Patent Application
20240278729
The embodiments herein relate generally to vehicle accessories, and more particularly, to an external vehicle storage container specifically designed to attach to the lug posts/spare tire apparatus on the rear/back gate of any vehicle.
Spare tires mounted on the rear/back gate of a vehicle are heavy. In fact, often the vehicles that include these rear mounted spare tires are oversized, and many occupants are unable to actually change a flat without help. As such, including such a spare tire on the rear of the vehicle is often unnecessarily adding weight to the vehicle.
Moreover, drivers are always looking for additional storage in their vehicles. While there are storage containers and devices that attach to the rear-mounted spare tire, there does not currently exist a storage component that attaches to the vehicle in place of the spare tire.
Therefore, what is needed is an external vehicle storage container that attaches to the lug posts/spare tire apparatus in place of a spare tire to provide additional storage.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure include an externally mounted storage container for attachment to lug posts or a spare tire apparatus in place of a conventional spare tire on a vehicle. The storage container may include a container body removably engageable with a spare tire mounting area on a rear gate of the vehicle, the container body including a rear wall and side walls extending outward from the rear wall, the rear wall and the side walls together defining an interior storage space; and at least one door hingeably attached to a forward edge of the side walls, the at least one door configured to open and close with respect to the container body to provide access to and prevent access to the interior storage space. The storage container may also include a mounting bracket attached to an outer surface of the rear wall to facilitate attachment to the vehicle.
The detailed description of some embodiments of the invention is made below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals represent corresponding parts of the figures.
In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous details, examples, and embodiments of the invention are described. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that the invention can be adapted for any of several applications.
The device of the present disclosure may be used as an external storage container for a vehicle and may comprise the following elements. This list of possible constituent elements is intended to be exemplary only, and it is not intended that this list be used to limit the device of the present application to just these elements. Persons having ordinary skill in the art relevant to the present disclosure may understand there to be equivalent elements that may be substituted within the present disclosure without changing the essential function or operation of the device.
The elements of the device of the present disclosure may be related in the following exemplary fashion. It is not intended to limit the scope or nature of the relationships between the various elements and the following examples are presented as illustrative examples only.
By way of example, and referring to
In some embodiments, and as shown in the Figures, the eternally mounted storage container 10 may further comprise a mounting bracket 20 removably engaged with an outer surface of the rear wall of the container body 12, wherein the mounting bracket 20 is configured to also removably engage with lug post holes 28 on the rear gate of the vehicle 11. More specifically, and as shown in
In other embodiments, the mounting bracket 20 may be permanently attached to or integrated into the structure of the rear wall of the container body 12. However, in these instances, a user may not be able to interchange the mounting bracket 20 and, thus, the externally mounted storage container 10 may only be used with specific vehicles with the specific lug hole 28 arrangements. In yet further embodiments, the container body 12 may simply have a plurality of lug post holes extending through the back wall thereof, wherein the container body 12 may be secured to the existing lug posts on the vehicle 11 by inserting the lug posts through the lug post holes and securing with a conventional fastener or bolt.
As mentioned above, the container 10 may comprise at least one door 14 hingeably attached to a distal or front edge of the side walls of the container body 12. More specifically, and as shown in the Figures, the container 10 may comprise a pair of doors 14, each door being hingeably attached to an opposite side wall, wherein when closed, the doors 14 meet at a central location of the container 10. For example, the container 10 may comprise a right door attached to a right edge of the container body 12 and a left door attached to the left edge of the container body. Regardless of the number or orientation of the door(s) 14, the container 10 may also comprise a lock or latch 16 configured to lock the door(s) 14 in a closed position, thus preventing or reducing the likelihood of theft of objects stored within the container 10. As shown in the Figures, the container 10 may also have a backup camera 18 mounted thereto, wherein the backup camera 18 may be operatively attached to a monitor, such as the entertainment system screen or an aftermarket screen, within the interior of the vehicle 11.
As shown in
While not shown in the Figures, the container 10 of the present disclosure may include other various optional components, such as a brake light ring, attached to an appropriate surface thereof.
While the storage container 10 of the present disclosure is depicted in the drawings as being substantially square shaped, the container 10 is not limited to any particular shape or size, so long as the container body 12 is configured to removably engage with the rear gate or rear surface of the vehicle 12 in place of a spare tire. Also, while the container 10 is shown with a left door 14 and a right door 14 that meet in the middle, the container 10 is not limited to such configuration, and the use of any variation of door or doors is envisioned. The storage container 10 of the present disclosure may be made of any suitable materials and, in some embodiments, may comprise a lightweight, hard material, such as plastic or metal, wherein the material is configured to withstand environmental factors, such as snow, rain, wind, sun, and the like.
To use the device of the present disclosure, a person would remove the spare tire from the rear gate or rear end of their vehicle 11. The container body 12 (with or without the mounting bracket 20, depending on the version of the container 10) may be positioned to engage with the lug holes 28 on the vehicle 11, which may result in the container body 12 being positioned over an air vent on the vehicle 11. The container body 12 may be secured in place using fasteners. Once the container body 12 is secure, the door(s) 14 may be open, closed, locked, or unlocked, and items may be stored therein. Thus, the storage compartment 10 of the present disclosure may function as an alternative to a vehicle spare tire and may offer a lightweight option to increase vehicle fuel efficiency by lowering overall weight while simultaneously increasing vehicle storage space.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous design configurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of the inventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations and arrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of the invention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather than narrowed by the embodiments described above.
This application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 63/446,896 filed on Feb. 20, 2023, the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63446896 | Feb 2023 | US |
