Spare tire carrier for a vehicle
First Claim
1. A spare tire carrier for a vehicle having a rear gate mounted for pivotal movement between open and closed positions, said spare tire carrier comprising:
- a first leg member having a first end pivotally mountable to the vehicle, said first leg member having mounting structure on which a spare tire is mountable, and a second leg member having a first end pivotally connected to a second end of the first leg member and a second end pivotally mountable to the rear gate for maintaining a substantially parallel relationship between the first leg member and the rear gate during pivotal movement thereof, at least one of the first and second leg members being adjustable in length for shortening the length thereof thereby offsetting sagging of said rear gate upon mounting the spare tire on the mounting structure.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A carrier for the spare tire of a sport utility vehicle. The carrier includes a pair of additional hinges mounted to the vehicle body just outside the rear gate and an arrangement of leg members that moves in unison with the rear gate as it is opened and closed. The spare tire is mounted on the arrangement of leg members which includes an adjustable leg member which not only helps to properly align the spare tire with the vertical but also can be used to correct or offset any sag that might develop in the rear gate. It can also be used to vary the relative amounts of the tire'"'"'s weight being supported by the gate including its hinges versus being supported by the body of the vehicle at the hinges for the carrier.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A spare tire carrier for a vehicle having a rear gate mounted for pivotal movement between open and closed positions, said spare tire carrier comprising:
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a first leg member having a first end pivotally mountable to the vehicle, said first leg member having mounting structure on which a spare tire is mountable, and a second leg member having a first end pivotally connected to a second end of the first leg member and a second end pivotally mountable to the rear gate for maintaining a substantially parallel relationship between the first leg member and the rear gate during pivotal movement thereof, at least one of the first and second leg members being adjustable in length for shortening the length thereof thereby offsetting sagging of said rear gate upon mounting the spare tire on the mounting structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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- 15. In a vehicle having a rear gate mounted to the body of the vehicle for pivotal movement about a first substantially vertical axis (10) between an open position permitting access to the interior of the vehicle through an opening defined at least in part by portions of the vehicle body and a closed position preventing access through said opening, said gate having a free end spaced from said first axis (10), the improvement including an arrangement to selectively raise the free end of said gate relative to the opening in said vehicle to properly align said gate including the free end thereof with the opening in said vehicle wherein the arrangement includes first and second leg members (7,9), said first leg member (7) being mounted to said body for pivotal movement about a second substantially vertical axis (11), said second leg member (9) being mounted to said gate (6) for pivotal movement about a third substantially vertical axis (13), said first and second leg members (7,9) being further mounted to each other about a fourth substantially vertical axis (17) wherein the length of at least one of said leg members (7,9) is adjustable between at least one of the respective pair of the second and fourth axes (11,17) and of the third and fourth axes (13,17) to selectively raise the free end of said gate relative to the opening in said vehicle to properly align said gate including the free end thereof with the opening in said vehicle.
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20. A spare tire carrier for a vehicle, said vehicle having a rear gate and body with portions defining an opening for said gate, said gate being mounted to said body for pivotal movement about a first substantially vertical axis (10) between an open position permitting access to the interior of the vehicle through said opening and a closed position preventing access through said opening, said spare tire carrier including:
first and second leg members (7,9), said first leg member (7) being mountable to said body for pivotal movement about a second substantially vertical axis (11), said second leg member (9) being mounted to said gate (6) for pivotal movement about a third substantially vertical axis (13), said first and second leg members (7,9) being further mounted to each other about a fourth substantially vertical axis (17), said spare tire being mountable to said spare tire carrier wherein the length of at least one of said leg members (7,9) is adjustable between at least one of the respective pair of the second and fourth axes (11,17) and of the third and fourth axes (13,17) to adjust the vertical alignment of said spare tire and said spare tire carrier. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
- 33. In a vehicle having a rear gate mounted by at least one pivot member to the body of the vehicle for pivotal movement about a first substantially vertical axis (10) and an object supported in part on said gate including said pivot member therefor and in part on the body of the vehicle at a location spaced from said pivot member for said gate, a first portion of the weight of the object being supported by said gate including said pivot member therefor and a second portion of the weight of the object being supported by said body at said spaced location, the improvement including an arrangement to selectively adjust the relative amounts of the first and second portions of the weight of the object respectively being supported by the gate including the pivot member therefor and by the body of the vehicle at said spaced location.
Specification