Supportarmassemblywithlatchingdevice.docx

Supportarmassemblywithlatchingdevice.docx

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Supportarmassemblywithlatchingdevice

Supportarmassemblywithlatchingdevice

ThisapplicationclaimsthebenefitofU.S.ProvisionalApplicationNo.60/655,039,filedFeb.22,2005,theentiredisclosureofwhichisherebyincorporatedhereinbyreference.

FIELDOFTHEINVENTION

Thepresentinventionrelatesgenerallytoasupportarm,andinparticular,toasupportarmassemblyhavingalatchingdeviceforsecuringthesupportarminalatchedposition.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally,lidsortopssuchashoods,trunklidsorlargecontainertopsareprovidedwithbiasingelementsthatbiasthelidortopfromaclosedpositiontoanopenposition.Onesuchapplicationisthatofalidthatcoversapick-uptruckbed.Itisdesirabletoprovidesuchalidwithabiasingelementthatassiststheuserinliftingthelidfromaclosedtoanopenposition,andthatsupportsthelidintheopenposition.OnelinkageespeciallysuitedforsupportingsuchalidisdisclosedforexampleinU.S.Pat.Nos.6,041,548and6,212,827,bothofwhichareassignedtoA.L.HansenMfg.Co.,theAssigneeofthepresentapplication,theentiredisclosuresofwhichareherebyincorporatedhereinbyreference.

Typically,anauxiliarylatchorretentiondeviceisrequiredtolatchorsecurethelidinaclosedposition.Suchlatchesaretypicallyseparatefromthesupportarm,andcanbemisplacedduringshippingorassembly.Inaddition,suchlatchesmustbeinstalledseparatelyfromthesupportarm,usuallyataspacedapartlocation,whichcanbetimeconsumingandrequiremultipleadjustments.

SUMMARY

Thepresentinventionisdefinedbythefollowingclaims,andnothinginthissectionshouldbeconsideredtobealimitationonthoseclaims.Bywayofintroduction,theembodimentofasupportarmassemblydescribedbelowmaybeattachedbetweenanytwoelementsthatarebeingsupportedrelativetooneanother.Forexampleandwithoutlimitation,thesupportarmcanbecoupledbetweenalidandanenclosedcompartmentofavehicle,suchasatruckbed,toprovideliftingforcestendingtoopenandsupportthelid.

Inoneembodiment,asupportarmassemblyincludesafirstlinkpivotallyconnectedtoasecondlink,afirstlatchcomponentconnectedtothefirstlinkandasecondlatchcomponent.Thesecondlatchcomponentisengagedwiththefirstlatchcomponentwhenthefirstandsecondlinksareinafirstposition,forexampleandwithoutlimitationwhenalidconnectedtheretoismovedtoaclosedpositionrelativetoabodycomponent.Inoneembodiment,thesecondlatchcomponentisfurtherconnectedtothesecondlink.

Inanotheraspect,amethodofsupportingalidinanopenpositionrelativetoabodycomponentandlatchingthelidinaclosedpositionisalsoprovided.Inyetanotheraspect,avehicleincorporatingasupportarmassemblywithalatchisprovided.

Theforegoingparagraphshavebeenprovidedbywayofgeneralintroduction,andarenotintendedtolimitthescopeofthefollowingclaims.Thevariouspreferredembodiments,togetherwithfurtheradvantages,willbebestunderstoodbyreferencetothefollowingdetaileddescriptiontakeninconjunctionwiththeaccompanyingdrawings.

BRIEFDESCRIPTIONOFTHEDRAWINGS

FIG.1isaperspectiveviewofafirstembodimentofasupportarmassembly.

FIG.2isatopviewofthesupportarmassemblyshowninFIG.1mountedtoabodycomponentandlid,bothshowninpartialcut-away.

FIG.3isasideviewofthesupportarmassemblymountedtothebodycomponentandlidshowninFIG.2.

FIG.4isanendviewofthesupportarmassemblymountedtothebodycomponentandlidshowninFIG.2.

FIG.5isaperspectiveviewofthefirstandsecondlatchcomponentsofthesupportarmassemblyembodimentshowninFIG.1.

FIG.6isapartial,sidecross-sectionalviewofthesupportarmassemblyshowninFIG.1.

FIG.7isasideviewofthefirstandsecondlatchcomponentsandmountingbracketofthesupportarmassemblyembodimentshowninFIG.1.

FIG.8isabottomviewofasecondembodimentofasupportarmassemblywithoutabiasingelementinaclosedposition.

FIG.9isasecond,sideperspectiveviewofthesecondembodimentofthesupportarmassemblywithoutabiasingelementshowninFIG.8inapartiallyopenposition.

FIG.10isabottom,partialviewofthepartialperspectiveviewofthesecondembodimentofthesupportarmassemblyinaclosedposition.

FIG.11isasideviewofthefirstandsecondlatchcomponentsofthesupportarmassemblyembodimentshowninFIG.8.

FIG.12isasideviewofabodycomponent,lidandsupportassemblydisposedbetweenthelidandsupportassembly,withthelidinanopenposition.

FIG.13isasideviewoftheassemblyshowninFIG.12,withthelidinaclosedposition.

DETAILEDDESCRIPTIONOFTHEPRESENTLYPREFERREDEMBODIMENTS

Turningnowtothedrawings,FIGS.1-7showoneembodimentofthesupportarmassembly,whichincludesasupportarm,alatchdeviceandapairofmountingbrackets.VariousembodimentsofthesupportarmaredisclosedinU.S.Pat.Nos.6,041,548and6,212,827,bothofwhichareassignedtoA.L.HansenMfg.Co.,theAssigneeofthepresentapplication,theentiredisclosuresofwhichareherebyincorporatedhereinbyreference.Thesupportarm10includesthefirstandsecondrigidlinks12,14.Thefirstlink12hasfirstandsecondends102,104.Thesecondlinkhasfirstandsecondends106,108.Thefirstends102,106ofthefirstandsecondlinksarepivotablyinterconnectedatapivot16withapinoraxlesuchthatthelinks12,14arefreetorotatewithrespecttooneanotheraboutthepivotaxis110asshowninFIG.2.Thesecondend108ofthefirstlinkincludesanangledportionthatjogsoutwardly,whilethefirstends102,106ofthelinksareangledsoastojoginwardly,therebyformingaspacebetweenthefirstandsecondlinks.

AsbestshowninFIGS.1,3and12,thesecondlink14includesafirstportion26thatextendstothepivot16andfirstend106andasecondportion28thatextendsfromthefirstportiontoasecondend108.Thefirstandsecondportions26,28formanangleβrelativetoeachotherandarenon-parallel.Inonepreferredembodiment,theangleβisabout154degrees,andinvariousembodimentsisbetweenabout90degreesandabout180degrees.

Abiasingelement30,whichinoneembodimenttakestheformofagasspring,ismountedtothefirstandsecondlinks12,14byfirstandsecondjoints32,34,respectively,formingfirstandsecondattachmentlocations.AsshowninFIG.2,thebiasingelementisdisposedinthespacebetweenthefirstandsecondlinks.Inapreferredembodiment,thefirstandsecondjoints32,34arebothballjoints.Thebiasingelement30biasesthefirstandsecondjoints32,34awayfromoneanother.Othersuitablebiasingelementsincludewithoutlimitationextensioncoilsprings,hydrauliccylinders,screwdevices,andotherextensiondevices.

AsbestshowninFIG.3,thesecondlink14definesafirstaxisA1extendingbetweenthepivotaxis110andthesecondjoint34andasecondaxisA2extendingbetweenthesecondjoint34andthesecondmountingelementatapivotaxisdefinedbyapin19.ThefirstandsecondaxesA1,A2formanobtuseangleα1thatfacesthefirstlink12.Theobtuseangleα1ispreferablygreaterthan135degreesandmorepreferablyabout154degrees,andinoneembodimentisthesameasβ.TheanglebetweenA1andtheaxisbetweenjoint34andjoint32,whenthelidisclosed,ispreferablyabout151degrees.

BecausetheaxesA1,A2areangledwithrespecttooneanotherasshowninFIG.3,thefirstandsecondjoints32,34aredisposedonoppositesidesofalineLextendingbetweenthepivot16andthesecondmountingelement,andinparticularthepivotaxisdefinedbyshaft19.AsshowninFIG.3,thesecondjoint34ispositionedatanintermediatepointalongthesecondlink14generallybetweenthepivot16andthesecondmountingelementpivotaxisdefinedbyshaft19.AxisA3extendsbetweenthepivotaxis110andtheaxisdefinedbypin18.Theangleα2formedbetweenaxisA3andlineLislessthantheangleα1formedbetweenaxisA1andaxisA3.

Thefirstandsecondlinks12,14canbeformedfromamainsupportelement,forexampleatubularstructure.Inotherembodiments,thefirstandsecondlinksaremadeofastraporwebofmaterial,orsomeothercross-section,suchasanI-beam,C-channel,acircularorpolygonshape（includingforexampleandwithoutlimitationahexagonorpentagonshape）,orthelinkscanformedasasolidbarorweb,orothersuitablestructure.Inonepreferredembodiment,thetubularstructurehasa“rectangular”cross-section,whichismeanttoincludeasquarecross-sectionwhereallsideshavethesubstantiallythesamelengthandastructurewherethesideshavedifferentlengths.Preferably,thelinks12,14aremadeofametalsuchassteeloraluminum,orofsomeotherrigidmaterialsuchasfiberglassorcomposites.

AsshowninFIG.2-4,12and13,thesupportarmassembly2canbemountedtoavehicle50,suchasapickuptruck,includingabodycomponent52,suchasatruckbed52andalid54.Inthisexemplaryapplication,thelid54ispivotablyconnectedtothebodycomponent52atahinge56.Thehingecanbeconfiguredasasimplehinge,orcanincludeforexampleandwithoutlimitationascissorsmechanismasshowninFIGS.12and13.Thelid54canhavealength,forexampleandwithoutlimitation,ofsixtoeightfeet.Thebiasingelement30providesabiasingforcetendingtomovethefirstandsecondjoints32,34awayfromoneanother,therebytendingtoextendthesupportarm10toprovidealiftingforcetendingtorotatethelid54aboutthehing