Supporting bar assembly for vehicle

Claim 2

A support bar assembly for a vehicle comprising an elongated bar having substantially planar top and bottom walls, each wall having a longitudinally extending slot to provide the wall with an inner surface and an outer surface, a pair of generally Tshaped fittings slidably received in each slot, each fitting including shoulder means extending transversely of the associated slot and engageable with the inner surface of the associated wall for preventing withdrawal of the fitting from the slot, a bracket for each end of the bar equipped with clamping means for securing the bar to a vehicle, and bolt means for each bracket, each bolt means extending through an opening provided in the bracket and being threadedly received by one of the fittings in the bottom wall slot to draw the shoulder means of the fitting into engagement with the inner surface of the bottom wall and to draw the bracket into engagement with the outer surface of the bottom wall, each of the brackets comprising a generally trapezoidally shaped curved bracket plate provided with a wide bottom and a narrow top, each bracket plate being provided with a plurality of spaced-apart grooves and the bottom of each bracket plate being wider than the transverse dimension of the bar and being adapted to be received by a rain trough of the vehicle, each of the clamping means including a clamping plate having a generally planar central portion and a bottom flange adapted to extend in underlapping relation to the rain trough, the clamping plate including means engageable with one of the grooves of the associated bracket plate to restrain relative sliding movement of the clamping plate with respect to the bracket plate, and means for securing the clamping plate to the bracket plate.

Claim 3

A support bar assembly for a vehicle comprising an elongated bar having substantially planar top and bottom walls, each wall having an inner surface and an outer surface and having a pair of longitudinally extending slots therethrough, each of the slots in the top wall being generally aligned with a slot in the bottom wall, the top and bottom walls being joined by connecting portions having generally H-shaped transverse cross-sections to provide each slot with a generally T-shape, a T fitting slidably received in each slot, each fitting including a pair of shoulders extending transversely of the associated slot and engageable with the inner surface of the associated wall for preventing withdrawal of the fitting from the slot, a bracket for each end of the bar equipped with clamping means for securing the bar to a vehicle, and a bolt for each bracket, each bolt extending through an opening prOvided in the bracket and being threadedly received by one of the fittings in the bottom wall slot to draw the shoulders of the fitting into engagement with the inner surface of the bottom wall and to draw the bracket into engagement with the outer surface of the bottom wall, each of said brackets comprising a generally trapezoidally shaped curved bracket plate provided with a wide bottom and a narrow top, the bottom of each bracket plate being wider than the transverse dimension of the bar and being adapted to be received by a rain trough of the vehicle each bracket including generally planar end portions adjacent the top and bottom thereof and a curved central portion and being provided with a plurality of spaced-apart grooves on one surface thereof, each of the clamping means including a clamping plate having a generally planar central portion, a bottom flange adapted to extend in underlapping relation to the rain trough and hook means engageable with one of the grooves to restrain relative sliding movement of the clamping plate with respect to the bracket plate, and bolt means for securing the clamping plate to the bracket plate whereby the rain trough may be clamped therebetween.

Claim 4

A support bar assembly for a vehicle comprising an elongated bar having substantially planar top and bottom walls, each wall having an inner surface and an outer surface and having a pair of longitudinally extending slots therethrough, each of the slots in the top wall being generally aligned with a slot in the bottom wall, the top and bottom walls being joined by connecting portions having generally H-shaped transverse cross-sections to provide each slot with a generally T-shape, a T fitting slidably received in each slot, each fitting including a pair of shoulders extending transversely of the associated slot and engageable with the inner surface of the associated wall for preventing withdrawal of the fitting from the slot, a bracket for each end of the bar equipped with clamping means for securing the bar to a vehicle, and a bolt for each bracket, each bolt extending through an opening prOvided in the bracket and being threadedly received by one of the fittings in the bottom wall slot to draw the shoulders of the fitting into engagement with the inner surface of the bottom wall and to draw the bracket into engagement with the outer surface of the bottom wall, each of said brackets comprising a generally trapezoidally shaped curved bracket plate provided with a wide bottom and a narrow top, the bottom of each bracket plate being wider than the transverse dimension of the bar and being adapted to be received by a rain trough of the vehicle each bracket including generally planar end portions adjacent the top and bottom thereof and a curved central portion and being provided with a plurality of spaced-apart grooves on one surface thereof, each of the clamping means including a clamping plate having a generally planar central portion, a bottom flange adapted to extend in underlapping relation to the rain trough and hook means engageable with one of the grooves to restrain relative sliding movement of the clamping plate with respect to the bracket plate, and bolt means for securing the clamping plate to the bracket plate whereby the rain trough may be clamped therebetween.

Claim 5

A support bar assembly for a vehicle comprising an elongated bar having substantially planar top and bottom walls, each wall having an inner surface and an outer surface and having a pair of longitudinally extending slots therethrough, each of the slots in the top wall being generally aligned with a slot in the bottom wall, the top and bottom walls being joined by spaced-apart connecting portions having generally H-shaped transverse cross-sections to provide each slot with a generally T-shape, the bar being provided with a longitudinally extending central passage between the spaced-apart H-shaped connecting portions, a T-fitting slidably received in each slot, each fitting including a pair of shoulders extending transversely of the associated slot an engageable with the inner surface of the associated wall for preventing withdrawal of the fitting from the slot, a bracket for each end of the bar equipped with clamping means for securing the bar to a vehicle, and a bolt for each bracket, each bolt extending through an opening provided in the bracket and being threadedly received by one of the fittings in the bottom wall slot to draw the shoulders of the fitting into engagement with the inner surface of the bottom wall and to draw the bracket into engagement with the outer surface of the bottom wall.

Claim 6

A support bar assembly for a vehicle comprising an elongated bar having substantially planar top and bottom walls, each wall having an inner surface and an outer surface and having a pair of longitudinally extending slots therethrough, each of the slots in the top wall being generally aligned with a slot in the bottom wall, the top and bottom walls being joined by spaced-apart connecting portions having generally H-shaped transverse cross-sections to provide each slot with a generally T-shape, the bar being provided with a longitudinally extending central passage between the spaced-apart H-shaped connecting portions, a T-fitting slidably received in each slot, each fitting including a pair of shoulders extending transversely of the associated slot an engageable with the inner surface of the associated wall for preventing withdrawal of the fitting from the slot, a bracket for each end of the bar equipped with clamping means for securing the bar to a vehicle, and a bolt for each bracket, each bolt extending through an opening provided in the bracket and being threadedly received by one of the fittings in the bottom wall slot to draw the shoulders of the fitting into engagement with the inner surface of the bottom wall and to draw the bracket into engagement with the outer surface of the bottom wall.

Claim 7

A support bar assembly for a vehicle for mounting a warning device comprising an elongated bar having substantially planar top and bottom walls, each wall having an inner surface and an outer surface and having a slot extending longitudinally for the entire length of the bar, the slots being generally vertically aligned, a cross wall having top and bottom surfaces extending generally parallel to the top and bottom walls and separating the slots therein to provide each slot with a generally T-shaped transverse cross section, a pair of fittings slidably received in the slot in the bottom wall and at least one fitting slidably received in the slot in the top wall, each fitting including a pair of shoulders extending transversely of the associated slot and engageable with the inner surface of the associated wall for preventing withdrawal of the fitting from the slot, a bracket for each end of the bar equipped with clamping means for securing the bar to a vehicle, and a bolt for each bracket, each bolt extending through an opening provided in the bracket and being threadedly received by one of the fittings in the bottom wall slot to draw the shoulders of the fitting into engagement with the inner surface of the bottom wall and to draw the bracket into engagement with the outer surface of the bottom wall, the fitting in the top wall slot being adapted to threadedly receive a bolt on the warning device whereby the shoulders of the fitting may be drawn into engagement with the inner surface of the top wall and the warning device may be drawn into engagement with the outer surface of the top wall, the cross wall supporting the fitting in the top wall slot when the fitting is not engaged by the bolt on the warning device.

Claim 8

A support bar assembly for a vehicle for mounting a warning device comprising an elongated bar having substantially planar top and bottom walls, each wall having an inner surface and an outer surface and having a slot extending longitudinally for the entire length of the bar, the slots being generally vertically aligned, a cross wall having top and bottom surfaces extending generally parallel to the top and bottom walls and separating the slots therein to provide each slot with a generally T-shaped transverse cross section, a pair of fittings slidably received in the slot in the bottom wall and at least one fitting slidably received in the slot in the top wall, each fitting including a pair of shoulders extending transversely of the associated slot and engageable with the inner surface of the associated wall for preventing withdrawal of the fitting from the slot, a bracket for each end of the bar equipped with clamping means for securing the bar to a vehicle, and a bolt for each bracket, each bolt extending through an opening provided in the bracket and being threadedly received by one of the fittings in the bottom wall slot to draw the shoulders of the fitting into engagement with the inner surface of the bottom wall and to draw the bracket into engagement with the outer surface of the bottom wall, the fitting in the top wall slot being adapted to threadedly receive a bolt on the warning device whereby the shoulders of the fitting may be drawn into engagement with the inner surface of the top wall and the warning device may be drawn into engagement with the outer surface of the top wall, the cross wall supporting the fitting in the top wall slot when the fitting is not engaged by the bolt on the warning device.