The rear luggage carriers available at present substantially differ one from the other on the basis of the technical solutions chosen for adapting a same luggage carrier to the plurality of shapes and sizes of the attachment regions of the vehicles generally available on the market.

Examples of such solutions are disclosed in the International Patent Applications WO 97/30870 e WO 00/76809.

In WO 97/30870 there is proposed a device for modifying the length of the luggage carrier comprising a deformable arm fixed to the lower portion of a frame body of the luggage carrier; a screw adjusting system enables to elastically deform the deformable arm and mutually vary the distance between said arm and said lower portion so as to enable an anchoring portion of said deformable arm to engage itself with the corresponding edge of a vehicle hatchback.

Such luggage carrier shows the disadvantage that, during mounting or dismounting, the screw adjusting system results positioned between the frame body and the lower edge of the hatchback and thus lies at a very uncomfortable position for being reached by the user.

In WO 00/76809 there is instead proposed a luggage carrier comprising frame sections mutually connected by means of telescopic tubes; in this case, by causing the frame sections to telescopically slide one into the other, a variation in the length of the luggage carrier is obtained that enables hook portions of opposite ends of each section to engage with corresponding edge portions of the hatchback.

During the mounting and dismounting steps, the user is requested to apply a certain force for causing the sections to mutually slide as well as for blocking said sections in the desired position by means of a lever closing device, that results in a clear disadvantage.

Luggage carriers for bicycle are further known comprising a frame including a first frame part and a second frame part hinged each other.

The first frame part ends downward in a pair of resting elements designed for being positioned on the rear bumper of the vehicle.

In a middle section of the second frame part there is further hinged a bracket for resting on the rear window of the vehicle, or on the cowling of'the rear boot.

At the top of the second frame part there is hinged a rack for supporting the bicycles.

In order to fix the luggage carrier to the vehicle, said luggage carrier must be anchored by means of a plurality of belts that must be properly stretched by the operator one at a time.

Before the belts are stretched, by acting on the hinges arranged between the first and the second part and between the latter and the resting bracket, the respective frame parts must be articulated so that the resting elements and the resting bracket are properly positioned on the prescribed portions of the vehicle.

In addition, by always manually acting, it is necessary to operate on the hinge interposed between the second frame part and the rack in order that the latter is brought in a substantially horizontal position so as to bear the load in proper position.

A drawback of such luggage carriers results in that, the frame parts must be mutually oriented manually by the operator, that therefore must perform a number of manual operations in order

to arrange the luggage carrier for the proper mounting position.

In addition, fixing the luggage carrier turns out rather labour intensive, since it is necessary to act singularly on the various belts, that implies a remarkable waste of time and energies.

An aim of the present invention is to improve the luggage carriers for vehicles.

A further aim is to provide the user with a luggage carrier that can be easily mounted and dismounted from a vehicle.

Another aim is to provide a luggage carrier provided with an actuating device for anchoring on and dismounting from a vehicle that is easy to be reached.

A further other aim is to simplify the manual operation required to the user during the step of fitting the luggage carrier on the sizes and shapes of the vehicle whereon it is mounted.

A different aim is to reduce the need for operating on a plurality of belts in order to mount, or to dismount a luggage carrier.

Another different aim is to make available a luggage carrier where it is not necessary to provide for the specific regulations of the different frame parts.

In a first aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided for transporting loads, suitable for being mounted on a vehicle, comprising first frame body means and second frame body means, that are mutually coupled by means of hinge means and are arranged for being associated with opposing edges of a portion of vehicle, configuration'varying means interconnecting said first frame body means and said second frame body means and arranged for varying the mutual angular position of said first frame body means and said second frame body means so as to enable a stable anchoring thereof to said portion.

Preferably, said configuration varying means comprises at least one screw tie rod with sleeve.

Having provided the configuration varying means in conjunction with the hinge means enables to obtain that the geometric configuration of the frame body is adjusted by only acting on the configuration varying means, i. e. without having to operate on the individual position of the first frame body and the second frame body.

The configuration varying means enables the luggage carrier to be fitted on a plurality of vehicles showing different shapes and sizes.

In order to modify the length of the apparatus it is sufficient to act on a knob connected with an external end portion of the screw tie rod, which external end portion is arranged in a position easy to be reached.

It follows that the manual operation required to the user is substantially made easier than resulting in other models of known luggage carriers.

In an advantageous version, said configuration varying means comprises two screw tie rods with sleeve, laterally arranged on the first frame body and the second frame body, that enable the luggage carrier to adopt a more stable configuration in the case that mounting must take place, for any reason, in asymmetric position on the vehicle.

In a second aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided for transporting loads, suitable for being mounted on vehicle, comprising frame body means arranged for being associated with opposing edges of a portion of vehicle, load supporting means associated with said frame body means, characterized in that, said frame body means forms an integral body with said load supporting means.

Owing to this aspect of the invention, the position of the load supporting means is no longer required to be adjusted in independent manner with respect to the frame means, since the

load supporting means lies per se arranged in its load accommodating position when the frame means is positioned on the vehicle.

In addition, a reduction of the number of pieces needed for putting together the luggage carrier is obtained, since the load supporting means is not set apart from the frame body means.

The invention can be better understood with reference to the enclosed drawings, that illustrate some exemplifying and not restrictive embodiment forms thereof, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a luggage carrier, in the version using configuration varying means comprising two screw tie rods and mounted on the rear door of a vehicle; Figure 2 is a side view of the luggage carrier in Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a luggage carrier, in the version using configuration varying means comprising a single screw tie rod and mounted on the rear door of a vehicle; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a luggage carrier, like that of Figure 3, but with a different apparatus for supporting the load.

The Figure 1 shows a luggage carrier 1 mounted at the rear end of a vehicle D, represented by dashed line, and comprising a frame body 2 and a further frame body 3. The frame body 2 comprises a U-shaped portion 2', whose two ends extend over two arms 7, each of which is provided with an extractable portion 8, provided with through holes 9; once the luggage carrier 1 has been assembled, the U-shaped portion 2'shows the arms 7 turned downwards; between the U-shaped portion 2' and the arms 7 there is defined an obtuse angle G, not shown.

The U-shaped portion 2'contains, near each one of its parallel sides, a hinge 5 with a possible clutch 4, the latter comprising a pair of discs and a knob 6 suitable for tightening a disc against the opposed disc. The hinge 5 is interposed between the frame body 2 and the further frame body

3, and said hinge 5 enables said frame bodies to be angularly adjusted each other.

The extractable portion 8 can be received for a longer or shorter portion of its length into the arm 7 and can be fixed at the prearranged position by means of a bolt, not shown, suitable for being positioned at one of the through holes 9.

Thus, the length of every arm 7 can be changed and in particular can be made suitable for being mounted on portions of the vehicle that, due to their extend, would be otherwise unreachable.

The extractable portion 8 further comprises an anchoring appendage 10, terminating with a curved end 11 suitable for coupling with a bottom edge E'of the rear door E or a boot cowling, not shown, of a vehicle D.

Near the ends of the arms 7 adjacent to the rear bumper, not shown, of the vehicle D, there is placed a C-shaped element 12, arranged so as to have its longer rectilinear portion facing in the opposed direction with respect to the rear door E. The C-shaped element 12 engages with each of the arms 7 by means of a further hinge 5', comprising a further clutch 4' and a further knob 6'. The hinge 5'enables the C-shaped element 12 to be moved from a retracted position F to an extended position F', represented by a dashed line. That enables to prevent that a particularly voluminous object mounted on the luggage carrier, for example a bicycle, can accidentally hit and then damage the surface of the rear door E or of the rear bumper, not shown, of the vehicle D.

The further frame body 3, as depicted in the Figures 1 to 3, shows a further U-shaped portion 3', whose two ends extend, by means of two curved sections 13, over two brackets 13'; each of the brackets 13'defines with the U-shaped portion 3'a further obtuse angle G', not shown. Each of the brackets 13' further contains a set of grooves 14a, suitable for being used advantageously as a rack 14 whereon bicycles, having frame

provided with central crossbar, can be received. With the rack 14 there is associated a tightening tape 14b suitable for holding in position the frame crossbar, received in every groove 14a.

The hinges 5 lie arranged at the intersection between the two portions of the further frame body 3 that are contained between the two curved sections 13 and the two racks 14.

The further frame body 3 accommodates in its further U-shaped portion 3'at least a resting element 15, preferably in form of resilient cylinder having smooth surface ; by means of the resting element 15 the further frame body 3 can be applied on the read door E without damaging the external surface of the latter.

Near the border between the further U-shaped portion 3'and each one of the bracket 13', a section of belt 16 is fixed with the further frame body 3 by means of a bolt 17. The unconstrained end of the elastic belt 16 comprises a further curved end 18, suitable for anchoring on an upper edge C of the rear door E or the boot cowling, not shown, of a vehicle D.

With reference to Figure 4, a preferred version of the luggage carrier 1 is provided, wherein the further frame body 3a comprises, instead of the brackets 14, another further U- shaped portion 3b extending, at both the ends, over an L- shaped loading element 27. Each one of the L-shaped loading elements 27 comprises a vertical bar 28a and a horizontal bar 28b, mutually connected at right angle. Each one of the vertical arms 28a engages with the frame body 2 by means of the hinge 5 previously described. The two horizontal bars 28b receive a pair of profiled elements 29, orthogonally arranged with respect to said horizontal bars 28b and having a roughly C-shaped section. With such advantageous version of the luggage carrier 1 bicycles can also be transported with frame

unprovided with central crossbar, such as for example the ladies'bicycles.

The frame body. 2 and the further frame body 3 are further connected by means of a configuration varying device L. With reference to Figure 1, such configuration varying device L comprises a pair of screw tie rods 19. Each one of the screw tie rods 19 comprises an adjusting screw 20 received into an internal thread or sleeve 21; the end of the adjusting screw 20, lying outside the sleeve 21, is further connected to a knob 22.

The end of each screw tie rod 19 comprising the knob 22 is connected with the frame body 2 near the arm 7 at its own side. The end of the screw tie rod 19 opposing that one comprising the knob 22 is connected with the further frame body 3 near the vertex of the obtuse angle G'defined between the curved section 13 and the further U-shaped portion 3'. All said connections are obtained by means of further bolts 30. In the luggage carrier 1 so assembled, an angle H results included between the frame body 2 and the further frame body 3.

By acting on the knobs 22 of the configuration varying device L (see Figure 2) and then on the adjusting screw 20, the configuration of the luggage carrier 1 can be varied so as to be brought from any open starting position M', indicated by means of a dashed line, to a mounting position M, indicated by means of a full line, or vice versa.

Thus, the screw tie rod 19 is shortened, or respectively extended, so as to transform the angle H, into a further angle H', respectively smaller or greater than H. Such angular movement enables the configuration of the luggage carrier 1 to be varied, so as to be modified according to the size and the shape of the rear door E. In order to reduce the angle H to a further angle, not shown, smaller than H, it is sufficient to tighten the adjusting screw 21, so that shortening of the

screw tie rod 19 is obtained. The possibility of properly fitting the configuration of the luggage carrier 1 to a plurality of shapes and sizes of vehicles results apparent by simply acting on the screw tie rod 19. In addition, the arrangement of the screw tie rod 19 is such to make said screw tie rod 19 easy to be handled by the user.

With reference to the Figures 3 and 4, it is possible to carry out the configuration adjusting device L so as to comprise a single screw tie rod 19. The end of the screw tie rod 19 opposed to the knob 22 is constrained near the middle region of the further U-shaped portion 3'of the further frame body 3 by means of a fork joint 23. The end of the adjusting screw 20 comprising the knob 22 passes through the thickness of a further C-shaped element 24, oriented so as to have the longer rectilinear side bordering the rear door E and comprising two end segments 25, each one accommodating a supporting element 26, implemented in a similar manner as the resting elements 15 previously described.

The end segments 25 operate so as tot maintain the load in a stable position during the motion of the vehicle D and to prevent the accidental contact thereof with the external surface of the rear door E. The supporting elements 26 prevent the occurrence of possible damages for the transported objects. The further C-shaped element 24 is connected with the arms 7 of the rod element 2 by means of a pair of further other hinges 5a, each of which comprises a further. other knob 6a and a further other clutch 4a. With reference to the Figure 4, in the version of the luggage carrier 1 equipped by using the further frame body 3a, the further C-shaped element 24 is replaced by another further C-shaped element 24a. Such another further C-shaped element 24a is unprovided with end segments 25 and further supporting elements 26, since the load accommodated on the luggage carrier 1 is firmly positioned on the L-shaped element 27 included in the other further frame

body 3a, and such positioning prevents per se the contact of the load with the external surface of the rear door E of the vehicle D.