Pivoting tow hook assemblies and vehicles including same
AssigneesToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsPaxton S. Williams, Adam D. Holmstrom
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tow hook assembly coupled to the cross member of a vehicle. The tow hook assembly includes a housing, a tow hook, and a biasing member. The tow hook is pivotally coupled to the housing and positionable between an extended position and a retracted position. The biasing member is coupled to the tow hook and the housing to bias the tow hook towards the extended position. The tow hook is configured to pivot from the extended position towards the retracted position upon application of a force exceeding a threshold applied to the tow hook.
Claims11
A tow hook assembly coupled to a cross member, the tow hook assembly comprising:
- a housing;
- a tow hook pivotally coupled to the housing and positionable between an extended position and a retracted position;
- and
- a biasing member coupled to the tow hook and the housing to bias the tow hook towards the extended position, the tow hook configured to pivot from the extended position towards the retracted position upon application of a force exceeding a threshold applied to the tow hook.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.