Patent attributes
A vehicle article carrier having a pair of cross bars that can be positioned in a stowed, position, resting on or adjacent to a corresponding pair of side rails, or moved into an operative position with the cross bars extending perpendicularly between the side rails. When the cross bars are in the stowed position, the apparatus presents a significantly more aerodynamic structure that helps to reduce wind noise when the vehicle on which the apparatus is mounted is being driven. The cross bars can be quickly moved into the operative position via a latching mechanism disposed at end that can be released from a securing portion of one side rail and re-attached to a securing portion of the other side rail. Various embodiments are presented with different latching and pivoting mechanisms.
