which is adapted to be placed in the loading space of the vehicle so as to be trapped when the tailgate is closed. Preferably the maximum dimension of the anchor member is made greater than the width of the loading opening of the vehicle body, for example by making it telescopic so that it can easily be inserted in the opening. The load carrying device may comprise a load carrying frame or rack, and/or a box or trunk.

Preferably the length of the anchor member is adjustable so that it can easily be inserted into the opening and then extended to its maximum length. For example it may comprise a telescopic tubular member.

Preferably, the load-carrying device and the anchor member are connected by means of adjustable straps which are adapted to pass between the lower edge of the tailgate and the corresponding edge of the opening. The device may further comprise additional stabilising members to brace it against the rear of the vehicle such as brackets adapted to engage behind the lower edge of the bumper structure, or cushioned abutment members, positioned above and/or below the level of the anchor straps, so as to engage the corresponding surface of the vehicle body.

In most vehicles the width of the loading opening of the boot-lid/tailgate is less than the overall internal width of the load space. The secure positioning of the anchor member thus allows for the attachment of a carrying frame/rack for use as a bike-rack or attachment of a trunk type box or both, using suitably strong flexible straps. As an example the anchor member may be tubular having overall length of approximately650mn 1300mm. It preferably has a straight centre section approximately 450mm/700mm long and end sections of approximately 200mm/300mm each offset at approximately 15 to 30 degrees. The bar is also preferably covered with a suitable sponge like material to protect the interior finishing. The rear loading opening of a vehicle is generally provided with a rubber weather seal, so the use of flexible straps allows for the straps to deform over the weather seal when the tailgate is closed.

In one embodiment of the invention the device comprises a trunk which is positioned over the surface of the rear bumper, and has approximate dimension of 1200/1400mm width x 300/500mm depth x 400/700mm overhang. The base of the trunk is supplied with hook-like bracket members that extend up behind the underside of the bumper, where they are braced into position when the straps are tightened, so as to prevent the trunk from flipping. The trunk surface that contacts the bumper has a suitable surface covering to prevent damage to the bumper. The depth of the trunk is determined by the height of the bumper, so that when the trunk is attached it does not obstruct the opening of the tail-gate. The trunk has a hinged lid with hinges which are preferably positioned so that the lid opens away from the car, thus not obstructing the closing of the tail-gate. The trunk can be provided with a shallow lid so that it will not obstruct a registration plate which is mounted on the rear surface of the tailgate. Should the trunk obstruct a low level registration plate, a substitute plate and suitable light can be attached to the trunk.

A further embodiment of the invention provides a combination trunk/bike-rack carrier, that is attached to the vehicle in the same way as the first embodiment, but without the use of the lower brackets. This embodiment prevents the carrier from flipping by having adjustable abutment sections above and below the attachment centre section. The upper and lower adjustable abutment sections are provided with a suitable surface coating or cushioning to protect the vehicle. The centre attachment section is set away from the vehicle surface.

The anchor member may also be utilised, with two straps at each end to facilitate the attachment of a conventional bike rack securely and simply without the use of panel clips/hooks which can cause damage to the edges of the body panels. The attachment of the bike rack using the anchor bar overcomes these problems.

An alternative arrangement provides a securing strap whose ends are attached to the upper region of the trunk/bike-rack carrier frame at each side but not attached to the anchor-bar. The strap is positioned to extend inside the tailgate when slack and when the boot is closed the strap can be tightened to engage around the lid.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows in perspective of the trunk in position;

Figure 2 shows the anchor member and securing hooks in position; Figure 3 shows the attachment of the trunk;

Figure 4 shows an embodiment for attachment without hooks;

Figure 5 shows the attachment of a bike rack; and

Figure 6 shows the arrangement of a separate top strap for a bike-rack/trunk carrier frame. Referring to Figure 1 , the trunk 2 is attached to the car with two flexible straps 3 and 4. The lid 7 is attached to the base 5 with two hinges 7 and 8.

Figure 2, shows the positioning of an anchor member in the form of an elongate bar 9 inside the boot. Because the width of the anchor-bar is greater than the opening, the anchor bar is trapped behind the opening. This is furthermore secured when the tailgate 11 is closed. The anchor-bar is supplied with a suitable protective material i.e. rubber pads 14 to protect the car interior trim. Hook-like bracket members extend from the base of the trunk, upwardly behind the lower bumper edge, so that when the straps 3 and 4 are secured taut the trunk becomes firmly braced against it.

Figure 3 shows the trunk in position to be loaded. On completion of the loading the lid 7 is locked shut. Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a carrier that is stabilised with the use of upper and lower adjustable contact bars 34 and 35, which are provided with suitable protective cushioning members 25 and 26 such as tubular foam to prevent damage to the vehicle. In use the anchor bar 9 is placed inside the boot, with the two straps 3 and 4 extending outside. Sufficient slack is left in the straps so that the frame 30 can be positioned far enough away from the vehicle to allow the tailgate to be closed. When the boot-lid is closed the adjustable contact bars 34 and 35 are set using the adjusters 22 so that the base of the carrier frame is level when the straps 3 and 4 are tightened to pull the frame 30 tightly against the vehicle. In use the contact bars contact the tailgate surface and bumper surface. The carrier frame section 40 is provided for the attachment of the straps 3 and 4 and does not come into contact with the vehicle. The anchor bar 9 has offset ends so that in use this allows its centre section to be pulled up tight to the inside of the boot without necessarily applying any force to the ends of the anchor-bar, which might otherwise damage the lamp pods. However if the tailgate should fail, the bar will be retained in the opening by the ends 9. The anchor-bar has protective cushions 14 to protect the boot interior trim. If the opening is unusually wide the bar will of course, only be trapped by the closing of the tailgate but this is generally quite safe.

Figure 5 shows the attachment of a bike rack 51 using an anchor-bar 9 and the attached straps 3, 4 and 52, 53. These straps are attached to the bike rack respectively at lower and upper positions 56, 57 and 58, 59 in such a way that when the straps are pulled taut the rack positions itself more securely than is possible with only two straps. In practice the positioning of the rack is more easily achieved if the two lower straps 3 and 4 are pulled taut first.

Figure 6 shows the arrangement of a separate top strap 54 for a frame 30 (the other rack/trunk compartments have been omitted for clarity). The attachment of the top strap in this way allows the strap to position itself inside the boot roughly along the path 54a when the strap is pulled taut from the outside. This method means that only one strap is required for the securing of the top of the carrier frame/bike-rack while the lower straps 3 and 4 are attached to the anchor bar 9 in the same way as shown in Figure 5. It will be appreciated that the frame 30 can support a frame for a trunk 2 as shown in Figures 1-4, or projecting arms 60, 62 to form a bike-rack or both. It will also be appreciated that the anchor member may be provided with attachment means to enable it to be used with any pre-existing load-carrying device such as a bike rack, so long as the device can be attached by straps. For example the anchor member may be provided with loops for the attachment of existing straps. The dimensions and sizes are for example only and may be altered without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A load attachment device for a vehicle having a load space closed by a tailgate, the device comprising an elongate anchor member adapted to be placed in the load space so as to extend across its width, which is provided with attachment means for the connection of straps, so that the anchor member can be trapped in the load space when the tailgate is closed with the straps extending out through the edge of the tailgate.

2. A load carrying device for a motor vehicle, including a load carrying member which is adapted to abut against the outside of the vehicle, which is attached to an elongate anchor member which is adapted to be placed in the loading space of the vehicle so as to be trapped when the tailgate is closed.

3. A device according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the anchor member has a maximum dimension which is greater than the width of the loading opening.

4. A load carrying device according to claim 2 or claim 3 in which the load- carrying member comprises a frame, a rack, a box or a trunk adapted to abut against the bumper area of the vehicle.

5. A device according to any preceding claim in which the anchor member comprises a telescopic tube.

6. A load carrying device according to any one of claims 2 to 5 in which the load carrying member is attached to the anchor member by adjustable straps adapted to pass between the lower edge of a vehicle tailgate and the corresponding edge of the loading opening.

7. A load carrying device according to claim 6, in which the load carrying member includes hook-like bracket members adapted to engage behind the lower edge of the rear bumper so that in use, the load carrying member can be braced against the bumper area by tightening the straps.

8. A load carrying device according to claim 6 or claim 7 in which the load carrying member includes a part or parts extending upwardly above the level of the bumper area, and comprises at least one abutment member adapted to contact the surface of the tailgate when the straps are tightened.

9. A load carrying device according to claim 8 in which the load carrying member comprises a rack for bicycles, including a lower frame member adapted to abut against the bumper area, an upper frame member adapted to abut against the tailgate, and a rearwardly projecting rack member or members adapted to project through the frame of a bicycle or bicycles.

10. A load carrying device according to claim 8 or claim 9 and comprising a further length of strap having both ends connected to the upwardly extending part or parts and arranged so that it can be looped around the corresponding region of the tailgate and then tightened to brace the upper part against the tailgate.

1 1. A load carrying device according to claim 8 or claim 9 in which the rack is connected to the anchor member by means of a pair of strap members on each side, each pair comprising a first member which is connected to an upper part of the frame, and a second member which is connected to a lower part of the frame so that when the straps are tightened both the upper and lower parts of the frame are securely braced against the vehicle on both sides.

12. A load carrying device according to claim 10 in which each pair of strap members comprises a single adjustable length of strap which passes through a loop fixed to the anchor member and is fixed to the respective upper and lower parts of the frame.

13. A load carrying device for a vehicle comprising a box, rack or frame having attachment means including flexible straps or hooks whereby it can be attached to abut against the rear bumper area of the vehicle.

14. A load carrying device according to claim 13 and any one of claims 2 to

12.

15. A vehicle having a load carrying attachment or device according to any preceding claim.