US-12623610-B2 - Car top equipment rack

US12623610B2US 12623610 B2US12623610 B2US 12623610B2US-12623610-B2

Abstract

An equipment rack for use with a vehicle is described having a sliding member translatably attached to a lower cross member of the rack. The sliding member translates outwardly from the rack to a loading and unloading position. In the loading and unloading position, sports equipment may be placed on or removed from the sliding member. When the sports equipment has been loaded the sliding member may be translated back toward the rack into a stowed position. In the stowed position an upper cross member may be clamped to the lower cross member to secure the sports equipment on the rack.

Inventors

Luke Kuschmeader
Jordan Bowles
MIKE BUIS
AARON HOUSTON
Joshua Schwartz

Assignees

KUAT INNOVATIONS LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20211108

Claims (1)

1 . A rack for carrying ski equipment on a vehicle, the rack comprising: a base member configured to attach to a vehicle; a clamp member pivotally attached to the base member and configured to pivot from a closed configuration to an open configuration; a first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions extending from the base member and the clamp member, each spaced-apart protrusion in the first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions disposed at least partially along a first longitudinal plane of the rack; a second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions extending from the base member and the clamp member, each spaced-apart protrusion in the second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions disposed at least partially along a second longitudinal plane of the rack; a third plurality of spaced-apart protrusions extending from the base member and the clamp member, each spaced-apart protrusion in the third plurality of spaced-apart protrusions disposed at least partially along a third longitudinal plane of the rack; a fourth plurality of spaced-apart protrusions extending from the base member and the clamp member, each spaced-apart protrusion in the fourth plurality of spaced-apart protrusions disposed at least partially along a fourth longitudinal plane of the rack; wherein in the closed configuration the spaced-apart protrusions in the first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions interlock along the first longitudinal plane of the rack to fill the first longitudinal plane of the rack between the base member and the clamp member; wherein in the closed configuration the spaced-apart protrusions in the second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions interlock along the second longitudinal plane of the rack to fill the second longitudinal plane of the rack between the base member and the clamp member; wherein the first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions is longitudinally offset from the second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions so that at least one transverse plane across the base member intersects a space between spaced-apart protrusions on the base member in the first plurality and also intersects a protrusion on the base member in the second plurality; wherein the first plurality of spaced-apart protrusions, the second plurality of spaced-apart protrusions, the third plurality of spaced-apart protrusions, and the fourth plurality of spaced-apart protrusions are longitudinally offset from each other so that each transverse plane through the base member intersects at least one protrusion in the pluralities.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/620,870 filed Jan. 23, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/645,881 filed Mar. 21, 2018, and is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/255,321 filed Jan. 23, 2019, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND Specialized equipment racks installed on the roof of a car or other vehicle are increasingly popular for transporting equipment for use in sports such as skiing, snowboarding, or other similar activities. Accessing roof racks can be difficult for many people, so maximizing the ease of loading the rack is an important aspect of rack design. Similarly, as racks may be left in place on the vehicle when not in use, compact and aerodynamic designs when equipment is not in the rack are of increasing value. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The car top equipment rack described herein is a rack for carrying skis, snowboards, and other types of equipment above the roof of a car or other vehicle. In varying embodiments, the rack is provided with an upper rack assembly and a lower rack assembly that are connected at one end by a hinge assembly and at the other end by a latch assembly. The hinge assembly allows the upper rack assembly and the lower rack assembly to be pivoted apart to an open position to allow equipment to be placed on the rack, namely on the upper part of the lower rack assembly. Once the equipment is placed onto the lower assembly, the upper rack assembly may be pivoted down and latched to the lower rack assembly by the latch assembly in a latched configuration. In this configuration, the equipment is secured between the upper rack assembly and the lower rack assembly. In some embodiments, the upper rack assembly and the lower rack assembly include a support member extending from their lower and upper surfaces, respectively. The support members may extend along the longitudinally axis of the assemblies to provide support to one or more pieces of equipment placed therein. In some embodiments, the support members extend only partially along the longitudinal axis of the upper or lower assemblies. In some embodiments, the upper and lower support members may be transversely offset to allow the upper and lower rack assemblies to pivot closer together when no equipment is stored in the rack. In some embodiments, the upper and lower support members may be longitudinally offset to allow the upper and lower rack assemblies to pivot closer together when no equipment is stored in the rack. In various embodiments, the upper and lower support members comprise multiple protrusions that extend from the upper and lower cross members of the rack assemblies. These protrusions may be positioned, in varying embodiments, in a number of different positions relative to each other. In some embodiments, the lower protrusions may be partially or entirely longitudinally offset from one another (or a subset thereof), and the upper protrusions may be partially or entirely longitudinally offset from one another (or of a subset thereof). In such embodiments, the longitudinally offset upper protrusions may be positioned, in relation to the longitudinally offset lower protrusions, so that when the upper and lower cross members are pivoted to the closed position, the upper and lower protrusions interlock with each other. In some embodiments there may be more than one grouping of such longitudinally offset protrusions that are partially or entirely transversely offset with respect to the other such groupings. Such groupings may also be partially or entirely longitudinally offset with respect to the other such groupings. In some embodiments, the rack is provided with an expandable hinge capable of collapsing when the rack is empty and expanding to accommodate equipment loaded into the rack. In other embodiments, the lower portion of the rack is provided with an extending component to allow a user to load equipment onto the rack from the side of the vehicle without having to reach above the vehicle to place equipment on the rack. In yet other embodiments, the rack mounts to the car top using an inventive mounting mechanism. In some embodiments the rack is provided with a sliding member capable of sliding inwardly and outwardly during the loading of sports equipment onto the rack. In some embodiments, the sliding member may slide outwardly to an extended position for loading equipment on the sliding member. In some embodiments, the sliding member may be translated inwardly with the sports equipment disposed thereon to place the sliding member and the sports equipment in position under the upper cross member for clamping in place. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the equipment rack in a closed, collapsed configuration. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the equipment