Automobiles, sport utility vehicles (SUV's), vans, and other types of vehicles are commonly used to transport objects or items that are too large to fit within the trunk or rear storage compartment of the vehicle and therefore protrude out of the trunk, rear hatch, or rear storage compartment. In this situation, the trunk or rear hatch lock mechanism cannot be latched or locked and must be left unsecured during transport.
Various means have typically been utilized to keep the trunk or rear hatch compartment secured during transport of the oversized load or oversized item. These means and methods include utilizing elastic bungee cords or tying the trunk or rear hatch down with straps, rope, or twine to keep the trunk lid or rear hatch secured onto the protruding item or oversized load during transport. Securing and transporting an oversized load using these traditional means and methods is difficult because convenient and secure tie-down points do not exist on the exterior of most vehicles. Not only are conventional means and methods inconvenient and difficult to utilize, particularly for shoppers or other users that may not be mechanically inclined, use of these methods can result in damage to the oversized item or to the vehicle itself. For instance, damage may occur due to bouncing of the trunk lid or rear hatch during transport, chafing of the vehicle paint from the tie-down means, or even having the oversized item or load become unsecured and falling from the vehicle.
Various devices have been developed to address the problem of securing and transporting oversized items or loads within a vehicle trunk. To date, these devices have not been commercially accepted. These devices suffer from design limitations and, when contrasted with the instant device, are more difficult to install and more expensive to manufacture.
One category of such devices act not only to secure oversized items or loads within a vehicle trunk, but also to hold up the trunk at a desired angle during transport. Such devices include those described within U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,737 to Zimmerman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,240 to Adelberg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,907 to Barrowman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,724 to Conte, U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,050 to Glock, U.S. Pat. No. 2,973,217 to Gregoire, U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,993 to Hannesson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,989 to Hilbers, U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,299 to Kelly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,941 to Mayzes, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,062 to Roehl. The rigid support structures of these devices are more complicated in design and operation when contrasted with the instant invention. Further, such devices are more difficult and expensive to manufacture than the instant vehicle tie-down device.
Other devices designed to secure oversized items or loads within a vehicle trunk incorporate strap-based concepts, but such devices also require a retractable mechanism in order to secure the vehicle trunk against the oversized item or load. Such devices include those described within U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,398 to Popp, U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,589 to Elrod, U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,122 to Miller, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,061 to Shehi. These devices are more complicated in design and operation than the instant invention due to the retractable securing component incorporated within the devices. Moreover, such devices do not mount on an external portion of a vehicle trunk or rear hatch.
Another category of devices utilizes adjustable straps and mounts solely about the internal portion of a vehicle trunk. Such devices include those depicted and described within U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,381 to Holton, U.S. Pat. No. D375,891 to Bailey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,413 to Barner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,194 to Charman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,828 to Chung, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,619 to DeLisio. Unlike the present device, these devices cannot mount at a convenient external attachment point about the vehicle.
Due to the limitations of traditional and previously developed means and methods for securing an oversized item or load within a vehicle trunk or rear storage compartment, there exists a current need for more efficient and effective devices and methods for securing an oversized item or load within a vehicle trunk or rear storage compartment during transport.
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USPTO Backgrounds