US3003149A - Replacement antenna - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 3, 1961 J. GRASHOW 3,003,149

REPLACEMENT ANTENNA Filed April 5, 1958 l NVENTOR JZJEP/l awr O 40.2, flaw/W ATTORN United States Patent 3,003,149 REPLACEMENT ANTENNA Joseph Grashow, Brooklyn, N.Y., assiguor to Quickmount Manufacturing Co. Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 726,257 2 Claims. (Cl. 343-715) This invention relates to an improved replacement antenna for automobiles and the like.

An object of this invention is to provide in a replacement antenna an improved mounting arrangement having greater strength and greater ease in installation than previous antennas of this kind.

Another object is to provide a replacement antenna which has the appearance of original equipment and which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and very easy to install.

These and other objects will in part be understood from and in part pointed out in the description given hereinafter.

Automobile antennas are extremely vulnerable to damage from wind, vibration, rust or corrosion due to water exposure, or collisions with trees, garage doors or other objects. As a consequence it frequently happens that the shaft of the antenna becomes broken, permanently bent or so weakened that it must be replaced. However to replace the entire antenna assembly is a time-consuming and tedious undertaking. Not only must the insulating and supporting base of the old antenna be removed from the fender or body of the automobile but a new base must be fitted in place without damage to the exterior finish of the automobile, all this frequently while working in very cramped and inaccessible places beneath the body of the automobile. Accordingly it is very desirable to have some arrangement for replacing only the damaged shaft portion of the antenna without having to remove and replace its insulating base support also.

Though replacement antennas have previously been developed, so far as is known these were not wholly satisfactory because they were not as strong as the original structure or else because they needed special tools and a skilled mechanic for installing. The present invention provides a replacement antenna structure which can be installed by anyone easily and simply using a pair of Wrenches only. This structure, once it has been installed, has very nearly the look of the original antenna shaft and hence does not detract from the stylish appearance of the automobile. Furthermore, the structure provided according to the invention is very strong and sturdy and does not involve the use of set screws which may because of rusting become practically impossible to remove.

A better understanding of the invention together with a fuller appreciation of its many advantages will best be gained from a study of the following description given in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the insulating and support base of an already installed antenna, the original shaft having been severed and with a replacement antenna shaft embodying features of the present invention about to be fitted in place;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the parts of the replacement antenna showing how they fit together; and

Patented Oct. 3, 1961 FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the antenna arrangement provided according to the invention after it has been mounted on the insulating base of the previous antenna.

The arrangement shown in FIGURE 1 comprises a. replacement antenna 10, embodying features of the invention, and shown above the mount 12 of the previous antenna which it is to replace. Replacement antenna 10 comprises a first tubular shaft 14, the lower end of which (see also FIGURE 3) is supported by the coupling 16. Telescoped within outer shaft 14 are two additional shafts 18 and 20 which can be extended to increase the length of the antenna, as desired.

To install this replacement antenna, the lower end of coupling 16 is slipped over and tightened upon the stub portion 22 of the previous antenna. This stub projects from the insulator support 24 of mount 12, the support in turn being fitted, for example, in the fender or side panel 26 of an automobile and serving to support and electrically insulate stub 22.

The structure of coupling 16 is shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 and comprises a sleeve 30 having an upper bore into which is tightly fastened the lower end of shaft 14. The lower part of sleeve 30 is internally threaded to receive the threaded nut 32, the nut having a generally cylindrical internal bore 33, and having at its upper end the spaced longitudinal slots 34 and the outer cylindrical cam surface 36. Sleeve 30 has a complementary cam surface which mates with surface 36 so that as the nut is screwed into the sleeve the upper end of the internal bore of the nut will decrease in diameter and the nut will, as seen in FIGURE 3, with great force and tightness clamp onto stub 22. Both sleeve 30 and nut 32 have outer fiat surfaces at 38 and 40 respectively which can be gripped with ordinary wrenches to tighten the antenna in place. Thus anyone working with tools readily available can install this replacement antenna in a matter of minutes.

As seen in FIGURE 3, the center of the bottom surface of nut 32 is tapered inward at 42 and the remainder is a flat annulus. This permits the nut to fit flush against insulator support 24 so that a firm, wobble-free mechanical footing is obtained. Shaft 14 is of the same diameter as stub 22 so the appearance and strength of the unit is virtually the same as for the original antenna.

The above description is intended in illustration of the invention. Various minor changes in the embodiment illustrated may occur to those skilled in the art and these can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth.

I claim:

1. An improved replacement antenna comprising a plurality of tubular antenna shafts telescoped together and adapted to extend end-to-end upward, a slender metal mounting sleeve which has a central lower opening and which is permanently fastened to the lower end of the outer one of said shafts, the inner wall of said sleeve adjacent its lower end being threaded and above its lower end being tapered in diameter outward and downward, and a one-piece metal clutch nut threaded into the lower end of said sleeve, said nut having a cylindrical bore of a given internal diameter, the upper end of said nut being longitudinally slotted and tapered inwardly and upwardly and engaged by said tapered inner wall of said sleeve, the bottom end of said nut being substantially fiat, the lower end of said sleeve and said nut having outer faces engageable by wrenches, said nut being fittable onto the stump of a broken antenna of said given diameter and engageable flush with the base thereof, whereby said replacement antenna can be easily though tightly fitted thereupon.

2. The structure as in claim 1 wherein said mounting sleeve has an opening which extends the length of said sleeve, the upper end of said sleeve being rigidly fitted around the lower end of said outer antenna shaft the diameter of which equals said given diameter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Eckhardt Apr. 22, 1924 Stone Sept. 10, 1940 Pomerantz Dec. 28, 1943 Sherman May 3, 1949 Snyder Oct. 1, 1957

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