License plate mounting device
The license plate mounting device facilitates easy and tool-free attachment and detachment of license plates, addressing the issue of obscured plates and cumbersome screw-based attachment methods.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- DE202025102188
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-22
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-26
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-04-30
AI Technical Summary
The challenge of obscuring license plates on large trucks due to non-motorized vehicles, leading to potential traffic violations, and the cumbersome process of attaching and detaching plates using screws.
A license plate mounting device with an installation unit, lower and upper fastening elements, and elastic elements that allow quick attachment and detachment without screws, using movable fastening elements and elastic deformation for secure positioning.
Enables quick and secure attachment and removal of license plates without tools, ensuring compliance with transportation regulations and reducing installation time.
Smart Images
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Abstract
Description
The disclosure relates to a transport accessory, and more particularly to a license plate attachment device for quickly attaching to or removing a license plate therefrom.When a large truck train is on the road, it may be unavoidable that the license plate is hidden at the rear of the motorized vehicle due to the size of the non-motorized vehicle, and when the non-motorized vehicle is not equipped with a license plate, the hiding of the license plate may be a violation of traffic regulations.Therefore, before the large truck train is brought on the road, the driver needs to remove the license plate from the rear of the motorized vehicle and mount it on the rear of the non-motorized vehicle if the non-motorized vehicle is not equipped with a license plate in order to avoid a violation of the transportation regulations. The use of screws to secure the license plate to the rear of the vehicle is a common practice and requires the use of a screwdriver, which is awkward.Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a license plate fastening device that can eliminate the drawback of the related art.According to the disclosure, the license plate fastening device is configured to attach a license plate thereto and includes an installation unit, at least one lower fastening member, at least two upper fastening members, and at least one first elastic member. The installation unit includes a base wall, a bottom wall extending forward from a lower edge of the base wall, and an upper receptacle extending forward from an upper edge of the base wall. The base wall cooperates with the bottom wall and the upper receptacle to define an installation space suitable for receiving the license plate. The at least one lower fastener is disposed on the bottom wall and cooperates with the base wall and the bottom wall to define a location groove into which a bottom portion of the license plate may be inserted. The at least two upper fasteners are located in the installation space of the installation unit, are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, are adapted to cooperate with the base wall to clamp an upper portion of the license plate, and are adapted to cooperate with the at least one lower fastener to confine the license plate in the installation space. Each of the at least two upper fastening elements is movable relative to the upper receptacle from a delimiting position into an operating position. Each of the at least two upper fasteners is in the limiting position and is adapted to abut rearward the upper portion of the license plate when the license plate is mounted to the license plate fastener. Each of the at least two upper fasteners is operable to move from the limiting position to the operating position such that the upper portion of the license plate can be separated from the license plate fastener. The at least one first elastic element is arranged on the base wall. The at least one first elastic member is adapted to be elastically deformed by the license plate and elastically bias the license plate forward when the license plate is limited by the at least one lower fastening member and the at least two upper fastening members in the installation space.Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiment(s) with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be appreciated that various features may not be drawn to scale. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a license plate fastening device according to the disclosure. FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, partially exploded perspective view of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an end view of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 4, but illustrating how a lower portion of a license plate is inserted into a positioning groove of the embodiment and how an upper portion of the license plate is detached from the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 4, but illustrating the upper portion of the license plate pressing against an oblique surface of an upper fastener of the embodiment such that the upper fastener is elastically deformed. FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 4, but illustrating how the license plate is positioned in an installation space of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 3 with the license plate positioned in the installation space. FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 3 with the license plate positioned in the installation space.It should be noted herein that, for clarity of description, spatially relative terms such as "top," "bottom," "top," "bottom," "on," "above," "above," "below," "up," and the like may be used throughout the disclosure with reference to the features illustrated in the drawings. The features may also be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations) and the spatially relative terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an embodiment of a license plate fastening device according to the disclosure is suitable for attaching a license plate 91 (see FIG. 5 ) thereto, and includes an installation unit 1, at least one lower fastening member 2 disposed on the installation unit 1, at least two upper fastening members 3, at least one first elastic member 4, at least one second elastic member 5, at least two side fastening members 6, and a lighting module 7. In this embodiment, there are four lower fastening members 2, four upper fastening members 3, four first elastic members 4, six second elastic members 5, and multiple pairs of the side fastening members 6 (specifically, eight pairs of the side fastening members 6), but the disclosure is not limited to this aspect.The installation unit 1 includes a base wall 11, a bottom wall 12 extending forward from a lower edge of the base wall 11, an upper seat 13 extending forward from an upper edge of the base wall 11, and three abutting members 14 attached between a front surface of the base wall 11 and a bottom surface of the upper seat 13 and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The base wall 11 cooperates with the bottom wall 12 and the upper seat 13 to define an installation space 15 suitable for receiving the license plate 91.The base wall 11 has two grooves 111 recessed from the front surface thereof and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction (specifically, the grooves 111 are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the base wall 11), and two slits 112 extending therethrough in a front-rear direction and respectively spatially communicating with the grooves 111. In this embodiment, the front-rear direction is substantially perpendicular to the left-right direction. Each of the slots 112 is adapted for a connecting member (not shown), such as a bolt, to extend therethrough to secure the base wall 11 to a vehicle (not shown). In this embodiment, each of the slots 112 has a cross shape, but is not limited thereto.Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the upper receptacle 13 defines a receiving space 131 that receives the lighting module 7 and opens rearward, is formed on a bottom surface thereof with a plurality of light holes 132, and is formed on upper and side surfaces thereof with a plurality of cable holes 133. The light holes 132 are in spatial communication with the accommodation space 131 and the installation space 15, and the cable holes 133 are in spatial communication with the accommodation space 131 and an external environment.The lower fastening members 2 are located in the installation space 15, are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and are disposed on an upper surface of the bottom wall 12. Each of the lower fastening members 2 extends upward from the upper surface of the bottom wall 12, is spaced apart from the base wall 11, and cooperates with the base wall 11 and the bottom wall 12 to define a positioning groove 21 that occupies a part of the installation space 15 and is suitable for insertion of a lower portion of the license plate 91. In other embodiments, a number of the lower fastening members 2 may vary depending on actual requirements.The upper fasteners 3 are located in the installation space 15, are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, are adapted to cooperate with the base wall 11 to clamp an upper portion of the license plate 91, and are adapted to cooperate with the lower fasteners 2 to delimit the license plate 91 in the installation space 15. Specifically, the upper fastening members 3 are divided into pairs, and the pairs of the upper fastening members 3 are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. Each pair of upper fastening elements 3 is arranged between two adjacent abutment elements 14 on the upper receptacle 13. For each pair of the upper fastening members 3, each of the upper fastening members 3 includes a fastening segment 31 extending downward from the bottom surface of the upper receiver 13, and an extension segment 32 extending from a lower end of the fastening segment 31 in the left-right direction toward another one of the upper fastening members 3 and adapted to abut rearward on the upper portion of the license plate 91 when the license plate 91 is attached to the license plate fastening device. A free end of the extension segment 32 of each of the upper fastening members 3 has an operation portion 321 that can be pushed upward and has an inclined surface 322 that extends forward and upward (i.e., inclines) from a bottom side thereof. Each of the upper fastening members 3 is movable relative to the upper receiver 13 from a limiting position (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 7 ) to an operating position when the operating portion 321 of its extension segment 32 is pushed upward. Each of the upper fastening members 3 is in the limiting position and is adapted to abut rearward on the upper portion of the license plate 91 when the license plate 91 is attached to the license plate fastening device. Each of the upper fastening members 3 is operable to move from the limiting position to the operating position so that the upper portion of the license plate 91 can be separated from the license plate fastening device. A number of the upper fastening members 3 may be different depending on actual requirements.The first elastic members 4 are disposed on the base wall 11, are located between the grooves 111, and are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. Each of the first elastic members 4 is an elastic plate that extends obliquely forward from the base wall 11 and does not lie in a plane with the front surface of the base wall 11, and is capable of being pushed rearward by the license plate 91 when the license plate 91 is limited by the lower fastening members 2 and the upper fastening members 3 in the installation space 15 (i.e., when the license plate 91 is attached to the license plate fastening device) so that each of the first elastic members 4 is elastically deformed, pivots rearward relative to the base wall 11 and elastically biases the license plate 91 forward. In some embodiments, a number of the first elastic fastening members 4 may vary depending on actual requirements.The second elastic members 5 are disposed on the base wall 11, are located between the first elastic members 4 and the bottom wall 12, are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and are arranged in pairs; the pairs of the second elastic members 5 are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. Each pair of the second elastic members 5 is located between any two adjacent positioning grooves 21. each of the second elastic members 5 is an elastic plate that extends obliquely forward from the base wall 11 so as not to be in plane with the front surface of the base wall 11 and that extends in one direction and is capable of being pushed rearward by the license plate 91 when the license plate 91 is limited by the lower fastening members 2 and the upper fastening members 3 in the installation space 15 so that each of the second elastic members 5 is elastically deformed, pivots rearward relative to the base wall 11 and elastically biases the license plate 91 forward. In this embodiment, the direction is substantially the same as the left-right direction. A number of the second elastic members 5 may be different in other embodiments, and in some embodiments, the second elastic members 5 may not be arranged in pairs.In this embodiment, the first and second elastic members 4, 5 are integrally formed with the base wall 11; however, in other embodiments, the first and second elastic members 4, 5 may be elastic members additionally mounted on the base wall 11, such as springs, metal plates, silicone rubber blocks, etc., depending on actual requirements.In each pair of the side fasteners 6, the side fasteners 6 are disposed on the base wall 11, are spaced apart from each other, and face each other in the left-right direction, are adapted to abut on two opposite sides of the license plate 91 in the left-right direction to delimit the license plate 91 in the installation space 15, and may be pushed rearward by the license plate 91 to elastically deform relative to the base wall 11 when the license plate 91 is attached to the license plate fastener. Specifically, for each pair of the side fasteners 6, the side fasteners 6 are respectively disposed between a left side edge of the base wall 11 and the groove 111 on the left side of the base wall 11 and between a right side edge of the base wall 11 and the groove 111 on the right side of the base wall 11. For each pair of the side fasteners 6, each of the side fasteners 6 includes a pivot portion 61 that extends in the left-right direction, that is connected to the base wall 11 with one of its ends that is near another one of the side fasteners 6, and that is elastically pivotable in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the left-right direction relative to the base wall 11, and an abutting portion 62 that extends forward from a free end of the pivot portion 61 so as not to be in a plane with the front surface of the base wall 11, and that is adapted to abut on a respective one of the opposite sides of the license plate 91 in the left-right direction. In each pair of the side fastening members 6, the abutment portions 62 are spaced apart from each other by an abutment distance in the left-right direction. The abutting distance between the abutting portions 62 of the side fasteners 6 in each pair of the side fasteners 6 is different from the abutting distance between the abutting portions 62 of the side fasteners 6 in at least another one of the pairs of the side fasteners 6.The light emitting module 7 is disposed in the accommodation space 131 of the upper receptacle 13 and operable to generate light that travels downward through the light holes 132 to illuminate the license plate 91. The lighting module 7 includes a lighting element 71 that extends substantially in the direction corresponding to the left-right direction and that is operable to generate the light, a signal cable 72 that is electrically coupled to the lighting element 71 and is capable of transmitting an electric signal and can extend through the cable holes 133, and a plurality of wire frames 73 that are disposed on a back surface of the lighting element 71, are spaced apart from each other in this direction, and are for installing the signal cable 72. The lighting module 7 may be of various types, which is well known in the art, and details thereof are omitted for brevity.Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, when the license plate 91 is to be installed in the installation space 15 of the installation unit 1, first, a lower edge of the license plate 91 is inserted into the positioning grooves 21 so that the lower edge of the license plate 91 is clamped between the lower fastening members 2 and the second elastic members 5 (see FIG. 5 ). At this time, each of the upper fastening members 3 is in the limiting position.Then, the license plate 91 is pushed rearward relative to the base wall 11 so that the license plate 91 moves toward the base wall 11 with its lower edge serving as an axis until an upper edge of the license plate 91 abuts against the inclined surfaces 322 of the upper fastening members 3. Subsequently, the license plate 91 is pushed further rearward as shown in FIG. 6 (only one inclined surface 322 is illustrated in FIG. 6 ), whereby the upper edge of the license plate 91 can push the operating portions 321 of the upper fastening members 3 toward the upper seat 13, so that the extension segments 32 of the upper fastening members 3 are elastically deformed and pivot toward the upper seat 13 relative to the fastening segments 31 of the upper fastening members 3, and the upper fastening members 3 are moved from the limiting position to the operating position.When the upper fasteners 3 are in the operating position and the license plate 91 is pushed further rearward, the upper edge of the license plate 91 passes the inclined surfaces 322 of the upper fasteners 3 and abuts the bottom surfaces of the abutments 14, and the extension segments 32 of the upper fasteners 3 swing rearward (i.e., away from the upper seat 13) and abut rearward the front surface of the license plate 91, so that the upper fasteners 3 are moved back to the limiting position as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. At the same time, the first and second elastic members 4, 5 are pushed rearward by the license plate 91 and elastically deformed, thereby elastically biasing the license plate 91 forward as shown in FIG. 8 (only a first elastic member 4 and a second elastic member 5 are shown).The upper fastening members 3 cooperate with the lower fastening members 2 and the first and second elastic members 4, 5 to delimit the license plate 91 in the installation space 15; that is, the license plate 91 is positioned in the embodiment.Referring to FIG. 9, the abutment portions 62 of each of the pairs of the side fastening members 6, the abutment distance of which corresponds to the width of the license plate 91 in the left-right direction, delimit and abut on the left and right sides of the license plate 91 so that the license plate 91 is delimited so as not to move in the left-right direction. In each pair of the side fastening members 6 in which the abutment distance is smaller than the width of the license plate 91 in the left-right direction, the abutment portions 62 of the license plate 91 can be pushed rearward therefrom when the license plate 91 is limited in the installation space 15 by the lower fastening members 2 and the upper fastening members 3, so that the pivot portions 61 thereof are elastically deformed and pivot rearward relative to the base wall 11, thereby elastically biasing the license plate 91 forward.Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7, when the license plate 91 is to be detached from the embodiment, the operation portions 321 of the upper fasteners 3 are pushed upward relative to the upper seat 13 so that the upper fasteners 3 are moved from the limiting position to the operating position (that is, the extension segments 32 swing toward the upper seat 13 relative to the fastening segments 31) and are separated from the upper edge of the license plate 91. At this time, the first and second elastic members 4, 5 and some of the side fixing members 6 together push the license plate 91 forward, so that the license plate 91 moves forward away from the embodiment with its lower edge serving as an axis as shown in FIG. 5. Subsequently, the license plate 91 can be detached from the installation space 15. It should be noted that the limitation position of each of the upper fastening members 3 when the license plate 91 is attached to the installation space 15 may slightly deviate from the limitation position of each of the upper fastening members 3 due to the dimensions of the license plate 91 and the biasing action of the first and second elastic members 4, 5 and the side fastening members 6 when the license plate 91 is detached from the installation space 15.In summary, it can be said that the license plate 91 can be restricted by the mobility of the upper fastening members 3 between the restriction position and the operation position in the installation space 15 by the upper fastening members 3, the lower fastening members 2, the first elastic members 4, the second elastic members 5, and the side fastening members 6 when the upper fastening members 3 are in the restriction position, and can be released from the embodiment by the restoring forces of the first and second elastic members 4, 5 and the side fastening members 6 when the upper fastening members 3 are in the operation position, so that the license plate 91 can be quickly installed or removed without using screws, thereby achieving the object of the disclosure.In the foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment(s). However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. It should also be understood that throughout this specification, reference to "a particular embodiment," "an embodiment," an embodiment specifying an ordinal number, etc., may indicate that the practice of the disclosure may have a particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, in the specification, various features are sometimes summarized in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in order to keep the disclosure short and contribute to understanding of various inventive aspects; this does not mean that each of these features must be practiced with the presence of all other features. In other words, in each described embodiment, when the implementation of one or more features or specific details does not affect the implementation of one or more other features or specific details, the one or more features may be picked out and implemented alone without the other or the other features or specific details. It should be further noted that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be carried out along with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, as appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.
Claims
A license plate fixing device suitable for attaching a license plate (91) thereto, characterized by : an installation unit (1) including a base wall (11), a bottom wall (12) extending forwardly from a lower edge of the base wall (11), and an upper receptacle (13) extending forwardly from an upper edge of the base wall (11), the base wall (11) cooperating with the bottom wall (12) and the upper receptacle (13) to define an installation space (15) suitable for receiving the license plate (91); at least one lower fastener (2) disposed on the bottom wall (12) and cooperating with the base wall (11) and the bottom wall (12) to define a positioning groove (21) adapted to insert a lower portion of the license plate (91) therein; at least two upper fasteners (3) disposed in the installation space (15) of the installation unit (1) and spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction and adapted to cooperate with the base wall (11) to clamp an upper portion of the license plate (91) and adapted to cooperate with the at least one lower fastener (2) to confine the license plate (91) in the installation space (15), wherein each of the at least two upper fasteners (3) is movable relative to the upper receptacle (13) from a limiting position to an operating position, each of the at least two upper fasteners (3) is in the limiting position and is adapted to abut the upper portion of the license plate (91) rearward when the license plate (91) is attached to the license plate fastener, wherein each of the at least two upper fasteners (3) is operable to move from the limiting position to the operating position such that the upper portion of the license plate (91) can be separated from the license plate fastener; and at least one first elastic member (4) disposed on the base wall (11) and adapted to be pushed rearward by the license plate (91) when the license plate (91) is limited in the installation space (15) by the at least one lower fixing member (2) and the at least two upper fixing members (3), so that the at least one first elastic member (4) is elastically deformed and elastically biases the license plate (91) forward.The license plate fastening device according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least two upper fastening members (3) includes a fastening segment (31) extending downward from the upper seat (13) and an extension segment (32) extending from a lower end of the fastening segment (31) in the left-right direction and adapted to abut rearward on the upper portion of the license plate (91) when the license plate (91) is attached to the license plate fastening device, and when each of the at least two upper fastening members (3) is moved from the limiting position to the operating position, the extension segment (32) thereof is elastically deformed and pivots toward the upper seat (13) relative to the fastening segment (31) thereof.The license plate fastening device according to claim 2, wherein the at least two upper fastening members (3) include four upper fastening members (3), the upper fastening members (3) being divided into pairs, the pairs of upper fastening members (3) being disposed on the upper seat (13) and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and in each of the pairs of upper fastening members (3), the extension segment (32) of each of the upper fastening members (3) extends toward another one of the upper fastening members (3).License plate fastening device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising at least one second elastic element (5) arranged on the base wall (11) and located between the at least one first elastic element (4) and the bottom wall (12), wherein the at least one second elastic element (5) is adapted to be pushed rearward by the license plate (91) when the license plate (91) is delimited by the at least one lower fastening element (2) and the at least two upper fastening elements (3) in the installation space (15), such that the at least one second elastic element (5) is elastically deformed and elastically biases the license plate (91) forward and away from the base wall (11).The license plate fastening device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one second elastic member (5) includes a plurality of second elastic members (5), and the plurality of second elastic members (5) are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.The license plate fastening device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising at least two side fastening members (6) disposed on the base wall (11), spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and adapted to abut on two opposite sides of the license plate (91) to confine the license plate (91) in the installation space (15), wherein each of the at least two side fastening members (6) includes a pivot portion (61) elastically pivotable relative to the base wall (11) in the front-rear direction, and an abutting portion (62) extending forward from the pivot portion (61) and adapted to abut on each of the opposite sides of the license plate (91), the front-rear direction being perpendicular to the left-right direction.The license plate fastening device according to claim 6, wherein the at least two side fastening members (6) form a plurality of pairs, for each of the plurality of pairs, the abutment portions (62) are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction by an abutment distance, the abutment distance between the abutment portions (62) of the side fastening members (6) in each of the plurality of pairs of side fastening members (6) is different from the abutment distance between the abutment portions (62) of the side fastening members (6) in at least another one of the plurality of pairs of side fastening members (6), and when the abutting distance between the abutting portions (62) of the side fasteners (6) in one of the plurality of pairs is smaller than a width of the license plate (91) in the left-right direction, and when the license plate (91) is limited by the at least one lower fastener (2) and the at least two upper fasteners (3) in the installation space (15), the abutting portions (62) of the side fasteners (6) in the one of the plurality of pairs are adapted to be pushed rearward by the license plate (91), so that the pivoting portions (61) of the side fasteners (6) in the one of the plurality of pairs are elastically deformed and pivot rearward relative to the base wall (11).The license plate fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the upper receptacle (13) defines a receiving space (131) and is formed at its lower side with a plurality of light holes (132), the plurality of light holes (132) being spatially communicated with the receiving space (131) and the installation space (15), and the license plate fixing device further comprises a lighting module (7) disposed in the receiving space (131) of the upper receptacle (13) and operable to generate light traveling downward through the plurality of light holes (132).The license plate mounting device according to claim 8, wherein the lighting module (7) includes a lighting element (71) extended in one direction and operable to generate light, a signal cable (72) electrically coupled to the lighting element (71) and adapted to transmit an electric signal, and a plurality of wire frames (73) disposed on the lighting element (71), spaced apart from each other in the direction and serving to install the signal cable (72), and the upper receptacle (13) is further provided with a plurality of cable holes (133) spatially communicating with the receiving space (131) and an external environment and serving to allow the signal cable (72) to extend therethrough.The license plate fastening device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the base wall (11) has two grooves (111) recessed from a front surface thereof and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and two slits (112) passing through the wall in the front-rear direction.