Locking system for adjustable luggage carrier

• US 5,579,970 A
• Filed: 06/05/1995
• Issued: 12/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JAC Products Incorporated (JAC Holding Enterprises, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: JAC Products Incorporated (JAC Holding Enterprises, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aftanas, Jeffrey M., Cucheran, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sholl, Linda J.
• Application Number:
  US08/462,788
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 224/309, 224/321, 224/325, 224/326, 224/315
• US Class Current: 224/321
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 9/045 Carriers being adjustable or transformable, e.g. expansible, collapsible transformable into tents B60P3/36; into beds B60P3/38

Abstract

A vehicle article carrier having a locking mechanism disposed within a bracket member. The locking mechanism includes an actuating member having first and second camming surfaces, a locking pin and a clamping member. As the actuating member is moved to an unlocked position, the first camming surface cooperates with the locking pin to urge the locking pin out of engagement with an aperture in a channel of a support member of the vehicle article carrier. Simultaneously, the second camming surface causes the clamping member to be moved out of clamping engagement with shoulder portions of the channel member. When the actuating member is moved from the unlocked to the locked position, the first camming surface allows a first spring to urge the locking pin back into engagement with the aperture in the channel member. Simultaneously, the rotation of the actuating member causes the second camming surface to allow the clamping member to be urged back into clamping engagement in response to a biasing force provided by another spring. Accordingly, a dual locking and unlocking action is provided with movement of a single actuating member.

Claims

1. A vehicle article carrier comprising:

a pair of support members extending longitudinally along an outer body vehicle surface and fixedly secured to said outer body vehicle surface;

a bracket member disposed on at least one of said support members;

a cross bar secured to said bracket member such that movement of said bracket member along said one support member allows said cross bar to be adjustably positioned relative to said support member;

said bracket member including a locking assembly for releasably securing said bracket member to said one support member at a selected position along a length of said one support member;

said locking assembly including;

an actuating member having a manually graspable portion, a first camming surface and a second camming surface;

a locking pin; and

a clamping member;

said locking pin being moveable into locking engagement with said one support member by said first camming surface when said actuating member is moved into a locked position;

said clamping member being movable by said second camming surface into clamping engagement with said one support member when said actuating member is moved to said locked position; and

said locking pin being moved out of said locking engagement with said one support member by said first camming surface when said actuating member is moved to an unlocked position, and said clamping member being moveable out of said clamping engagement with said one support member when said actuating member is moved to said unlocked position.

2. The vehicle article carrier of claim 1, further comprising:

a first biasing member for biasing said locking pin into said locking engagement when said actuating member is moved to said locked position; and

a second biasing member for biasing said clamping member into said clamping engagement when said actuating member is moved into said locked position.

3. The vehicle article carrier of claim 1, wherein said bracket member includes a foot portion adapted to guide said bracket member along said one support member.

4. The vehicle article carrier of claim 2, wherein said clamping member comprises a bore extending therethrough;

wherein said first biasing member is disposed within said bore; and

wherein said locking pin is disposed slidably within said bore and urged outwardly of said bore by said first biasing member.

5. A vehicle article carrier comprising:

a pair of support members extending longitudinally along an outer body vehicle surface and fixedly secured to said outer body vehicle surface, each of said support members including a longitudinally extending channel having a plurality of apertures formed therein;

a bracket member adjustably disposed on each said support member;

a cross bar extending longitudinally between said bracket members and secured at its outermost ends to said bracket members;

at least one of said bracket members including;

an actuating member having a first camming surface and a second camming surface, said actuating member being adapted to be manually grasped and urged between a locked position and an unlocked position;

a locking pin operably associated with said actuating means and movable generally linearly into and out of locking engagement with said apertures in said channel;

a first biasing member operably associated with said first camming surface of said actuating member for causing said locking pin to be withdrawn from said locking engagement with one of said apertures when said actuating member is urged into said unlocked position;

a clamping member operably associated with said actuating member and disposed at least partially within said channel of an associated one of said support members;

a second biasing member for urging said clamping member into engagement with said channel of said associated support member, said clamping member being cooperable with said second camming surface such that movement of said actuating member towards said unlocked position causes said clamping member to be urged out of clamping engagement with said associated support member and movement of said actuating member into said locked position causes said clamping member to be urged into engagement with at least one wall portion of said channel of said associated support member.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said clamping member includes a concentrically disposed bore;

and

wherein said locking pin is slidably disposed within said bore.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

an annular retaining member disposed about an upper end portion of said clamping member; and

a retaining pin for maintaining said annular retaining member to said clamping member against said biasing force of said second biasing member.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said first biasing member is disposed concentrically within said bore;

wherein said clamping member includes a longitudinal, elongated slot formed therein; and

wherein said apparatus further comprises a second retaining pin disposed within said longitudinal elongated slot and cooperable with said first camming surface such that movement of said actuating member into said unlocked position causes said second retaining pin to be urged away from said channel by movement over said first camming surface and against said biasing force of said first biasing member.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said clamping member includes a neck portion;

and

wherein said neck portion includes said longitudinal elongated slot formed therein, said slot enabling said second locking pin to move longitudinally therein along a partial length of said neck portion.

10. A vehicle article carrier comprising:

a pair of elongated support members fixedly secured to an outer body surface of a vehicle;

said support members each including a channel formed therein, each said channel including a channel member having a pair of inwardly extending shoulder portions and a bottom wall portion having a plurality of spaced apart apertures extending generally linearly along a major portion of the length of its associated said channel;

a bracket member slidably and adjustably disposed on each one of said support members;

a cross bar fixedly secured at each of its outermost ends to said bracket members for supporting articles thereon;

each of said bracket members including a locking assembly for releasably locking each of said bracket members adjustably at a selected position along said support members, each said locking assembly including;

an actuating member having a manually graspable end portion, a main body portion having at least one first camming surface and at least one second camming surface, and a bore disposed concentrically within said main body portion, said actuating member being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position;

a clamping member concentrically disposed within said annular main body portion and adapted to move generally linearly relative to said annular main body portion, said clamping member being movable between an unclamped position and a clamped position, wherein in said clamped position said clamping member is engaged with said inwardly extending shoulder portions of its associated channel member;

a locking pin disposed concentrically within said bore of said clamping member and movable longitudinally therein;

a first biasing member disposed concentrically within said bore for biasing said locking pin such that an outermost end portion thereof extends into locking engagement with a selected one of said apertures in said bottom wall portion of said associated channel member when said locking pin is positioned over said selected aperture;

a retaining member for retaining said locking pin at least partially within said clamping member against said biasing force of said first biasing member;

a second biasing member for biasing said clamping member into said clamping engagement with said inwardly extending shoulder portions of said associated channel member when said actuating member is in said locked position;

said first camming surface causing said retaining means to urge said locking pin linearly away from said bottom wall portion of said channel member when said manually graspable end portion of said actuating member is moved from said locked position to said unlocked position; and

said second camming surface causing said clamping member to be urged away from said inwardly extending shoulder portions and therefore out of locking engagement with said associated channel member when said manually graspable end portion is moved from said locked position to said unlocked position.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said clamping member comprises at least one arm portion for engaging said second camming surface when said actuating member is rotated.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said bracket member includes a foot portion for guiding said bracket member along said channel member;

and

wherein said foot portion includes a guide portion for cooperating with said arm portion of said clamping member to prevent said clamping member from rotating relative to said bracket member.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said second camming surface includes a first pair of detents for helping to hold said actuating member in said locked position when said manually graspable end portion is moved into said locked position;

and

wherein said second camming surface includes a second pair of detents positioned approximately 90 degrees from said first pair of detents for cooperating with said arm portion of said clamping member to maintain said actuating member in said unlocked position when said manually graspable end portion is moved into said unlocked position.

14. A vehicle article carrier comprising:

a pair of support members extending longitudinally along an outer body vehicle surface and fixedly secured to said outer body vehicle surface;

a bracket member disposed on at least one of said support members;

a cross bar secured to said bracket member such that movement of said bracket member along said one support member allows said cross bar to be adjustably positioned relative to said support members;

said bracket member including a locking assembly for releasably securing said bracket member to said one support member at a selected position along a length of said one support member;

said locking assembly including;

an actuating member having a manually graspable portion, a first camming surface and a second camming surface;

a locking member;

a clamping member;

wherein said first camming surface operates to urge said locking member into locking engagement with said one support member when said actuating member is urged into a locked position and to enable said locking member to be moved out of locking engagement when said actuating member is moved into an unlocked position; and

wherein said second camming surface operates to urge said clamping member into clamping engagement with said one support member when said actuating member is moved into said locked position, and to enable said clamping member to be moved out of said clamping engagement when said actuating member is moved into said unlocked position.

15. The article carrier of claim 14, wherein said locking member and said clamping member are urged into engagement with said one support member substantially simultaneously as said actuating member is urged into said locked position.

16. The article carrier of claim 14, wherein said locking member and said clamping member are urged out of engagement with said one support member substantially simultaneously when said actuating member is urged from said locked position into an unlocked position.

17. A vehicle article carrier comprising:

a pair of support members extending longitudinally along an outer body vehicle surface and fixedly secured to said outer body vehicle surface;

a bracket member disposed on at least one of said support members;

a cross bar secured to said bracket member such that movement of said bracket member along said one support member allows said cross bar to be adjustably positioned relative to said support member;

said bracket member including a locking assembly for releasably securing said bracket member to said one support member at a selected position along a length of said one support member;

said locking assembly including;

an actuating member having a manually graspable portion, a first circumferential camming surface and a second circumferential camming surface disposed coaxially relative to said first circumferential camming surface;

a locking member cammingly urgeable into locked and unlocked positions by one of said first and second circumferential camming surfaces in response to rotational movement of said actuating member;

a clamping member cammingly moveable into clamped and unclamped positions relative to said one support member by the other one of said first and second circumferential camming surfaces in response to rotational movement of said actuating member.

18. The vehicle article carrier of claim 17, wherein said locking member is disposed along a vertical axis of rotation of said actuating member.

19. The vehicle article carrier of claim 17, wherein the locking member is disposed coaxially relative to said clamping member.

20. The vehicle article carrier of claim 17, wherein said first and second locking member and said clamping member are urged into locking and clamping engagement, respectively, with said one support member substantially simultaneously when said actuating member is rotated into a locked position, and urged out of locking and clamping engagement substantially simultaneously when said actuating member is rotated into an unlocked position.