US 4,817,834 AGranted

Bumper mounted spare wheel carrier

OwnerRaywood C. Weilerinventor

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Abstract

A bumper mounted spare wheel carrier for a vehicle having a rear door is provided with a latching mechanism for latching the carrier to the rear door of the vehicle so as to secure it during movement. The carrier has a first mounting bracket secured to the rear bumper and a second mounting bracket secured to the rear door of the vehicle. A carrier arm is mounted on the first mounting bracket and is adapted for pivotal movement between a first position latched to the second mounting bracket and a second position extending substantially laterally from the vehicle. A wheel bracket is attached to the carrier arm for holding the wheel. The latching mechanism, also mounted on the carrier arm, is adapted for engagement with the second mounting bracket. As a result, a low cost easy to install bumper mounted wheel carrier is provided which is firmly attached to the vehicle, yet can be easily swung away from the vehicle for removal of the spare wheel or for opening of the rear door.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A spare wheel carrier for a vehicle comprising:

a first mounting bracket adapted to be secured to a rear bumper of said vehicle;
a second mounting bracket adapted to be secured to a rear door of said vehicle;
an arm mounted on said first mounting bracket and adapted for pivotal movement between a first position in non-contacting adjacent relation to said second mounting bracket and a second position extending substantially laterally from said vehicle to a point remote from said second mounting bracket;
means for mounting a wheel on said arm;
means for selectively latching said arm to said second mounting bracket when said arm is in said first position at a point in spaced relation to said rear door of said vehicle, said arm being maintained in non-contacting adjacent relation to said second mounting bracket by said latching means at said point in spaced relation to said rear door of said vehicle;
discrete resilient means disposed between said arm and said second mounting bracket for maintaining said arm in non-contacting adjacent relation to said second mounting bracket when said arm is latched to said second mounting bracket;
and
means for adjusting the distance between said arm and said second mounting bracket when said arm is latched to said second mounting bracket to ensure that said discrete resilient means acts to bias said arm in a direction away from said second mounting bracket thereby causing said arm to be latched to said second mounting bracket in a vibration isolating manner.

5 more elements

In combination, a vehicle including a vehicle body having a door opening therein and a door hingedly mounted on said body and arranged to be moved between positions closing said door opening and uncovering said door opening, a spare wheel carrier hingedly mounted on a bumper of said vehicle and including an arm arranged to be swung between a position adjacent the exterior of said door and a position remote therefrom, said spare wheel carrier including a mounting bracket secured to said door, said arm being movable to a non-contacting adjacent position relative to said mounting bracket, said spare wheel carrier also including means for selectively latching said arm to said mounting bracket at a point in spaced relation to said rear door of said vehicle while said arm is maintained in said non-contacting adjacent position relative to said mounting bracket by said latching means at said point in spaced relation to said rear door of said vehicle, discrete resilient means disposed between said arm and said mounting bracket for maintaining said arm in said non-contacting adjacent position relative to said mounting bracket when said arm is latched to said mounting bracket, and means for adjusting the distance between said arm and said mounting bracket to ensure that said discrete resilient means acts to bias said arm in a direction away from said mounting bracket thereby causing said arm to be latched to said mounting bracket in a vibration isolating manner, whereby said spare wheel carrier may be pivoted to a position laterally disposed from said vehicle and said door opened without obstruction and said arm can otherwise be latched to said mounting bracket so as to dampen vibration of said spare wheel carrier during operation of said vehicle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.