Background of the Invention Today's active lifestyles place some significant demands on both individuals and their vehicles. Many vehicles must be able to transport substantial cargo for family road trips. Other vehicles are used to haul bulky equipment to work, transport household or garden items and/or carry equipment and supplies for long camping weekends. No matter what type of vehicle an individual drives, there never seems to be enough room for everything needed or sufficient hours in a day to complete multiple trips.

In an effort to address the demands now being placed on individuals and their vehicles by more active lifestyles, Reese Products,

Inc. developed the Dual Port System equipment for carrying various useful accessories on a vehicle. Such accessories include, for example, bike carriers, open cargo carriers, closed cargo carriers, motorcycles carriers, lifts, transformer tables and the like.

The present invention relates to a bracket of simple and inexpensive construction that may be utilized to reliably secure an accessory to a vehicle accessory receiver.

Summary of the Invention In accordance with the purposes of the present invention as described herein, a bracket or post is provided for mounting an accessory to a vehicle accessory receiver. The bracket includes a main body having a wall, a first flange and a second flange. The wall extends between the first and second flanges.

The bracket also includes a gusset that extends between the first and second flanges a spaced distance from the wall. A passage is defined by a portion of the wall, a portion of the gusset, a portion of the first flange and a portion of the second flange.

The bracket also includes a first mounting aperture in the wall and a second mounting aperture in the gusset. The two mounting apertures are aligned. In use, the passage receives and holds the receiver of the vehicle accessory receiver and a pin is inserted in the first and second mounting apertures and an aligned aperture in the receiver in order to secure the bracket in position on the receiver.

An accessory is mounted to the bracket by aligning apertures in the accessory or a support frame for the accessory with the holes spaced along the first flange. Fasteners such as screws or cooperating bolts and nuts complete the connection of the accessory to the bracket.

In the following description there is shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention that is illustrative of one of the modes best suited to carry out the invention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

Brief Description of the Drawings The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain certain principles of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the bracket of the present invention, the accessory receiver assembly upon which the bracket may be mounted and an accessory of a type that may be carried on the bracket; Figure 2 is a detailed perspective view of the bracket of the present invention;

Figure 3 is an end view of the bracket shown in Figure 2 clearly showing the open end of the passage of the bracket that receives the receiver of the vehicle accessory receiver; and Figure 4 is a detailed cross sectional view illustrating the connection between the bracket and the receiver.

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description of the Invention Reference is now made to the drawing figures that illustrate the bracket 10 of the present invention utilized to secure an accessory A, such as the open cargo carrier illustrated, to a vehicle accessory receiver assembly 12 of the type known in the art that is secured to the frame of a motor vehicle.

As best shown in Figure 1, the vehicle accessory receiver assembly 12 includes a cross member 14 of tubular steel or other relatively lightweight, high strength material. A pair of mounting brackets 16 also formed of steel or other high strength material, are secured to the cross member 14 by welding or by appropriate fasteners.

Each mounting bracket 16 includes flanges 18 with cooperating apertures 20. The apertures 20 are aligned with apertures in the frame of the motor vehicle and the receiver assembly 12 is secured to the motor vehicle with appropriate fasteners (not shown) such as cooperating bolts, lock washers and nuts.

The vehicle accessory receiver assembly 12 also includes a pair of spaced receivers 22 in the form of projecting bars. Each receiver 22 includes a rounded tip 26 and a locking aperture 28 the significance of which will be described in greater detail below. Of course, the receiver assembly 12 may also optionally include a trailer hitch receiver box 30 in order to allow the towing of a trailer.

As best illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the bracket 10 of the present invention comprises a body including a wall 32, a first flange 34 and a second flange 36. As illustrated, the wall 32 extends between the two flanges 34,36. The first flange 34 includes a bend 35 at an intermediate portion thereof defining an included angle of between about 91 degrees to about 189 degrees and more typically about 150 to about 170 degrees and typically about 160 degrees.

A gusset 38 also extends between the first and second flanges 34,36. As best illustrated in Figure 2, the gusset 38 is provided a spaced distance from the wall 32 so that a passage 40 is defined by a portion of the wall, a portion of the gusset, a portion of the first flange 34 and a portion of the second flange 36.

The bracket 10 further includes a first mounting aperture 42 in the wall 32 and a second mounting aperture 44 in the gusset 38 (see also Figure 1). It should be appreciated that the two apertures 42,44 are aligned. Still further, it should be appreciated that the first flange 34 includes a series of holes 46 spaced along that flange.

In use, the elongated passage 40 formed by portions of the wall 32, gusset 38, first flange 34 and second flange 36 functions as a sleeve

that is sized with sufficient clearance to just receive and hold one of the spaced receivers 22 on the vehicle accessory receiver assembly 12.

When the bracket 10 is fully seated on the receiver 22, the first and second mounting apertures 42,44 in the bracket are aligned with the locking aperture 28 in the receiver 22 (see Figure 4). A pin 48 is then inserted through the apertures 42,44 and 28 in the bracket 10 and receiver 22. A clip 50 is connected to the pin opposite the head 52 so that the head is on one side of the bracket 10 and receiver 22 and the clip is on the other. In this way the pin 48 is secured in position and the bracket 10 is locked in place on the receiver 22.

A second bracket 10, which may be identical to or a mirror image of the first bracket, is mounted to the other receiver 22 of the vehicle accessory receiver 12 in the same manner just described. When both brackets 10 are mounted and locked in position with the pins 48, the first flanges 34 of both brackets both rest in a substantially horizontal plane which serves as a support or base for an accessory A.

Of course, this statement does not rule out the possibility of the flanges of both brackets being angled slightly from that plane.

An accessory A is mounted on the brackets 10 by aligning mounting holes in the accessory or a framework for the accessory with one or more of the holes 46 provided at spaced locations along the first flanges 34. Since multiple holes 46 are provided, the brackets 10 function to hold a wide range of accessories including but not limited to, bike racks, ski racks, open cargo carriers, closed cargo carriers, tables, work benches and the like. Fasteners such as screws and/or the

cooperating bolts and nuts 54 illustrated are received in the apertures 46 to complete the connection of the accessory A to the brackets 10.

The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment was chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled. The drawings and preferred embodiment do not and are not intended to limit the ordinary meaning of the claims and their fair and broad interpretation in any way.