Concealable Antenna Mount for CB Antennas

CB radios require a small whip quarter length antenna to be mounted on a vehicle for adequate transmission and reception. CB antennas are often stolen or broken. The problem is epidemic with a large percentage of the CB antennas being broken or stolen.

The apparatus of the present invention is an antenna mount which protects the antenna against theft or vandalism. It is an antenna mount which is anchored in the trunk space of an automobile. The mount permits the owner to retract the antenna and mount completely out of sight within the trunk space where it is protected by closure and latching of the truck lid. When this occurs, the antenna is completely out of sight and of course, the CB equipment in the car itself is substantially safer because the antenna is no longer visible, thereby advertising to thieves and vandals that the equipment is in the car. When the user wants to operate his CB equipment, it is only necessary that he open the trunk, move the antenna mount of the present invention from its retracted position to an upright position and thereafter close the trunk lid. The trunk is equipped with an underhanging metal lip supporting a gasket or grommet typically made of resilient material which prevents leakage of rain water into the trunk space. The antenna mount of the present disclosure thus is retractable to a position which is out of sight and yet it does not interfere with the operation of the trunk lid, the gasket preventing leakage into the trunk, or the other equipment of the automobile.

It is with foregoing problems in view that the present apparatus has been devised. This apparatus is a new antenna mount apparatus which is summarized in the following description.

This disclosure is directed to a CB radio antenna mount apparatus. The apparatus of this disclosure incorporates fixed and movable members which are joined by a hinge. The members are preferably made of strap metal. The fixed member is attached to the automobile on the interior of the trunk. It is attached by clamps, or by bolts which bolt through holes drilled in a portion of the automobile body which is not exposed. The movable member has an L-shaped arm which supports the base of an antenna mount. The two members are connected by a hinge. The hinge enables pivotal movement to a withdrawn position and an erected position where the L-shaped arm extends over the edge of the body at the trunk and in particular the grommet around the trunk opening. The L-shaped movable member incorporates a lengthwise slot which permits recessing the antenna coaxial cable where it is protected against pinching and which enables it to feed the signal to the antenna guided or routed by the hinged movable member.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the antenna mount of the present apparatus shown in an erect position;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the antenna mount of the present invention in its erected position and showing the mounted position adjacent to the edge of a trunk opening;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the antenna folded to a retracted position where it is enclosed in the closed trunk; and

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of an alternative construction of the apparatus.

In the drawings, the antenna mount of the present disclosure is identified by the numeral 10. The antenna mount as a whole incorporates three major members, one being a fixed member, the second being a movable member, and the third comprising a hinge joining the two members together. On rotation about the hinge, the movable member is moved between an erect position and a retracted position, thereby positioning the antenna for use or placing it safely in the confines of the locked trunk.

Considering the apparatus in detail, the movable portion incorporates an L-shaped arm 13 which supports an antenna 12. The L-shaped arm 13 is appended to a straight portion 14 at right angles to the arm 13. The apparatus is preferably formed of metal strapping typically having a width of about two inches and having a thickness up to about 3/32 inch or so. Thinner metal straps can be used. It is preferable that metal straps be used to define a ground connection which is electrically connected to the frame of the automobile. The L-shaped portion 13 and the appended straight portion 14 are centrally divided by a lengthwise slot 22. The slot 22 has a width which equals or slightly exceeds the diameter of the coaxial cable 28 which connects the antenna 12 to the CB radio itself. It will be understood that the antenna wire 28 is normally a central conductor wire provided with shielding around it and two insulative layers. This defines a coaxial cable of specified diameter which is preferably not larger than the thickness of the strapping material used in the fabrication of the antenna mount 10. The actual diameter is not limited by the metal strap thickness.

The antenna mount is constructed and arranged to locate the antenna 12 on the exterior of the vehicle when it is in use. The apparatus 10 enables the user to retract or reposition the antenna into the trunk, thereby placing it beyond the reach of vandals or thieves. To this end, some movement is contemplated and suitable extra cable length is incorporated in the antenna system to enable the antenna 12 to move from position to position without binding or pulling on the cable connections.

The L-shaped portion 13 supports the base 6 on the antenna. The antenna itself incorporates a whip portion 8 standing upright above a base. The base typically incorporates an insulator which is bolted or otherwise joined to the L-shaped portion 13. The base includes an electrical connection for the lead-in wire 28 positioned in the slot 22. It will be observed that the strap material which has the slot 22 cut therein is folded. The folds enable the coaxial cable to be located in the slot.

As described to this juncture, the apparatus includes the L-shaped arm 13 which is appended to an integrally manufactured arm 14. As disclosed in FIG. 2 of the drawings, a single piece of metal is preferably used and it is processed through the use of a sheet metal brake to shape it. Thus, it terminates in the downwardly directed arm 18 which is affixed to a hinge 16. A single piece of stock is thus used to form the four straight line segments which are preferably bent at right angles to one another to thereby define a movable member as claimed hereafter. This movable member is adapted to be pivoted between a retracted position in the trunk space of a vehicle and alternately positioned where the outer end of it is cantilevered in space and yet is just positioned adjacent to the lip of a truck lid to extend through the slot between the trunk lid and the body of the automobile to locate the antenna base on the exterior. The antenna base and antenna appended to it are thus in an erect position to be used for CB transmission. By contrast, the movable member and the antenna are all positioned inside the trunk when retracted to a position out of harms reach.

The movable member thus is formed of metal strapping of a sufficient gage to maintain its structural integrity and to support the weight of the antenna. It is preferably folded so that it abuts the gasket in the rain gutter adjacent to the trunk lid. Most automobiles are constructed in a manner where the trunk lid overlies a rain gutter portion of the automobile body. The rain gutter is equipped with a resilient gasket which gasket is compacted or compressed when the trunk lid is closed. When the trunk lid is closed, the trunk lid itself moves to an immediate overlying position adjacent to the rain gutter. This position enables the trunk lid to close and excludes rain water at the gasket in the rain gutter.

The movable member is dimensioned such that it has a length approximating the rain gutter at the arm portion 14 and is bent at approximately 90.degree. to extend through the gap at the edge of the trunk lid adjacent to the exterior body portion of the automobile. This then locates the antenna base perhaps 1/2 inch to 11/2 inch above the automobile body. This avoids contact of the antenna support structure against the exterior of the automobile and hence avoids scratching or otherwise damaging the exterior of the automobile. Customary manufacturing tolerances in the construction of automobiles allow a gap between the trunk lid and the surrounding automobile body sufficient to receive the thin metal member therebetween. This does not bend or otherwise warp the trunk lid. An alternative embodiment of the present disclosure utilizes a thin plastic film 11 placed on the movable member. Preferably, a plastic sleeve encompasses the movable member. It is not necessary that the sleeve extend the full length thereof; rather, it can be limited to that portion which is exposed and which otherwise comes into contact with the nether side of the trunk lid and the edge of the rain gutter. Needless to say, the sleeve can be omitted. If it is used, it preferably encloses the slot 22 formed in the movable member and the coaxial cable 28 positioned in that slot.

The present apparatus as claimed hereinafter additionally includes a "fixed member" and a hinge means. The fixed member is shown in the drawings to incorporate a tab 17 which is joined to the hinge 16 and which then bends into an elongate arm 15 terminating in an upturned tab 19. FIG. 2 shows the antenna in the erected position and there it will be observed that the parts 17 and 19 are bent approximately parallel to one another. The hinge is rotated until the parts 15 and 18 are approximately parallel to one another. This locates the tab 19 just under the rain gutter. The tab 19 has lengthwise slots 21, only one of which is shown, which are suitable for receiving nuts and bolts 20, only one of which is shown, extending therethrough to anchor the fixed member. The fixed member is preferably anchored by the use of nuts and bolts 20 which thread through the openings therein, some movement being permitted to enable precise positioning of the fixed member. Moreover, the tab 19 is held in position by the bolts 20 which thread through holes 23, only one of which is shown, drilled in the rain gutter. If the owner is apprehensive about drilling holes 23 in the rain gutter (at a location which is out of sight and covered over by the trunk lid when the trunk lid is closed), resort may be had to the clamping means 40 shown in FIG. 4. The clamping means 40 does not require the drilling of any holes. Rather, it reaches over the rain gutter on the top side, and on the bottom side, it has an adjustable screw clamp which secures the fixed member by clamping against the lower side of the rain gutter. The rain gutter thus serves as a protruding ledge, and the clamp means 40 shown in FIG. 4 secures the fixed member thereto. For a sure connection, preferably two or three thumb screws are incorporated. To this end, the fixed member is preferably formed of a strip of material sufficiently wide to enable two or three holes to be drilled in it for receiving the thumb screws. The thumb screws themselves are threaded and are provided with a head which is easily engaged by hand or finger tightening and which can be further gripped with a pair of pliers to tighten the thumb screws.

Returning now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, it will be observed that the fixed member secures the hinge 16 at a location in the trunk space which enables movement of the antenna between two positions. FIG. 2 shows the antenna in the erect position where the movable member extends through the slot between the trunk and the body of the automobile to position the antenna for use. The retracted position is achieved by opening the trunk lid and rotating the movable member about the hinge 16. When this occurs, the movable member rotates to about 90.degree. (the extent of rotation is not critical) and the antenna is then located fully within the trunk. The quarter length antenna normally has a height which enables it to be received fully within the trunk of an average sized vehicle. When it is in the retracted position, the trunk lid is thereafter closed. When this occurs, the antenna is completely out of sight.

As a practical matter, the antenna coaxial cable has sufficient length to permit the movement of the antenna illustrated in FIG. 3. In addition, the antenna 12 itself preferably uses the antenna mount 10 of the present invention as an electrical ground and to this end, a ground wire connected between the fixed and the movable members and spanning the hinge 16 may be included. This will be helpful if the hinge is not adequately conductive. The ground wire can otherwise extend from the movable member to any conveniently exposed grounding point in the trunk of the vehicle and if provided with adequate length, will permit the movement contemplated for the antenna system.

The apparatus is preferably installed with the axis of rotation of the hinge approximately parallel to the drive shaft of the vehicle or, stated differently, positioned where the antenna is erected at the right or left hand edge of the trunk lid. This locates the antenna where it is substantially vertical when erected although it is not required that it be precisely vertical. Deviation from precise vertical location does not reduce the quality of the transmitted signal. The vertical antenna is held firmly by clamping action between the trunk and rain gutter. The trunk lid normally closes flush with the automobile body 24 which is raised by a height equal to the depression 25 adjacent the gutter. The grommet or gasket 27 is made of yeildable material which can be pushed aside or punctured to receive the bolts 20 of FIG. 2. The grommet 27 is glued on the gutter 26.

Alterations and variations of the present device can be incorporated. For instance, the drawings show the fixed and movable members having equal width adjacent to the hinge 16. If desired, they can be offset, as for example where the fixed member is to one side or the other of the movable member. This requires a longer and hence more complex hinge.

The foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment but the scope thereof is determined by the claims which follow.