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US 9,290,130 B2Granted
Load and lift roof rack
OwnerPaul Kevin Bullerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A roof rack for loading and unloading cargo to and from the roof of a motor vehicle is described. The roof rack is characterized by enabling the cargo to be loaded at an accessible height and then lifted onto the roof of the motor vehicle while the cargo is maintained in a fixed position. In another embodiment, the cargo is reoriented from a first orientation to a second orientation during the loading and unloading procedure.
Claims23
A load and lift roof rack for loading and unloading cargo to and from a vehicle comprising:
- base rail for attachment to the vehicle, the base rail having a first base rail end and a second base rail end;
- lever bar having a first lever bar end and a second lever bar end, the first lever bar end operably and pivotably connected to the first end of the base rail at a pivot point allowing the lever bar to pivot between a loading position and a transport position;
- an arm bar for operative support of the cargo, the arm bar having a first arm bar end and a second arm bar end, the first arm bar end operably and pivotably connected to the second lever bar end;
- a base gear fixed to the first end of the base rail;
- an arm gear fixed to the first end of the arm bar for rotating the arm bar with respect to the lever bar;
- connection means operably connecting the base gear and the arm gear for maintaining or changing the orientation of the arm gear with respect to the base gear and base rail, wherein a gear ratio of the base gear to the arm gear determines the orientation of the arm bar with respect to the base rail during movement of the lever bar between the loading position and the transport position.
3 more elements
A load and lift roof rack for loading and unloading cargo to and from a vehicle comprising:
- base rail for attachment to the vehicle, the base rail having a first base rail end and a second base rail end;
- lever bar having a first lever bar end and a second lever bar end, the first lever bar end operably and pivotably connected to the first end of the base rail at a pivot point allowing the lever bar to pivot between a loading position and a transport position;
- an arm bar for operative support of the cargo, the arm bar having a first arm bar end and a second arm bar end, the first arm bar end operably and pivotably connected to the second lever bar end;
- a base gear fixed to the first end of the base rail;
- an arm gear fixed to the first end of the arm bar for rotating the arm bar with respect to the lever bar;
- and
- a continuous chain or belt operably connecting the base gear and the arm gear, said continuous chain or belt constructed and adapted to maintain or change the orientation of the arm gear with respect to the base gear and the base rail, wherein a gear ratio of the base gear to the arm gear determines the orientation of the arm bar with respect to the base rail during movement of the lever bar between the loading position and the transport position.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.