Trailer hitch

Claim 1

A TRAILER HITCH FOR USE WITH THE UPSTANDING BALL MEMBER OF A BALL-TYPE VEHICLE HITCH, COMPRISING: (A) A CONNECTOR MEMBER IN THE FORM OF AN INVERTED T HAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL BASE SECTION AND A SUBSTANTIALLY UPSTANDING WEB MEMBER ON SAID BASE SECTION, SAID CONNECTOR MEMBER HAVING A FRONT AND A REAR END; (B) A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR OPENING IN THE BASE SECTION NEAR SAID FRONT END OF SAID CONNECTOR MEMBER, SAID BASE SECTION OPENING HAVING A DIAMETER JUST LARGE ENOUGH TO PERMIT THE ENTRY THEREINTO OF SAID BALL MEMBER OF SAID VEHICLE HITCH; (C) SAID BASE SECTION OPENING EXTENDING INTO THE WEB OF SAID CONNECTOR MEMBER AND CONFORMING GENERALLY AT THE FORWARD PORTION THEREOF TO THE RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF SAID BALL MEMBER, SAID WEB OPENING BEING OFFSET FORWARDLY OF SAID BASE SECTION OPENING TO FORM A FORWARDLY SLOPING, UPWARDLY FACING RETAINING SURFACE CONFORMING TO THE RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF SAID BASE AND WEB SECTION OPENINGS, SAID RETAINING SURFACE BEING CONFINED TO THE FORWARD HALF OF SAID BASE SECTION OPENING; (D) A LOCKING MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID BALL MEMBER IN SAID OPENINGS AND INCLUDING A U-SHAPED YOKE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID BASE SECTION, SAID YOKE HAVING A LATCH MEANS LOCATED AT THE REAR OF SAID BASE SECTION OPENING FOR OBSTRUCTING SAID BASE SECTION OPENING TO LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID BALL MEMBER, WHEREBY WHEN SAID BALL MEMBER IS INSERTED INTO SAID OPENINGS SAID YOKE AND LATCH MEANS ARE SWUNG UPWARDLY OUT OF SAID BASE OPENING TO PERMIT ENTRY OF SAID BALL INTO SAID OPENINGS AND TO PERMIT SAID BALL MEMBER TO SEAT ON SAID RETAINING SURFACE WHEREUPON SAID YOKE AND LATCH MEANS SWING DOWNWARDLY INTO NORMAL POSITION TO SECURE SAID BALL MEMBER IN SAID OPENINGS AND ON SAID RETAINING SURFACE; AND (E) MANUALLY OPERABLE LATCH LOCKING MEANS CARRIED IN SAID WEB AND NORMALLY DISPOSED IN THE PATH OF SAID YOKE TO SECURE SAID LATCH MEANS IN ITS BALL SECURING POSITION.