Longitudinal slat for luggage carrier

#I. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to longitudinal slats for vehicle luggage carriers and, in particular, to an insulator construction for longitudinal slats adapted to be disposed between the load-bearing slat body and the vehicle surface in order to prevent damage to the surface and to provide added support for the slat.

#II. Description of the Prior Art

#The present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the views, and in which:

#FIG. 1 is an elevational perspective of a plurality of longitudinal slats mounted to the roof of a vehicle in accordance with the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective of the longitudinal slat of the present invention;

#Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a luggage carrier 10 mounted to a surface 12 of a vehicle 14. The carrier 10 may be mounted to either the roof of the vehicle 14 as shown in FIG. 1 or to a rear deck surface (not shown). Preferably, the luggage carrier 10 comprises a peripheral rack 16 elevated above the vehicle surface 12 in order to contain cargo stored therein, and a plurality of longitudinally-extending, load-supporting slats 18 upon which the cargo is supported. The slats 18 are mounted in a longitudinal arrangement in order to minimize wind resistance by allowing air flow beneath the cargo stored in the luggage carrier 10.

#Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the slat 18 generally comprises an elongated slat body 20 detachably mounted to an insulator 22. The slat body 20 has a substantially frusto-pyramidal configuration with an upper load-bearing wall 24. The load-bearing wall 24 is orientated parallel to the vehicle surface 12 in order to form a stable surface for the cargo disposed within the carrier 10. Extending downwardly at an angle from the wall 24 are side walls 26 and end walls 28 which are designed to reduce the wind resistance of the slat 18. Formed at the bottom of the walls 26 and 28 is a peripheral edge 30 having an inwardly extending lip 32 which facilitates attachment of the slat body 20 to the insulator 22 as will be subsequently described. Preferably, the slat body 20 is formed of a stamped chrome-metal construction.

#The insulator 22 of the present invention is adapted to be disposed beneath the slat body 20 in order to protect the painted surface 12 of the vehicle body and at the same time provide a support surface for the peripheral edge 30 and lip 32 of the slat body 20. In the preferred embodiment, the insulator 20 is extrusion molded of a plastic material although any non-abrasive material may be utilized in order to protect the vehicle surface 12. The insulator 22 comprises a central support beam 34 integrally formed with outwardly extending flanges 36. The flanges 36 extend substantially the length of the slat body 20 while the central support 34 extends the length of the load-bearing wall 24. As best shown in FIG. 3, the central support 34 has an H-shaped cross-section with flanges 36 extending outwardly from the lower legs 38 of the support beam 34. Such a configuration provides substantially uniform thicknesses throughout the insulator 22 which facilitates production by reducing warpage and other defects during the extrusion molding process.