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US 5,207,366 AGranted
Slat assembly for vehicle article carriers
AssigneeJohn A. Bott
InventorJohn S. Cucheran
Life of this patent
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AssigneeJohn A. Bott
InventorJohn S. Cucheran
Estimating the term…
The present invention is a slat assembly adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle. The slat assembly include inner and outer rail members extending generally longitudinally and adapted to be fixedly secured on the surface portion of the vehicle. The inner and outer rail members cooperate with each other in an overlapping manner to vary the transverse width of the slat assembly.
A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
A slat assembly as set forth in claim wherein said inner rail member comprises a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly from an upper end of said side portion.
A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Term ended 6 Nov 2010 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an article carrier for vehicles, and more particularly, to a slat assembly for an article carrier on an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle illustrating an article carrier mounted thereon which is constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the structure illustrated in circle 2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 1 depicts a vehicle 20 such as an automobile having a generally horizontal roof 22 on which are mounted a pair of identical, parallel, transversely spaced side rails, slats or slat assemblies, generally indicated at 24. Although the slat assemblies 24 are shown mounted on the roof 22, the slat assemblies 24 of the present invention forming an article carrier may be mounted with equal utility on a trunk lid or any other generally horizontal exterior body portion of a vehicle. Mounted on the roof 22 are a plurality of identical, parallel, transversely spaced support slats 26. The support slats 26 are disposed between the slat assemblies 24 such that the support slats 26 are transversely spaced between the slat assemblies 24.
Mounted on the slat assemblies 24 are a pair of raised tubular restraining bars or crossbars 28 which are fitted at their opposite ends onto stanchions, bracket member or brackets 30. The brackets 30 include a locking structure (not shown) for locking the crossbars 28 into position along the slat assemblies 24. The locking structure may comprise a clamp and an adjustable wheel. The locking structure allows the crossbars 28 to be positioned operably at any location or at predetermined locations along the length of the slat assemblies 24.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, only a portion of the slat assembly 24 and roof 22 are illustrated. The slat assembly 24 includes an inner rail member, generally indicated at 32, and an outer rail member, generally indicated at 34. The inner and outer rail members 32 and 34 extend generally longitudinally. The inner rail member 32 and outer rail member 34 are preferably molded of a plastic material by conventional injection molding.