US3720358A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Car top carrier for snowmobiles and the like
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-04-23
•
Granted: 1973-03-13
•
Expires: 1991-04-23
Abstract
Abstract A carrier for transporting a snowmobile on top of an automobile includes a support deck which is mounted on a slant generally over the trunk of the automobile and is supported pivotally at its front end by a bracket attached to the rain gutters. The back end of the deck rests over the trunk and upon an upstanding support attached to the rear bumper. A loading boom is mounted on the support to pivot between pickup and load positions by means of an actuator and includes a sling for carrying the snowmobile up onto the deck as the boom is pivoted from the pickup position to the load position. A lifter also mounted pivotally on the support is positioned to engage the underside of the deck and is operable to raise the latter into a substantially level position in order to gain access to the trunk.
Inventors
- 👤 Intire O Mc
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 21:37
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R9/00; B60R9/04; B60R9/042; B60R9/0426; B60R19/00; B60R19/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
A carrier for transporting an article on top of an automotive vehicle, said carrier including a support deck with front and back ends, a bracket for mounting the front end of said deck on top of said vehicle, means adapted to be fastened on the rear of said vehicle for engagement with the back end of said deck to provide support therefor, a vertically pivotable boom mounted on said vehicle and movable between pickup and load positions, an actuator connected to said boom and operable to pivot said boom between said positions, means for fastening the article to the free end of said boom for movement therewith as the boom is moved between said positions to load and unload the article onto and off of said deck, said means coacting with said boom and serving to hold said article on said deck once the article has been loaded.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
148 words
A carrier for transporting an article on top of an automotive vehicle, said carrier including a support deck with front and back ends, a bracket for mounting the front end of said deck on top of said vehicle, means adapted to be fastened on the rear of said vehicle for engagement with the back end of said deck to provide support therefor, a vertically pivotable boom mounted on said vehicle and movable between pickup and load positions, an actuator connected to said boom and operable to pivot said boom between said positions, means for fastening the article to the free end of said boom for movement therewith as the boom is moved between said positions to load and unload the article onto and off of said deck, said means coacting with said boom and serving to hold said article on said deck once the article has been loaded.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
148 words
A carrier for transporting an article on top of an automotive vehicle, said carrier including a support deck with front and back ends, a bracket for mounting the front end of said deck on top of said vehicle, means adapted to be fastened on the rear of said vehicle for engagement with the back end of said deck to provide support therefor, a vertically pivotable boom mounted on said vehicle and movable between pickup and load positions, an actuator connected to said boom and operable to pivot said boom between said positions, means for fastening the article to the free end of said boom for movement therewith as the boom is moved between said positions to load and unload the article onto and off of said deck, said means coacting with said boom and serving to hold said article on said deck once the article has been loaded.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
148 words
A carrier for transporting an article on top of an automotive vehicle, said carrier including a support deck with front and back ends, a bracket for mounting the front end of said deck on top of said vehicle, means adapted to be fastened on the rear of said vehicle for engagement with the back end of said deck to provide support therefor, a vertically pivotable boom mounted on said vehicle and movable between pickup and load positions, an actuator connected to said boom and operable to pivot said boom between said positions, means for fastening the article to the free end of said boom for movement therewith as the boom is moved between said positions to load and unload the article onto and off of said deck, said means coacting with said boom and serving to hold said article on said deck once the article has been loaded.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A carrier as defined in claim 1 wherein said article fastening means includes a sling connected to the free end of the boom and suspending the article from the boom.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
104 words
A carrier as defined in claim 2 in which the front end of the support deck is pivotally attached to the bracket and the back end of the support deck rests on said support means whereby said deck is supported in a normally lowered position relative to the rear of the vehicle, said carrier further including a lifter adapted to lift the back end of said deck into a raised position as the front end is pivoted on the bracket, said lifter being further adapted to support said deck in said raised position in order to allow access to the trunk of the vehicle.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A carrier as defined in claim 3 including a catch for holding said deck in engagement with said support means to keep said deck from sliding off the support means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
84 words
A carrier as defined in claim 4 in which said catch is a lip mounted on the underside of the deck to engage said support means when the deck is in its lowered position to prevent the deck from sliding forwardly off the support means, and said lifter including a U-shaped bail having legs pivotally mounted on said support means and having a bridge engageable with the underside of the deck and engageable against said lip to hold the deck in its raised position.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
A carrier as defined in claim 2 in which said sling includes a plurality of flexible straps each with one end fastened pivotally to the free end of the boom and with the other end adapted to be connected to the article thereby to suspend said article from the free end of the boom.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
69 words
A carrier as defined in claim 6 wherein said support means includes a shaft, said boom including two side members spanned at their free ends by a crosspiece, said side members being mounted on said shaft adjacent opposite sides of said deck, said straps being fastened to said crosspiece and said article to swing between said side members as said boom is pivoted to load and unload the article.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
69 words
A carrier as defined in claim 7 wherein four of said straps are used with two of the straps positioned adjacent each of said side members for fastening to opposite sides of said article at spaced positions along said opposite sides so as to stabilize said article as the boom is pivoted between its pickup and load positions, said straps each including an adjuster for varying the length thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
46 words
A carrier as defined in claim 8 wherein said actuator is a crank which is mechanically connected to said boom and includes means for stopping said boom between said pickup and load positions thereby suspending said article in mid-air for servicing the underside of the article.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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US3519154A
Cited
US3515323A
Cited
US3612366A
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-03-12 | 1976-09-11 | 1977-03-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-03-12 | 1980-09-11 | 1981-03-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-03-12 | 1984-09-11 | 1985-03-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |