The present invention relates to trailer hitches.
Traditional vehicle accessory hitches do not allow for multiple interfaces.
The above disadvantage is addressed by a support for a vehicle accessory flagpole that comprises a ball hitch element having a receiver interface. The ball has a plurality of flat facets; a pole support having a flat bottom surface; and a clamp operably connected to the pole support and the ball to bias the flat bottom surface against one of the facets.
The main components are shown in
The Collar 6 fits over the Main Housing 3 and can slide on the Main Housing to engage and disengage the Locking Elements 4. In this example the Locking Elements are Ball Bearings.
Installing and removing is quick and easy to do. To install, simply pull back the Collar against the tension of the spring and place the device over the hitch ball and release the Collar. Then rotate the Tensioning Handle by hand to securely tighten the device to the hitch ball. Removing the device requires one or two rotations of the Tensioning Handle followed by grabbing the Collar and pulling toward the Tensioning Handle which allows removing the device from the hitch ball.
The Tension Pad 2 fits inside of the threaded portion of the Tensioning Handle 1 and extends beyond the end of the threads. The Tension Pad shape exactly matches the shape of the hitch ball.
As mentioned above, this device is not limited to a platform for a flagpole. The large center hole of the Tensioning Handle along with the perpendicular smaller holes around the edge of the handle and housing can be used to attach an accessory with locking pins.
This device may also include a standard sized trailer hitch ball with grooves and/or holes that are configured to be more compatible with the use case of an accessory. For example, a workbench to securely hold material for a router may need to be pivoted to angles of 15, 30, or 45 degrees. Channels to accept the locking elements can be cut all the way around the hitch ball at specific angles. Another option would be to create a customized hitch ball with several flat areas as shown in
Additional figures are included which give the following views: Bottom View
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/318,908, filed on Mar. 11, 2022, entitled “TRAILER HITCH BALL ACCESSORY PLATFORM”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all that is taught and disclosed therein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63318908 | Mar 2022 | US |