Clear bed gooseneck trailer hitch
US5145199A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 26, 1991 |
| Grant date | Sep 8, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 26, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S280/901
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A clear bed gooseneck trailer hitch is provided. The trailer hitch is comprised of a wide metal plate, or disc, supported on a truck bed and having a standard long shank hitch ball fixedly connected perpendicularly therethrough. The threaded shaft of the shank hitch ball attaches to a threaded hole provided in a steel plate or channel of suitable design affixed underneath the truck bed to the frame rails of a pickup truck over the rear axle area. The plate has two handles on its top side located near the edge of the disc for use in turning the disc manually or by a torque bar upon attachment to or removal from the truck bed. Once the disc is removed, the truck bed remains clear and unobstructed for use in other conventional manners. The disc is used with a rubber bed mat, or a rubber washer, having a circumference slightly larger than the disc. The disc is designed with a slight camber or concavity so that its circumference initially contacts the rubber mat upon tightening and causes a compressive friction that securely holds the disc in place and prevents rotation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.