Claims
- 1. A hitch ball assembly, comprising:
a post; a towing ball carried on said post and having a top opening; at least one locking element carried on said post and displaceable between a first position free of securing engagement with said towing ball and a second position securing the towing ball to the post; and a plunger carried on said post and extending at least partially through the opening in the towing ball, said plunger including at least one channel for receiving the displaceable locking element in the second position.
- 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the channel includes a cavity for receiving the displaceable locking element in the first position.
- 3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the channel is J-shaped.
- 4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the cavity is at one end of the J-shaped channel.
- 5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the channel receives the displaceable locking element in both the first and second positions.
- 6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one displaceable element is a ball bearing.
- 7. The assembly of claim 1, further including a biaser carried on the post and engaging an end of the plunger.
- 8. The assembly of claim 1, further including a spring carried on the post and engaging an end of the plunger.
- 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the plunger includes a slotted head extending through the opening and engageable by a tool in order to rotate and thereby move the plunger to displace the locking element between the first and second positions.
- 10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the post is tapered.
- 11. A hitch ball assembly, comprising:
a post; a towing ball carried on the post; at least one locking element carried on the post and displaceable between a first position free of securing engagement with the towing ball and a second position securing the towing ball to the post; a plunger carried on the post, the plunger including at least one cavity for receiving the at least one displaceable element; a biaser carried on the post and engaging an end of the plunger, the biaser being relaxed when the locking element is in the first position.
- 12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the biaser is a compression spring.
- 13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the cavity is part of a channel.
- 14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the channel is J-shaped.
- 15. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the channel receives the at least one displaceable locking element in both the first and second positions.
- 16. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the plunger includes a slotted head extending through the opening and engageable by a tool in order to rotate and thereby move the plunger to displace the locking element between the first and second positions.
- 17. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the post is tapered.
- 18. A hitch ball assembly, comprising:
a post; a towing ball carried on the post and having an opening; at least one locking element carried on the post and displaceable between a first position free of securing engagement with the towing ball and a second position securing the towing ball to the post; a plunger carried on the post and extending at least partially through the opening in the towing ball, the plunger receiving the at least one displaceable element in both the first and second positions; and a biaser carried on the post and engaging an end of the plunger, the biaser being compressed by the plunger when the locking element is in the second position.
- 19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the biaser is a compression spring.
- 20. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the plunger includes a slotted head extending through the opening in the towing ball and engageable by a tool in order to rotate and thereby move the plunger to displace the locking element between the first and second positions.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/113,443 entitled “Interchangeable Hitch Ball having Plunger with J-Shaped Channel” now U.S. Pat. No. ______, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60281140 |
Apr 2001 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10113443 |
Mar 2002 |
US |
Child |
10891534 |
Jul 2004 |
US |