US5664796A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vehicle extender
Assignee: SUPERTOW INTERNATIONAL Ltd
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Filing: 1996-06-25
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Granted: 1997-09-09
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Expires: 2016-06-25
Abstract
Abstract A vehicle extender is connected to a towing vehicle by way of a towing beam bolted to the normal tow hitch and presenting two ball and socket joints so that the vehicle extender can pitch upwardly and downwardly but cannot yaw from left to right nor roll clockwise or anti-clockwise relative to the vehicle. The vehicle extender has a single castor mounted wheel set so located that even in reversing mode in which by castor action the wheel set swivels to a forward located position the center of gravity of a load in the vehicle extender such as sand still remains forwardly of the horizontal axis of rotation of the wheels of the wheel set providing for security and stability in use. The vehicle extender is very adaptable to different applications.
Inventors
- 👤 Pieter Herman Huyzers
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 09:28
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60D; B60D1/00; B60D1/01; B60D1/07; B60D1/58; B60D1/66; B62; B62D; B62D63/00; B62D63/06; B62D63/062; B62D63/065
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
175 words
A vehicle extender provided with two horizontally spaced apart pivotal connectors for connection to a towing vehicle and adapted to restrict swingable movement of the vehicle extender relative to the towing vehicle, including structure defining a load space and a single caster attached to the vehicle extender, the caster swivelably attached to a rear portion of the vehicle extender so that a horizontal axis of rotation of a wheel of the caster does not extend forwardly of a centroid of the load space of the vehicle extender, the caster including: a downwardly depending shaft attached to an underneath portion of the vehicle extender and; a suspension device attached to the downwardly depending shaft, wherein: an axis of the downwardly depending shaft is at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to said underneath portion of the vehicle extender so that the plane of swivelling of the caster is angularly offset with respect to said underneath portion of the vehicle extender, the axis of the downwardly depending shaft being in a vertical longitudinally directed plane and inclined forwardly.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
175 words
A vehicle extender provided with two horizontally spaced apart pivotal connectors for connection to a towing vehicle and adapted to restrict swingable movement of the vehicle extender relative to the towing vehicle, including structure defining a load space and a single caster attached to the vehicle extender, the caster swivelably attached to a rear portion of the vehicle extender so that a horizontal axis of rotation of a wheel of the caster does not extend forwardly of a centroid of the load space of the vehicle extender, the caster including: a downwardly depending shaft attached to an underneath portion of the vehicle extender and; a suspension device attached to the downwardly depending shaft, wherein: an axis of the downwardly depending shaft is at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to said underneath portion of the vehicle extender so that the plane of swivelling of the caster is angularly offset with respect to said underneath portion of the vehicle extender, the axis of the downwardly depending shaft being in a vertical longitudinally directed plane and inclined forwardly.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
The vehicle extender as claimed in claim 1, in which a bush swivels on the downwardly depending shaft, the bush carries the suspension device and the shaft has attached thereto a friction washer to dampen oscillation of the bush around the shaft.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The vehicle extender as claimed in claim 1, in which a front portion of the extender is tapered so as to present a narrow front edge expanding towards a rear of the vehicle extender.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The vehicle extender as claimed in claim 1, in which the caster has: one wheel; a bush is attached to and swivelable around the downwardly depending shaft and the bush carries the suspension device which comprises a single suspension arm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
85 words
The vehicle extender as claimed in claim 1, which comprises at least one extendible leg allowing for support of the vehicle extender when not attached to said towing vehicle, said at least one extendible leg being retained in both an extended and a retracted position by a carrier strap connected to the extendible leg and located in a hoist box fitted to the vehicle extender, the hoist box having a body part which is tubular in shape and allows the leg to pass through it.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
78 words
The vehicle extender as claimed in claim 5, in which the hoist box includes the following: a floating wheel; a jack wheel rotatably mounted in the hoist box; and a guide wheel rotatably mounted in the hoist box, with the carrier strap passing successively around under the floating wheel, over a top of the jack wheel and over the guide wheel, the floating wheel located at a position below that of the jack wheel in the hoist box.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
The vehicle extender as claimed in claim 6, in which the carrier strap is attached to an upper portion of said at least one leg above the hoist box, and is attached to a lower portion of said at least one leg, below the hoist box, by a tension spring.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The vehicle extender as claimed in claim 6, in which a shaft of the jack wheel extends out from the hoist box to facilitate turning of the jack wheel from outside of the hoist box.
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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) | 2000-09-08 | 2001-03-10 | 2001-09-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-09-08 | 2005-03-10 | 2005-09-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-09-08 | 2009-03-10 | 2009-09-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |