US4092050A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Rack assembly for a land vehicle
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1976-10-05
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Granted: 1978-05-30
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Expires: 1996-10-05
Abstract
Abstract A rack for a land vehicle such as for hauling large round bales of hay, straw, etc. includes a base attachable to the land vehicle, a pair of load-carrying racks pivotally carried thereon, the racks when loaded being pivotable or tiltable in response to gravity, and a trip-lock mechanism for selectably releasing the racks to enable them to tilt and to thereby unload themselves.
Inventors
- 👤 Gerald A. Sobeck
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 05:50
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01D; A01D90/00; A01D90/02; A01D90/08; A01D90/083; A01D90/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
198 words
A rack assembly for a land vehicle, comprising: (a) a base adapted to be fixedly secured to the vehicle; (b) two load carrying racks each having a pivotal connection with said base for respective movement between a load-supporting position and an unloading position, each said pivotal connection having a pivotal axis substantially parallel to the direction of the vehicle travel, a substantial portion of said racks respectively projecting beyond opposite sides of said base for projection beyond the side edges of the vehicle in both of said positions; (c) a trip-lock mechanism acting between said base and said racks for releaseably holding said racks in said load-supporting position, upon the release of which said loaded racks can tilt in response to gravity, said trip lock mechanism including at least two latch dogs engaging each said rack; and (d) means on said base synchronizing the movement of said latch dogs to provide substantially simultaneous release thereof, said synchronizing means including (1) a pair of rods pivoted on said base between the pivotal axes of said racks and respectively supporting said latch dogs for said racks, and (2) means adjustably interconnecting said rods for simultaneous angular movement in opposite directions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
198 words
A rack assembly for a land vehicle, comprising: (a) a base adapted to be fixedly secured to the vehicle; (b) two load carrying racks each having a pivotal connection with said base for respective movement between a load-supporting position and an unloading position, each said pivotal connection having a pivotal axis substantially parallel to the direction of the vehicle travel, a substantial portion of said racks respectively projecting beyond opposite sides of said base for projection beyond the side edges of the vehicle in both of said positions; (c) a trip-lock mechanism acting between said base and said racks for releaseably holding said racks in said load-supporting position, upon the release of which said loaded racks can tilt in response to gravity, said trip lock mechanism including at least two latch dogs engaging each said rack; and (d) means on said base synchronizing the movement of said latch dogs to provide substantially simultaneous release thereof, said synchronizing means including (1) a pair of rods pivoted on said base between the pivotal axes of said racks and respectively supporting said latch dogs for said racks, and (2) means adjustably interconnecting said rods for simultaneous angular movement in opposite directions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
69 words
A rack assembly according to claim 1 including a pair of locking bars pivoted on said base and respectively extending between one of said latch dogs of one of said racks and another of said latch dogs of the other of said racks, and further means interconnecting said locking bars for the bars' being simultaneously selectably moved between a latch dog locking position and a latch dog unlocking position.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A rack assembly according to claim 2 including a manual actuator connected to said further interconnecting means and extending to a position spaced from an end of said base centrally thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
A rack assembly according to claim 2 including spring means acting to bias said locking bars in said latch dog locking position.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
A rack assembly according to claim 4 including means acting between said further interconnecting means and said base for holding said locking bars in the latch dog unlocking position against the force of said spring means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A rack assembly according to claim 1 including a manual actuator connected to said synchronizing means and extending to a position spaced from an end of said base centrally thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
131 words
A rack assembly for a land vehicle, comprising: (a) a separate base adapted to be fixedly secured to the vehicle; (b) two load carrying racks respectively having pivotal connections with said base along its opposite sides for respective movement between a load-supporting position and an unloading position, said pivotal connections having horizontally spaced pivotal axes substantially parallel to the direction of the vehicle travel, a substantial portion of said racks respectively projecting beyond opposite sides of said base for projection beyond the side edges of the vehicle in both of said positions; and (c) a trip-lock mechanism acting between said base and said racks for releaseably holding said racks in their load-supporting positions, upon the release of which mechanism, both of said loaded racks can tilt simultaneously in response to gravity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
131 words
A rack assembly for a land vehicle, comprising: (a) a separate base adapted to be fixedly secured to the vehicle; (b) two load carrying racks respectively having pivotal connections with said base along its opposite sides for respective movement between a load-supporting position and an unloading position, said pivotal connections having horizontally spaced pivotal axes substantially parallel to the direction of the vehicle travel, a substantial portion of said racks respectively projecting beyond opposite sides of said base for projection beyond the side edges of the vehicle in both of said positions; and (c) a trip-lock mechanism acting between said base and said racks for releaseably holding said racks in their load-supporting positions, upon the release of which mechanism, both of said loaded racks can tilt simultaneously in response to gravity.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
A rack assembly according to claim 7 in which each of said racks has generally horizontal load-engaging and supporting rails each lying entirely at one side of the longitudinal center of said base and extending substantially at a right angle to said pivotal axis.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A rack assembly according to claim 8, each of said racks having three pair of support rails longitudinally spaced along the length of each of said racks and extending transversely to said length.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
A rack assembly according to claim 7 in which said trip-lock mechanism includes at least two latch dogs engaging each said rack and means on said base synchronizing the movement of said latch dogs of both said racks to provide substantially simultaneous release thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
A rack assembly according to claim 10 in which said trip-dog mechanism further includes means on said base and operative on said latch dogs to selectably preclude rack-releasing movement thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
A rack assembly according to claim 10 in which each latch dog comprises a hook portion engaging a pivotable roller on said rack in the load-supporting position.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
75 words
A rack assembly according to claim 7 including at least one socket secured to an end of said base and having a horizontal opening therein of non-circular cross-section, and a load holder comprising two arms joined together substantially at a right angle, one of said arms being of non-circular cross-section and being slidably non-rotatably received and held at a selected position along its length by said socket, and the other of said arms extending upwardly.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
A rack assembly according to claim 13 in which said one arm is also receivable in said socket when said other arm is in a substantially horizontal storage position.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
A rack assembly according to claim 7 in which the majority of the mass of each rack lies on that side of its pivotal axis which is the more remote from said trip-lock mechanism.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
50 words
A rack assembly according to claim 7 including spring means acting between said base and said load-carrying racks, said spring means being loaded in response to tilting of the loaded rack, and operative to return the rack to said load-supporting position in response to the unloading of the tilted rack.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
41 words
A rack assembly according to claim 7 in which said trip-lock mechanism includes a plurality of rack-holding latch dogs, means on said base for locking said latch dogs against unlatching, and means for selectably sequentially unlocking and unlatching said latch dogs.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-05-29 | 1981-11-28 | 1982-05-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-05-29 | 1985-11-28 | 1986-05-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-05-29 | 1989-11-28 | 1990-05-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |