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US 6,581,952 B1Granted
Trailer hitch cover with retractable safety cables
OwnerCharles J. MacKarvichinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The trailer hitch has a pair of tubular housings 22 and 23, a coil compression spring 29 in each housing, and a cable 30 or 31. Each cable is telescopically slidable with respect to its housing, through its spring 29, and its proximal end 45 is connected to the inner end of the spring by the cable/spring connector 32. When the hooks 49 at the distal ends of the cables 30 or 31 are disconnected from the towing vehicle, the springs urge the cables into the housings.
Claims7
A hitch ball coupler for connection to a ball hitch of a towing vehicle, comprising:
- an elongated cover that is inverted U-shape in cross section with a base wall and opposed parallel side walls for extending about a trailer hitch draw bar,
- retractable cable assemblies mounted to each said sidewall of said cover,
- each retractable cable assembly including:
- a housing,
- a spring mounted to said housing, and
- a safety cable having a proximal end operatively connected to said spring so said spring biases the cable into said housing, and a distal end extending away from said housing for connection to a towing vehicle,
- whereby the distal end of said safety cable can be extended away from its housing for connection to a towing vehicle or can be released from a towing vehicle and the cable retracted at least partially into said housing by the spring.
4 more elements
A hitch ball coupler for connection to a ball hitch of a towing vehicle, comprising:
- a pair of retractable cable assemblies mounted on said hitch ball coupler, each said retractable cable assembly comprising:
- an elongate tubular housing,
- a coil compression spring positioned telescopically within said tubular housing, said spring having a first end anchored to said tubular housing and a second end,
- a safety cable having a proximal end extending into said tubular housing and telescopically through said first end of said coil compression spring and connected to said second end of said coil compression spring, and a distal end extending out of said tubular housing,
- a hook connected to said distal end of said cable and for connection to a towing vehicle, and
- said coil compression spring being operable to bias said cable into said housing in response to said cable being pulled outwardly from said housing.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.