How Bicycle Racks Keep Their Lights Visible While Moving
A bicycle rack that keeps its lights pointed backward whether the rack is folded up against the car or lowered to carry bikes.
Original patent title: “Equipment rack with lighting”
A bicycle rack that keeps its lights pointed backward whether the rack is folded up against the car or lowered to carry bikes. Granted to Kuat Innovations LLC in 2024 with 19 claims and 1 forward citation.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a bicycle rack for vehicles that includes built-in lights, such as brake or turn signals. The key innovation is that the light housing is fixed to the rack's support member in a way that it never needs to be manually adjusted. Because of the specific lens design and mounting, the light remains visible to drivers behind the car regardless of whether the rack is in its 'operational' position (carrying bikes) or its 'stowed' position (folded up against the vehicle). The wiring for these lights is tucked inside the rack's frame to protect it from weather and damage.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover racks where the user must manually rotate or reposition the light housing when folding the rack.
- Does not cover lighting systems that rely on external, removable light bars that are not integrated into the rack's support structure.
- Does not cover racks that lack a pivoting mechanism for moving between stowed and operational configurations.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
By using a lens that scatters light across a wide arc rather than a single point, the rack maintains visibility in two different rack positions without any moving parts or manual adjustments.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Kuat Piston Pro series racks
Hitch-mounted bicycle carriers with integrated LED lighting
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Safety is a major concern for vehicle-mounted racks, as they often block the car's original tail lights. This design ensures that the rack itself acts as a compliant, visible signaling device without requiring the driver to perform extra setup steps every time they fold the rack away.
Filed
January 18, 2022
Granted
November 19, 2024
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Kuat Innovations is the primary developer of this technology. Other major players in the hitch-mounted rack space, such as Thule and Yakima, also focus on integrated lighting solutions for safety compliance.
Market impact
This patent reinforces the trend toward 'plug-and-play' safety features in outdoor gear. It helps standardize the expectation that high-end racks should provide their own lighting, reducing the legal and safety risks associated with obscured vehicle tail lights.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a bicycle rack for vehicles that includes built-in lights, such as brake or turn signals. The key innovation is that the light housing is fixed to the rack's support member in a way that it never needs to be manually adjusted. Because of the specific lens design and mounting, the light remains visible to drivers behind the car regardless of whether the rack is in its 'operational' position (carrying bikes) or its 'stowed' position (folded up against the vehicle). The wiring for these lights is tucked inside the rack's frame to protect it from weather and damage.
The clever bit
By using a lens that scatters light across a wide arc rather than a single point, the rack maintains visibility in two different rack positions without any moving parts or manual adjustments.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover racks where the user must manually rotate or reposition the light housing when folding the rack.
- Does not cover lighting systems that rely on external, removable light bars that are not integrated into the rack's support structure.
- Does not cover racks that lack a pivoting mechanism for moving between stowed and operational configurations.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
6/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
13/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$53K – $168K
Midpoint $105K · 15.6 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
19 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Harrill, A., Bowles, J., Kuschmeader, L., & Houston, A. (2024). How Bicycle Racks Keep Their Lights Visible While Moving (U.S. Patent No. 12,145,678). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12145678/falcon-heavy
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Bicycle Racks Keep Their Lights Visible While Moving cover?
A bicycle rack that keeps its lights pointed backward whether the rack is folded up against the car or lowered to carry bikes.
Who owns patent US 12145678?
Kuat Innovations LLC owns this patent, granted in 2024.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on November 19, 2044, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 12145678 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Safety is a major concern for vehicle-mounted racks, as they often block the car's original tail lights. This design ensures that the rack itself acts as a compliant, visible signaling device without requiring the driver to perform extra setup steps every time they fold the rack away.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover racks where the user must manually rotate or reposition the light housing when folding the rack.
Patent monitoring