Support device for vehicles

ES 2 268 624 T3

DESCRIPTION

Support device for vehicles. Background of the invention

The present invention relates to vehicles such as golf carts, utility vehicles, NVs, etc., and more particularly, to support assemblies for such vehicles.

Vehicles such as golf carts, utility vehicles, and NVs (neighborhood vehicles) are known and each type of vehicle basically includes a chassis, a body mounted on the chassis, three or four rotatable wheels connected to the chassis, and a steering system. drive to drive the wheels to move the vehicle. Typically such vehicles include a seat mounted on the vehicle body for seating at least one driver and generally one or more passengers as well. In addition, such vehicles also generally include a roof or canopy arranged over the body by means of several uprights, typically four, extending between the chassis or body and the canopy.

US Patent No. 5,588,690 discloses a double rear golf cart enclosure. A wire mesh basket is attached to a seat support and a golf club holder for holding the golf club bags is attached to the seat support.

Document WO 02 099 773 describes (see in particular figure 1) a support device for a vehicle, the vehicle having a roof, a vehicle body and a seat back, the device comprising: a base that can be connected to the vehicle body and a roof bracket that has a first end connected to the base and a second end that can be connected to the roof, the bracket being configured to keep the roof spaced generally on a remnant vehicle; wherein the base includes a removable block formed body on an upper surface of the vehicle body, and wherein the base body includes a recess that provides a storage space. Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved support device for a vehicle having a seat back.

This objective is achieved by means of the support device of the appended claim 1.

Further developments of the present invention are listed in the dependent claims. Brief description of the different views of the drawings

The above summary, in addition to the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, embodiments that are now preferred are shown in the drawings, which are schematic. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not strictly limited to the arrangements and means shown. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective side view of a vehicle including a support device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of a rear part of the vehicle body with the support device mounted thereon;

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the support device and the rear part of the body;

Figure 4 is a front perspective view, separated, of a base of the support device, shown separated from the rear of the body;

Figure 5 is an exploded, partially broken away view of the support device and a seat back, taken from the rear;

Figure 6 is a bottom elevation view of the base;

Figure 7 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the base;

Figure 8 is a cut away view of the support device, showing a fluid path through a post of the support device;

Figure 9 is an enlarged, separated perspective view of a stud and a support post;

Figure 10 is a perspective view, separated, of the support device, showing an adapter support attached to an accessory mounting portion;

Figure 11 is a perspective view, separated, of the support device, showing a sand bottle connected to the accessory mounting portion;

Figure 12 is a perspective view, separated, of the support device, showing a basket connected with an accessory mounting part; and Figure 13 is a perspective view, separated, of the support device, showing a hub attached to the accessory mounting portion.

Detailed description of the invention

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words "right", "left", "bottom", "top", "up", "down" and "down" designate directions in the referenced drawings. The words "interior", "interiorly" and "exterior", "exteriorly" refer to directions to and from, respectively, the geometric center of a support device 10 or an element of the device 10 being described, the meaning being easily apparent from the context of the description. Furthermore, as used herein, the word "connected" is intended to include direct connections between two elements with no other element interposed between them and indirect connections between elements in which one or more other elements interpose between them. The terminology includes the words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and similar words or meanings.

Referring now to the detailed drawings, in which similar numbers are used to indicate similar elements in all of them, a now preferred embodiment of a support device 10 for a vehicle 1 having a roof 2 is shown in Figures 1-3. and a seat back 3. The support device 10 basically comprises a base 12 that includes a generally rectangular body 14 that can be connected with, and preferably that can be removably connected, with the vehicle 1. The body 14 has a mounting portion 16 configured for attachment seat back 3 and a recess 32 providing storage space S_B to store a variety of items.

ES 2 268 624 T3

Preferably, the support device 10 also includes a ceiling support 20 having a first end 22 connected to the base 12 and a second end 24 that can be connected to the ceiling 2. The ceiling support 20 is configured to retain the ceiling. 2 generally separated over a remnant of vehicle 1, as discussed below. Furthermore, the ceiling support 20 preferably includes two posts 26 spaced apart, each post 26 having a lower end 26a connected to the base 12 and an upper end 26b that can be connected to the ceiling 2. Each post 26 is preferably formed so of providing a drain pipe 27 for draining fluid (eg, rainwater) from the roof 2, as described in more detail below. Having discussed the basic elements of the support device 10, a detailed description of each of these and other components is provided below.

Referring first to Figures 1-3, the support device 10 of the present invention is preferably used with the category of generally light vehicles, of relatively limited range, which includes golf carts, utility vehicles, neighborhood electric vehicles ("NEVs ”) And similar types of vehicles. Preferably, the vehicle 1 includes a chassis 4, a body 5 mounted on the chassis 4 and a plurality of wheels 6 (for example, three or four) rotatably mounted on the chassis 4 to move the vehicle 1. The body 5 preferably includes a rear portion 7 having a generally flat upper mounting surface 7a on which the support device 10 is preferably mounted as discussed below. A space S_V Storage is preferably formed at the rear end of the rear part 7 of the body and is dimensioned to receive the lower ends of two golf bags (not shown), the upper ends of which are supported by the support device 10 such as described in more detail below.

Preferably, the vehicle 1 also has a front body part 8 and a pair of front struts 9, so that the roof 2 is supported on the remainder of the vehicle 1 by means of the roof supports 20 and the front struts 9. As best shown in Figure 5, the seat back 3 preferably has two threaded mounting holes 43, a pair of connecting blocks 45, each block 45 having a notch (not shown), and a pair of locating tabs and of support 47, each of the two blocks 45 and of the two legs 47 extending from the rear end 3a of the back of the seat 3 and being used to connect the rear part 3 with the base 12, as described below. Additionally, the roof 2 preferably has a pair of integral fluid channels or grooves 2a, each groove 2a being provided with a drain portion 2b for draining or discharging fluid, such as rainwater, from the groove 2a.

Although the support device 10 is preferably used with a vehicle 1 as described above, the support device 10 may alternatively be used with any other vehicle 10 for which the device 1 may be useful. For example, the support device 10 can be used with any other type of vehicle, such as, for example, tractors, lawnmowers, etc. Furthermore, the vehicle 1 may have a body 5 formed in any other suitable way, such as formed by a plurality of body panels and / or formed without the rear storage space S_V, and / or the support device 10 can be directly connectable to the chassis 4 (for example, instead of through the body 5). The scope of the present invention encompasses these and all other alternative vehicle structures and the present invention is not limited to use with any particular vehicle 1.

Referring now to Figures 1-7, the base body 14 is preferably formed as a generally rectangular shaped block 30 removable on the upper body surface 7a and having a relatively large recess 32, defining storage space S_B. Block 30 has an upper end 30a, an open lower end 30b that provides an opening 33 that extends into an interior space Si, and a boss 31 of the base that extends around the outer perimeter of the bottom opening 33. Preferably, block 30 is formed primarily of four wall sections or walls 34, 36, and 38; a front vertical wall 34, two spaced apart vertical side walls 36 extending rearwardly from front 34, and a horizontal wall 38 extending between the three vertical walls 34 and 36. The four main walls 34, 36, and 38 (each described in detail below) are preferably integrally connected or formed such that the base body 14 has the preferred structure of a one-piece building block 30. However, the body 14 of the base may be alternatively assembled with two or more components or elements, formed as a single open-end box having four vertical walls surrounding a horizontal wall, or constructed in any other suitable way that allows base 12 will function as generally described in this document.

Referring to Figures 4-7, the vertical front wall 34 of the preferred base block 30 has a vertical outer wall section 35 that provides the seat mounting surface 16, a vertical inner wall section 37 that surrounds a portion of the storage space SB and a generally horizontal upper wall section 39 connecting the inner and outer wall sections 35 and 37. The front wall 34 includes a pair of horizontally spaced mounting holes 40, each extending through the inner and outer wall sections 35, 37, respectively, and alignable with the threaded mounting holes 43 of the seat back 3 , as described in more detail below. In addition, the outer front wall section 35 includes two horizontally spaced mounting pockets or cavities 42 formed in the wall 34 generally below the two mounting holes 40. A vertically extending mounting leg 44 is disposed in each mounting cavity 42 and is dimensioned to fit within the notch (not shown) of one of the two seat back connecting blocks 45. In addition, the outer wall section 35 preferably also includes a pair of support cavities 46, each disposed inward of and adjacent to a spaced one of the two mounting cavities 42. The

ES 2 268 624 T3 support cavities 46 each have a support surface 46a and each is configured to receive and support a separate one of the two seat back support blocks 47 on surface 46a to support a part of the weight of the seat back 3, as described below.

Although the mounting portion 16 of the seat is preferably provided by the front wall 34 as described above, the mounting portion 16 may be provided by any other suitable portion of the suitable base 12 and / or may include any other suitable structure. for mounting the seat back 3 on the base 12. For example, the base 12 can be configured such that the seat back 3 can be connected to the upper end 30a of the base block 30 or to one or both of the side walls 36 (neither shown). Also, for example, base 12 may include a second set of mounting holes (not shown) in place of legs 44, be formed without support cavities 46, be provided with mounting brackets (not shown), be formed integrally with block 30 or separately attached, etc. The scope of the present invention includes these and all other alternative structures suitable for mounting the seat back 3 on the base 12.

Referring particularly to Figures 4 and 5, with the preferred structures of the seat back 3 and the seat mounting portion 16 as described above, the seat back 3 is connected to the base 12 in the following manner. First, the seat back 3 is positioned against the front wall 34 of the base in such a way that each mounting block 45 enters an associated mounting cavity 42 and each locating and support lug 47 is disposed in an associated support cavity. 46. The tabs 47 are configured to interact with the two support cavities 46 such that, when the tabs 47 are disposed within the cavities 46, the recesses of the connecting blocks (not shown) of the seat back 3 are properly aligned in the vertical direction with the mounting feet 44 of the base 12. The seat back 3 is then moved downward until the mounting legs 44 enter the notches in the connecting block and the support blocks 47 rest on the shoulder surfaces 46a of the support cavity, providing additional support of the weight of the seat. seat back 3. At this point, the through holes 40 in the base 12 are each aligned with a corresponding threaded hole 43 in the seat back 3, such that a threaded closure (not indicated) is inserted through each pair of aligned openings. 40, 43 to secure the back 3 of the seat 3 to the base 12.

Referring now to Figures 3-7, the two side walls 36 of the base block 30 each extend rearward from the front wall 34 and are spaced from each other across the width of the vehicle body 5. Preferably, each side wall 36 includes a vertical outer section 50 that extends from the outer section of the front wall 35, a vertical inner section 52 that extends from the inner section of the front wall 37, a vertical rear section 54 that extends connects to the outer and inner sections 50, 52 and a horizontal upper section 56 that extends between the front wall 34 and the three vertical sections 50, 52 and 54 of the side wall. Each outer section of side wall 50 provides an accessory mounting portion 60, as described below. The two interior sections 52 of the side wall limit the opposite sides of the space S_B storage devices and each includes a pair of vertically spaced through holes 53 used to secure the base 12 to a pair of support posts 92, as discussed below. In addition, each upper section 56 of the side wall has an upper opening 57 dimensioned to receive one of the studs 26, as discussed in more detail below, and a threaded opening 55, preferably provided by a threaded insert, used to connect a base boss portion 84 to block 30, as discussed below.

Additionally, each side wall 36 limits a side part Sis of the interior space Si of the body and forms a side section 33a of the lower opening 33, the upper opening 57 extending into the part of the side space Sis so as to be generally aligned with the section side 33a of the lower opening. As such, each post 26 can be removed through the top opening 57, the side portion S_is of the interior space and the side section 33a of the lower opening when the upright 26 is connected to the base 12, as discussed below, forming the upper opening 57, the Sis part of the interior space and the section 33a of the lower opening a passage between the upper and lower ends 29, 33 of the base, respectively.

Referring to Figures 3, 5 and 10-13, the base body 14 further preferably includes at least one and most preferably two accessory mounting parts or "mounts" 60. Each accessory mount 60 is formed on a separate one of the two side walls 36 and is configured to support at least a plurality of different accessories 62. Preferably, accessories 62 include certain items considered beneficial for using the vehicle on a golf course, including a sand bottle 63 (Figure 11), a basket 64 (Figure 12), a bucket 65 (Figure 13), and a tank. 66 for cleaning golf balls (figure 12). The accessory mounts 60 are each configured to separately fix at least two of these accessories and, most preferably, to separately fix all of the specified accessories 63, 64, 65 and 66 to the base 12.

Preferably, each accessory mount 60 includes a pair of mounting openings 68 spaced horizontally and extending into outer section 52 of the side wall, most preferably provided by a threaded insert disposed in section 52 of the wall. A pair of recesses or notches 70 are formed between the lower end of the side wall section 52 and an adjacent portion of the boss 31 of the base. The notches 70 are generally located under the apertures 68 and are horizontally spaced from each other by a greater distance than that of the apertures 68, such that each notch 70 is slightly outside an adjacent one of the two apertures 68. Preferably, an adapter bracket 69 is attachable to the threaded openings 68 in the side wall and is used to connect the various accessories 62 to the base 12, a generally T-shaped bracket 73 being used to connect the bottle.

ES 2 268 624 T3 of sand 63 and the basket 64 and a generally rectangular support 75 being used to connect the bucket 65.

In addition, the two notches 70 are each configured to receive a separate one of a pair of projections or legs (not shown) that extend from a bottom of certain accessories, such as basket 64, and spaced on the accessory approximately the same. distance than notches 70. Although the accessory mounts 60 are preferably each formed from the two mounting openings 68 and recesses 70 and a suitable adapter bracket 69, the mounting parts / mounts 60 may alternatively be formed in any other suitable way, such as by through a series of openings, one or more legs, one or more different supports, etc., and can be used with any other type of accessories 62.

Referring now to Figures 5-7, the horizontal wall 38 of the base block 30 extends rearwardly from the front wall 34 and between the two side walls 36, 36B and provides a storage shelf 74, as shown. try later. The horizontal wall 38 is preferably vertically spaced on the lower ends 52a of the inner vertical sections 52 of the side wall and has an inner edge 38a formed with the lower end 35a of the inner vertical section 35 of the front wall, as best shown in figure 7. Preferably, horizontal wall 38 has an upwardly extending edge 75, formed along outer edge 38b of the wall, which includes a series of locking tabs 77 for connection to a rear wall 80, as shown. try later. In addition, horizontal wall 38 preferably also includes a series of reinforcing ribs 76 spaced between the two side walls 36 and provided to prevent flexing of wall 38 under the weight of items on storage shelf 74. To provide additional reinforcement for shelf 74, base block 30 further preferably includes a vertical reinforcement wall 78 that extends below and generally along the center of horizontal wall 38 and that has opposite ends 78a, 78b formed with the vertical inner edges 52b of the vertical inner section 52 of the side wall.

Preferably, the four main walls 34, 36 and 38 described above and the reinforcing wall 78 of block 30 are integrally connected or formed. As such, the base block 30 is therefore preferably of one-piece construction, as discussed above. However, the body 14 of the base may alternatively be formed from a series of separate sections or pieces connected together by suitable means (eg, screw fasteners, adhesives, plastic fusion, etc.) in order to form the four main walls 34 , 36 and 38, and the reinforcing wall 78, of block 30. Furthermore, the base block 30 may alternatively be formed in any other suitable shape, such as generally ovular or generally as a truncated pyramid and / or it may be generally solid (for example, as compared to having a hollow interior space Si) except for the recessed part 32.

Referring to Figures 2 and 4-6, the base 12 further preferably includes a generally vertical rear wall 80 spaced rearwardly from the front wall 34 of the block and extending between the two side walls 36 of the block. In such a way, the storage space S_B it is generally bounded by the three vertical walls 34 and 36 of the block 30, the rear vertical wall 80 and the horizontal wall 38 of the block. Preferably, the rear wall 80 is formed as a separate element connected to the block 30 and, most preferably, as a generally flat metal cloth or mesh 82 attached to a projecting portion 84 (discussed below) of the base 12, in order to extend between the rear sections 54 of the two side walls 36 and the rear edge 75 of the horizontal wall 38. The mesh 82 preferably includes a series of closure recesses 83 extending along a lower edge 82a and engageable via closure tabs 77 on the horizontal wall 38 of the block, to secure the two walls 38 together and 80. Alternatively, the rear vertical wall 80 may be formed integrally with the block 30 or it may be formed as a solid wall or plate (for example, as opposed to mesh or fabric), or the base body 14 may be constructed without a rear wall 80 in order to have a generally open rear end (no alternative shown).

Referring to Figures 2-6 and 10, preferably, the base body 14 further has a projecting portion 84 configured to hold a golf bag G. The protruding portion 84 is preferably provided by a spaced elongated bar 86 having opposite ends 86a, 86b, each attached to a spaced one of the two side walls 36, preferably by threaded closures (not indicated) inserted through the ends 86a, 86b of the bar and into the threaded holes 55 of the side wall. Alternatively, the boss portion 84 may be provided by an integral rear wall portion of the block 30 (structure not shown). Bar 86 has two rounded support surface sections 88 against each of which the upper end of a golf bag (not shown) can be removed to store the bag within vehicle 1, as discussed below. In addition, the bar 86 also has two groups of three strap slots 87, each group of slots 87 being used to adjustably connect a load strap 90 to the base 12, as discussed below.

Preferably, the base 12 further comprises at least very preferably two load straps 90 attached to the projecting portion 84 of the body 14 of the base and each is configured to retain a golf bag G disposed proximal to the base 12. More specifically, a golf bag G can be stored on the vehicle 1 in such a way that a lower part of the bag G is located within the storage space S_V from the vehicle body and the top of the bag is disposed generally against one of the two support surfaces 88. As best shown in Figure 10, each strap 90 is removable around the top end of each bag of golf G in order to secure the bag G generally against the projecting portion 84 of the base and thereby retain the bag G within the storage space SV of the vehicle.

Referring now to Figures 4, 8 and 9, the base 12 preferably further comprises two generally triangular support posts 92, extending vertically, connectable with the vehicle 1,

ES 2 268 624 T3 configured to increase the rigidity of the body 14 of the base and also to aid in the channeling of the drain flow from the studs 26, as discussed below. The two posts 92 each have a lower end 92a connectable with the vehicle body 5, preferably by a pair of threaded fasteners (not indicated), in order to be laterally spaced along the upper surface 7a of a body part rear 7. Each post 92 is dimensioned so that it can be removed within the interior space Si of the block, specifically within a separate one of the lateral parts S_IS of the interior space. In addition, the support posts 92 each have a vertically extending central groove or channel 93 that supports one of the preferred support posts 26, as described in more detail below, and a pair of vertically through-holes 95. spaced apart for connection of posts 92 with base 12 and one of posts 26, as discussed below.

When the posts 92 are mounted on the vehicle 1, the base 12 can be installed on the posts 92 until the boss 31 of the base is disposed against the upper mounting surface 7a of the rear part 7 of the body. During installation, each post 92 enters one of the lower opening sections 33a of the base 12 and is disposed within the associated side portion SSI of the interior space of the block. The body 14 of the base is therefore secured, and can be removed, to a mounting bracket 91 (figure 8) fixed to the chassis 4 by a series of threaded fasteners (not indicated), in order to insert sections of the rear part 7 of the body between the base 12 and the support 91. In addition, body 14 is also secured, and removable, to each support post 92 (and each stud 26, as discussed below) by a pair of latches (not indicated) inserted through each pair of aligned holes 53 and 95 respectively located on each inner section 52 of the side wall and the adjoining support post 92. Thus, the base 12 and the two support posts 92 are both secured to the vehicle body 5 and to each other, thus forming a fundamentally rigid assembly. Although base 12 preferably includes support posts 92 to increase the rigidity of preferred base block 30, base 12 may alternatively be constructed without any posts 92, particularly if base 12 were instead formed as a generally block. solid (not shown), as discussed above.

With the preferred structure described above, the base 12 is configured to increase the rigidity of the rear part 7 of the vehicle body 5 when the support device 10 is connected to the vehicle 1. More specifically, when the base body 14 fixed to the vehicle body 5, the base 12 extends transversely along the upper surface 7a of the relatively thin rear part 7 of the body. The relatively thin body 14 of the base, in combination with the support posts 92, reinforces the rear part 7 of the body in such a way that the ability of the body part 7 to resist twisting or twisting is substantially increased. Although the base 12 is preferably connected to the chassis 4 of the vehicle via two mounting brackets 91, the base 12 may alternatively be connected to the rear 7 or fixed directly to the chassis 4, as discussed above. For example, the rear portion 7 of the body may include a rectangular opening (not shown) through which the base 12 extends in order to directly connect with the chassis 4 such that the base 12 increases the rigidity of the frame. body 5 of the vehicle preventing the rear part 7 of the body from rotating around the body 14 of the base.

Referring now to Figures 1-3, 5, 8 and 9, as described above, the roof bracket 20 preferably includes at least one and most preferably two studs 26 each extending between the base 12 and the ceiling 2. Each upright 26 is fixed to the body 14 of the base and can be connected to the roof 2 of the vehicle, each of the uprights 26 being configured to, at least partially, retain or support the roof 2 spaced generally above a remnant. vehicle 1. Preferably, each strut 26 is formed as a separate tubular element 94 (i.e., from base 12) connected to base 12 and having opposite lower and upper open ends 96, 98, respectively, which provide the first and first support ends. second 22 and 24. In addition, each upright 26 has an inner passage or bore 100 that extends between the respective upper and lower ends 96, 98 and that provides the drain tube 27 for drainage of fluid from the ceiling 2, as discussed above and it is covered in more detail later.

Preferably, each tubular member 94 includes an upper tubular section 102, a lower tubular section 104, and a protrusion 106 at the interface between the two sections 102 and 104. The upper tubular section 102 provides the upper open end or inlet 96 and is generally extends between base 12 and ceiling 2. A generally ovular cup portion 108 is formed at the upper end 96 of each tubular member 94 and is sized to fit over one of the drainage portions 2b on the preferred roof 2, so as to fluidly connect the roof grooves 2a with the drain tube 27. In addition, each upper tubular section 102 includes a mounting hole 109 (Figure 2) located adjacent the cup portion 108, a closure (not shown) being inserted through the hole 109 and into the adjacent drainage 2b of the canopy to connect the awning 2 with the ability to be removed from the upright 26 and, therefore, from the support device 10.

Furthermore, the lower section 104 of each tubular element 94 provides the lower open end or outlet 98 and extends generally between the upper and lower ends of the base 29, 33, respectively, when the upright 26 is connected to the base 12. Each Lower tubular section 104 is sized to fit through one of the base openings 57 and is removable into channel 93 of the adjoining support post 92. Also, the lower tubular sections 104 each have a pair of threaded openings 110 that are alignable with the pair of holes 95 in the associated support post 92. Preferably, the outlet 98 is removable into an opening 7b in the rear. 7 of the vehicle body which is located generally below the lower end 33 of the base and generally below one of the wheel housings 5a of the vehicle 1 (see Figure 8). Therefore, the drain tube 27 is arranged to discharge fluid into the drain housing.

ES 2 268 624 T3 rolls 5a in order to land on the surrounding terrain surface, as discussed in more detail below. Furthermore, when the lower tubular section 104 is located within the base 12, as described above, the projection 106 is disposed against the portions of the upper section 56 of the side wall adjacent the opening 57, as best shown. shown in figure 8. As such, the boss 106 functions both to support the tubular member 94 on the base 12 and to transfer the weight of the roof 2 from the upper tubular section 102 to the base 102.

With the structure described above, the two posts 26 each provide a fluid path through the drain tube 27 from the associated groove 2a of the roof 2 to the surface S of the surrounding terrain in the following manner. The fluid in the grooves 2a flows through the drain portions 2b to the upper end 96 of the tubular member 94 and flows down the upper tubular portion 102. Fluid flow then enters lower tubular portion 104, so as to flow through base 12, and discharges through lower open end 98. Flow leaving lower open end 98 preferably falls through housing wheel 5a on the surface of the surrounding terrain, as discussed above. Alternatively, the lower open end 98 of the strut may be positioned to discharge fluid flow through any other part of the vehicle body 5, such as through the sides 1a or the rear end 1b of the body 5, or as Alternatively, you can discharge the flow directly from the base 12, for example, through the side walls 36 (not preferred). Furthermore, the lower tubular portion 104 of each post 26 can be dimensioned so that the outlet 98 is located within the interior space SI_ISfrom the side wall of the base, such that the fluid flow discharges into the passage 59 which extends through the base 12 and thereafter through the wheel housing 5a.

Although the ceiling bracket 20 is preferably formed as a pair of studs 26 as described above, it is within the scope of the present invention to construct the ceiling bracket. ceiling 20 in any other suitable manner. For example, the studs 26 can each be formed as a partial or "open" tube having an open channel that provides the drain tube 27. In addition, for example, the ceiling support 20 may be provided by a single elongated element or stud, by a rectangular frame or plate, and / or may be integrally formed with the base 12 (that is, compared to connected capable of extraction). The present invention encompasses these and all other suitable structures of ceiling support 30 that allow support device 10 to function generally as described herein.

Furthermore, the support device 10 may be constructed with a base 12 without a roof support 20, such support (s) being provided (as required) by one or more separate studs or other device connected to the vehicle 1 (none shown). . In such an alternative construction, the base 12 would function to support the seat back 3 and provides the storage space S_B and preferably also provide accessory mounts 60. Furthermore, such an alternative support device 10 still provides the benefit of increasing the rigidity of the vehicle body 5. Thus, the scope of the present invention includes both support devices 10 with a roof support 20 and support devices 10 not connected to the roof or awning of a vehicle 1.

Preferably, each of the major components of the preferred support structure, block 30, studs 26, flange portion 84, and support posts 92 are each made of a molded polymeric material, such as thermoplastic resin, polyethylene. high density or any other suitable polymeric material. The rear wall or mesh 82 is preferably formed of a series of wires or bars of a metallic material, such as low carbon steel, connected by appropriate means (for example, filler welding or autogenous welding) and the load belts 90 are preferably formed of strips of a fabric material, for example nylon. However, any of the components or all of the support device 10 can be formed of any other material, for example, by forming the block 30 of an aluminum alloy, and / or it can be formed in any other suitable process, such as manufacturing the studs 26 as stampings.

Referring to Figures 2-5, the support device 10 is preferably mounted on the vehicle 1 in the following manner. The support posts 92 are first attached to the upper surface 7a of the rear of the body by four fasteners (not indicated), and then the base block 30 is mounted on the posts 92 and attached to the base 12 through a series of closures. Then, each stud 26 of the preferred ceiling bracket 20 is inserted through a separate opening 57 in the base 12 and a closure (not indicated) is inserted through each opening 53 of the side wall, each opening 95 of the post and each stud opening 110, aligned, such that the base 12, posts 92, and connected studs 26 form a substantially rigid assembly. The seat back 3 can then be mounted on the base 12, as described above, and then the roof or canopy 2 can be removably connected with the uprights 26 by locating the drains 2b in the cup portions 108 of the studs 26 and inserting a closure (not shown) through each stud mounting hole 109 and into the associated drain 2b. The accessory mounts 60 on the base 12 can then be used to secure various items 62 to the vehicle 1, as described above. Furthermore, when the grooves 2a are filled with rainwater, melted snow, etc., during the use of the vehicle 1, such fluid is emptied from the grooves 2a to the surrounding ground surface (s) flowing through the drain pipes 27 into the two uprights 26 and discharging into the wheel housings.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes can be made to the embodiments or constructions described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is therefore understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments or constructions disclosed, but is intended to cover modifications within the scope of the present invention as generally described in the claims.