29/100,789, filed February 19,1999.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention pertains to the field of motor vehicle accessories and, in particular, to sun-visor attachments.

Description of the Prior Art The only apparatus provided in conventional motor vehicles for protecting occupants from direct sunlight and glare is the sun visor. Attached to the windshield frame directly above the face of front-seat passengers, sun visors consist essentially of pivotable slats that can be positioned to shield direct sunlight within a limited range of motion. Because of their limited reach, sun visors are usually not sufficient to protect from direct sunlight, especially at sunrise and sunset. Thus, people have been active in developing other devices for improving glare control in motor vehicles ever since carriages have existed. Protection has come in many forms, ranging from filtering coatings on glass panels to fashionable drapery hanging from the interior of the passenger compartment.

In particular, many inventions have been disclosed based on the concept of extending the function of sun visors by attaching screens and similar extensions to them.

For example, U. S. Patents No. 4,690,451, No. 4,792,176, No. 5,445,427, No. 5,466,029, and No. 5,470,122 all

describe sun-visor attachments based on the idea of providing extendible portions to enlarge the area of protection from glare. Other inventions describe visors with multiple, adjustable components adapted to cover large portions of a vehicle's windshield and window,-as might become appropriate for particular driving or parking conditions.

These devices are designed only for the purpose of protecting a driver or passenger from glare while sitting in a vehicle. They consist of self-contained units, not suitable for after-market sale as attachments for conventional sun visors. Inasmuch as they include multiple components operating cooperatively to perform a variety of functions, they are also relatively complex to manufacture and tend to require several pieces of hardware for attachment to the interior of the vehicle. Therefore, these prior-art extendible sun visors generally do not conform with the style of a conventional vehicle's interior and detract from its aesthetic value. Therefore, there is still a need for a simple and aesthetically attractive device that can be put in service with minimal work as an attachment for standard sun visors.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One objective of this invention is a sun-visor extension that is appropriate for use on a variety of vehicles, and is thereby particularly suitable for after-market sales and applications.

Another objective of the invention is a sun-visor extension that can be installed to service with a simple reversible operation.

Another goal of the invention is a detachable extension

that does not require the use of hardware for affixation to a sun visor.

According to another aspect of the invention, yet another objective is an extension with a structure that provides a substantially flat and uniform surface that can be used advantageously for advertisements when mounted on a sun visor.

Accordingly, another object of the invention is a novel method of advertising and promotion that is particularly suited for political candidates and issue campaigns.

A final objective is the easy and economical manufacture of the sun-visor extension according to the above stated criteria. This is achieved by using conventional processes of manufacture and materials, modified only to the extent necessary to fit the requirements of the invention.

Therefore, according to these and other objectives, the present invention consists of an open-ended opaque sleeve frictionally mounted on a conventional sun visor. The sleeve is manufactured, preferably by extrusion, as a tubular structure of polypropylene material with an elongated cross-section conforming to the geometry of a conventional sun visor. In the preferred embodiment, the sleeve is about as long as the sun visor for which it is intended and is sufficiently large to sheathe it. The sleeve is mounted simply by sliding it over the sun visor as a removable attachment. The inward curvature of the sleeve's sides that typically results from the manufacturing process provides a resilient frictional engagement of the sleeve with the sun visor which permits its extension and retraction along the visor's longitudinal direction as needed for adjustable use. The material used for the sleeve can be selected in various

grades of opacity to provide the desired level of protection from direct sunlight and glare. In addition, this extendible attachment can be used to carry advertisements and other commercial insignia, thereby providing additional utility and function. The invention is suitable for adaptation to any existing vehicle, including boats and airplanes.

Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear from its description in the specifications that follow and from the novel features particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Therefore, to the accomplishment of the objectives described above, this invention consists of the features hereinafter illustrated in the drawings, fully described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments and particularly pointed out in the claims. However, such drawings and description disclose only some of the various ways in which the invention may be practiced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the extendible sun-visor attachment of this invention in the form of a sleeve.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the sun-visor attachment of Fig. 1 after it has been installed on the sun visor of a vehicle.

Fig. 3 is the attachment of Fig. 2 shown extracted from the sun visor.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the sleeve of the invention seen in Figs. 1-3.

Fig. 5 is a view of the sleeve of the invention seen installed on a sun visor from the front of a vehicle to illustrate advertising material printed thereon.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the sleeve of the invention having a closed end.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention consisting of the sleeve of Fig. 6 with a knob for sliding the sleeve in and out of a sun visor.

Fig. 8 is a top view of the sleeve of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the invention consisting of the sleeve of Fig. 6 with a handle protruding outward for sliding the sleeve in and out of a sun visor.

Fig. 10 is a top view of the sleeve of Fig. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention consists of the application of simple mechanical principles in combination with known structural components to achieve a practical and economical design for an improved sun-visor attachment. The main point of the invention lies in the recognition of the fact that an extendible sun-visor shade can be provided simply by mounting a slidable sleeve over the visor. This can be achieved as an after-market retrofit and without hardware connections, rendering the invention easy to install and transferable between vehicles.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated throughout with like numerals and symbols, Fig.

1 illustrates in perspective view the preferred embodiment

of an extendible sun-visor sheath or sleeve 10 according to the invention. Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate the sleeve 10 as it appears slidably mounted on a conventional vehicle's sun visor 12, the sleeve being partially extracted in Fig.

3 to increase the area of shading provided by the visor.

The sleeve 10 consists of a flattened tubular structure with a substantially oblong cross-section sized to fit around the sun visor for which it is intended. For the purposes of this invention,"tubular"is defined as hollow and elongated, with a cross-section defining a closed structure of any shape. The sleeve is made of a rigid resilient material suitable for frictional connection to the sun visor 12. The length and cross-sectional dimensions of the sleeve are selected such that it covers a large portion of the sun visor and is frictionally engaged thereby. Thus, as the sleeve 10 is extended or retracted with respect to the sun visor 12, the sleeve remains firmly attached to it.

In order to provide the frictional engagement required to practice the invention without additional hardware connecting the sleeve 10 to the visor 12, the two larger substantially parallel side panels 14 of the sleeve are curved inward so as to provide a convex surface facing the interior of the sleeve. As more clearly seen in the side view of Fig. 4, the converging regions 16 in the middle of the panels 14 are thus separated by a smaller distance than the lateral regions 18, thereby creating a narrower opening for engaging the sun visor 12 so long as the visor is sufficiently thick. Obviously, the sleeve 10 must have a cross-section defining an area with a height H and top and bottom widths W greater than the height and width, respectively, of the visor for which the sleeve is intended, and with an intermediate width M narrower than that of the visor. The length of the sleeve must be sufficient to leave an anchoring segment connected to the

sun visor 12 when the sleeve is extended to its full desired range.

In the preferred embodiment, designed to meet the sun- visor dimensions of a great variety of vehicles, the sleeve 10 consists of an extruded polypropylene structure about 0.3 mm thick and about 35.5 cm long; its cross- section, shaped approximately like an elongated pinched oval (Fig. 3), is about 27 cm high, and 1.6 cm and 0.63 cm wide at its widest and narrowest points, respectively. I found that the mechanical stresses produced on the sleeve by the extrusion process of manufacture result in the inward curvature of the side panels 14, so that no additional forming is necessary.

In operation, the sleeve 10 of the invention is installed on a motor vehicle's sun visor simply by sliding it over the visor to the desired position, such as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. The inner regions 16 of the sleeve will provide the pressure necessary to keep the sleeve in place at any extended position within the desired range. Thus, the sleeve of the invention can be easily installed, adjusted for use, and removed at will. The material used and its coloration can vary to provide the desired degree of opacity and darkness, depending on the intended use.

Polypropylenes, polyethylenes, and polyvinyl acetates have all been found to be suitable materials for the invention, all being available with the right optical and stiffness characteristics to frictionally engage a typical vehicle sun visor. It is not expected that the sleeve 10 will be used as a transparent shade with acceptable optical properties for through sight, although that could be attained by appropriately controlling the quality of transmissivity of the material. Rather, the sleeve of the invention is intended primarily for use as a shade.

According to another aspect of the invention, the outer

surface of the panels 14 can be used advantageously for advertising and other promotional purposes. For example, political slogans, social statements, election candidate names, tributes to sports figures and teams, and the like could be printed on one or both sides, thereby exposing one's message of choice to the public at all times while using the sun-visor attachment of the invention. This additional feature has particular commercial importance because it transforms the sleeve of the invention from a simple motor-vehicle accessory to a promotional device with much greater appeal and market potential. For example, during times of national political campaigns, the sleeve of the invention could manufactured very inexpensively in large volumes and handed out with a message, such as"Vote for My Candidate,"as illustrated in Fig. 5, in the same way that election buttons used to be distributed to the public. By the very nature of the object, it would remain in public view at all times, if used as a sun-visor attachment, and therefore provide both intended functions.

It is clear that the concept of this disclosure can be embodied in a variety of different ways within the scope of the invention. For example, another embodiment 20 with a closed end 22 is illustrated in Fig. 6. An embodiment 30 with a knob 32 to facilitate the process of sliding the sleeve over the sun visor is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. An embodiment 40 with a terminal handle 42 extending from the closed end 22 of the sleeve, also provided as a device for handling the sleeve in operation, is illustrated in Figs.

9 and 10. It is clear that other forms of handles can be combined in equivalent manner with the sleeves 10 and 20 of the invention, or with other embodiments having the same functional characteristics, to assist a user slide the sleeve in and out of a sun visor.

Various changes in the details and materials that have

been described may be made by those skilled in the art within the principles and scope of the invention herein illustrated and defined in the appended claims.

Therefore, while the present invention has been shown and described herein in what is believed to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures can be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims, so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus and methods.