Vehicle side under ride guard
First Claim
1. A side under ride guard for a vehicle having a trailer portion having a front, a rear, and opposing side edges extending between the front and the rear, the side under ride guard comprising:
- an elongate impact member configured to be positioned at a distance below the side edge of the trailer portion sufficient to obstruct progress of another vehicle under the side edge in the event of a collision; and
a plurality of support members configured to attach the elongate impact member to the trailer portion, each of the plurality of support members including an upright support and an angled support, wherein the upright supports are spaced inwardly of the elongate impact member.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A side under ride guard for a large vehicle having a trailer portion with a relatively high ground clearance is provided. The trailer portion has a front, a rear, and opposing side edges extending between the front and the rear. The side under ride guard attaches to the trailer portion and is positioned below the side edge of the trailer portion a distance sufficient to obstruct progress of a passenger vehicle under the side edge of the trailer. The side under ride guard further is positioned relative to the side edge of the trailer so as to prevent intrusion of the side edge into the passenger vehicle occupant compartment as well as to minimize the regions of contact between the passenger vehicle and the side under ride guard itself.
63 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A side under ride guard for a vehicle having a trailer portion having a front, a rear, and opposing side edges extending between the front and the rear, the side under ride guard comprising:
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an elongate impact member configured to be positioned at a distance below the side edge of the trailer portion sufficient to obstruct progress of another vehicle under the side edge in the event of a collision; and a plurality of support members configured to attach the elongate impact member to the trailer portion, each of the plurality of support members including an upright support and an angled support, wherein the upright supports are spaced inwardly of the elongate impact member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A vehicle, comprising:
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a trailer portion having a front, a rear, and opposing side edges extending between the front and the rear; a pair of side under ride guards fixedly attached to the trailer portion proximate the opposing side edges, each of the pair of side under ride guards comprising; an elongate impact element positioned at a distance below the respective side edge of the trailer portion sufficient to block passage of another vehicle under the side edge in the event of a collision; and a plurality of support elements that attach the elongate impact element to the trailer portion, each of the plurality of support elements including an upright support and an angled support, wherein the upright supports are spaced inwardly of the elongate impact element. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of obstructing progress of a vehicle under a side edge of a trailer portion of another vehicle, the side edge extending between a front and a rear of the trailer portion, the method comprising:
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providing a side under ride guard comprising an elongate impact element and a plurality of support members attached to the elongate impact element, each of the plurality of support members including an upright support and an angled support, wherein the upright supports are spaced inwardly of the elongate impact element; positioning the side under ride guard below the side edge of the trailer portion at a distance sufficient to obstruct progress of the vehicle under the side edge of the trailer portion in the event of a collision; and attaching each of the support members to the trailer portion. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A side under ride guard for a vehicle having a trailer portion having a front, a rear, and opposing side edges extending between the front and the rear, the side under ride guard comprising:
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an elongate impact member configured to be positioned at a distance below the trailer portion sufficient to obstruct progress of another vehicle under a side edge of the trailer portion in the event of a collision, the elongate impact member having angularly extending opposing ends; and a plurality of support members configured to attach the elongate impact member to the trailer portion, wherein, when the elongate impact member is attached to the trailer portion, the angularly extending opposing ends extend under and inwardly of the side edge. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. A side under ride guard for a vehicle having a trailer portion having a front, a rear, and opposing side edges extending between the front and the rear, the side under ride guard comprising:
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an elongate impact member configured to be positioned at a distance below a side edge of the trailer portion sufficient to obstruct progress of another vehicle under the side edge in the event of a collision, the elongate impact member being extensible to achieve a desired length of the elongate impact member between the front and the rear of the trailer portion; and a plurality of support members configured to attach the elongate impact member to the trailer portion. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification