U.S. patent number RE28,876 [Application Number 05/489,139] was granted by the patent office on 1976-06-22 for roll bar cage for vehicles.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Richard Lee Notestine. Invention is credited to Lee F. Coleman, Richard Lee Notestine.
United States Patent |
RE28,876 |
Notestine , et al. |
June 22, 1976 |
Roll bar cage for vehicles
Abstract
A framework in the form of spaced-apart roll bars permanently
interconnected, reinforced and adapted as a unit for convenient
securement to the body of vehicles such as jeeps, sport cars, and
the like, having convertible tops, full or half fabric tops. The
framework is made of metal pipes all of uniform diameter assembled
as a unit by welding or the like to provide a strong, durable,
rigid, cagelike frame which together with its manner of securement
to the vehicle is such that passengers or occupants of the vehicle
will be protected against rollover or other impact forces from any
direction. .Iadd.
Inventors: |
Notestine; Richard Lee
(Portland, OR), Coleman; Lee F. (Portland, OR) |
Assignee: |
Notestine; Richard Lee
(Portland, OR)
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Family
ID: |
27049611 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/489,139 |
Filed: |
July 17, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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263163 |
Jun 15, 1972 |
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Reissue of: |
867462 |
Oct 20, 1969 |
03622177 |
Nov 23, 1971 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
280/756;
296/102 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R
21/13 (20130101); B60R 2021/132 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60R
21/13 (20060101); B60R 027/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;280/15C,15F
;296/102 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1,265,317 |
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May 1961 |
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FR |
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185,176 |
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Sep 1963 |
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SW |
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509,764 |
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Jul 1939 |
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UK |
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Primary Examiner: Song; Robert R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Eckelman; Eugene M.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 263,163, filed June
15, 1972. .Iaddend.
Claims
What we claim is:
1. In a vehicle having a body mounted upon a frame and comprising a
forward section, a rearward section, and an operator's space
between said sections, the rearward end of said front section
defined by vertical vehicle body members interconnected by a
dashboard, a framed windshield extending upwardly from the
dashboard, and said rearward section having a downwardly opening
wheel housing at each side thereof, the improvement comprising:
a flat plate secured to and extending along the top wall of each of
said wheel housings on the interior of the vehicle body,
a roll bar cage comprising a first inverted U-shaped frame member
secured at its bottom end to said vehicle frame,
said inverted U-shaped member extending upwardly and bearing
forwardly against said windshield frame,
means fixedly securing said legs of said first U-shaped member to
said rearward vertical ends of said forward section of the vehicle
body,
a second roll bar frame of inverted U-shape coextensive in height
and width with said first roll bar and secured at its bottom ends
to said flat plates of said wheel housings,
said second roll bar reinforced by rearwardly extending
right-angular members welded one each to each leg of said second
roll bar and to said flat plates, and
a forwardly and rearwardly extending reinforcing bar welded at its
forward end to said first roll bar and at its rearward end to said
second roll bar. .Iadd. 2. In combination,
a vehicle having a body mounted upon a frame and comprising a
forward section,
a rearward section,
an operator's space between said sections,
said rearward section having a wheel housing at each side thereof
on the interior of the vehicle body and including a horizontal
substantially flat top wall throughout substantially its full
length and an inner upright side wall,
a substantially straight flat plate secured integrally to and
extending along the top wall of each wheel housing on the interior
of the vehicle body,
a roll bar frame having upright legs connected together at the top
by a cross member to form an inverted U-shaped frame,
said roll bar frame having bottom ends secured integrally to
respective ones of said flat plates,
and a reinforcing member secured integrally between each leg of
said roll bar frame at an upper portion of the latter and its
respective flat plate at a spaced point on said plate to brace said
roll bar frame.
.Iaddend..Iadd. 3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said flat plate
has an upwardly extending flange on one side thereof
.Iaddend..Iadd. 4. The structure of claim 2 wherein said flat plate
has an integral longitudinally and downwardly extending flange on
on side thereof and an integral longitudinally and upwardly
extending flange on the other side thereof, said downwardly
extending flange being secured to the inner upright side wall of
said wheel housing and said upwardly extending flange being secured
to said vehicle body. .Iaddend.
Description
The principal objects of the invention are:
To provide a unit as above described which is of efficient, durable
and inexpensive construction, made by the use of simple bending
jigs and welding operations into a unitary structure adapted for
rigid securement to the vehicle body on the interior thereof and
matching the dimensional height, width and length of the vehicle
body.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages which will become
subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and
operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed,
reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part
hereof, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a framework made in accordance with
our invention.
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1 with a portion in
section as viewed along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 2, and
FIG. 4 is a perspective fragmentary view of a Jeep body equipped
with the framework.
With continuing reference to the drawing wherein like reference
numerals designate like parts, numerals 1 and 2 indicate forward
baseplates adapted for securement as at 3 either to the floorboards
of the vehicle body or through the floorboards to the frame or
chassis of the vehicle.
Numerals 4 and 5 indicate generally two rearward base members which
are identical except for their right- and left-hand disposition,
adapted as at 6 and 7 for bolted securement to the built-in
superimposed housings 8 for the rear wheels 9 of the vehicle. Each
base member comprises a flat plate 10 flanged upwardly as at 11
along its outside, downwardly as at 12 along its inside and
partially downward as at 14 across its front end.
The bottom end of the legs 15 of the forward inverted U-shaped roll
bar 16 are welded as at 17 to the flat horizontal portion of the
forward baseplates 1 and 2. The legs 15 are bent rearwardly from
the vertical as at 18 to conform to the contour of the dashboard 19
and windshield 20 of the vehicle. The vertical portion of each leg
15 has one flange 21 of an angle section welded thereto with the
other flange 22 adapted for bolted securement as at 23 to the sides
of the body.
Welded as at 30 to the flat plates 10 of the base members 4 and 5
are the bottom ends of the legs 31 of a rearward roll bar indicated
generally at 32. This roll bar extends upwardly to the height of
roll bar 16 where both bars are interconnected by a stabilizing
pipe 33 welded at both of its ends as at 34 to the front and rear
roll bars.
The rear roll bar 32 is reinforced by a right-angular pipe 35
welded at one of its ends 36 to each leg 31 of the roll bar and at
its opposite end to the plates 10 as at 37.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the vertical rearward end of the
right-angular reinforcing pipes 35 are inset relative to the legs
31 of the rear roll bar 32 to provide space between the pipes and
the vertical flanges 11 of base members 4 and 5 for normal raising
and lowering of a conventional convertible top if the vehicle is to
be provided with one.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that we have provided a roll
bar cage which, because of the inherent strength of its structural
components, their reinforced integration and new and novel rigid
mounting to the vehicle, provides rugged dependability capable of
absorbing rollover stresses and impact forces from any
direction.
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