Patent Application
20200238773
Not Applicable
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Not Applicable
The disclosure and prior art relates to shield devices and more particularly pertains to a new shield device for inhibiting a person from striking their legs against a trailer hitch.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a clamp that releasably engages a hitch on a vehicle. A plurality of supports is each of the supports is coupled to and extends away from the clamp. A shield is coupled to each of the supports such that the shield is spaced from the clamp. The shield is curved such that the shield extends around a ball on the hitch when the clamp is positioned on the hitch. In this way the shield inhibits a person from striking their legs against the ball when the person walks near the hitch.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of the first 18 and second 20 jaws has an inwardly facing surface 24 and a distal end 26. Additionally, each of the first 18 and second 20 jaws has a prominence 28 on the inwardly facing surface 24 and the prominence 28 is centrally positioned on each of the first 18 and second 20 jaws. The prominence 28 on each of the first 18 and second 20 jaws abuts a top side 30 of the hitch 14 when the hitch space 22 receives the hitch 14.
Each of the first 18 and second 20 jaws has a pin aperture 32 extending therethrough. The pin aperture 32 is positioned adjacent to the distal end 26 of a respective one of the first 18 and second 20 jaws. Additionally, the pin aperture 32 in each of the first 18 and second 20 jaws is positioned below the hitch 14 when the clamp 12 is positioned around the hitch 14. A pin 34 is provided and the pin 34 is extendable through the pin aperture 32 in each of the first 18 and second 20 jaws when the clamp 12 is positioned around the hitch 14. Thus, the pin 34 inhibits the clamp 12 from being lifted upwardly, and be possibly removed from, from the hitch 14.
A plurality of supports 36 is each coupled to and extends away from the clamp 12. Each of the supports 36 is oriented perpendicular to the clamp 12. Thus, each of the supports 36 is horizontally oriented when the clamp 12 is positioned on the hitch 14. The supports 36 radiate outwardly from the clamp 12 and each of the supports 36 has a distal end 38 with respect to the clamp 12. A shield 40 is coupled to each of the supports 36 such that the shield 40 is spaced from the clamp 12. Moreover, the shield 40 is curved such that the shield 40 extends around a ball 42 on the hitch 14 when the clamp 12 is positioned on the hitch 14. In this way the shield 40 inhibits a person from striking their legs against the ball 42 when the person walks near the hitch 14.
The shield 40 has a first end 44, a second end 46 and a first surface 48 extending therebetween, and the shield 40 is elongated between the first 44 and second 46 ends. The first surface 48 is concavely arcuate between each of the first 44 and second 46 ends. Additionally, the distal end 38 of each of the supports 36 is coupled to the first surface 48. Thus, an axis extending through each of the first 44 and second 46 ends of the shield 40 is horizontally oriented when the clamp 12 is positioned on the hitch 14.
A tether 50 is coupled to the clamp 12 and extends toward the shield 40 and the tether 50 has a distal end 52 with respect to the clamp 12. A grip 54 is coupled to the tether 50 and the grip 54 has a pair of jaws 56 that are biased toward each other. Each of the jaws 56 is positionable around a stem 58 of the ball 42 on the hitch 14 when the clamp 12 is positioned on the hitch 14. Thus, the grip 54 and the tether 50 inhibit the clamp 12 and the shield 40 from falling off of the vehicle 16 if the clamp 12 inadvertently disengages the hitch 14. Each of the jaws 56 on the grip 54 has an inwardly facing surface 58 and the inwardly facing surface 58 of each of the jaws 56 on the grip 54 has a plurality of teeth 60 thereon for frictionally engaging the stem of the ball 42.
In use, the clamp 12 is lowered onto the hitch 14 until the prominence 28 on each of the first 18 and second 20 jaws of the clamp 12 abuts the top side 30 of the hitch 14. The pin 34 is extended through the pin aperture 32 in each of the first 18 and second 20 jaws on the clamp 12 thereby securing the clamp 12 on the hitch 14. Thus, the shield 40 is spaced rearwardly from the ball 42 and the shield 40 forms an arc that partially surrounds the ball 42. Thus, the shield 40 protects the person from striking the person's legs against the ball 42 when the person is walking near the ball 42. The grip 54 is positioned around the ball 42 thereby ensuring the clamp 12 and the shield 40 are not lost if the clamp 12 disengages the hitch 14.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
