VEHICLE ROOF RACK WITH COLLAPSIBLE HANDRAIL ASSEMBLY

摘要

A safety railing for attachment to a vehicle roof mounted rack to reduce the likelihood of fall injuries to workers who have mounted to roof of the vehicle has a pair of side railings joined by a front railing and supported by balusters that pivotally attach to the roof rack. A crank operated mechanism is provided for shifting the balusters between an erect, vertical orientation and a collapsed orientation where the safety railing lies flat against the roof rack.

主权项

1. A roof rack for a motor vehicle comprising:
(a) left and right longitudinal side rail assemblies held in parallel, spaced-apart rotation by a plurality of transversely extending parallel crossbars that clamp at opposed ends to the left and right side rail assemblies and where selected ones of the plurality of crossbars are adapted to be affixed onto a roof of a motor vehicle; (b) first and second longitudinal hand rails coupled to one another by a front rail; (c) at least two pairs of balusters, a first pair being pivotally hinged at one end to first and second ones of the plurality of crossbars and pivotally attached at their opposite ends to the first hand rail, a second of the pair of balusters pivotally hinged at one end to said first and second ones of the plurality of crossbars and pivotally attached at their opposite end to the second hand rail; and (d) a mechanism operatively coupled to a third one of the plurality of crossbars and to one of the first pair of balusters and to one of the second pair of balusters for simultaneously rotating said one of the first and second pairs of balusters between a generally horizontal orientation and a generally vertical orientation.