Jac Products, Inc.

Claude K Trambley

Gerard J Kmita

Jeffrey M Aftanas

Donald R Potter

Noel V Ranka

Donald L Munoz

David James Spolyar

Conde M Gonzalez

Brett J Borella

Brian E Henderson

Dan Svenningsson

A vehicle article carrier system having a pair of swingable cross bars. The cross bars can be placed in a first configuration in which they extend perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. They can easily be released and re-secured in a different configuration wherein they take the form of low profile side rails. A particular advantage is that when the cross bars are moved into their positions perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, each of the cross bars is raised to an elevated position. This provides additional clearance above the outer body surface for articles being supported on the cross bars.

Vehicle article carrier having swing in place cross bars

An adapter bracket for use with a vehicle article carrier side rail to allow the side rail to be secured to channels formed in an outer body surface of the vehicle. The adapter bracket includes a channel coupling portion adapted to be secured to a bottom wall of the channel. An intermediate portion extends from the channel coupling portion to perpendicularly extending flanges of an outer surface portion. The flanges of the outer surface portion are coupled to the support foot of the side rail to allow the support foot to be mounted essentially flush against the outer body surface without the need for drilling additional holes outside of the channel. The adapter bracket thus allows a conventional elevated side rail to be quickly and easily secured to an existing channel formed in the outer body surface of a vehicle roof.

Adapter bracket for securing a support foot of a article carrier support rail to an outer surface of a vehicle having a roof channel

A bicycle carrier adapted to be secured to an article carrier portion of an existing vehicle article carrier so as to carry the bicycle supported thereon in a vertical orientation over a liftgate of a vehicle, and normal to an outer surface of the liftgate. The bicycle carrier includes a wheel supporting member for engaging one wheel of a bicycle when the bicycle is placed in a vertical orientation. A frame supporting assembly engages a portion of the frame to hold the bicycle to the bicycle carrier. The bicycle carrier permits a single individual to load and unload a bicycle from the bicycle carrier without being required to lift the bicycle up onto the roof of a vehicle. Since the bicycle is supported at an angle generally normal to the liftgate, visibility through the rear window of the liftgate is also improved when a bicycle is being supported on the bicycle carrier.

Bicycle carrier adapted to be used on a vertically orientated vehicle article carrier

Growing community of inventors

Macomb, MI, United States of America

Claude K Trambley