Vehicle article carrier having single sided release cross bar

1. A vehicle article carrier apparatus comprising:

first and second support rails secured to said vehicle so as to be arranged generally parallel to one another;

a cross bar assembly including a cross bar, a first end support assembly disposed at a first end of said cross bar and fixedly secured to said cross bar so as not to be moveable relative to said cross bar, and a second end support assembly disposed at a second end of said cross bar and being moveable slidably relative to said cross bar:

said first end support assembly including a first latching element fixedly secured so as to be non-moveable relative to a housing of said first end support;

said second end support assembly including a second latching element fixedly secured so as to be non-moveable relative to a housing of said second end support assembly, and wherein said second end support assembly is slidably moveable relative to said cross bar;

a biasing member operably coupled at a second end to said second latching element of said second end support assembly, and being operatively coupled at a first end thereof to said cross bar, to thus bias the cross bar towards the second end support assembly, and thus bias said latching elements toward one another;

said slidably secured second end support assembly enabling said latching elements to be detached from, and attached to, said support rails by linearly moving said cross bar relative to said second end support assembly, to thus enable said latching elements of said cross bar assembly to be attached to and detached from said support rails;

said first end support assembly including a pivotally mounted locking element having a first portion and a second portion, the second portion engaging with a portion of its respective said support rail, to prevent lateral movement and removal of said first end support assembly from its respective said support rail; and

said pivotally mounted locking element enables a user to press on the first portion and rotate the second portion of the pivotally mounted locking element upwardly out of abutting engagement with an upper edge portion of its respective said support rail, to permit lateral movement of said cross bar assembly relative to said respective support rail, and thus removal of said first end support assembly from its respective said support rail.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a torsion spring operably associated with the pivotally mounted locking element, to maintain the pivotally mounted locking element in a locked orientation relative to its respective said support rail when no pressure is being applied to said first portion of said pivotally mounted locking element.

3. A vehicle article carrier for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a motor vehicle, the vehicle article carrier comprising:

first and second support rails fixedly secured to said outer body surface and extending generally parallel to one another, each of said first and second support rails including a plurality of spaced apart openings that are laterally aligned with one another when said support rails are secured to said outer body surface, to thus form aligned pairs of openings;

a cross bar assembly adapted to be secured to said support rails for supporting articles thereon above said outer body surface;

said cross bar assembly including a cross bar and first and second end support assemblies at opposite ends of said cross bar, said first end support assembly operating to engage said first support rail and said second end support assembly operating to engage said second support rail;

said first end support assembly including a first housing and a first J-shaped latching element disposed therein, for securing said first end support assembly to one of said openings in said first support rail;

said second end support assembly including a second housing with a second J-shaped latching element disposed therein, said second end support assembly being telescopically and slidably coupled to a respective end of said cross bar, and said second J-shaped latching element being secureable to one of said openings in said second support rail; and

a biasing element for maintaining tension between said second J-shaped latching element and said cross bar, to thus provide tension and maintain said end support assemblies secured to their respective said support rails, said cross bar assembly being detachable from said support rails by back and forth linear movement of said cross bar so as to sequentially disengage said latching elements from said openings in their respective said support rails; and

said first end support assembly including a pivotally mounted locking element positioned within the housing of said first end support assembly, and moveable between locked and unlocked positions, for permitting said first end support assembly to be locked to said first support rail, said locking element having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being able to be depressed by a user to rotate said locking element into said unlocked position wherein said second portion moves upwardly out of abutting engagement with an upper edge portion of said first support rail, to then permit lateral movement of said first end support assembly and removal of said first end support assembly from said first support rail, and when said locking element is positioned in said locked position the second portion is positioned adjacent a portion of said first support rail so as to prevent lateral movement of said first end support assembly relative to said first support rail, and thus maintain said first end support assembly locked to said first support rail.

4. The vehicle article carrier of claim 3 , wherein said biasing element has a second end coupled to said latching element of said second end support assembly, and a first end operably coupled to said cross bar.

5. The vehicle article carrier of claim 3 , wherein each of said end support assemblies includes a lip portion for resting over a portion of a respective one of said support rails.

6. The vehicle article carrier of claim 3 , further including a biasing member for biasing said locking element into a first position, wherein the second portion of said locking element abuts a portion of said first support rail, to prevent lateral movement and thus removal of both of said end support assemblies from both of said support rails.

7. The vehicle article carrier of claim 6 , wherein said biasing member operates to return said locking element from a second position, in which said first end support assembly may be removed from said first support rail, to said first position.

8. A vehicle article carrier for supporting articles above an outer body surface of a motor vehicle, the vehicle article carrier comprising:

first and second support rails fixedly secured to said outer body surface and extending generally parallel to one another;

a cross bar assembly adapted to be secured to said support rails for supporting articles thereon above said outer body surface;

said cross bar assembly including a cross bar and first and second end support assemblies secured at opposite ends of said cross bar, said first end support assembly operating to engage said first support rail and said second end support assembly operating to engage said second support rail;

said first said end support assembly including a first housing with a first lip for resting on said first support rail, a user engageable, pivotally mounted locking element supported on said first housing;

the pivotally mounted locking element having a first portion adapted to be pressed with a finger of a user to move the pivotally mounted locking element such that a second portion of the locking element is moved from a first locked position to a second unlocked position for enabling said first end support assembly to be unlocked from said first support rail, and a first latching element fixedly secured to said first housing for engaging said first support rail;

said second end support assembly including:

a second housing having a second lip for resting on said second support rail, said second housing being telescopically coupled to a respective end of said cross bar for enabling sliding movement of said second housing relative to said cross bar;

a second latching element for latching said second end support assembly to said second support rail, and including a biasing element for securing said second latching element under tension to said cross bar assembly such that said cross bar assembly is not removable from said support rails unless said pivotally mounted locking element is moved from said first locked position to said second unlocked position, such that said second portion of said locking member is moved upwardly to be positioned clear of an upper surface of said first support rail to permit lateral movement of said first end support assembly toward said first support rail, and disengagement of said first latching element from said first support rail when said cross bar assembly is subsequently moved linearly toward said second support rail to release tension on said biasing element so that said second latching element can be removed from said second support rail;

and wherein said first and second latching elements are fixedly secured to their respective housings so as to be non-moveable relative to their respective housings.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a biasing member for biasing said pivotally mounted locking element into said first locked position when no pressure is being applied by the finger of said user to said portion of said pivotally mounted locking member.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said first latching element comprises a hook shaped latching element, and said first support rail includes a channel having a plurality of spaced apart openings, with said hook shaped latching element adapted to engage with a selected one of said openings.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said second latching element comprises a hook shaped latching element adapted to engage with one of a plurality of spaced apart openings formed in said second support rail.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said pivotally mounted locking element includes a forward edge portion at said second portion which is adapted to engage with a portion of said first support rail when said first latching element is in said first position, thus preventing lateral movement of said first end support assembly, and thus removal of said first end support assembly from said first support rail.

13. A cross bar assembly for a vehicle article carrier system, wherein the vehicle article carrier system includes a pair of support rails arranged generally parallel to one another and secured to a body surface of the vehicle, said cross bar assembly including:

a cross bar;

a first end support assembly disposed at a first end of said cross bar and a second end support assembly disposed at a second end of said cross bar:

said second one of said end support assemblies being slidably secured to its respective said end of said cross bar;

said first end support assembly including a first housing having a first latching element fixedly disposed therein so as to be non-moveable, and said second end support assembly including a second housing having a second latching element fixedly disposed therein so as to be non-moveable;

a biasing member coupled to said second latching element of said second end support assembly for biasing said latching elements toward another;

said second end support assembly enabling said latching members to be detached from, and attached to, said support rails by linearly moving said cross bar assembly, to thus enable said cross bar assembly to be attached to and detached from said support rails; and

said first end support assembly including a pivotally mounted locking element disposed in an opening in said first housing, said pivotally mounted locking element having a first portion adapted to be pressed by a finger of a user to move a second portion of the pivotally mounted locking element out of a locked position upwardly, relative to a first one of said pair of support rails, and into an unlocked position in which the second portion of the pivotally mounted locking element is positioned clear of an upper surface of said first one of said pair of support rails, such that when said second portion of said locking element is moved out of said locked position said first end support may be moved laterally toward said first one of said support rails to facilitate removal of said cross bar assembly.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a torsion spring operably associated with the pivotally mounted locking element, to maintain the second portion of the pivotally mounted locking element in a locked orientation relative to said first one of said pair of support rails when no pressure is being applied to said first portion of said pivotally mounted locking element.