Patent Application
20120281426
The field relates generally to light mounting systems and, more particularly, to systems for mounting auxiliary lights to vehicles.
Auxiliary lights are frequently added to vehicles such as cars, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and other off road and recreational vehicles to customize the vehicle and to supplement the vehicle's regular headlights. Auxiliary lights including auxiliary driving lights, fog lights and the like enhance illumination of the road and surrounding areas as well as the driver's road awareness in low visibility weather conditions, such as fog and rain. Often the auxiliary lights are mounted above the vehicle passenger cab. However, such auxiliary lights require additional mounting hardware, causing additional apertures and mounting holes in the vehicle to properly affix the lights in such locations. In addition, mounting above the vehicle cab further removes the light beam from the road. Such distance typically requires that the power of the lights be increased or style of the lights be modified from those that may be used to obtain the desired optical pattern. Such placement also tends to alter the light pattern and throw of the auxiliary lights. Such changes are not desirable and, in fact, must be avoided. In addition, passenger cab mounted vehicle auxiliary lights increase the height clearance required for the vehicle and increase the risk of breakage due to the extended distance above the cab or passenger compartment.
Auxiliary lights may also be mounted below the vehicle front bumper. However, such bumper mounted auxiliary lights decrease the vehicle bottom clearance and are susceptible to breakage when the auxiliary lights are placed in close proximity to the road. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a mounting system for vehicle auxiliary lights that places the lights in a position above the bumper in a location noticeable and functional for the driver and observers. It is also desirable to provide a mounting system that does not adversely affect vehicle clearance requirements, and securely affixes the auxiliary lights to the vehicle without the need to place additional holes or apertures in the vehicle. Accordingly, it is desirable to mount auxiliary lights with a universal mounting system using the fasteners which attach the license plate to the vehicle. Mounting in this manner avoids drilling or otherwise having to place additional apertures or holes into the body, bumper, grill or any other portion of the vehicle, thereby avoiding potential rust, excess holes, paint damage and the like which may be caused by drilling into the vehicle body, bumper grill or similar body panel. Such advantages are desired by owners of vehicles including cars, pick-up trucks, truck cabs, all terrain vehicles, off-road vehicles, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and any other vehicle that may be customize for a given purpose or desire. Auxiliary lights are often preferred by the owners of all types of vehicles to improve the appearance of their respective vehicles by customizing the vehicle and increasing the notoriety and attractiveness of the vehicle to both the owner and observers.
The present invention provides a light mounting system for a vehicle having a light mount surface including first and second ends defining a mounting area spanning between the first and second ends. The light mount system includes a first mounting bracket and a second mounting bracket spaced along the light mount surface and extending from the light mount surface for positioning the light mount surface within a vehicle license plate mounting area. The light mount surface extends away from the vehicle when positioned within the vehicle license plate mounting area and receives a light fixture which may be mounted thereto. The light mount surface defines a wire routing way to provide a routing path for a wire from the light fixture to the vehicle.
In one embodiment the first and second mounting brackets of the light mounting system extend below the light mount surface and include apertures which align with apertures of the license plate mounting area. In another embodiment the first and second mounting brackets are formed integrally with the light mount surface. In yet another embodiment, the light mount surface of the light mounting system includes an aperture for mounting the light fixture. In a further embodiment, the first and second mounting brackets include apertures therein and the license plate mounting area defines apertures therein. The apertures included in the first and second mounting brackets may be aligned with the apertures defined by the license plate mounting area. In another embodiment, the light mounting system has a wire routing way which includes an opening formed in the light mount surface. In a further embodiment the opening formed in the light mount surface forms an aperture for routing the wire from the light fixture when the light mount surface and first and second light mount brackets are positioned within the license plate mounting area. In yet another embodiment, the vehicle includes a bumper and the opening formed in the light mount surface forms an aperture when the light mount surface and the first and second light mount bracket are positioned within the license plate mounting area and the light mount surface is positioned proximate to the bumper. In another embodiment, the light mount surface and the first and second light mount brackets are of a single piece construction.
In a further embodiment, a vehicle light mount is provided which includes a light mount surface having first and second ends defining a mounting area spanning between the first and second ends and a first mounting bracket and a second mounting bracket spaced along the light mount surface and extending from the light mount surface for positioning the light mount surface within a vehicle license plate mounting area. The light mount surface extends away from the vehicle when positioned within the vehicle license plate mounting area and receives a light fixture mounted thereon. The light mount surface further defines a wire routing way when the light mount surface is positioned within the vehicle license plate mounting area to provide a routing path for a connecting wire from the light fixture to the vehicle.
In yet another embodiment, a light mounting system for a vehicle includes a light mount surface having first and second ends defining a mounting area spanning between the first and second ends, and first and second mounting brackets spaced along the light mount surface and extending from the light mount surface for securing the light mount surface to a vehicle license plate mounting area. The light mount surface extends away from the vehicle when secured to the vehicle license plate mounting area and receives a light fixture mounted thereon with the light mount surface defining a wire routing way when the light mount surface is secured to the vehicle license plate mounting area to provide a routing path for a connecting wire from the light fixture through the light mount surface to the vehicle.
Further exemplary apparatus and systems for mounting vehicle lights may be implemented in accordance with the principals described herein.
Exemplary systems and apparatus for light mounting systems for a vehicle may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. The drawings depict only embodiments of the invention and are not to be considered limiting of the scope of the invention in any way. In the accompanying drawings:
An exemplary vehicle light mounting system 10 will be described with respect to
It should be understood that several preferred embodiments of the present invention are described herein and they are thus representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present invention. The scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments and equivalents. Features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims. Referring now to the drawings,
As can be seen in
In one preferred embodiment, license plate frame 38 includes apertures 40 which allow a license plate or other vehicle tag 42 having apertures 43 to be secured within license plate mounting area 24 when fasteners 41 are positioned through apertures 40, apertures 43, apertures 30, 32, slots 34, 36 and apertures 44. It may be appreciated that license plate frame 38 need not be included, however the light mounting system will be installed and operate in the same way as described herein. In other preferred embodiments, first and second mounting brackets 20, 22 may be formed integrally with the light mount surface 12. In yet other preferred embodiments, brackets 20, 22 and light mount surface 12 may be of a single piece construction. In further preferred embodiments, light mount surface 12 may include one or more apertures 40 for mounting one or more light fixtures 26. As can be seen in
It should also be appreciated that the configurations of brackets 20, 22 and light mount surface 12 may be altered to conform to particular license plate mounting areas and/or particular bumper configurations, thereby allowing the vehicle light mounting system described herein to be utilized in a wide variety of vehicles having varying license plate mounting area configurations, as well as various bumper and bumper mount structures. Therefore, it should be appreciated that the vehicle light mounting system described herein may be added as a feature during initial vehicle assembly and manufacture, or may be sold and installed as an aftermarket product.
The light mounting system described herein provides an effective system for mounting auxiliary lights at a desirable location for maximum light effectiveness. The light mount system effectively eliminates the need to place additional mounting apertures or holes in the vehicle and minimize the exposure of the light mounting system to undesirable impact forces typically absorbed by a vehicle bumper. While the above description constitutes the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be appreciated that the invention may be modified without departing from the scope or fair meaning of the accompanying claims. Various other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after having the benefit of studying the foregoing text and drawings taken in conjunction with the following claims. Reference throughout this specification to “the embodiment,” “this embodiment,” “the previous embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “a preferred embodiment,” “another preferred embodiment,” “further preferred embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in the embodiment,” “in this embodiment,” “in the previous embodiment,” “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” “in a preferred embodiment,” “in another preferred embodiment,” “in a further preferred embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention. While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary or specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications, alternatives, modifications and equivalent arrangements as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Any such changes, modifications, alternatives, equivalents and the like may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
