US 5,884,824 AGranted

Equipment transport rack for vehicles providing improved loading accessibility

OwnerJoseph N. Spring, Jr.inventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An equipment transport rack is mountable on the roof of a vehicle, and provides easy access for loading equipment thereon. The equipment payload is carried on a payload carrier mounted on a movable carriage assembly which has two operational positions. In the transport position, the payload is carried above the roof surface, thus avoiding interference with vehicle doors or windows and preventing safety hazards to passers by. In the loading position, the carriage assembly extends outwardly and pivots downwardly from the roof area to project the payload carrier at least partially below the height of the roof edge and roof surface. In the loading position, the equipment payload may be easily and conveniently loaded and unloaded from the rack by a user of average height standing next to the vehicle. When the loading or unloading is completed, the carriage assembly pivots upwardly and slides inwardly to be returned to the transport position, where it is latched in position prior to vehicle movement. Various dedicated payload carriers may be interchangeably substituted on the carriage assembly or be integral with it. In a further embodiment, a single payload carrier accommodates multiple equipment types.

Claims27

Dependent claims

An equipment transport rack for mounting on the roof of a vehicle, said roof having a roof surface bounded by a roof edge, comprising

a support foot means for mounting in a fixed relation to the roof surface proximate the roof edge;
carriage means mounted on the support foot means for pivoting from a horizontal position to a predetermined angled position with respect to the roof surface;
the carriage means including a payload carrier means for temporarily attaching an equipment payload for transport thereon;
the carriage means being linearly extendable from a compressed position to an extended position in which the payload carrier is at least partially beyond the roof edge;
the equipment rack having a loading position for facilitating loading with the carriage means in said predetermined angled and extended positions so that the payload carrier is positioned at least partially below the level of the roof surface;
the equipment rack having a transport position with the carriage means in horizontal and compressed positions so that the payload carrier is positioned above the level of the roof surface;
and
latching means for removably securing the carriage in the transport position, wherein said latching means includes a latching block adjustably mounted on said support foot means, said latching block having means for engaging the corresponding top slide rail to prevent angular movement of the top slide rail when the equipment transport rack is in its transport position.

5 more elements

An equipment transport rack for mounting on the roof of a vehicle, said roof having a roof surface bounded by a roof edge, comprising

a support foot means for mounting in a fixed relation to the roof surface proximate the roof edge, the support foot means including a plurality of elongated support foot members in a spaced, parallel configuration;
carriage means mounted on the support foot means for pivoting from a horizontal position to a predetermined angled position with respect to the roof surface, the carriage means including a plurality of extension slides, each corresponding to and in alignment with one of said support foot members for coacting therewith;
each extension slide including a plurality of interlocking, overlapping slide sections including at least a base slide rail which is the lowest, innermost slide section and a top slide rail, which is the highest, outermost slide section;
each extension slide having a variable length controllable by sliding action of the slide sections, a minimum compressed length, and a maximum extended length, said compressed and extended lengths being predetermined by the length of the individual slide sections, the number of slide sections, and the degree of overlap between the slide sections;
the carriage means having a payload carrier with attachment means for temporality attaching an equipment payload for transport thereon;
the carriage means being linearly extendable from a compressed position in which the payload carrier is positioned within the boundary of the roof edge to an extended position in which the payload carrier is at least partially beyond the roof edge;
the equipment rack having a loading position for facilitating loading with the carriage means in said angled and extended positions so that the payload carrier is positioned at least partially beyond the roof edge and at least partially below the level of the roof surface;
the equipment rack having a transport position with the carriage means in horizontal and compressed positions so that the payload carrier is positioned above the level of the roof surface, within the boundary of the roof edge;
and
latching means for removably securing the carriage in the transport position.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.