Lighted tie down anchor and method for using same
AssigneePutco, Inc.
InventorsJames P. Elwell, Jamie R. Bernardy, Ben F. Conkey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lighted anchor for a vehicle is adapted to be attached to the rear end of a side wall of the carrying bed of the vehicle. The anchor includes wires leading from an anchor light in the anchor member. The wires can be connected to the tail light of the vehicle so that the anchor light is on when the tail light is on.
Claims19
A lighted anchor for a vehicle having a carrying bed with opposite upstanding side walls, an electrical vehicle tail light, a vehicle power source, and vehicle electrical circuitry interconnecting the vehicle power source to the vehicle tail light for actuating the vehicle tail light, the lighted anchor comprising:
- an anchor member on at least one of the upstanding side walls of the carrying bed;
- an anchor light attached to the anchor member;
- electrical anchor wires connected to the anchor light for actuating the anchor light when the electrical anchor wires are connected to the vehicle electrical power source.
In combination:
- a vehicle having front and rear ends and a carrying bed with opposite upstanding side walls;
- an electrical tail light attached adjacent the rear end of the vehicle;
- a vehicle electrical power source;
- vehicle electrical circuitry interconnecting the electrical tail light and the vehicle electrical power source for selective lighting and unlighting of the tail light;
- an anchor member;
- attachment mechanism connected to the anchor member and detachably mounting the anchor member to one of the upstanding side walls of the carrying bed of the vehicle;
- an anchor light attached to the anchor member;
- electrical anchor wires having first ends connected to the anchor light and having loose anchor wire ends;
- a connector connecting the loose anchor wire ends of the electrical wires to the vehicle electrical circuitry for actuating and lighting the anchor light whenever the tail light is actuated and lighted, and for unlighting the anchor light whenever the tail light is unlighted.
A method for mounting a lighted anchor on a vehicle having a carrying bed with first and second side walls, the vehicle having a front end and a rear end;
- a tail light adjacent the rear end of the vehicle, a vehicle power source, and vehicle electrical circuitry connecting the vehicle power source to the tail light for selectively actuating and deactuating the tail light, the method comprising:
- taking an anchor member having an anchor light with electrical anchor wires connected thereto, the electrical anchor wires having loose ends, the anchor member having an attachment mechanism connected thereto for attaching the anchor member to one of the side walls of the vehicle;
- attaching the anchor member to the one side wall of the vehicle by detachably mounting the attachment member to the one side wall;
- connecting the loose ends of the anchor wires to the vehicle electrical circuitry so that the anchor light will be actuated and deactuated whenever the tail light is actuated and deactuated, respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.