Safety bumper having illuminated recess for license plate

Claim 1

A LICENSE PLATE SUPPORTING REAR BUMPER FOR ATTACHMENT TO A TRUCK OR THE LIKE COMPRISING: A PAIR OF FLAT, ELONGATED STEP PLATES POSITIONED IN COPLANAR, HORIZONTALLY SPACED, LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER; A FLAT, VERTICALLY EXTENDING PLATE SECURED AT ONE OF ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES TO ONE OF THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF EACH OF SAID STEP PLATES AND RETAINING SAID STEP PLATES IN HORIZONTALLY SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER, SAID FLAT, VERTICALLY EXTENDING PLATE EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF SAID BUMPER TO THE OTHER END THEREOF; A PAIR OF ELONGATED GUARD PLATES EACH SECURED AT ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE AT SUBSTANTIALLY A RIGHT ANGLE TO ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF ONE OF SAID STEP PLATES TO FORM A PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY SPACED, GENERALLY L-SHAPED MEMBERS, SAID L-SHAPED MEMBERS BEING SPACED APART TO PROVIDE A LICENSE PLATE ACCOMMODATING INDENTATION; A PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY, TRANSVERSELY SPACED, GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING MOUNTING PLATES EACH SECURED AT THEIR UPPER EDGES TO SAID STEP PLATES ADJACENT THE PROXIMAL ENDS OF SAID STEP PLATES, SAID HORIZONTALLY SPACED, GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING MOUNTING PLATES BEING LOCATED IN CONVERGING VERTIAL PLANES AND FORMING THE SIDES OF AN OPEN, LICENSE PLATE ACCOMMODATING BOX POSITIONED IN THE CENTER OF SAID BUMPER; A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING HITCH PLATE SECURED BETWEEN SAID MOUNTING PLATES, SAID HITCH PLATE HAVING AT LEAST ONE APERTURE THEREIN FOR HITCHING TRAILER VEHICLES TO SAID TRUCK; A VERTICALLY EXTENDING BACK PLATE CONNECTED ACROSS THE VERTICALLY EXTENDING FREE EDGES OF SAID MOUNTING PLATES WHICH ARE CLOSEST TO EACH OTHER BY REASON OF THE CONVERGENCE OF SAID MOUNTING PLATES, SAID BACK PLATE BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A LICENSE PLATE VERTICALLY SUPERIMPOSED THEREON; A PAIR OF SAFETY CHAIN BRACKETS SECURED TO THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID MOUNTING PLATES AND EXTENDING INTO SAID LICENSE PLATE ACCOMMODATING BOX OVER SAID HITCH PLATE BY A DISTANCE WHICH AVOIDS OBSCUREMENT BY SAID SAFETY CHAIN BRACKETS OF A LICENSE PLATE CARRIED BY SAID BACK PLATE, SAID SAFETY CHAIN BRACKETS EACH BEING SPACED VERTICALLY FROM SAID HITCH PLATE, SAID SAFETY CHAIN BRACKETS INCLUDING MEANS FOR ATTACHING AT LEAST ONE SAFETY CHAIN TO SAID BRACKETS; AN ELECTRICAL LIGHT SOCKET MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID MOUNTING PLATES IN THE SPACE BETWEEN ONE OF SAID SAFETY CHAIN BRACKETS AND SAID HITCH PLATE; A LIGHT BULB IN SAID ELECTRICAL LIGHT SOCKET AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE SURFACE OF SAID ONE MOUNTING PLATE; AND A LIGHT SHIELD POSITIONED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID LIGHT BULB FROM SAID BACK PLATE WHEREBY SAID LIGHT BULB IS PROTECTED ON ALL SIDES BY SAID SHIELD, SAID BACK PLATE, SAID HITCH PLATE AND SAID SAFETY CHAIN BRACKET FROM DESTRUCTION BY FLYING ROCKS AND OBSCUREMENT BY MUD, YET IS READILY ACCESSIBLE FOR REPLACEMENT AND REPAIR VIA SAID OPEN LICENSE PLATE ACCOMMODATING BOX.