A bottom bracket made with a box at its center and a flange on opposing sides. Over each flange, on the side of the box, are two equal, opposing through-holes. Each flange is drilled with holes to allow the bracket to be bolted to a roof rack rail. A top bracket made in a box shape with an open bottom to fit over the box-shaped bottom bracket and with the top of the top bracket fabricated to accept two bolts that will screw into an adapter fitted into a rail slot on the underside of a roof-top tent. The top bracket also has two opposing through-holes matching the through-holes on the sides of the bottom bracket. The top and bottom brackets held together by a locking quick-release pin inserted through the through-hole on the sides of the top and bottom brackets.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
. A rooftop tent mount apparatus, comprising:
. The rooftop tent mount apparatus of, wherein the second, vertical portion of the top bracket is configured to slide over and couple to the box of the bottom bracket, the one or more first holes of the at least one first wall of the second, vertical portion of the top bracket aligning with the one or more first holes of the at least one first wall of the box of the bottom bracket, and the one or more second holes of the at least one second wall of the second, vertical portion of the top bracket aligning with the one or more second holes of the at least one second wall of the box of the bottom bracket.
. The rooftop tent mount apparatus of, wherein when the top bracket is coupled to the bottom bracket, the locking pin is configured to slide through the one or more first holes, respectively, of the at least one first wall of the second, vertical portion of the top bracket, through the one or more first holes, respectively, of the at least one first wall of the box of the bottom bracket, through the one or more second holes, respectively, of the at least one second wall of the box of the bottom bracket, and through the one or more second holes of the at least one second wall of the second, vertical portion of the top bracket, thereby preventing separation of the top bracket from the bottom bracket.
. A rooftop tent mount apparatus, comprising:
. The rooftop tent mount apparatus of, wherein the locking pin is configured to secure the bottom bracket to the top bracket by sliding through the first hole of the at least one first wall of the second, vertical portion of the top bracket, through the first hole of the at least one first wall of the box of the bottom bracket, through the second hole of the at least one second wall of the box of the bottom bracket, and through the second hole of the at least one second wall of the second, vertical portion of the top bracket, thereby preventing separation of the top bracket from the bottom bracket.
. A rooftop tent mount apparatus, comprising:
. The rooftop tent mount apparatus of, wherein the vertical portion of the top bracket is configured to slide over the box of the bottom bracket, the first hole of the at least one first wall of the vertical portion of the top bracket aligning with the first hole of the at least one first wall of the box of the bottom bracket, and the second hole of the at least one second wall of the vertical portion of the top bracket aligning with the second hole of the at least one second wall of the box of the bottom bracket.
. The rooftop tent mount apparatus of, wherein when the top bracket is coupled to the bottom bracket, the locking pin is configured to slide through the first hole of the at least one first wall of the vertical portion of the top bracket, through the first hole of the at least one first wall of the box of the bottom bracket, through the second hole of the at least one second wall of the box of the bottom bracket, and through the second hole of the at least one second wall of the vertical portion of the top bracket, thereby preventing separation of the top bracket from the bottom bracket.
Complete technical specification and implementation details from the patent document.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 17/810,494 filed on Jul. 1, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,398,577, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The inspiration for this invention is to create a rapid-release method to affix a rooftop tent to a vehicle roof-rack and to quickly and easily remove the rooftop tent from the vehicle roof-rack. The space between the bottom of the rooftop tent and the vehicle roof rack is very small . . . no more than 6 inches. Generally, a person must use up to eight (8) nuts and bolts to secure a rooftop tent to a vehicle roof rack. This requires several hours pushing ones arms into a cramped, metal space to affix the nuts to the bolts and then several hours uninstalling the nuts and bolts leading to lost time and leaving arms with bruises and abrasions.
This invention solves the problem of the extensive time and energy lost securing nuts and bolts in the cramped, hard-to-access space between the bottom of a rooftop tent and the top of a vehicle. This invention consists of three parts: part one bolts to a vehicle roof-rack, part two bolts to the underside of a rooftop tent, and part three fits through opposing holes in the sides of the parts one and two after part two has been lowered onto part one. The insertion of part three locks in place parts one and two thereby securing the rooftop tent to the vehicle roof-rack. The present invention allows the user to insert one piece of locking hardware to secure their rooftop tent to their roof-rack and then to remove that same piece of locking hardware to remove their rooftop tent from their roof-rack.
The purpose of this invention is to serve as a rapid-release/quick-release mount for a rooftop tent.
People wanting to secure a rooftop tent to a vehicle roof-rack have limited options. The most frequently used option is to bolt the rooftop tent to the rack. The following legend provides a numerical guide to the relevant parts of the rooftop tent mount apparatus: bottom bracket; top bracket; locking quick-release pin; flangesA-B of the bottom bracket; opposing holesA-B drilled in the sides of the bottom bracketand opposing holesA-B in the sides of the top bracketwhere the locking quick-release pinis inserted; holesA-D to bolt bottom bracketto a roof-rack rail; and holesA-B to bolt top bracketto an underside of a rooftop tent.
shows the bottom bracket, top bracket, and locking quick-release pinunassembled as seen from the front or back, being mirror images of each other.shows the top bracketand bottom bracketand locking quick-release pinassembled as seen from the front or back, being mirror images of each other.
The rapid-release rooftop tent mount apparatus disclosed herein employs a locking quick-release pinto secure a flanged bottom bracketto a top bracketon the underside of the rooftop tent. The flanged bottom bracketconsists of fabricated steel formed into the shape of a boxone to two inches high, by one to two inches wide by one to two inches long. The flangesA-B are on opposite sides of the boxwith each flangeA-B having two holesA-B,C-D, respectively, so that the bracketmay be bolted to the roof-rack. The boxatop and between the flangesA-B has an equal and opposing holeA-B each on opposite sides of the boxand above the flangesA-B, respectively. The top bracketis to be bolted to the underside of the rooftop tent. The top bracketis meant to fit over the bottom bracket. The top bracketalso consists of fabricated steel but formed into the shape of a lower-case letter “n” with a flat, as opposed to round, top. The underside of the top bracketis left open to fit over the boxof the bottom bracket. The top, flat portionof the top brackethas two holesA-B that are used to bolt the top bracketto the underside of the rooftop tent. The top bracketis similarly one to two inches high, by one to two inches wide by one to two inches long and has holesA-B in the side that match the size and location of the side-cut holesA-B on the bottom bracket.
Once the top bracketis secured to the underside of the rooftop tent the apparatus can be lowered on top of the bottom bracketthat is bolted to the roof-rack. Where the holes line up on the bottom bracketand top bracket, in other words, holeA of the top bracketaligns with holeA of the bottom bracketand holeB of the top bracketaligns with holeB of the bottom bracket, a locking quick-release pinis inserted, as shown in, to hold the bottom bracketand top brackettogether and thereby mount the rooftop tent on the roof-rack.
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December 25, 2025
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