A trailer, such as a travel trailer, boat trailer, utility trailer, etc., usually has a tongue portion at the front of the trailer with a coupling that connects the trailer to a hitch on the towing vehicle. Safety chains are typically attached permanently to the tongue at one end of each chain and have hooks at the other ends of the chains to removably connect the chains to the hitch. An electrical wiring harness is typically hard-wired to the trailer tongue at one end and includes a plug at the other end to removably connect the harness to an electrical connector on the towing vehicle. These chains and harnesses present a storage and clutter problem when the trailer is not in use.
One proposed solution to the storage problem is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0061064 which discloses a protective cover for a trailer tongue. The cover is essentially a bag that fits over the coupling and part of the tongue and allows the user to insert the safety chains and wiring harness in the bag. Placing everything in a bag, however, is not a satisfactory solution. The chains and/or harness can become tangled in the bag, and moreover, it does not provide a sense or organization.
Another aspect of trailer storage relates to tongue jacks. Most trailers have a tongue jack with an extendable column that raises or lowers the trailer tongue to facilitate coupling the trailer to the towing vehicle, and also enabling the trailer to be leveled when it is parked. Some tongue jacks have manually operated cranks to raise and lower the tongue, while others have electric or pneumatic motors. An electric tongue jack typically has a head with one or more motors, actuators, buttons, switches, displays, lights, etc. at the top of the extendable column.
In recent years, electric tongue jacks have become more sophisticated, functional, and stylized. An example of such a jack is shown in
In addition to functionality, these jacks provide their owners with a sense of enjoyment and pride in the fine design and fabrication that goes into these devices. They can be very expensive, and owners may therefore want to preserve and display their investment.
The inventive principles of this patent disclosure are directed to solving multiple problems relating to the storage and protection of the apparatus associated with trailer tongues. One aspect of the inventive principles is a cover that protects a trailer tongue jack, especially the head portion, which may have exposed components that are vulnerable to weather, accidents, vandalism, etc. In some embodiments, the cover may be shaped to conform to the head of the jack, and may also include additional features such as access ports that enable a user to manipulate controls on the jack even while the cover is in place.
In accordance with the inventive principles, however, it was also realized that the location of a jack head, which is elevated above the trailer tongue, provides an ideal point from which to hang the safety chains and/or wiring harness when they are not in use. Thus, a protective cover may include one or more attachment points for holding plugs, chain hooks, etc. The height of the cover above the trailer tongue helps keep the chains and harness well off the ground. Not only is this a functional and synergistic solution for protecting the jack while storing and organizing the chains and harness, but there is an inherent satisfaction in the way the chains and harness drape from the cover. Customers of commercial embodiments have expressed surprise and delight with the pleasing results. These and additional features are described in more detail below.
Some additional features according to the inventive principles of this patent disclosure are summarized here and described in more detail further below. The hook holders may be arranged to hold the hooks below the protective cover. For example, the hook holders may include rings, such as D-rings that are attached to the protective cover by straps. Fastening devices such as snaps may be arranged to secure the hook holders to the protective cover when the hook holders are not in use. A harness holder may be implemented as a pouch having a drawstring to secure a plug on the harness in the pouch.
In some embodiments, the access port may be implemented as a window that is fabricated, for example, with a flexible transparent material that enables the user to see and operate push buttons and rocker switches through the material so that the jack remains protected even while operating. In other embodiments, the access port may be implemented as a flap that can be opened to allow the user to operate toggle switches. The flap may be closed with a zipper, hook-and-loop fasteners, or other closure mechanism when not in use.
In embodiments in which the column opening has an expandable portion, it may be implemented with a zipper, hook-and-loop fastener, or other closure mechanism. In some embodiments, the entire opening itself may be expandable, for example, by fabricating it with a drawstring to cinch the cover closed around the column.
In embodiments having a lock interface, two gromets may be used to receive the hasp of a padlock. One of the gromets may be attached directly to the protective cover while the other gromet is attached to the protective cover by a strap.
Various other access ports may be provided in the cover. For example, the cover may include a second access port such as a flap or window that aligns with a level on the jack. As another example, an access port may be aligned with a manual actuator that enables the jack to be operated in the event of power loss.
The top panel 104 includes a window 112 made from a transparent material that is aligned with the control panel 20 of the jack 10 shown in
Two D-rings 114 and 116 are attached to the cover 100 with straps 118 and 120 to provide convenient storage for trailer chains by allowing chain hooks to be attached to the D-rings 114 and 116. In other embodiments, the D-rings may be replaced with metal O-rings and/or attached directly to the front panel 102 or any other panel. In yet other embodiments, the rings may be replaced with loops of webbing, cord or other suitable material. Alternatively, storage attachment points for chain hooks may be implemented with holes in the front panel 102 or any other panel and reinforced with grommets or any other type of reinforcement.
A pocket or pouch 122 is attached to the right side panel 106 and is designed to hold and protect an electrical connector for the trailer. The pocket 122 may be fabricated from the same material as the panels and in this embodiment includes a drawstring closure 124 hold the connector securely in the pocket. Other types of closure mechanisms may be used such as snaps, elastic, hook-and-loop fasteners, etc.
Each of the front and back subpanels 108a and 108b includes a loop 128 and 130, respectively, that may be used as a convenience or safety feature to secure or lock the cover 100 in place over the jack. For example, each loop may be fabricated from a tab of the material used for the panels and reinforced with a grommet. The hasp of a padlock may then be inserted through the loops 128 and 130 and latched closed to lock the cover in place, thereby preventing theft or discouraging vandalism of the jack.
The embodiment of
Some trailer operators may decide to leave the protective cover on the tongue jack even when the trailer is being towed. In such a situation, the safety chains will be attached to the trailer hitch, so the straps 118 and 120 and D-rings 114 and 116 may dangle from the cover, possibly scratching the column 14 and/or causing unpleasant noise. Therefore, a snap or other attachment device may be included for each of the straps 118 and 120 to enable the strap to be folded up and attached along the side of the cover, thereby holding the D-ring away from the column 14. In the embodiment of
Some other salient features visible in
Referring to
In some embodiments the cover is customized for each specific model of power tongue jack model, creating a glove like fit. The cover may be form fitting onto the existing body of the tongue jack shape with some space to allow the material to extract and contract while allowing for breathability to avoid moisture traps.
In other embodiments, a cover may be designed as a universal cover to accommodate less common models of jack or to reduce dealer inventory, etc.
In some embodiments, the plug/harness holder may be integral with protective cover, for example, by including a drawstring around the column opening so the harness plug can simply be placed inside the protective cover and held in place by tightening the drawstring. In some embodiments, the plug/harness holder may be omitted.
In some embodiments that are intended as organizers only, the cover may be eliminated, and a clamp, bracket, or other attachment device can be attached to a jack column above the tongue. The attachment device can have one or more loops, clips or other attachment points to keep chains, cables, harnesses, etc. off the ground when not in use.
According to some additional inventive principles of this patent disclosure, a method may include: placing a protective cover over the head of a trailer tongue jack; connecting a first hook from a first trailer safety chain to the protective cover; and securing a plug from a trailer wiring harness to the protective cover. The method may further include connecting a second hook from a second trailer safety chain to the protective cover. Placing the protective cover over the head of the trailer tongue jack may include: expanding an opening in the protective cover to enable the protective cover to fit over the head of the trailer tongue jack; and narrowing the opening in the protective cover to cause the protective cover to fit snugly over the head of the trailer tongue jack. Connecting the first hook from the first trailer safety chain to the protective cover may include connecting the first hook to a loop attached to the protective cover. Securing the plug from the trailer wiring harness to the protective cover may include inserting the plug in a pouch, and cinching a drawstring on the pouch. The method may further include aligning an access port on the protective cover with a user interface on the trailer tongue jack.
According to some additional inventive principles, a protective apparatus for a trailer tongue jack having a head and a column may include: a protective cover having an opening to accommodate the column when the protective cover is placed on the jack; a chain holder adapted to hold a trailer safety chain when the chain is not in use; and a harness holder adapted to hold a trailer wiring harness when the harness is not in use. The protective cover may have a shape that substantially conforms to the shape of the head when the protective cover is placed on the jack. The protective cover may include an access port that aligns with a user interface on the jack when the protective cover is placed on the head. The apparatus may further include a second chain holder adapted to hold a second trailer safety chain when the second chain is not in use. The protective cover may be adapted to cinch the opening around the column to secure the protective cover to the jack. The protective cover is adapted to cinch the opening around the column and a crank for a manually operated trailer tongue jack.
According to some additional inventive principles, a protective apparatus for a trailer tongue jack having a head and a column may include: a protective cover having a shape that substantially conforms to the shape of the head, and an opening to accommodate the column when the protective cover is placed on the jack; first and second hook holders adapted to connect hooks for first and second trailer safety chains to the protective cover when the chains are not in use; and a plug holder adapted to hold a plug for a trailer wiring harness when the harness is not in use; wherein the protective cover includes an access port that aligns with a user interface on the jack when the protective cover is placed on the jack. The first and second hook holders may be arranged to hold the hooks below the protective cover. The apparatus may further include first and second fastening devices arranged to secure the hook holders to the protective cover when the hook holders are not in use. The first and second fastening devices may include snaps. The first and second hook holders may include first, and second rings attached to the protective cover by first and second straps, respectively. The plug holder may include a pouch. The pouch may include a drawstring to secure the plug in the pouch. The access port may include a window. The window may include a flexible transparent material. The access port may include a flap. The access port may include a zipper to secure the flap when the port is not in use. The opening for the column may include an expandable portion arranged to widen the opening to facilitate placement of the protective cover over the head when expanded, and narrow the opening to hold the protective cover snugly over the head when narrowed. The expandable portion may include a zipper. The protective cover may include a lock interface to enable a lock to prevent removal of the protective cover from the jack. The lock interface may include two gromets to receive the hasp of a padlock. One of the gromets may be attached directly to the protective cover and the other gromet may be attached to the protective cover by a strap. The protective cover may further include a second access port that aligns with a second user interface on the jack when the protective cover is placed on the jack. The second access port may include a transparent material that aligns with a level on the jack. The protective cover may further include a second access port that aligns with a manual actuator on the jack when the protective cover is placed on the jack.
Since the inventive principles of this patent disclosure can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the inventive concepts, such changes and modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/194,564 filed Nov. 19, 2018 which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/588,888 filed Nov. 20, 2017 which is incorporated by reference, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/648,713 filed Mar. 27, 2018 which is incorporated by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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7883103 | Greaves, Jr. | Feb 2011 | B1 |
9963079 | Hack | May 2018 | B2 |
20060061064 | Johnson | Mar 2006 | A1 |
Entry |
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071CWJ561/ref=psdc_155314011_t4_B07VNNFLPM; Universal RV Travel Trailer Electric Tongue Jack Cover “Sun-DURA” by Carver Industries (Year: 2017). |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62648713 | Mar 2018 | US | |
62588888 | Nov 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16194564 | Nov 2018 | US |
Child | 16532451 | US |