U.S. patent application number 10/446459 was filed with the patent office on 2004-12-02 for self coiling roll-up car cover.
Invention is credited to Li, Qiang, Li, Xingjian, Li, Xingkang.
Application Number | 20040238089 10/446459 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33451042 |
Filed Date | 2004-12-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040238089 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Li, Xingkang ; et
al. |
December 2, 2004 |
Self coiling roll-up car cover
Abstract
A self roll-up car cover has a built-in spring between
waterproof sheets or a synthetic sheet with a built-in memory to
return to a spiral shape when rolled out of the spiral
configuration and then released. The rear half of the cover has an
end rod and a central opening that allows it to be hooked over a
trunk lock mechanism and kept secure when the trunk is then shut.
The front half of the cover has a lead rope or belt with two hooks
for securing under the hood of the vehicle or any other edged
surface. The tension in the cover keeps it stretched out and the
overlapping portion of the front and back covers maintains at least
a portion of the cover elevated above the vehicle.
Inventors: |
Li, Xingkang; (Worcester,
MA) ; Li, Qiang; (North York, CA) ; Li,
Xingjian; (Anhui, CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Donald W. Meeker
924 East Ocean Front #E
New Port Beach
CA
92661
US
|
Family ID: |
33451042 |
Appl. No.: |
10/446459 |
Filed: |
May 28, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
150/166 ;
296/136.1; 296/136.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60J 11/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
150/166 ;
296/136.1; 296/136.13 |
International
Class: |
B65D 065/02; B65D
085/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An self-coiling roll-up vehicle cover for covering a top of a
vehicle, the cover comprising: a vehicle cover comprising a front
cover and a rear cover each having a built-in tension means for
normally maintaining the cover in a rolled up spiral configuration,
the front cover and the rear cover overlapping in a mutually
engaging double spiral roll so that the front cover and rear cover
are normally biased to roll up together in the double spiral roll
with each cover having an overlapping end and a free end, so that
the front cover and the rear cover are capable of being unrolled
from the double spiral roll with the free end of the front cover
unrolling in an opposite direction to the free end of the rear
cover, the cover capable of rolling up by itself in the double
spiral for storage and capable of being stretched out to cover a
vehicle; a rear vehicle attaching means secured to the free end of
the rear cover for removably attaching the free end of the rear
cover to a rear end of the vehicle; a front vehicle attaching means
secured to the free end of the front cover so that the free end of
the front cover is capable of being attached to a front of a
vehicle; wherein with the vehicle cover in the rolled up double
spiral configuration, the free end of one of the front and rear
covers is capable of being attached to one end of the vehicle and
the free end of the other of the front and rear covers is capable
of being pulled toward the other end of the vehicle causing the
cover to unroll from the double spiral configuration and the free
end of the other of the front and rear covers is capable of being
attached to the other end of the vehicle, thereby covering a top of
the vehicle with the double spiral configuration over a portion of
the vehicle elevating at least a portion of the vehicle cover above
the vehicle and the built-in tension means causing both of the
covers to remain in a taught condition and further causing the
vehicle cover to roll up into the double spiral configuration upon
release of the free end of one of the covers.
2. The vehicle cover of claim 1 wherein the rear vehicle attaching
means comprises an end portion of the free end of the rear cover
sufficiently narrow to fit within a trunk opening on the vehicle
and further comprising a rigid element along a far edge of the free
end of the rear cover, the rear cover being provided with an
opening in a center portion of the free end, the opening capable of
fitting over a locking mechanism of the trunk, so that the free end
of the rear cover is capable of being hooked over the locking
mechanism and the trunk closed with the rear end of the cover
locked in the trunk to retain the rear end of the cover
therein.
3. The vehicle cover of claim 1 wherein the two overlapping
portions of the cover are apportioned such that the double spiral
configuration is positioned on a roof of the vehicle upon attaching
the free ends of the covers to the vehicle so that the double
spiral configuration maintains at least a portion of the vehicle
cover in an elevated position above the roof of the vehicle thereby
creating an air space between the cover and the roof of the
vehicle.
4. The vehicle cover of claim 1 wherein the front vehicle attaching
means comprises a rigid rod attached across a far edge of the free
end of the front cover and a hook means for attaching the front end
of the cover to the front of the vehicle.
5. The vehicle cover of claim 4 wherein the hook means comprises a
cord means having at least one hook capable of hooking onto an
element on the front of the vehicle.
6. The vehicle cover of claim 5 wherein the cord means has two
hooks attached thereto, the hooks having non-scratching surfaces
and configurations such that they are capable of hooking under a
hood of the vehicle without scratching the vehicle.
7. The vehicle cover of claim 5 wherein the cord means has two
hooks attached thereto, the hooks having non-scratching surfaces
and configurations such that they are capable of hooking under a
front bumper of the vehicle without scratching the vehicle.
8. The vehicle cover of claim 1 wherein the vehicle cover further
comprises a means for adjusting the width of the vehicle cover to
accommodate vehicles of varying widths.
9. The vehicle cover of claim 1 wherein the front cover and the
rear cover each comprise two overlapping mating strips of material
with built-in tension means positioned side by side along the
length of the vehicle cover so that the two separate overlapping
mating strips of material are capable of overlapping to a greater
or lesser degree thereby enabling the width of the vehicle cover to
be adjusted to accommodate vehicles of various widths..
10. The vehicle cover of claim 1 wherein the built-in tension means
comprises a series of spiral spring elements aligned in parallel
along the length of the front cover and the rear cover and further
comprising a top and a bottom layer of material secured together
sandwiching the spring elements therebetween.
11. The vehicle cover of claim 10 wherein at least the top layer of
material is a waterproof material.
12. The vehicle cover of claim 1 wherein the front cover and the
bottom cover are each fabricated of a sheet synthetic material and
the built-in tension means comprises the built-in memory of the
material to be in a spiral configuration and to return to the
spiral configuration when rolled out of the spiral configuration
and then released.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of car covers and
in particular a car cover that has a built-in tension means for
normally maintaining the cover in a rolled-up condition so that it
is self coiling and rolls up by itself for storage.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Motor vehicles which are not garaged are subject to the
harsh outdoor conditions including bright sun overheating the
interior and bleaching out the paint job, snow and frost collecting
on the windshield and rear window creating hazardous viewing
conditions, hailstorms causing major damage to window surfaces and
metal painted exterior surfaces.
[0005] Many attempts have been made to provide protection for motor
vehicles in the form of fabric easily storable coverings. Both
complicated and non-complicated means have been devised to protect
vehicles from the detriments of the environment. Namely, the sun,
dust and dirt, and frozen precipitation. The lack of widespread use
of such coverings can be attributed to an inadequate balance of
affordability, convenience, adaptability, and performance to make
them practical for everyday use.
[0006] Simple fabric coverings can be difficult and time consuming
to apply for one person. Also adaptability to fixed antennas is
often not considered. The user who is faced with removing an
antenna to apply a cover is likely to balk at using a cover of this
type on a daily basis.
[0007] Some covering arrangements create their own problems by
changing the outside appearance of the vehicle, even when it is not
in use. This is disastrous for acceptability.
[0008] Most of the prior art in this classification do not attempt
to provide an airspace between the cover and the surfaces of the
motor vehicle. Without an airspace and means for cross ventilation,
motor vehicle coverings do not address the problem of heat and
moisture build-up. Excess interior heat and mildew are the negative
results.
[0009] Without the use of an airspace, frozen precipitation, such
as hail, can damage a motor vehicle even though it is covered.
Furthermore, without an airspace the covering is of no use in
preventing frozen precipitation from accumulating and bonding to
the covering and motor vehicle.
[0010] Daily use of covers means that a few seconds can separate a
convenient process from an inconvenient process. Much of the prior
art falls into the category of inconvenience; making them
unacceptable for the daily user.
[0011] The prior art also lacks an inexpensive solution since they
usually have somewhat elaborate mechanisms for rolling up the
covers if they provide that feature. None of the prior art car
covers provide a self-rolling cover.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,652, issued Nov. 6, 1984 to Gooch,
describes a simple covering mechanism for use as an awning, tent,
boat cover, or the like, and a method of utilization thereof. The
covering mechanism includes a self-coiling continuous sheet of
substantially liquid impermeable material having an upward bow when
uncoiled. The sheet is mounted at a first end thereof and is
releasably mounted at a second end thereof when the sheet is in an
uncoiled position so that the sheet extends generally horizontally
with an upward bow when uncoiled. The sheet may be constructed of a
single piece of plastic heat set in its coiled position, or may
include a cloth covering for ribs that provide the self-coiling
function.
[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,760, issued Mar. 7, 1989 to Lew, claims
a self-coiling partition a partition such as a curtain, blind,
shade etc. employing the self-coiling sheets which play the dual
role of the partitioning medium as well as the mechanism providing
the means for extending and retracting said partition. The
self-coiling sheets that constitute the self-coiling partition may
be a planar plastic sheet of a single or multiple layers in
structure with an intrinsic material property of coiling itself
into a roll. The self-coiling sheets may also be made from a fabric
reinforced with a plurality of the spiral springs providing the
self-coiling characteristics. The self-coiling sheets may also be
made from a double layer of plastic sheet that includes a thin flat
sheet under a tension suprimposedly bonded to a corrugated plastic
sheet with a stiffness under compression whereby the combination of
the tension and the compression provides the coiling moments
distributed over said plastic sheet or double layer structure.
[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,711, issued Feb. 28, 1984 to Lew,
discloses a curtain for the window or skylight, etc., comprising a
plurality of coiling sheets connected to each other in series is
disclosed. One end of first coiling sheet is spliced to an adjacent
end of the second coiling sheet in such a way that the said first
and the said second coiling sheets coil together about the common
axis which is the line of splicing of said two coiling sheets. The
other end of the first coiling sheet is similarly spliced to the
adjacent end of the third coiling sheet. A fourth and a fifth
coiling sheets can be spliced to said second and third coiling
sheets in the same manner and so forth. In the "coiled up state"
which is the retracted state of the coil curtain, the coil curtain
is of the configuration of a series of rolls of the coiling sheets
adjoining each other. When the coil curtain is stretched, each of
rolls of the coiling sheets unrolls and the coil curtain extends
wherein the residual coils of the coiling sheets left after
unrolling plays the role of stiffeners keeping the coil curtain
stretched laterally.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,445, issued Nov. 24, 1970 to Donker,
provides a closure member that comprises a sheet means folded upon
itself along a line approximately midway between two overlapping
portions. The sheet means is prestressed so that it will roll upon
itself around an axis parallel with the fold line with the two said
edges adjacent the outside of the roll. The prestressing of the
sheet means is such that the roll is self-supporting in a rolled
position when it is suspended from one of the said edges. The sheet
means has a plurality of relatively small and evenly distributed
openings therethrough. The sheet means is adapted to be mounted
along said opposite edges upon an access opening of a food
freezer.
[0016] U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,254, issued Aug. 20, 2002 to Todd,
provides a flexible, retractable assembly for use as a door, space
divider, covering or the like. The assembly comprises a sheet such
as Mylar polyester film having a permanent memory set to roll up on
itself or otherwise retract automatically into a coil, accordion,
or other compact configuration. The assembly is adapted to be
stored on one side of an opening and then guided across the opening
to fully or partially cover the opening. The permanent memory set
of the sheet permits it to retract at least partially under its own
force to eliminate or minimize the need for separate rewinding
apparatus. The sheet may substitute for a variety of standard
products including entryway doors, closet, cabinet and shower
doors, screen doors and windows, room dividers, machinery guards
and covers for various items such as florescent light fixtures. The
sheet may be combined with decorative finishes including a tambour
composite structure providing aesthetic and functional
advantages.
[0017] U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,021, issued Jul. 26, 1994 to Todd, shows
a flexible, retractable assembly for use as a door, space divider,
covering or the like. The assembly comprises a sheet such as Mylar
polyester film having a permanent memory set to roll up on itself
or otherwise retract automatically into a coil, accordion, or other
compact configuration. The assembly is adapted to be stored on one
side of an opening and then guided across the opening to fully or
partially cover the opening. The permanent memory set of the sheet
permits it to retract at least partially under its own force to
eliminate or minimize the need for separate rewinding apparatus.
The sheet may substitute for a variety of standard products
including entryway doors, closet, cabinet and shower doors, screen
doors and windows, room dividers, machinery guards and covers for
various items such as florescent light fixtures. The sheet may be
combined with decorative finishes including a tambour composite
structure providing aesthetic and functional advantages.
[0018] U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,858, issued Feb. 4, 2003 to Li,
indicates a spring tensioned roller and spaced tension bar have a
vehicle cover folded in half and rolled around the spring tensioned
roller. The rear half of the cover has an end rod and a central
opening that allows it to be hooked over a trunk lock mechanism and
kept secure when the trunk is shut. The front half of the cover has
a lead rope or belt with two hooks for securing it under the hood
of the vehicle or any other edged surface on the front of the car.
The tensioned cover is elevated above the roof of the vehicle by
the roller and tension bar for purposes of ventilation.
[0019] U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,196 issued Jan. 28, 1997 to Gibbs, puts
forth a system for the deploying and storing of an automobile
cover. The system is provided with a roller assembly that can be
made to be pivotally disposed about the axis of an axle. Attached
to the roller at one end and the axle at another end is a spring
means. The roller assembly has attached to it a full body
automobile cover. The cover having one end adapted to covering and
being secured to the end of the automobile opposite from the trunk,
and the other end attached to the roller. The cover wound around
the roller assembly and the roller assembly is stored in the trunk
compartment of the automobile. The cover can be easily unwound from
and wound back onto the roller with the assistance of the spring
biased roller. The operator can quickly deploy the cover by pulling
it from the back of the trunk over the trunk lid, and over the car,
securing it to front bumper. The trunk can be closed after the
cover is secured to the front bumper, thus securing the system
inside the trunk.
[0020] U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,759, issued Jan. 11, 2000 to Adamek,
concerns a retractable vehicle cover comprising at least one cover
reel and at least one extension line reel disposed within a
housing. The cover reel and the extension line reel are biased in a
retracted position. Each cover reel contains a cover, and each
extension line reel contains an extension line. At least one cover
leading edge extends from the housing, and at least one extension
line extends through each cover leading edge. An extension line
cover stop allows the extension line(s) to extend a cover, and an
extension line end stop prevents extension line retraction into the
housing. The housing is aerodynamically shaped to reduce drag on a
vehicle upon which the retractable vehicle cover is mounted. Each
cover leading edge is equipped with a cover strip magnet that holds
the cover in an extended position. In the alternative, the cover
strip magnet may be adhered to a ferromagnetic strip on the
housing, which securely holds the cover leading edge in a retracted
position. The housing may comprise a housing strip magnet by means
of which the retractable vehicle cover may be removably mounted on
a vehicle.
[0021] U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,016, issued May 29, 1990 to Kastanis,
illustrates a bi-directional protective covering for a vehicle is
selectively mountable on an exterior surface of a vehicle. The
protective covering includes a pair of extendable and retractable,
flexible, sheet-like covering means movable between a full extended
position for covering a selected portion of the vehicle and a
retracted position for storage. Each covering means is coupled to a
means for winding the covering means about an axis and a housing
supports the pair of winding means relative to one another such
that the winding means are closely adjacent and their winding axes
are in substantially parallel relation to one another. Means are
provided for selectively securing the housing to an exterior
surface of the vehicle and for selectively securing the covering
means in their extended positions, to the vehicle to be
covered.
[0022] U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,593, issued Aug. 24, 1999 to McCann, is
for an aerodynamically stable, form fitting, vehicle top covering
system that includes a rectangular shape of fabric attached at
opposite ends to spars. The ends of the spars are secured at the
ends of the vehicle, typically under the corners of the bumpers,
with self-retaining hook and strap assemblies. The spars may be
designed to bend and thus create differential tensioning of the
fabric by tensioning means, causing it to be draped over the top
surfaces of the vehicle in a compound curved, aerodynamic
configuration that does not require side tie-downs in cross winds.
A self-retracting version has small diameter support extensions, at
the ends of a roller spar, which allow extra space for the
increased radial build-up of the cover's lateral seams.
[0023] What is needed is an easy to use roll-out and roll-up car
cover which has a built-in tension means for self-rollup and
preferably one end locked in the trunk and maintains the cover
elevated above the roof of the car for greater temperature control
inside the car.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0024] An object of the present invention is to provide a motor
vehicle covering that uses a process for rapid one-person
deployment and rapid one-person removal with a self-tensioning
means, which normally maintains a spiral configuration, for rolling
up and rolling out the cover.
[0025] A related object of the present invention is to provide a
motor vehicle covering that anchors in the locked trunk while in
use as a deterrent to theft.
[0026] An added object of the present invention is to provide a
means for adjusting the width of the motor vehicle covering, to
accommodate varying widths of vehicles.
[0027] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
motor vehicle covering that creates an airspace between the
covering, the roof and the windshield and rear windows of a motor
vehicle to take advantage of the insulatory properties of air and
prevent damage from hailstones or other falling debris.
[0028] One more object of the present invention is to provide a
motor vehicle covering which increases cross ventilation, in
conjunction with the airspace, that will aid in temperature and
mildew control.
[0029] An additional object of the present invention is to provide
a motor vehicle covering that has a double spiral configuration
centrally positioned on the cover so that it is centrally
positioned on the roof of the vehicle when the cover is extended to
its open position. The double spiral configuration serves to
elevate the protective cover above the vehicle roof surface
allowing the air pocket to affect the interior temperature of the
car.
[0030] In brief, a spring tension car cover has front and back
overlapping self rolling covers each comprising a series of springs
embedded in or sandwiched between a waterproof material or a
synthetic sheet with a built-in memory, which returns to a spiral
shape when rolled out of the spiral configuration and then
released. The rear half of the cover has an end rod and a central
opening that allows it to be hooked over a trunk lock mechanism and
kept secure when the trunk is then shut. The front half of the
cover has a lead rope or belt with two hooks for securing under the
hood of the vehicle or any other edged surface. The tension in the
cover keeps it stretched out and the overlapping spiral in the
middle between the front and back maintains at least a portion of
the cover elevated above the vehicle. One person can easily deploy
the device without assistance. The cover is applied by beginning
with the trunk open, hooking the cover's end over the trunk lock
and closing the trunk, next, by extending the leading edge of the
cover forward by pulling the belt or rope, and then hooking the
front end under the hood of the vehicle or any other edged
place.
[0031] When deployed the spiral configuration of the device is
positioned in a central location on the roof of the motor vehicle
with the cover rolled out over the vehicle. The cover unwinds in
both a forward and backward direction. There may be attached side
flaps to cover the sides or a portion of the sides of the vehicle.
The cover has a leading edge attached that has a soft belt or a
rope with two position-adjustable hooks on the belt or the rope,
which can be hooked on the edge of the hood of the vehicle or any
other edged places, such as the bumper or grill. The belt or rope
assists the easy guiding of the cover over the vehicle. The width
can be adjusted by using an overlapping double version of the car
cover. When not in use the car cover is easily stored in the trunk
of the car.
[0032] An advantage of the present invention is the rapid
one-person deployment and rapid one-person removal of the motor
vehicle covering.
[0033] Another advantage of the present invention is to be
difficult to steal when the motor vehicle covering is anchored and
held by a locked trunk.
[0034] An additional advantage of the present invention is that it
has a compact nature and can easily fit into the trunk for storage
and portability when not in use.
[0035] One more advantage of the present invention is to create an
airspace between the motor vehicle covering and car which takes
advantage of the insulatory properties of air to prevent damage
from hailstones or other falling debris.
[0036] A related advantage of the present invention is cross
ventilation enabled by the airspace which will positively effect
surface and interior car temperature and control mildew.
[0037] Yet another advantage of the present invention is the double
spiral configuration which is centrally positioned on the roof of
the vehicle when the cover is spread over the vehicle.
[0038] A final advantage of the present invention is the double
spiral configuration that serves to elevate the protective cover
above the vehicle roof surface allowing the air pocket to affect
the interior temperature of the car.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] These and other details of my invention will be described in
connection with the accompanying drawings, which are furnished only
by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention, and
in which drawings:
[0040] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the vehicle cover of
the present invention covering a vehicle;
[0041] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle cover of FIG. 1
partially unrolled, showing the vehicle attaching means on the
ends;
[0042] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the parallel straightened
spring elements and the top and bottom sheets aligned for
sandwiching the springs therebetween;
[0043] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the straightened vehicle
cover having the parallel flattened spring elements sandwiched
between the top and bottom sheets;
[0044] FIG. 3C is a perspective view of the vehicle cover having
the parallel flattened spring elements sandwiched between the top
and bottom sheets in the normally rolled spiral configuration;
[0045] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a rear cover in a
straightened configuration and a spiral configuration showing the
free end being pulled to the right;
[0046] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of a front cover and a rear
cover in a straightened configuration and a double spiral
configuration showing the free end of the front cover being pulled
to the left and the free end of the rear cover being pulled to the
right;
[0047] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a double front cover and a
double rear cover in a straightened configuration and a double
spiral configuration showing the free ends of the double front
cover being pulled to the left and the free ends of the double rear
cover being pulled to the right, the double covers being adjustable
in width.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0048] In FIGS. 1 and 2 a self-coiling self-tensioned roll-up
vehicle cover 20 for covering a top of a vehicle 30 is provided.
The device comprises a vehicle cover 20 that has a front cover 20F
and a rear cover 20B each with a built-in tension means for
normally maintaining the cover 20 in a rolled up spiral
configuration 19.
[0049] When the vehicle cover 20 is in the rolled up double spiral
configuration 19 (shown in FIG. 2), the free end of one of the
front 20F and rear covers 20B is capable of being attached to one
end of the vehicle 30 and the free end of the other of the front
20F and rear covers 20B is capable of being pulled toward the other
end of the vehicle 30 causing the cover 20 to unroll from the
double spiral configuration 19. The free end of the other of the
front 20F and rear covers 20B is capable of being attached to the
other end of the vehicle 30, thereby covering a top of the vehicle
30. The two overlapping portions 20F and 20B of the cover 20 are
apportioned such that the double spiral configuration 19 is
positioned on a roof of the vehicle 30 upon attaching the free ends
of the covers 20F and 20B to the vehicle so that the double spiral
configuration 19 maintains at least a portion of the vehicle cover
20 in an elevated position above the roof of the vehicle 30 thereby
creating an air space between the cover and the roof of the
vehicle, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0050] The built-in tension means causes both of the covers 20F and
20B to remain in a taught condition and further causes the vehicle
cover 20 to roll up into the double spiral configuration 19 upon
release of the free end of one of the covers 20F and 20B. The front
cover 20F and the bottom cover 20B are each fabricated of a sheet
synthetic material and the built-in tension means comprises the
built-in memory of the material to be in a spiral configuration 19
and to return to the spiral configuration 19 when rolled out of the
spiral configuration 19 and then released. The front cover 20F and
rear cover 20B overlap in a mutually engaging double spiral roll 19
so that the front cover 20F and rear cover 20B are normally biased
to roll up together in the double spiral roll 19 with each cover
20F and 20B having an overlapping end and a free end. The front
cover 20F and the rear cover 20B are capable of being unrolled from
the double spiral roll 19 with the free end of the front cover 20F
unrolling in an opposite direction to the free end of the rear
cover 20B. The cover 20 is capable of rolling up by itself into the
double spiral configuration 19 for storage and capable of being
stretched out to cover a vehicle 30, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0051] The car cover also comprises a rear vehicle attaching means
secured to the free end of the rear cover 20B for removably
attaching the free end of the rear cover 20B to a rear end of the
vehicle 30, as shown in FIG. 1. The rear vehicle attaching means
comprises an end portion of the free end of the rear cover 20B
sufficiently narrow to fit within a trunk opening on the vehicle
30. The rear vehicle attaching means further comprising a rigid
element 25, such as a rigid rod 25, along a far edge of the free
end of the rear cover 20B, the rear cover 20B is provided with an
opening 26 in a center portion of the free end. The opening 26 is
capable of fitting over a locking mechanism 36 of the trunk 33, so
that the free end of the rear cover 20B is capable of being hooked
over the locking mechanism and the trunk 33 closed with the rear
end of the cover 20B locked in the trunk 33 to retain the rear end
20B of the cover 20 therein.
[0052] The car cover 20 further comprises a front vehicle attaching
means secured to the free end of the front cover 20F so that the
free end of the front cover 20F is capable of being attached to a
front of a vehicle 30, as shown in FIG. 1. The front vehicle
attaching means comprises a rigid rod 27 attached across a far edge
of the free end of the front cover 20F and a hook means for
attaching the front end of the cover 20F to the front of the
vehicle 30. The hook means comprises a cord means 28 having at
least one hook 29 capable of hooking onto an element on the front
of the vehicle 30. The cord means 28 has two hooks 29 attached
thereto, the hooks 29 have non-scratching surfaces and
configurations such that they are capable of hooking under a hood
or under a front bumper 38 of the vehicle 30 without scratching the
vehicle 30, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0053] The vehicle cover 20, shown in FIG. 5, comprises a means for
adjusting the width of the vehicle cover 20 to accommodate vehicles
30 of varying widths. In this embodiment the front cover 20F and
the rear cover 20R each comprise two overlapping mating strips of
material 20FA/20RA and 20FB/20RB with built-in tension means
positioned side by side along the length of the vehicle cover 20 so
that the two separate overlapping mating strips of material
20FA/20RA and 20FB/20RB are capable of overlapping to a greater or
lesser degree thereby enabling the width of the vehicle cover 20 to
be adjusted to accommodate vehicles 30 of various widths.
[0054] The car cover 20 shown in FIG. 3, has a built-in tension
means that comprises a series of spiral spring elements 21 aligned
in a parallel manner along the length of the front cover 20F and
the rear cover 20R and further comprising a top layer 22T made of
waterproof material and a bottom 22B layer of material secured
together sandwiching the spring elements 21 therebetween.
[0055] The front cover 20F and the rear cover 20B of the device 20
may each be fabricated from a sheet of synthetic material that has
a built-in memory of a spiral configuration 19. The cover may also
be fabricated with a built-in tension means that comprises a series
of spiral spring elements 21 aligned in a parallel manner along the
length of the front 20F and the rear cover 20R. The series of
spiral spring elements 21 would be sandwiched by a top layer 22T
made of waterproof material and a bottom 22B layer of material,
which are secured together.
[0056] In practice, the cover 20 is applied by beginning with the
trunk 33 of the vehicle 30 open, hooking the cover's end 20B over
the trunk lock 36 and closing the trunk 33. The user would then
extend the leading edge 20F of the cover forward by pulling the
belt or rope 28, and then hooking the hooks 29 of the front end 20F
under the bumper 38, hood or any other edged place of the vehicle
30, as shown in FIG. 1. To remove the car cover 20 a user would
disengage the hooks 29 from the front end of the vehicle 30, hold
the leading edge of the front cover 20F and walk towards the rear
of the vehicle 30 as the car cover 20 automatically returns to its
spiral configuration 19. The user would then open the trunk 33 of
the vehicle 30 and disengage the opening 26 in the rear cover 20B
from the latch 36 of the trunk 33. The car cover 20 could be stored
in the trunk 33 for future use.
[0057] In practice a user could vary the width of the cover 20 by
using an embodiment, shown in FIG. 5, that comprises a double front
cover 20FA and 20FB and a double rear cover 20RA and 20RB. The
overlapping sides of the cover 20 may be overlapped to greater or
lesser degrees to adjust the width needed to accommodate the
varying width of different vehicles 30.
[0058] It is understood that the preceding description is given
merely by way of illustration and not in limitation of the
invention and that various modifications may be made thereto
without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.
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