Vehicle article carrier having stowable cross bars
View Patent ↗A vehicle article carrier having a pair of cross bars that can be positioned in a stowed, position, resting on or adjacent to a corresponding pair of side rails, or moved into an operative position with the cross bars extending perpendicularly between the side rails. When the cross bars are in the stowed position, the apparatus presents a significantly more aerodynamic structure that helps to reduce wind noise when the vehicle on which the apparatus is mounted is being driven. The cross bars can be quickly moved into the operative position via a latching mechanism disposed at end that can be released from a securing portion of one side rail and re-attached to a securing portion of the other side rail. Various embodiments are presented with different latching and pivoting mechanisms.
1. A vehicle article carrier for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle, comprising:
first and second support rails secured to said outer body surface generally parallel to one another, and orientated parallel to a longitudinal axis extending along said outer body surface;
said support rail rails each including first and second independent movable mounts each being slidably supported on its associated support rail, and each being adjustably positionable along its associated said support rail;
each of said first and second movable mounts having a locking assembly for fixed securing at a desired position along said side rail, and said first movable mounts on each of said support rails having a pivot mechanism associated therewith;
a pair of cross bars supported from said support rails for supporting articles thereon, each of said cross bars being coupled at a first end thereof to an associated one of the first movable mounts, and at a second end thereof to one of the second movable mounts on the same one of the side rails, when in a stowed mode, so that each said cross bar is disposed parallel with one of said side rails;
each of said cross bars including locking structure at the second ends thereof for fixedly securing each said second end of each said cross bar to an associated one of said second movable mounts when said cross bar is in said stowed mode, and to the other one of said second movable mounts on the other one of said support rails so that each said cross bar is disposed in a spanning mode extending perpendicularly between said support rails and is secured at said first and second ends thereof to said support rails.
2. The vehicle article carrier of claim 1 , wherein said locking structure at the second end of each of said cross bars includes a shroud having a manually engageable locking wheel enabling an individual to grasp and unlock said second end of each of said cross bars from the second said movable mount to which it is secured.
3. The vehicle article carrier of claim 2 , wherein said second slidable mounts that are adapted to engage with the second ends of said cross bars include a tab having an opening; and
wherein said shrouds at said second ends of said cross bars each include a slotted opening formed by a pair of arm portions, with each of said arm portions having aligned openings; and
wherein said locking wheel includes a shaft for engaging with said openings in said arm portions and said opening in said tab.
4. The vehicle article carrier of claim 1 , wherein said locking assembly includes manually engageable locking wheels for securing and unsecuring their associated said movable mounts are desired positions along their respective said support rails.
5. A vehicle article carrier for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle, comprising:
first and second support rails secured to said outer body surface generally parallel to one another, and orientated parallel to a longitudinal axis extending along said outer body surface;
said support rail rails each including first and second independent movable mounts each being slidably supported on its associated support rail, and each being adjustably positionable along its associated said support rail;
each of said first and second movable mounts having a manually engageable locking wheel assembly for fixed securing at a desired position along said side rail, and said first movable mounts on each of said support rails having a pivot mechanism associated therewith;
a pair of cross bars supported from said support rails for supporting articles thereon, each of said cross bars being coupled at a first end thereof to an associated one of the first movable mounts, and at a second end thereof to one of the second movable mounts on the same one of the side rails, when in a stowed mode, so that each said cross bar is disposed parallel with one of said side rails;
each of said cross bars including a manually engageable locking wheel at the second ends thereof for fixedly securing each said second end of each said cross bar to an associated one of said second movable mounts when said cross bar is in said stowed mode, and to the other one of said second movable mounts on the other one of said support rails so that each said cross bar is disposed in a spanning mode extending perpendicularly between said support rails and is secured at said first and second ends thereof to said support rails.
6. The vehicle article carrier of claim 5 , wherein each said cross bar includes a shroud at each end thereof, each said shroud including a slotted opening adapted to engage with one of said movable mounts to permit securing of each said end of said cross bar to a selected pair of said movable mounts.
7. The vehicle article carrier of claim 5 , wherein one of said shrouds is non-releasably pivotally secured to one of said first movable mounts.
8. The vehicle article carrier of claim 5 , wherein each of said first and second movable mounts includes a tab with an opening for enable securing of one end of one of said cross bars thereto.
9. The vehicle article carrier of claim 5 , wherein:
each of said support rails includes an elongated channel; and
each of said elongated channels including a pair of threaded tap plates movable slidably therewithin.
10. The vehicle article carrier of claim 9 , wherein said manually engageable locking wheel assemblies each include a threaded shaft for engaging with a respective one of said threaded tap plates.
11. The vehicle article carrier of claim 5 , wherein each of said movable mounts includes an opening, and wherein an associated one of said manually engageable locking wheels is disposed within said opening for rotational movement.
12. A vehicle article carrier for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle, comprising:
first and second support rails secured to said outer body surface generally parallel to one another, and orientated parallel to a longitudinal axis extending along said outer body surface;
said support rail rails each including first and second independent movable mounts each being slidably supported on its associated support rail, and each being adjustably positionable along its associated said support rail;
each of said first and second movable mounts having an opening with a manually engageable locking wheel assembly disposed within opening, each said movable mount being fixedly securable at a desired position along said side rail, and said first movable mounts on each of said support rails having a pivot mechanism associated therewith;
a pair of cross bars supported from said support rails for supporting articles thereon, each of said cross bars having a shroud at each of first and second ends thereof, and each of said cross bars being coupled at said first end thereof to an associated one of the first movable mounts, and at said second end thereof to one of the second movable mounts on the same one of the side rails, when in a stowed mode, so that each said cross bar is disposed parallel with one of said side rails;
each of said shrouds of each of said cross bars including a manually engageable locking wheel at the second ends thereof for fixedly securing each said second end of each said cross bar to an associated one of said second movable mounts when said cross bar is in said stowed mode, and to the other one of said second movable mounts on the other one of said support rails so that each said cross bar is disposed in a spanning mode extending perpendicularly between said support rails and is secured at said first and second ends thereof to said support rails.