Adapter for vehicle mount and method of use thereof |
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申请号 | US13753601 | 申请日 | 2013-01-30 | 公开(公告)号 | US09358931B2 | 公开(公告)日 | 2016-06-07 |
申请人 | Bernhardt D. DeGuile; Debra A. DeGuile; | 发明人 | Bernhardt D. DeGuile; Debra A. DeGuile; | ||||
摘要 | An adapter for a vehicle mount having a base portion having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a high friction element, the high friction element reducing a lateral movement of the base portion when positioned on an exterior surface of vehicle, and a receiver disposed on the base portion, the receiver configured to receive a portion of a vehicle mount, wherein a load of the vehicle mount is distributed across the surface area of the base portion is provided. Furthermore, an associated method is also provided. | ||||||
权利要求 | What is claimed is: |
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说明书全文 | The following relates to an adapter for vehicle mounts and more specifically to embodiments of an adapter for load distribution and movement reduction of a vehicle mount and surface protection of a vehicle. Conventional vehicle trunk mounts have at least one bar that rests upon a trunk of a car. Those bars are usually made of metal or a heavy plastic that can dent the trunk of the car, scratch the paint on the trunk, and leave dirt and residue from the direct contact with the trunk of the car. While some vehicle trunk mounts place padding over the bar or portion that rests on the trunk, the weight of the vehicle trunk mount, along with any objects attached to the mount, can still deliver permanent damage to the trunk of the car. Moreover, the diameter of the bar of the vehicle trunk mount is relatively small, which focuses the entire load of the mount and attached objects onto a small area of the trunk, and allows for easy sliding of the bar across the trunk, which causes further damage to the car trunk. Thus, a need exists for an apparatus and method for providing protection against damage to a vehicle by distributing a load of a vehicle mount and reducing a sliding effect of the vehicle mount. A first aspect relates generally to an adapter for a vehicle mount comprising a base portion having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a high friction element, the high friction element reducing a lateral movement of the base portion when positioned on an exterior surface of vehicle, and a receiver disposed on the base portion, the receiver configured to receive a portion of a vehicle mount, wherein a load of the vehicle mount is distributed across the surface area of the base portion. A second aspect relates generally to an adapter comprising a base portion having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface comprising a high friction element, the base portion configured to be disposed on a mounting surface of a vehicle, and a receiver disposed on the top surface of the base portion, the receiver having a first side portion and a second side portion extending axially from a first end of the receiver to a second end of the receiver, wherein the receiver is configured to receive a vehicle engagement member of a vehicle mount so that the vehicle engagement member resides at least partially between the first side portion and the second side portion of the receiver, wherein the receiving of the vehicle engagement member of the vehicle mount by the receiver securably retains the vehicle engagement member when the vehicle mount is operably attached to the vehicle. A third aspect relates generally to a method comprising providing an adapter having a base portion having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having a high friction element, the high friction element reducing a lateral movement of the base portion when positioned on an exterior surface of vehicle, a receiver disposed on the base portion, preventing a vehicle engagement member of a vehicle mount to directly contact the exterior surface of the vehicle and the vehicle engagement member, and distributing a load of the vehicle mount across a surface area of the base portion. The foregoing and other features of construction and operation will be more readily understood and fully appreciated from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings. Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein: A detailed description of the hereinafter described embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures. Although certain embodiments are shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present disclosure will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of embodiments of the present disclosure. As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Referring to the drawings, Furthermore, some embodiments of the vehicle engagement member 650 may include one or more foam pads 660 wrapped around the vehicle engagement member 650 in an attempt to reduce damage cause by the engagement between the vehicle engagement member 650 and the mounting surface 550 of the vehicle 500. However, the pads 660 are insufficient in completely protecting the mounting surface 550 because they do not cover the entire vehicle engagement member 650, they do not evenly distribute the load of the vehicle mount 600, and they do not reduce movement of the vehicle engagement member 650 across the mounting surface 550 when the vehicle mount 600 is urged to slide during transit or loading and unloading objects onto the vehicle mount 600. Accordingly, embodiments of the adapter 100 may completely prevent contact or engagement between the vehicle engagement member 650 and the mounting surface 550 of the vehicle 500. Furthermore, embodiments of the adapter 100 may distribute, evenly or otherwise, a load of the vehicle mount when operably attached to the vehicle 500. For instance, embodiments of the adapter 100 may evenly distribute the load, weight, force, etc., of the vehicle mount 600 across a larger surface area of the mounting surface 550, as opposed to a focused point of contact between the vehicle engagement member 650 and the mounting surface 550. Even further, embodiments of the adapter 100 may reduce or prevent slippage or sliding of the vehicle mount 600 across the mounting surface 550. Referring now to Embodiments of the adapter 100 may include a base portion 70. Embodiments of the base portion 70 may be a load distribution member configured to evenly distribute a load of the vehicle mount 600 and any objects attached thereto across a larger surface area of the mounting surface 550 of the vehicle 500. In other words, the load, force, weight, etc., of the vehicle mount 600 and any objects attached thereto is transferred to the mounting surface 550 (e.g. exterior surface of a trunk) over an area equal to or approximately equal to an area of the base portion 70. Embodiments of the base portion 70 may also be movement restriction member configured to reduce, restrict, prevent, hinder, etc., translational movement or sliding of the vehicle mount 600, in particular, the vehicle engagement member 650 across the mounting surface 550 of the vehicle 500. Moreover, embodiments of the base portion 70 may have a top surface 73, a bottom surface 74, a width, w, a length, L, and a thickness, t. The base portion 70 may have a rectangular shape. For example, in one exemplary embodiment, the base portion 70 may have a length, L, of 14″, a width, w, of 5″, and a thickness, t, of ¼″. However, those skilled in the art should appreciate that the base portion 70 may include various dimensions to accommodate various sizes of vehicle mounts 600 and mounting surfaces 550 of vehicles 500. For example, embodiments of the base portion may be rectangular, squared, circular, or have any polygonal configuration. Embodiments of the base portion 70 may be disposed on the mounting surface 550 of the vehicle 500 at a location proximate or otherwise near a location where the vehicle engagement member 650 would contact the mounting surface 550 of the vehicle 500, wherein the bottom surface 74 can directly physically engages the mounting surface 550 of the vehicle. Referring back to Embodiments of the receiver 50 may have a first end 53 and a second end 54, and may have a first side portion 51 and a second side portion 52 defining a channel 55. Embodiments of the receiver 50 may have a central axis 5 extending axially from the first end 53 to the second end 54 that can divide or at least separate the first side portion 51 and the second side portion 52. The first side portion 51 and the second side portion 52 may be a wall or similar structure configured to collect, corral, confine, or otherwise partially encompass the vehicle engagement member 650 when the vehicle mount 600 is operably attached to the vehicle 500. Embodiments of the channel 55 may extend from the first end 53 to the second end 54 of the receiver 50, and may comprise the void, area, or opening between the first side portion 51 and the second side portion 52; those having skill in the art should appreciate that the channel 55 may also refer to the void, area, or opening proximate or otherwise near the first and second side portion 51, 52. Embodiments of channel 55 may be an opening, a channel, a groove, a tunnel, a pathway, a keyway, a semi-circular pathway, and the like. The vehicle engagement member 650, or a portion thereof, may enter and reside within the channel 55 when the vehicle mount 650 is operably attached to the vehicle 500. The retainment of the vehicle engagement member 650, or a portion thereof, within the channel 55 of the receiver 50 may stabilize or otherwise support the vehicle mount 600 when operably attached. Moreover, when the vehicle engagement member 650 is at least partially disposed within the channel 55, a translational movement or sliding of the vehicle engagement member 650 across the top surface 73 of the base portion can be prevented, hindered, eliminated, and can hold the vehicle engagement member 650 stationary or relatively stationary when adding or removing objects from the vehicle mount 600 when the vehicle mount 600 is operably attached to the vehicle 500. Further, embodiments of the receiver 50 may be comprised of plastic, composite materials, hard plastics, an elastomer, a dense rubber, metal, and/or a combination thereof. Referring still to Referring back to With reference now to While this disclosure has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure as set forth above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as required by the following claims. The claims provide the scope of the coverage of the invention and should not be limited to the specific examples provided herein. |