Thule Sweden Ab

Industri Ab Thule

Frederick G Murray

John R Laverack

Greg G Weaver

Thomas A Chimenti

Kevin W Harris

James R Noel

Jan Erik Johansson

David Budd

A roller load assisted roof-top carrier for elongate articles such as kayak boats. The roof-top carrier includes a space frame having at least a U-shaped portion, the legs of which are each slidingly mountable to each of a front and back cross bar of a vehicular roof rack. In this manner, the space frame translates unitarily relative to the vehicular roof rack. Forward and back cross members are provided that are mounted upon the space frame, the front cross member carrying a pair of kayak saddles, each faced with a friction inducing material for discouraging slippage between a secured kayak and the space frame and the back cross member carrying a pair of guide panels, each faced with a slip inducing material for encouraging slippage between a kayak being loaded on or unloaded from the space frame. A roller can be mounted on a back portion of the space frame.

Translating roller load assist

A roller load assisted roof-top carrier for elongate articles such as kayak boats. The roof-top carrier includes a space frame having at least a U-shaped portion, the legs of which are each slidingly mountable to each of a front and back cross bar of a vehicular roof rack. In this manner, the space frame translates unitarily relative to the vehicular roof rack. Forward and back cross members are provided that are mounted upon the space frame, the front cross member carrying a pair of kayak saddles, each faced with a friction inducing material for discouraging slippage between a secured kayak and the space frame and the back cross member carrying a pair of guide panels, each faced with a slip inducing material for encouraging slippage between a kayak being loaded on or unloaded from the space frame. A roller is mounted on a back bight portion of the space frame, the roller being located at a fixed spacing with respect to the front and back cross members.

A load carrier for a rear end of a vehicle includes a load supporting member, a mounting member including a hub connecting arm and a vehicle contacting portion, and a releasable pivot locking member. The hub connecting arm and the vehicle contacting portion are pivotally coupled to one another and the releasable pivot locking member, in a locked state, prevents pivoting movement of the hub connecting arm and the vehicle contacting portion such that the hub connecting arm and the vehicle contacting portion are disposed at an angle with respect to one another. In an unlocked state, the releasable pivot locking member allows pivoting movement of the vehicle contacting portion with respect to the hub connecting arm such that the vehicle contacting portion may be pivoted toward the hub connecting arm, e.g., as may be desired to collapse the load carrier for storage.

Collapsible rear mounted load carrier for a vehicle

Folding rooftop carrier

Bicycle carrier rack

A load assist to a vehicle rack carrier that includes a brace bar coupleable to a vehicle rack carrier where the brace bar is positionable between extended and retracted configurations relative to the vehicle rack carrier when coupled thereto. A connector is adapted for coupling the brace bar to the vehicle rack carrier and includes a brace bar receiver adapted for accommodating reciprocating motion of the brace bar therein. A handle is coupled to an outer distal end of the brace bar and is adapted for preventing slippage of an object off of the distal end of the brace bar. The couplement of the handle to the outer distal end of the brace bar is by a threaded fastener that establishes a friction fit between the handle and the brace bar. The brace bar has an insert pin receiving aperture therein and there is also included a biased insert pin adapted for insertion into the insert pin receiving aperture. The biased insert pin is coupled to a leaf spring and the leaf spring is adapted to urge the insert pin toward an engaged configuration. A pull tab is coupled to the leaf spring and is adapted to accommodate manual engagement for disengaging the biased insert pin. The connector forms a cross bar receiver and the cross bar receiver is adapted for frictional engagement about a cross bar of the vehicle rack carrier. The connector includes a top half and a bottom half that are adapted to be releasably coupled together to form the brace bar receiver and a cross bar receiver. A depressible safety stop projection extends through the brace bar and is adapted to prevent unintentional disengagement of the brace bar from the load assist.

Equipment load assist to roof rack

An anchorage device is intended for securing a load carrier on a load carrier strut which is disposed on a vehicle. The anchorage device includes an openable clamp (9) produced from a flexible material and a tensioning device (18). The tensioning device (18) extends through mutually overlapping end portions (10, 15) of the clamp (9). The clamp (9) is, in the open state, movable to a position surrounding the load carrier strut. On tightening of the tensioning device (18), the end portions (10, 15) are fixed against the load carrier. The one end portion (15) has a closed aperture through which the tensioning device (18) extends. The other end portion (10) has an open recess for accommodating the tensioning device (18). Each of the end portions have abuttable surfaces configured for abutting engagement.

Anchorage device

A mechanism for releasably fixing a bicycle's fork upon a support. The mechanism includes a bicycle fork anchor having a fork pinching assembly that has two bicycle fork prong receiving portions. A handle is operably coupled to, or associated with the fork pinching assembly for configuring the fork pinching assembly between a bicycle fork pre-pinched position and a bicycle fork pinch-secured position. Also, the handle is located between the fork prong receiving portions. Supplementarily, an adjustable mounting may be included for permitting the bicycle fork anchor to be canted to a side within a substantially horizontal plane thereby turning the handle bars of a bicycle that is secured upon the bicycle fork anchor.

Fork pinching assembly for a bicycle anchor

The disclosure relates to a safety device in a clamping strap (12) with a clamp (10). A casing (11) is designed for accommodating the clamp (10), and the casing (11) is designed with a first aperture (13) for insertion and removal of the clamp (10) and a second aperture (14) for passage of at least a part of the clamping strap (12). The casing is produced from a soft or elastic, preferably shock-absorbing material.

Safety device in a clamping strap with clamp

A mechanism for releasably fixing a bicycle's fork upon a support such as a vehicular load carrier or a storage mount. The mechanism includes a pair of skewers (123) that are at least partially received within a bicycle fork anchor (100) and the skewers (123) are movable one skewer (125) relative to the other skewer (130). The pair of skewers (123) are configured for fixing a bicycle's fork to the anchor (100). Each skewer (125,130) of the pair (123) is operable between a bicycle fork pre-pinched position and a bicycle fork pinch-secured position. Each skewer (125) of the skewer pair (123) is longitudinally aligned with the other skewer pair (130) and the skewers (125,130) are spaced apart from one another in at least one of the two positions. At least one handle (110) is coupled to the bicycle fork anchor (100) for operating at least one skewer (125,130) of the skewer pair (123) between the bicycle fork pre-pinched position and the bicycle fork pinch-secured position. A single handle (110) may be located between fork prong receiving portions (136) of the skewer pair (123) so that the handle (110) operates exclusively within a space between the distal ends (129,134) of the skewer pair (123).

Growing community of inventors

Southington, CT, United States of America

Frederick G Murray