Rack tower for securing crossbars on top of a vehicle

Abstract

A rack for carrying cargo on top of a vehicle includes a pair of crossbars. Each crossbar spans a pair of rails. The crossbars are connected to the rails by towers. Each tower has a claw assembly which is adjustable along two axes.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A rack for carrying cargo on top of a vehicle, the vehicle having a pair of rails, the rails being substantially parallel to each other and to the direction of vehicle travel, the rack comprising:
 a pair of crossbars, each crossbar having a pair of towers for mounting the crossbar on the rails of the vehicle,   each tower including a clamp device, the clamp device having a fixed wall and a claw assembly that is slideable in a first track back and forth relative to the fixed wall, in a direction parallel to the crossbar,   each claw assembly having a base portion connected to the first track, the base portion having a second track substantially perpendicular to the first track, and a hook member that is slideable along the second track to adjust a separation of the hook member from the first track.   
     
     
         2 . The rack of  claim 1 , wherein the hook member has teeth that engage a corresponding array of teeth on the base portion to fix location of the hook member in the second track. 
     
     
         3 . The rack of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 each clamp device having a screw member engaging the base portion, the screw member being parallel to the first track and having a head for manipulating the screw member, rotation of the screw member causing movement of the base portion along the first track, relative to the fixed wall.   
     
     
         4 . A tower for connecting a crossbar to a rail on top of a vehicle comprising:
 a clamp device having a fixed wall and a claw assembly that is slideable in a first track back and forth relative to the fixed wall, in a direction parallel to the crossbar, the claw assembly having a base portion connected to the first track, the base portion having a second track substantially perpendicular to the first track, and a hook member that is slideable along the second track to adjust a separation of the hook member from the first track while the claw assembly remains at the same position in the first track.   
     
     
         5 . The tower of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a screw member engaging the base portion, the screw member being parallel to the first track and having a head for manipulating the screw member, rotation of the screw member causing movement of the base portion along the first track, relative to the fixed wall.   
     
     
         6 . The tower of  claim 5  including a housing having a compartment containing the head of the screw member, and a pivotal cover blocking access to the head of the screw member when the cover is closed, and permitting access to the head of the screw member when the cover is open. 
     
     
         7 . A tower for connecting a crossbar to a rail on the top of a crossbar comprising:
 a housing having a crossbar gripping portion and a fixed wall descending below the crossbar gripping portion, and   a hook member being moveable relative to the fixed wall, to operatively position the hook member independently along a first axis and a second axis,   wherein the housing supports a track extending parallel to the second axis and transverse to the first axis, and wherein the hook member is slideable in the track to move the hook member along the second axis.   
     
     
         8 . The tower of  claim 7 , wherein the first axis is substantially perpendicular to the second axis. 
     
     
         9 . The tower of  claim 7 , wherein the crossbar gripping portion is configured to grip a crossbar in an orientation substantially perpendicular to the rail, the first axis being substantially parallel to the crossbar orientation. 
     
     
         10 . The tower of  claim 7 , wherein the first axis is substantially perpendicular to the rail.