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:
Mar. 13, 2012
Filed:
Sep. 16, 2010
Paul Choquette, Sergeant Bluff, IA (US);
Leslie Roeber, Emerson, NE (US);
Paul Choquette, Sergeant Bluff, IA (US);
Leslie Roeber, Emerson, NE (US);
Automatic Equipment Manufacturing Company, Pender, NE (US);
Abstract
A fifth wheel hitch apparatus for connecting a kingpin to a towing vehicle includes a mounting mechanism having plate and skirt portions with an opening for ingress and egress of the kingpin, and a clamping mechanism having opposing first and second clamp elements. A first resilient device biases first and second lever arms of the respective first and second clamp elements to displace the first and second clamp elements into an opened configuration. Direct contact of the kingpin with the first and second clamp elements pivotally and positively displaces the first and second clamp elements from the opened configuration to a closed configuration to cooperatively capture the kingpin therebetween. A biased locking mechanism is releasably retained in an unlocked configuration and locks the first and second clamp elements in the closed configuration. In a modified embodiment, the first and second clamp elements are connected together to also pivot relative to each other about a common third pivot axis.