STABILIZED CARGO BOX FOR A VEHICLE RACK SYSTEM
A vehicle rack system including a stabilized cargo box attached to a pair of crossbars. In some embodiments, the stabilized cargo box includes a container defining a long axis and having a bottom portion hinged to a lid portion to form an enclosure to hold cargo. A plurality of clamp devices may mount the container to the pair of crossbars attached to a roof of a vehicle. The bottom portion may include a housing member defining a groove and also may include a stiffening tube disposed in the groove and providing first and second tubular regions that are laterally spaced from each other and that each extend at least generally parallel to the long axis. The first and second tubular regions may be connected to each other by a third tubular region of the stiffening tube that extends at least part way across a nose of the container.
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This application is based upon and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/390,103, filed Oct. 5, 2010; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/454,403, filed Mar. 18, 2011. Each of these provisional patent applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO OTHER MATERIALSThis application incorporates herein by reference each of the following patent documents in its entirety for all purposes: U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,470; U.S. Pat. No. 7,740,157; U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,436; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0194185; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0084447.
INTRODUCTIONCargo boxes are vehicle top carriers that provide an enclosed storage space above the vehicle. As fuel becomes more expensive, vehicles become smaller and interior cargo space decreases, making the demand for reliable, easy-to-use top carriers even greater. Cargo boxes have become quite popular for carrying cargo and are often preferable over conventional open racks for a variety of reasons. For example, cargo boxes protect cargo from the elements, such as wind, rain, and snow, and are more secure from theft or vandalism.
However, cargo boxes are often heavy and thus expensive to ship. The costs can mount when a cargo box needs to be shipped from a factory to a distribution center, from the distribution center to a retailer, and then on to a consumer. As a result, there are strong incentives to minimize the weight of the cargo box by reducing the amount of material used in construction, which also can reduce manufacturing costs. Cargo boxes typically have a plastic housing that forms an enclosure for cargo. Making the housing thinner reduces manufacturing and shipping costs but at the expense of stability. If too thin, the housing tends to deform under pressure, such as when loaded with heavy cargo and/or during travel on a rough road. On the other hand, use of bulkier plastics generally strengthens the housing, but adds weight and cost.
There is a need for cargo boxes that are lightweight but strong enough to hold their shape during use.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure provides a vehicle rack system including a stabilized cargo box attached to a pair of crossbars. In some embodiments, the stabilized cargo box includes a container defining a long axis and having a bottom portion hinged to a lid portion to form an enclosure to hold cargo. A plurality of clamp devices may mount the container to the pair of crossbars attached to a roof of a vehicle. The bottom portion may include a housing member defining a groove and also may include a stiffening tube disposed in the groove and providing first and second tubular regions that are laterally spaced from each other and that each extend at least generally parallel to the long axis. The first and second tubular regions may be connected to each other by a third tubular region that extends at least part way across a nose of the container.
The present disclosure provides a vehicle rack system including a stabilized cargo box attached to a pair of crossbars. In some embodiments, the stabilized cargo box includes a container defining a long axis and having a bottom portion hinged to a lid portion to form an enclosure to hold cargo. A plurality of clamp devices may mount the container to the pair of crossbars attached to a roof of a vehicle. The bottom portion may include a housing member defining a groove and also may include a stiffening tube disposed in the groove and providing first and second tubular regions that are laterally spaced from each other and that each extend at least generally parallel to the long axis.
The first and second tubular regions may be connected to each other by a third tubular region of the stiffening tube that extends at least part way across a nose of the container. Many alternatives and modifications which may or may not be expressly mentioned, are enabled, implied, and accordingly covered by the spirit of the disclosure.
The stabilized cargo box disclosed herein may have an increased overall stiffness of the bottom portion. The increased stiffness may include increased longitudinal stiffness, increased lateral stiffness, or a combination thereof, which may strengthen the nose against deformation. As a result, the housing member of the bottom portion may be formed of a thinner layer of material, which reduces weight and cost.
Vehicle 44 defines a longitudinal axis 49 extending through a front and a rear of the vehicle and corresponding to the vehicle's travel direction. Each crossbar 46 may extend transversely, such as substantially orthogonally, to longitudinal axis 49, to provide a front crossbar and a rear crossbar. Crossbars 46 may be mounted to the vehicle with towers or feet 50, which each may, for example, engage a crossbar and the vehicle and/or a longitudinally extending rail secured to the vehicle's roof.
Stiffening member 58 may extend from a front region 60 to a rear region 62 of container 52. The front region represents a front half of the container by length, and the rear region a back half of the container by length. Member 58 may include one or more longitudinal regions 64, 66 that extend along the container, for example, at least generally parallel to a long axis 68 defined by the container and/or at least substantially parallel to longitudinal axis 49 and/or transverse/orthogonal to crossbars 46 (see
Container 52 may be formed by a pair of housing members, namely, an upper housing member 75A and a lower housing member 75B. Lid portion 56 may be at least mostly formed, with respect to area, by upper housing member 75A, and bottom portion 54 may be at least mostly formed, with respect to area, by lower housing member 75B.
Cargo box 48 may include one or more latches 84 that hold container 52 closed. The latches may be provided by hinges 74 (see
An unstabilized cargo box lacking stiffening member 58 may be prone to other deformations. For example, the box may twist in response to torsional stress, a process called “racking.” In racking, one lateral side of the nose rises up and the other drops down. As another example, the bottom portion and lid portion of the nose may vibrate relative to each, to produce “flutter.” Any of these other deformations can reduce cargo box performance by making the box less secure, more prone to damage or breakage, and/or noisier, among others.
Stiffening member 58 may be constructed as a stiffening tube. In some embodiments, a tubular configuration may have substantial advantages over non-tubular arrangements because the tube can provide substantial stabilization of the container without producing a large increase in weight and can resist torsional stress more effectively. The stiffening tube (and/or stiffening member) may have any suitable cross-sectional shape, such as circular, oval, rectangular, or the like. The tube may have a continuous circumference, may be formed from a rolled layer of material (e.g., a rolled sheet of metal), or may be formed from two or more discrete components, among others. The tube may be formed of metal, plastic (e.g., injection molded), or the like. The tube may have any suitable wall thickness, such as a wall that is thicker or thinner than an adjacent wall of lower housing member 75B. In exemplary embodiments, intended for illustration only, the stiffening tube is formed of steel and the lower housing member of plastic (e.g., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)), the tube has a wall thickness of about 0.05 inch, and the lower housing member a wall thickness of about 0.125 inch.
Clamp devices 102 conceptually divide the cargo box into three regions arranged longitudinally with respect to each other along container 52. Nose 86 may be a cantilevered region of the container that projects forward from positions above the front clamp devices and tail 106 a cantilevered region that projects rearward from positions above the rear clamp devices. These cantilevered regions are separated from each other by a central region 108 of container 52. Nose 86 (and/or tail 106), as a cantilever, may not be supported as well as central region 108 and thus may benefit more from the increased stiffness offered by stiffening member 58, particularly with member 58 providing a supporting linkage between central region 108 and the nose and/or tail. Also, stiffening member 58 may allow a longer stabilized nose 86 to project forward of the front crossbar, with clamp devices positioned farther back in tracks 104. In other words, the container may be positioned farther forward on the crossbars, which can, for example, increase clearance for opening a rear hatch of the vehicle.
Stiffening member 58 may extend any suitable distance along and across container 52. For example, at least a region (e.g., one or more tubular stiffening regions) of at least one stiffening tube may extend from central region 108 (and/or rear region 62; see
The stiffening member may be attached to lower housing member 75B by any suitable attachment mechanism. In exemplary embodiments, the stiffening member may be attached with one or more fasteners, such as at least one rivet 114 (see
In some embodiments, lid supports may be attached directly to the stiffening member, whether the stiffening member is inside our outside the container of the cargo box. In embodiments where the stiffening member is on the outside of the container, the lid supports may be attached through one or more apertures in the bottom portion. In some examples, the lid supports may be attached directly to the stiffening member at the nose and/or tail.
While methods/devices for stiffening a cargo box have been particularly shown and described, many variations may be made therein. This disclosure may include one or more independent or interdependent embodiments directed to various combinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties. Other combinations and sub-combinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed later in a related application. Such variations, whether they are directed to different combinations or directed to the same combinations, whether different, broader, narrower or equal in scope, are also regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element, or combination thereof, is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application. Each example defines an embodiment disclosed in the foregoing disclosure, but any one example does not necessarily encompass all features or combinations that may be eventually claimed. Where the description recites “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such description includes one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Further, ordinal indicators, such as first, second or third, for identified elements are used to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate a required or limited number of such elements, and do not indicate a particular position or order of such elements unless otherwise specifically stated.
Claims
1. A stabilized cargo box for a vehicle, comprising:
- a container defining a long axis and including a bottom portion hinged to a lid portion to form an enclosure to hold cargo;
- a front pair of clamp devices and a rear pair of clamp devices attached to the bottom portion and configured to mount the container to a pair of crossbars attached to a roof of a vehicle,
- wherein the bottom portion includes a housing member defining a groove and also includes at least one stiffening tube disposed in the groove and providing first and second tubular regions laterally spaced from each other and each extending at least generally parallel to the long axis and connected to each other by a third tubular region that extends at least part way across a nose of the container.
2. The stabilized cargo box of claim 1, wherein the housing member includes a bottom wall, side walls, and end walls, and wherein the stiffening tube is disposed adjacent the bottom wall.
3. The stabilized cargo box of claim 1, wherein the stiffening tube is disposed outside the container.
4. The stabilized cargo box of claim 1, wherein the front pair and the rear pair of clamp devices collectively provide a left pair and a right pair of clamp devices, wherein a central vertical plane conceptually divides the container into a left half and a right half, and wherein the first tubular region is disposed between the central vertical plane and the left pair of clamp devices and the second tubular region is disposed between the central vertical plane and the right pair of clamp devices.
5. The stabilized cargo box of claim 1, wherein the housing member is formed of plastic and the stiffening tube is formed of metal.
6. The stabilized cargo box of claim 1, wherein the first and second tubular regions extend forward from positions near the rear clamp devices.
7. The stabilized cargo box of claim 6, wherein the first and second tubular regions extend from a tail to a nose of the container.
8. The stabilized cargo box of claim 7, wherein the first and second tubular regions do not intersect each other in the tail.
9. A rack system for a vehicle, comprising:
- a pair of crossbars configured to be attached to a roof of a vehicle; and
- a stabilized cargo box including a container having a bottom portion and a lid portion that fit together to collectively form an enclosure to hold cargo, one or more front clamp devices and one or more rear clamp devices disposed under the bottom portion and configured to mount the container to the pair of crossbars,
- wherein the bottom portion includes a stiffening tube that extends from a rear region of the container to a position at least generally forward of the front clamp devices, to strengthen the bottom portion against deformation.
10. The rack system of claim 9, wherein the stiffening tube extends along a U-shaped path.
11. The rack system of claim 9, wherein the stiffening tube extends along a pair of laterally spaced paths from a tail to a nose of the container.
12. The rack system of claim 9, wherein the bottom portion includes a housing member that at least substantially forms the enclosure with the lid portion, and wherein the stiffening tube is disposed in a groove formed in an outer surface of the housing member.
13. A stabilized cargo box for a vehicle, comprising:
- a container including a bottom portion hinged to a lid portion to form an enclosure to hold cargo;
- one or more front clamp devices and one or more rear clamp devices attached to the bottom portion and configured to mount the container to a pair of crossbars attached to a roof of a vehicle,
- wherein the bottom portion includes a pair of tubular stiffening regions each extending from a rear region to a nose of the container, to strengthen the bottom portion against deformation.
14. The stabilized cargo box of claim 13, wherein the tubular stiffening regions meet each other in or on the nose.
15. The stabilized cargo box of claim 14, wherein the tubular stiffening regions collectively extend along a path that is U-shaped.
16. The stabilized cargo box of claim 13, wherein the tubular stiffening regions extend from a tail to a nose of the container.
17. The stabilized cargo box of claim 13, where the bottom portion includes a housing member that forms the enclosure with the lid portion, and wherein the tubular stiffening regions are formed by one or more tubes that are discrete from the housing member.
18. The stabilized cargo box of claim 17, wherein the tubular stiffening regions are formed by the same tube.
19. The stabilized cargo box of claim 17, wherein the housing member is formed of plastic and the one or more tubes are formed of metal.
20. The stabilized cargo box of claim 13, wherein the tubular stiffening regions do not intersect each other in the rear region of the container.
21. The stabilized cargo box of claim 13, wherein the bottom portion includes a housing member, and wherein at least a portion of the tubular stiffening regions are formed integrally with the housing member.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 12, 2011
Publication Date: Sep 13, 2012
Applicant: Yakima Products, Inc. (Beaverton, OR)
Inventors: Chris Sautter (Portland, OR), James Buckroyd (Portland, OR), Dave Condon (Wilsonville, OR), John Mark Elliott (Beaverton, OR)
Application Number: 13/230,730
International Classification: B60R 9/055 (20060101);