Traction board
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorJames A. Wobser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A traction board for insertion under a vehicle's tire for freeing the vehicle from a stuck condition includes an elongated board body and an end plate pivotally connected to an end portion of the elongated board body. According to a further aspect, a traction board includes an elongated board body and a finger pivotally connected to the elongated board body and pivotally extending below the elongated board body in order to prevent the elongated board body from sliding rearward.
Claims20
A traction board comprising:
- an elongated board body having a first side, a second side, and an end extending between the first side and the second side;
- one or more fingers pivotally attached to one of the first side and the second side of the elongated board body, wherein the one or more fingers is pivotally connected to the elongated board body by a pivot pin;
- and
- a torsion spring disposed about the pivot pin, the torsion spring being configured to bias the one or more fingers in a downward direction.
A method of freeing a vehicle from a stuck condition with at least one wheel of the vehicle unable to obtain traction, comprising;
- inserting a traction board under the at least one wheel, the traction board including an elongated board body having a first side, a second side, an end extending between and connecting the first side and the second side, and one or more fingers pivotally mounted to one of the first side and the second side, wherein the one or more fingers is pivotally connected to the elongated board body by a pivot pin;
- and
- disposing a torsion spring about the pivot pin, the torsion spring being configured to bias the one or more fingers in a downward direction.
A traction board comprising:
- an elongated board body having a first side, a second side, and an end extending between the first side and the second side, wherein the end of the elongated board body includes a taper;
- and
- at least one finger pivotally connected to the elongated board body at one of the first side and the second side adjacent to the end, the at least one finger having a tapered cross-section having a taper that corresponds to the taper of the end of the elongated board body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.