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US 2006/0032878 A1Published application
Car top carrier
AssigneeYakima Products, Inc.
InventorsJoseph Settelmayer, Scott Allen, Timothy Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention provides improvements for an enclosed carrier configured for mounting on top of a car.
Claims22
A car top carrier comprising
- a box having opposing lateral sides, a top, a bottom, a front end, and a rear end, the bottom having a floor, the floor having an inner surface and an outer surface, the top and the bottom being connected via hinge mechanisms along the opposing lateral sides of the box, the hinge mechanisms being capable of unlatching allowing the box to be alternately opened on opposing lateral sides of the box,
- strut members connecting the top to the bottom on the front and rear ends of the box to assist in holding the box open,
- a plurality of clamp devices mounted to the floor configured to secure the box to a pair of crossbars on top of a vehicle, each clamp device including first and second jaw portions extending from the outer surface of the floor defining a curved opening for receiving a crossbar, each clamp device further including a tightening mechanism mounted on the inner surface of the floor for controlling movement of corresponding jaw portions on the outer surface of the floor between open and closed positions, the tightening mechanism including a threaded member connected to a handle located inside the box, rotation of the handle causing adjustment of the opening between the jaw portions.
A car top carrier comprising
- a box having opposing lateral sides, a top, a bottom, a front end, and a rear end, the bottom having a floor, the floor having an inner surface and an outer surface, the top and the bottom being connected via hinge mechanisms along the opposing lateral sides of the box, the hinge mechanisms being capable of unlatching allowing the box to be alternately opened on opposing lateral sides of the box,
- strut members connecting the top to the bottom on the front and rear ends of the box to assist in holding the box open,
- a plurality of preassembled clamp devices mounted to the floor configured to secure the box to a pair of crossbars on top of a vehicle, each clamp device including a jaw assembly extending from the outer surface of the floor and a corresponding tightening mechanism inside the box, the tightening mechanism being operable to move the jaw assembly between open and closed positions so that a clamp device may be secured to a crossbar without any manipulation of the clamp device outside of the box.
A car top carrier comprising
- a box having opposing lateral sides parallel to a long axis, a top, a bottom, a front end, and a rear end, the bottom having a floor, the floor having an inner surface and an outer surface, each lateral side of the box having a plurality of hinge devices and an actuating bar member configured to unlatch the hinge devices simultaneously, allowing the box to be alternately opened on opposing lateral sides of the box,
- strut members connecting the top to the bottom on the front and rear ends of the box to assist in holding the box open, each strut member including a first arm pivotally connected to a second arm, the first arm containing a spring, the second arm having a cam surface, and a cam follower positioned between the spring and the cam surface,
- two pair of clamp devices, each pair of clamp devices being mounted to the floor of the box for attaching the box to a crossbar on top of a vehicle, the clamp devices being adjustable in slots along the floor parallel to the long axis of the box, each clamp device including first and second jaw portions extending from the outer surface of the floor defining a curved opening for receiving a crossbar, each clamp device further including a tightening mechanism mounted on the inner surface of the floor for controlling movement of corresponding jaw portions on the outer surface of the floor between open and closed positions, the tightening mechanism including a threaded member connected to a handle located inside the box, rotation of the handle causing adjustment of the opening between the jaw portions.
A car top carrier comprising
- a box having opposing lateral sides parallel to a long axis, a top, a bottom, a front end, and a rear end, the bottom having a floor, the floor having an inner surface and an outer surface, the top and the bottom being attached by hinges devices on at least one of the lateral sides of the box,
- strut members connecting the top to the bottom on the front and rear ends of the box to assist in holding the box open, each strut member including a first arm pivotally connected to a second arm, the first arm containing a spring, the second arm having a cam surface, and a cam follower positioned between the spring and the cam surface,
- two pair of clamp devices, each pair of clamp devices being mounted to the floor of the box for attaching the box to a crossbar on top of a vehicle, the clamp devices being adjustable in slots along the floor parallel to the long axis of the box, each clamp device including first and second jaw portions extending from the outer surface of the floor defining a curved opening for receiving a crossbar, each clamp device further including a tightening mechanism mounted on the inner surface of the floor for controlling movement of corresponding jaw portions on the outer surface of the floor between open and closed positions, the tightening mechanism including a threaded member connected to a handle located inside the box, rotation of the handle causing adjustment of the opening between the jaw portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.