The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 07, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 24, 1997
Martin George Bauer, Bismarck, ND (US);
Other;
Abstract
A trailer hitch bumper guard that is formed from three-sided box-like apparatus mounted to the rear bumper of the towing vehicle with a fourth, open side of the apparatus which faces outward from the rear of the towing vehicle. The bottom of the box has a round hole, through which the ball of a trailer hitch may be attached. The three closed sides of the box provide protection from dents and scratches to the rear bumper of the towing vehicle if the trailer's receiver apparatus passes the ball and comes into contact with the rear portion of the bumper. A hinged cover is attached to the rearmost side of the box, and pivots upward to allow greater access to the ball hitch. During attachment, the hinged cover is placed in the open position and thus, extends the amount of protection supplied to the vehicle by the present invention. When in the lowered position, the hinged cover creates a step on which the driver can stand to gain easy access to the rear portion of the towing vehicle. The closed cover can also be secured with a padlock to provide protection from theft and unauthorized tampering with the hitch.