Recreational Vehicle Hook-Up Aid

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to devices for lining up a towing vehicle to a recreational vehicle for hooking up the hitch ball to the trailer tongue. The present invention is particularly directed towards a positive-sight alignment device using an aiming structure affixed to the trailer tongue and a target strip positioned in the rear window of the towing vehicle.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The patents seen which appeared to me to be most pertinent to my invention included:

A patent issued to Critchlow, dated June 6, 1939, U.S. Pat. No. 2,161,457, shows an "Indicating Device for Automobiles."

The Folkins et al patent dated Jan. 16, 1968, U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,318, shows a trailer hitch sight.

Lehtisaari received U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,746, on Nov. 11, 1975, for a trailer and towing vehicle coupler guide.

A patent issued to Campbell on Oct. 18, 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,302, shows a trailer hitch guide.

On Mar. 11, 1980, Myers received U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,526, for a trailer hitch guiding device.

The Berry patent dated Aug. 25, 1981, U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,138, is entitled "Trailer Hitch Visual Alignment Device."

U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,481, dated Apr. 22, 1986, issued to Garrison discloses a method and apparatus for hitching a trailer to a motor vehicle.

The patent issued on Nov. 11, 1986, to Law, U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,432, is for a trailer hook-up guide system.

To my knowledge, the foregoing patents represented devices most pertinent to my invention. Although hook-up alignment devices are necessarily somewhat similar, I saw no systems or components which were in close proximity with my device.

In practicing my invention, I have developed a target and aiming method for accurately lining up a towing vehicle to a trailer for ease in positioning the hitch ball on the towing vehicle with the trailer tongue. My invention includes the necessary attachable components for alignment of the trailer tongue to the tow vehicle hitch ball and a strip target for the rear window of the towing vehicle.

Therefore, it is a primary object of my invention to provide an aiming structure for attachment to the tongue of a tow-type recreational vehicle and a cooperative aligning target affixed to the rear window of a towing vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide equipment designed for accurately aligning the tongue of a tow-type recreational vehicle with the hitch ball on a towing vehicle.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a method to make a backing up towing vehicle easily aligned for hookup to a recreational vehicle.

Other objects and the many advantages of my invention will be better understood by a reading of the numbered parts described in the specification and comparing them with similar numbered parts shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the components aligned for assemblage in an exploded view.

FIG. 2 shows the invention in a perspective view assembled.

FIG. 3 shows the towing vehicle in a rear view to illustrate the target strip in the rear window.

FIG. 4 shows the recreational vehicle with the hookup aid attached to the trailer tongue jack shaft with the assemblage of the hook-up aid on the towing vehicle side of the jack shaft and the horizontal pointer shortened.

FIG. 5 shows the recreational vehicle with the hook-up aid attached on the trailer side of the tongue jack shaft with the horizontal pointer lengthened for use in this position.

2 T-joint mounting bracket

4 mounting bracket hose clamps

6 mounting bracket horizontal connector

8 ninety degree elbow

10 base vertical pipe connector

12 vertical alignment strips

14 vertical extension pipe

16 ninety degree reduction elbow

18 pointer horizontal connector

20 horizontal pointer

22 vehicle window target strip

24 towing vehicle

26 jack shaft

28 jack handle

30 trailer hitch tongue

32 propane bottle

34 trailer recreational vehicle

36 hitch ball

Referring now to the drawings at FIG. 1 where the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated with the parts aligned for assemblage in an exploded view. T-joint mounting bracket 2 has a vertical half-round section sized to fit trailer jack shaft 26 (FIG. 4) and retained by mounting bracket hose clamps 4. Mounting bracket horizontal connector 6 holds ninety degree elbow 8 to the horizontal T-joint of T-joint mounting bracket 2. Base vertical pipe connector 10 fits the vertically positioned end of ninety degree elbow 8 and holds vertical extension pipe 14 fixed in alignment by matching vertical alignment strips 12 adjacently positioned on vertical extension pipe 14 and base vertical pipe connector 10. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the larger end of ninety degree reduction elbow 16 fits the uppwardly end of vertical extension pipe 14 and the smaller end of ninety degree reduction elbow 16, horizontally aligned, fits pointer horizontal connector 18. The length of horizontal pointer 20 is arranged by telescoping or replacement to be sized for a particular use and fitted to pointer horizontal connector 18 and is the guiding member to be aimed at vehicle window target strip 22. The perspective drawing of the assembled invention at FIG. 2 best illustrates the assemblage of the foregoing described numbered parts and FIG. 3 in the drawings illustrates the towing vehicle 24 with the vehicle window target strip 22 in the rear window.

In FIG. 4 of the drawings, the recreational vehicle hook-up aid is illustrated assembled and fastened in a frontward position to trailer recreational vehicle 34 on jack shaft 26 on the upwardly side of trailer hitch tongue 30. T-joint mounting bracket 2 is affixed by mounting bracket hose clamps 4 to jack shaft 26 just below jack handle 28. When possible, the positioning of the recreational vehicle hook-up aid forward as shown in FIG. 4 leaves clearance between propane bottle 32, usually positioned as shown, and the hook-up aid structure. The length of horizontal pointer 20 is determined by the tow vehicle in use. As pictured in FIG. 4, a station wagon type vehicle 24, target 22 is at the rear of the vehicle and a shorter horizontal pointer 20 is used. FIG. 5 illustrates the hook-up structure positioned towards trailer 34 and a longer horizontal pointer 20 is illustrated in use. In both FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, tow vehicle 24 is backed towards trailer 34 with horizontal pointer aligned with vehicle window target strip 22. When the end of horizontal pointer contacts vehicle window target strip 22 hitch ball 36 is directly under the hitch receptacle of trailer hitch tongue 30 and attaching trailer hitch tongue 30 to hitch ball 36 is easily accomplished. The structural materials used in this device must be strong light weight plastic, preferably PVC pipe, and fittings as illustrated in the drawings.

Although I have described my invention in length and with details in the specification, it is to be understood that modifications may be practices in the invention which do not exceed the intended coverage of the appended claims.