Claims
- 1. A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
- a pair of slat assemblies each including inner and outer rail members extending generally longitudinally along the surface portion and adapted to be fixedly secured on the surface portion of the vehicle; and
- a cross bar disposed perpendicular to said slat assemblies and generally parallel to said surface portion of said vehicle for supporting articles elevationally above the surface portion;
- a pair of bracket members secured to opposite ends of said cross bar and adapted to be adjustably secured to said slat assemblies at a plurality of positions along said slat assemblies;
- said inner and outer rail members of each slat assembly each including means for cooperating with each other in an overlapping manner to vary the transverse width of each said slat assembly to thereby enable said inner and outer rail members to form a channel of a desired width, wherein said channel accommodates one of said bracket members therein.
- 2. A slat assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said outer rail member is made of a plastic material.
- 3. A slat assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said inner rail member is made of a plastic material.
- 4. A slat assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said inner and outer rail members are made of a plastic material.
- 5. A slat assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said outer rail member is made of a plastic material and said inner rail member is made of a roll formed steel material.
- 6. A slat assembly as set forth in claim wherein said inner rail member comprises a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly from an upper end of said side portion.
- 7. A slat assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said outer rail member comprises a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly and inwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly from said side portion.
- 8. A slat assembly as set forth in claim 7 wherein said inner and outer rail members include a downwardly extending inner wall portion.
- 9. A slat assembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein said overlapping means comprises a channel wall extending inwardly from said inner wall portion.
- 10. A slat assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said ledge of said outer rail member includes means defining a plurality of notches longitudinally spaced along said ledge.
- 11. A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
- a slat assembly including inner and outer rail members extending generally longitudinally and adapted to be fixedly secured on the surface portion of the vehicle;
- said inner and outer rail members cooperating with each other in an overlapping manner to vary the transverse width of said slat assembly;
- said outer rail member comprising a plastic material;
- said inner rail member comprising a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly from an upper end of said side portion in a first direction;
- said outer rail member comprising a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly from said side portion in a second direction opposite to said first direction and protruding towards said ledge of said inner rail member;
- said inner and outer rail members each including a downwardly extending inner wall portion and a channel wall extending inwardly from said downwardly extending inner wall portions to form a channel having a variable width;
- a cross bar extending perpendicular to said slat assembly;
- a bracket member coupled to an end of said cross bar and adapted to be adjustably secured at a plurality of positions along said slat assembly;
- said ledges of each of said inner and outer rail members both cooperating to help maintain a portion of a mounting bracket captively within said channel formed therebetween.
- 12. A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
- a slat assembly including inner and outer rail members extending generally longitudinally and adapted to be fixedly secured on the surface portion of the vehicle, said inner and outer rail members cooperating with each other in an overlapping manner to vary the transverse width of said slat assembly;
- a cross bar extending perpendicular to said slat assembly;
- a bracket member secured to an end of said cross bar and adapted to be adjustably secured at a plurality of positions along said slat assembly;
- said inner and outer rail members being made of a plastic material;
- said inner rail member comprising a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly in a first direction from an upper end of said side portion;
- said outer rail member comprising a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly and inwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly from said side portion in a second direction longitudinally opposite to said first direction toward said ledge of said inner rail member;
- said inner and outer rail members each including a downwardly extending inner wall portion and a channel wall extending inwardly from said downwardly extending inner wall portions, said ledges of said inner and outer rail members terminating to define a single, upwardly opening channel adapted to slidably support therein a portion of said bracket member, said bracket member being shaped generally complimentarily to said channel, and wherein said ledges operate cooperatively to help captively maintain said bracket member within said channel.
- 13. A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
- a slat assembly including inner and outer rail members extending generally longitudinally along the surface portion and adapted to be fixedly secured on the surface portion of the vehicle, said inner and outer rail members cooperating with each other in an overlapping manner to vary the transverse width of said slat assembly;
- a cross bar extending perpendicular to said slat assembly;
- a bracket member coupled to an end of said cross bar and adapted to be adjustably secured at a plurality of positions along said slat assembly;
- said outer rail member is made of a plastic material and said inner rail member is made of a roll formed steel material;
- said inner rail member comprising a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly in a first direction from an upper end of said side portion;
- said outer rail member comprising a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly in a second direction longitudinally opposite to said first direction from said side portion towards said ledge of said inner rail member;
- said inner and outer rail members each including a downwardly extending inner wall portion and a channel wall extending inwardly from said downwardly extending inner wall portions, said ledges of said inner and outer rail members terminating to define a generally inverted, T-shaped channel adapted to slidably support therein a portion of said bracket member, wherein said bracket member includes a generally T-shaped configuration, and wherein said ledges operate cooperatively to help maintain said portion of said bracket member therein.
- 14. A vehicle article carrier adapted to be mounted to a surface portion of a vehicle, comprising:
- a pair of slat assemblies each including inner and outer rail members extending generally longitudinally along the surface portion and adapted to be fixedly secured on the surface portion of the vehicle;
- said inner rail member comprising a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly from an upper end of said side portion in a first direction;
- said outer rail member comprising a bottom portion, a side portion extending upwardly from said bottom portion, and a ledge extending inwardly from said side portion in a second direction generally longitudinally opposite to said first direction and protruding toward said ledge of said inner rail member;
- said ledges of each of said inner and outer rail members both cooperating to help maintain a portion of a mounting bracket captively within said channel formed therebetween; and
- said inner and outer rail members each including means for cooperating with each other in an overlapping manner to vary the transverse width of each said slat assembly to thereby enable said inner and outer rail members to form channels each having a desired width.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/609,823, filed Nov. 6, 1990 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
3611136 |
Oct 1987 |
DEX |
1007592 |
May 1952 |
FRX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
609823 |
Nov 1990 |
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