1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to trailer-connecting structures for vehicles, and more particularly to a fastening device for fastening trailer connectors, wherein the fastening device is easy to lock and unlock.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to increase the capacity for carrying people and articles, many people attach trailers behind their vehicles using connectors and fastening devices. Some of such fastening devices are described in prior patents and applications such as US Patent Application No. US 20120212000 titled “Trailer Lock”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,339 titled “Trailer Hitch and Lock Assembly”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,181 titled “Trailer Hitch and Lock Assembly”, among others. Most of these known devices have a hitch and a lock. The hitch is configured to penetrate trailer connectors with a terminal of the hitch extends outside the trailer connectors. The terminal of the hitch is provided with an engaging portion. The lock has a mounting hole, an engaging member and a lock hole. The mounting hole is mounted around the terminal of the hitch, and the lock hole receives a key to insert therein and rotate so as to drive the engaging member to engage with the engaging portion, thereby locking the hitch.
However, such a prior art device involves using a key to lock and unlock a lock, which is complicated and inconvenient. Besides, the lock includes many and various components, so is structurally complicated and difficult to fabricate. This fact causes the overall manufacturing costs and in turn the selling price to be undesirably high.
There are also fastening devices without any lock cylinders. As one example, Taiwan Patent No. M274264 titled “Vehicle Trailer Lock” provides a device having a hitch that includes an engaging rod and a spring. The spring props up a lock block to get engaged with the engaging rod, thereby positioning the lock block with respect to the hitch. However, for working with the engaging rod and the spring, the hitch is a customized one but not one with the standard specifications, so the manufacturing costs are still high.
Hence, the inventor herein provides a fastening device for fastening trailer connectors, wherein the fastening device is structurally simplified and a hitch of the standard specifications can be used. The fastening device comprises a hitch and a locating assembly. The hitch is configured to penetrate the trailer connectors. The locating assembly includes a first locating member and a second locating member. The first locating member is detachably connected to the hitch for preventing the hitch from coming off the trailer connectors. The second locating member has a first combining portion and a second combining portion, wherein the first combining portion is movably connected to the first locating member, so as to allow the second locating member to shift between a locked position and an unlocked position. When the second locating member is at the locked position, the second combining portion of the second locating member is fixed to the hitch by a fixing member and thus holds the first locating member in engagement with the hitch. When the second locating member is at the unlocked position, the second combining portion of the second locating member is removed from the hitch and thus allows the first locating member to be detached from the hitch.
Further, the first combining portion of the second locating member is slidably connected to the first locating member by a fixing pin.
Further, the hitch is provided with an engaging groove, and the first locating member of the locating assembly is provided with a pair of engaging portions that define therebetween a notch and an opening communicated with the notch. When the hitch is placed into the first locating member through the opening with the engaging groove aligned with the notch, the hitch is engaged with the first locating member.
Further, the hitch includes a terminal, and the second locating member of the locating assembly includes a sleeve portion that is configured to be mounted around the terminal of the hitch and thereby hold the second locating member at the locked position.
Further, the fixing member is a fastener or a magnet.
Further, the hitch further has a retaining groove, and the second locating member has a breach and the fixing member, in which the fixing member is a wire snap. The wire snap has a pair of gripping portions and a flexible portion that is connected between the gripping portions, so that a receiving space is defined amid the gripping portions and the flexible portion for fittingly receiving the second locating member. When the second locating member is at the locked position, the gripping portions enter the retaining groove through the breach to get engaged.
Further, the locating assembly further comprises a casing that is configured to be mounted around the second locating member for shielding the wire snap.
Further, the casing is provided with a plurality of anti-slip portions.
The present invention also provides a fastening device for fastening trailer connectors which are penetrated by a hitch. The fastening device includes a first locating member and a second locating member. The first locating member is detachably connected to the hitch for preventing the hitch from coming off the trailer connectors. The second locating member has a first combining portion and a second combining portion. The first combining portion is movably connected to the first locating member, so as to allow the second locating member to shift between a locked position and an unlocked position. When the second locating member is at the locked position, the second combining portion of the second locating member is fixed to the hitch by a fixing member and thus holds the first locating member in engagement with the hitch. When the second locating member is at the unlocked position, the second combining portion of the second locating member is disengaged from the hitch and thus allows the first locating member to be detached from the hitch.
The present invention has the following virtues:
1. The locating assembly is attached and affixed to the hitch by means of the first and second locating members that are movably connected to each other and sequentially mounted to the hitch, thereby eliminating the use of the lock cylinder that needs a key for locking or unlocking. This makes its use more convenient and since its structure is relatively simple, the manufacturing costs can be reduced.
2. The locating assembly may be realized by a conventionally structured hitch, so the product has excellent applicability.
3. Since the locating assembly can be fixed by means of magnetism, its fixation is less likely to be adversely affected by external dust and dirt.
4. Since the locating assembly is fixed by means of magnetism as well as the wire snap, it is better positioned without the risk of unintentionally unlocking.
The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The first locating member (21) is detachably connected to the hitch (1) for preventing the hitch (1) from coming off the first and second trailer connectors (A1) (A2). More particularly, the hitch (1) has a retaining portion (11), a terminal (12) and a body portion (13) that is connected between the retaining portion (11) and the terminal (12). The terminal (12) is provided with an engaging groove (121). The first locating member (21) has a pair of engaging portions (211) that define therebetween a notch (212) and an opening (213) communicated with the notch (212). Thereby, when the hitch (1) is placed into the first limiting member (21) through the opening (213) with the engaging groove (121) aligned with the notch (212), the hitch (1) is engaged with the first limiting member (21). At this time, the first limiting member (21) and the retaining portion (11) oppositely and jointly hold the hitch (1) in place with respect to the first and second trailer connectors (A1) (A2), thereby preventing unintentionally disengagement.
The second locating member (22) has a first combining portion (221) and a second combining portion (222). The first combining portion (221) is movably connected to the first locating member (21), so as to allow the second locating member (22) to shift between a locked position (as shown in
When the second locating member (22) is at the locked position, the second combining portion (222) of the second locating member (22) is fixed to the hitch (1) by a fixing member (23) and thereby holds the first locating member (21) in engagement with the hitch (1). To specify, in the present embodiment, the fixing member (23) is a magnet, and the hitch (1) is made of iron or ferrous alloy as non-limiting examples. Alternatively, the fixing member (23) may be a fastener, as long as it can hold the second locating member (22) at the locked position.
More particularly, the second locating member (22) is provided with a socket (201) that corresponds to the terminal (12) of the hitch (1) and configured to receive the magnet. However, the present invention is not limited to this aspect. Alternatively, instead of the socket (201), the second locating member (22) may have a plurality of retaining ribs to retain the magnet, as long as the implemented structure can make the magnet fixed to the second locating member (22).
Preferably, the second locating member (22) has a sleeve portion (223) that is configured to be mounted around the terminal (12) of the hitch (1), thereby holding the second locating member (22) at the locked position.
When the second locating member (22) is at the unlocked position, the second combining portion (222) of the second locating member (22) is removed from the hitch (1) and thereby allows the first locating member (21) to be detached from the hitch (1).
More particularly, the first combining portion (221) of the second locating member (22) is slidably connected to the first locating member (21) by a fixing pin (24) and can move to the unlocked position or to the locked position. To specify, the first locating member (21) has an extension portion (214) and a sliding groove (215) formed on the extension portion (214). The first combining portion (221) of the second locating member (22) is a combining hole for receiving the fixing pin (24). The fixing pin (24) is inserted into the sliding groove (215), so that the second locating member (22) can move along the extension portion (214) with the aid of the fixing pin (24). It is to be noted that in the present embodiment the fixing pin (24) and the second locating member (22) are two separate components, yet the present invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the fixing pin (24) may be integratedly connected to the second locating member (22).
Preferably, the fastening device further comprises a casing (3). The casing (3) is configured to be mounted around the second locating member (22) of the locating assembly (2), for shielding the fixing member (23). The casing (3) has a plurality of anti-slip portions (31) that serve to prevent the fixing member (23) from coming off the second locating member (22), and to facilitate operation and use.
Referring to
For unlocking the engagement between the first and second trailer connectors (A1)) (A2), the second locating member (22) is removed from the terminal (12) of the hitch (1) by, for example, exerting a force to overcome the magnet attraction of the fixing member (23). When the second locating member (22) is removed from the terminal (12) of the hitch (1) and thereby reaches the unlocked position, the first locating member (21) is free to be detached from the hitch (1).
As shown in
Referring to
The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments and it is understood that the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Moreover, as the contents disclosed herein should be readily understood and can be implemented by a person skilled in the art, all equivalent changes or modifications which do not depart from the concept of the present invention should be encompassed by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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103132763 | Sep 2014 | TW | national |