Sec. 119 (e) to provisional patent application currently pending in the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office having Serial No. 60/157,406 and Filing Date of October 1,1999.

2. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to vehicle covers, and more particularly relates to a vehicle cover and apparatus which occupies minimal space but which can automatically deploy and retract the cover from a storage position associated with a vehicle.

III. BACKGROUND ART There are many settings and circumstances in which an automobile must be parked or stored without the benefit of a protective garage or enclosure. The auto is thus exposed to the elements, and usually suffers from the exposure. Dirt, dust, tree sap, bird droppings, dew, ice snow, etc. may collect on the surface of the auto, rendering cleaning and even driving of the auto problematical. In the summer months, or in areas with arid or tropical climates, the sun radiating down on a vehicle not only degrades the exterior finish of the vehicle, but also makes the passenger compartment quite uncomfortable due to the excessive heat buildup.

To overcome these problems, vehicle covers constructed of fabric or plastic and made to form-fit a particular vehicle have been proposed. These covers may be stored in the trunk of the vehicle or elsewhere in a folded state, and then taken out and spread over the vehicle to provide protection. Although providing protection for the vehicle from the elements, such covers present a number of drawbacks. First, the cover must be manually placed on the vehicle, manually removed, and then folded. Not only is this procedure time consuming and, for some, annoying, it is also cumbersome and difficult for one person to manage, particularly with larger vehicles. In addition, difficulty affixing or aligning the cover into position presents a major obstacle to continued use of the cover.

To overcome these problems, automatically extending and retracting vehicle covers have been developed. Typically, these devices wind the covers onto manually operated or motor driven axles, which result in a bulky spool of cover material which is unsightly and occupies significant and valuable space.

In U. S. Patent Numbers 5,511,845 ; 5,823,607; 5,628,542; and 5,902,003, all to one of the co-inventor's herein, various motorized vehicle cover apparatus are disclosed which store the vehicle cover in a non-spooled orientation. Although perfectly acceptable in most circumstances and under most conditions, additional refinements as more fully set forth below have resulted in a better performing, more compact and efficient product. For example, the continuous-belt protectors of U. S. Patent Number 5,902,003 may, under certain conditions, fail to adequately safeguard against binding of the vehicle cover material while being deployed or retracted. In addition, further safeguards against unwanted operation of the motor are desirable.

It is therefore desirable to provide a convenient, improved, self-storing vehicle cover which is easy for even an elderly, small, or feeble person to use regularly without the usual exertions and time consuming movements required by prior art devices.

IV. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention features a vehicle cover and deployment, retrieval and storage assembly which avoids the aforementioned problems associated with the background art. The present invention does not decrease the storage space within the automobile, provides means for easy set up and removal of the cover, and is substantially hidden from visual inspection when installed. The invention includes a vehicle cover and a cover deployment and retrieval operating mechanism. In certain embodiments a housing adapted to be connected to the vehicle is included. In another embodiment, the cover and deployment and retrieval mechanism is housed with an existing component of the vehicle, such as the hollow interior of a lumber or lumber cover. The housing may be installed to any suitable location such as adjacent to the undercarriage of the vehicle and, if so, substantially hidden from view when installed. The operating mechanism includes a pair of rollers which are drivingly connected to a motor. The rollers and motor are mounted to a frame which in turn is surrounded by and supports the housing. The two rollers are mounted to the frame in parallel spaced alignment.

One of the rollers may be movable relative to the other to allow for folds in and bunching of the cover during deployment or retraction of the cover.

The cover is designed to protect the top of the vehicle as well as the sides and/or windows if desired. It is sleek in appearance and performs the traditional vehicle cover functions. In one embodiment, the cover is constructed of multi-ply medium gauge fabric

including cotton which may include side flaps to cover the sides of a vehicle. The cover is bunched or folded in longwise fashion into the housing so that the housing need not exceed the width of the vehicle and to ensure ease of movement during deployment or retraction of the cover. The cover can be detachable from the system for washing and for replacement.

A handle may be attached to the distal end of the cover for a user to grasp while manipulating the cover, although a handle is not necessarily required for the invention to be used. If no handle is used, the forward end of the cover may have associated with it structure adapted to cooperate with corresponding structure associated with the vehicle, such as a grommet/eyelet and hook arrangement, male and female hook and loop fastening material, or the like.

If a handle is used, it can be attached to a clip connected to the vehicle when the vehicle cover is deployed and in place covering the vehicle. A lock may be provided to secure the handle to the connector so that only the owner will be able to unlock the handle when locked to the front of the vehicle. If a thief attempts to cut the cover off, an alarm can be triggered to sound. In addition, the handle can be manufactured in a bright fluorescent color, such as international orange, so that if a thief tries to take the vehicle by cutting off the cover and disabling the alarm, the bright handle attached to the front end of the vehicle will alert police that the vehicle has been stolen.

The handle is preferably made of a suitable material such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), but can alternately be made of any suitably durable material.

In one embodiment, the housing is made of a high impact composition such as plastic and the housing may be provided in front and rear half sections which encompass the frame and motor/roller mechanism when connected to the frame. The frame and housing are

adapted to be mounted to any location on the vehicle, such as the underside using an adjustable mounting bracket assembly, or may be attached by direct connection to the vehicle without use of a mounting bracket.

The motor is preferably powered by the vehicle's battery, which responds to user commands via a switch, which may, for example but not by way of limitation, be located on a handle connected to the forward end of the cover, or via a hand-held switch such as those commonly found on today's key fobs to actuate vehicle alarm systems and door lock/unlock mechanisms remotely by a transmitter located in the key fob. Generally speaking, however, the switch may be located at any location. The motor drives the roller assembly in either a first, deployment, or second, retraction, mode, and should have sufficient torque capacity to overcome frictional forces between the cover and the vehicle exterior, even when wet. The motor, when attached to a 2 inch drive roller, should operate in an rpm range so as to cause approximately 210 inches of cover to be deployed or retracted in under 10 seconds. This is approximately the time that it should take a person to walk from the front end of a vehicle to the rear end of a vehicle while applying the cover. The motor assists the user in deploying or retracting the cover. When the two rollers are set in motion via activation of the motor, they propel the vehicle cover from a stored position where it may then be guided over the exterior of the vehicle using the handle. Alternatively, only one roller may be driven and the other passive.

In the preferred embodiment, after extension of the cover by the user, the handle is brought into engagement with a corresponding handle connector or clip attached preferably to the front bumper of the vehicle. The clip may be provided with any of the standard license plate mounting bolt patterns provided by virtually all motor vehicle manufacturers today.

When the user later wishes to remove the cover, he or she simply disengages the handle from the connector and engages the motor in the retraction mode by use of appropriate switching either on the handle or elsewhere. In this way the cover is easily retracted back into the storage location.

The dual roller mechanism of the preferred embodiment of the present invention eliminates several of the inherent disadvantages of prior motorized systems. For example, it allows a straight line or folded storage of the cover instead of the much bulkier spool arrangements known in the art. The result is a convenient storage arrangement easily hidden from view. Because of the unique retraction and deployment structure, retraction and deployment of the cover occurs at a constant speed. The rate of movement is the same at the beginning of the operation as it is at the end, making it safer to use than spool arrangements, the retrieval of which increases nonlinearly in speed as the diameter of the roll increases. The twin rollers in the preferred embodiment also give a positive movement to the cover in both directions. Wound systems are only positive in the retrieve mode. The rollers further provide both a cleaning and wringing action to the cover when wet. The cover will dry faster when deployed and resist mildew longer when stored in the housing. The handle forms an extension of the user's hand that is used to draw and guide the cover on and off of the vehicle, and is light and easy to control. By means of this handle, the user never has to touch the vehicle cover, which may be wet, dirty, or both. It is to be understood, however, that a handle is not required in order for the principles of the invention to be practiced.

In one embodiment, the handle includes an activation switch arrangement which, in the preferred embodiment, is comprised of a pair of tactile dome switches. Activation of a first switch energizes the motor and rollers to rotate in the deployment mode, which deploys

the cover. Activation of a second switch energizes the motor and rollers to rotate in a retraction mode to retrieve the cover. Alternatively, a normally off, two-way, three position switch may be used. Movement of the switch into a first, deployment position energizes the motor and rollers to rotate in a first direction which deploys the cover. Movement of the switch into a second, retrieval, position energizes the motor and rollers to rotate in a second direction which reverses the action and retrieves the cover. If the three-position switch is released, the switch automatically assumes a third, off position in which the cover movement is stopped, thus providing a failsafe arrangement against unwanted movement of the cover.

Other switching arrangements will occur to those skilled in the art and need not be discussed further.

During operation of the device, when the cover is generally evenly distributed across the moving surface of the rollers, the first, upper, and second, lower, rollers are substantially parallel to each other. In this position, the frictional driving force of the rollers acting on the cover material is generally evenly distributed. However, when operating the device, a user must normally stand to one side of the vehicle. Depending on the user's position, the cover may bunch to one side of the moving rollers. If the rollers only operated in a fixed parallel relationship to each other, the bunching of the cover material to one side could bind and jam the mechanism. Therefore, to maintain proper alignment and an even driving force along the rollers, a solution which permits relative movement of the rollers from parallel to an off- parallel relationship has been developed.

In a preferred embodiment, the first and second ends of the lower roller are rotatably mounted to a pair of swing arms which may rotate through a given arc independently of each other depending upon the degree of bunching or folding of the cover being passed between

the rollers, or if a foreign object such as a hand inadvertently finds itself between the two rollers. In this way the lower roller is mounted with respect to the upper roller in a manner that provides self-adjustment in the end-to-end orientation of the lower roller relative to the upper roller so as to maintain even force across the cover material.

In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a vehicle cover apparatus comprising: a. a housing adapted to receive said vehicle cover in a non-spooled orientation, said housing adapted for connection to a vehicle; b. a motor driven roller mounted within said housing adapted to frictionally cooperate said cover; and c. a limit switch adapted to disengage power to the motor when a predetermined length of cover has been deployed from the housing.

In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a vehicle cover deployment and retrieval apparatus comprising: a. a housing adapted to receive said vehicle cover in a non-spooled orientation, said housing adapted for connection to a vehicle; b. a motor driven roller mounted within said housing adapted to frictionally cooperate with said cover; and c. a second roller movably disposed relative to the housing.

A still further embodiment of the invention is directed to a vehicle cover deployment and retrieval apparatus comprising: a. a housing adapted to receive said vehicle cover in a non-spooled orientation, said housing adapted for connection to a vehicle;

b. a motor driven roller mounted within said housing adapted to frictionally cooperate with said cover; and c. at least one curved rib associated with the roller adapted to prevent the cover from winding around the roller.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a vehicle cover deployment and retrieval apparatus comprising: a. a space such as the volume within a vehicle bumper cover adapted to receive said vehicle cover in a non-spooled orientation, said housing adapted for connection to a vehicle; b. a motor driven roller mounted within said space adapted to frictionally cooperate with said cover; and c. at least one curved rid associated with the roller adapted to prevent the cover from winding around the roller.

It is evident that there is a need for a vehicle cover assembly that is easily deployed and stored. The background art discloses several forms of self-storing vehicle covers, usually easily deployable and mechanically or automatically retracted for storage, but most of which devices take up unnecessary storage space because they are wound on a spool, the diameter of which increases as more cover material is retrieved.

A significant advantage of certain embodiments of this invention is in the provision of a remote control hand-held activator which permits the user to open a housing door to gain access to the stowed handle when the cover is stowed within the housing and to control the motor in deployment and retraction modes.

Alternatively, the door may be opened by way of a switch connected to the vehicle or cover housing. Still further in the alternative, or in addition, a manual closure mechanism may be used to open the housing door.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a substantially hidden, motor driven, semi-automatic vehicle cover and storage apparatus which easily deploys and retrieves the vehicle cover.

Another object of the invention is to provide a low profile vehicle cover assembly which allows a straight line storage of the cover instead of the much bulkier spool-like storage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vehicle cover roller assembly by the use of which the cover is prevented from wrapping around the rollers.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle cover roller assembly that permits use of a very compact housing.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

V. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the improved vehicle cover apparatus of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the invention.

Fig. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the invention with the front door of the housing open to permit access to the handle.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the invention.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the drive mechanism and frame.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the area of detail shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the opposite side of the drive mechanism and frame to that shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the area of detail shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a rear elevational view of the area of detail shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

Fig. 10 is an exploded view of a portion of the frame showing the door latch mechanism.

Fig. 11 is an exploded view of a handle which may be used with this invention.

Fig. 12 is an assembled view of the handle.

Fig. 13 is a bottom perspective view of the handle connector clip with a handle mounted therein.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged perspective view showing the connection between the rear end of the cover and the housing/limit switch mechanism.

VI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As best seen in Figs. 1-4, the preferred embodiment of the invention is directed to a modular, portable, self-contained vehicle cover and deployment and retrieval apparatus therefor, and includes upper and lower forward housing sections 16 and 18, respectively, rear housing section 30 and rear housing cover 32. A door 34 is rotatably mounted to lower forward housing section 18 and is movable between a closed position shown in Figs. 2 and 4

and an open position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A hand access relief 36 is disposed in the front panel of door 34. The housing preferably encompasses approximately 700 cubic inches.

A motorized roller assembly 10 is sandwiched between upper and lower forward housing sections 16 and 18 and is comprised of left and right substantially rigid frame members 12A and 12B, respectively, between which are rotatably disposed upper and lower roller members 21 and 22, respectively. Roller 21 is comprised of a shaft 23, which is preferably of hexagonal or other non-circular cross-section, to which is mounted at spaced intervals a series of cylindrical upper rollers 25. Roller 22 is likewise comprised of a shaft 25, which is preferably hexagonal or any non-circular cross-sectional shape, having mounted thereto at spaced intervals a series of cylindrical lower rollers 27. The rollers 25,27 define inner surfaces which correspond to the cross-sectional shapes of shafts 23 and 25. Shafts 23 and 25 may have any cross-sectional shape, but preferably have none-circular cross-sections so as to prevent rotation of rollers 25,27 relative thereto.

The roller surfaces which contact the cover 50 may be smooth or may include protrusions or bumps thereon to reduce the surface area of contact between rollers 25,27 and cover 50 to reduce the tendency of cover 50 to wind around rollers 21 and 22.

Roller members 25 and 29 are preferably comprised of a hub of glass-filled nylon covered by a coating of anti-slip material such as 50 durometer Nitril) rubber compound.

Nylon spacers (not shown) may be employed between roller members 25 and 29 on rollers 21 and 22, respectively.

An electric motor 40 is used to impart rotational movement to upper roller 21 through worm gear drive 42 or any other suitable apparatus for transferring rotational motion of the

output shaft (not shown) of motor 40 to shaft 23 of roller 21. In the preferred embodiment, motor 40 operates at 350 rmp with an output of approximately lOON/m.

Car cover 50, which is preferably made of Tyvek (D fabric made by E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co., is connected at a terminal end 51 to a trailer 54 via a releasable coupling 56 such as snaps, hook and loop fastener, or the like. Trailer 54 is rigidly connected to rear housing section 30 at attachment 55, which may be of any construction to rigidly connect trailer 54 to rear housing section 30. The leading end 52 of cover 50 is connected to a handle 210 in a manner which will be discussed in more detail below. Cover 50 is adapted to travel between rollers 21, 22 upon energization of motor 40, which causes upper roller 21 to rotate in one direction and, through mechanical connections shown in Figs. 7-9, lower roller 22 to rotate in an opposite direction to thereby expel cover 50 outwardly of the housing or retrieve cover 50 into the housing.

It has been determined by the inventors that it is advantageous to employ a means for preventing cover 50 from winding around rollers 21 or 22. In the preferred embodiment, this has been accomplished by the provision of upper and lower cages 61,63, respectively. Upper cage 61 includes a pair of longitudinal struts 65,66 connected by a plurality of curved ribs 67, which are spaced apart to correspond to the gaps between roller members 25 in such a way that the bottom most point of ribs 67 are essentially tangent to the outer circumferential surfaces of roller numbers 25.

Lower cage 63 is similarly constructed of a pair of longitudinal struts 68,69 connected by curved ribs 70. Like ribs 67, ribs 70 should be substantially tangent to the outer surfaces of rollers 29 at the bottom most points of ribs 70.

The means for preventing winding may alternatively include a partially cylindrical drum (not shown) having cutouts which permit rollers 21 and/or 22 to extend thereto in generally the same relative positioning of cages 61 and 63.

Rotational movement of upper roller 21 is transferred to lower roller 22 by way of a gear and pulley arrangement best seen in Figs. 7-9. Upper roller shaft 23 has connected at its end opposite gear box 42 a pulley 74 which turns a belt 76 which is mounted to a second upper pulley 78, which rotates upper gear 80. Upper gear 80 in turn rotates lower gear 82 in the opposite direction. Lower gear 82 is mechanically coupled to lower rear pulley 84, which in turn rotates lower pulley 86, which then causes second lower pulley 78 to rotate shaft 27.

Lower roller 22, in a preferred embodiment but not by way of limitation, is associated with frame sections 12A and 12B in such a way that roller 21 can translate radially toward and away from upper roller 21. To this end, guide members 92,94 are connected to roller shaft 27 at the point where shaft 27 passes through plates 90A and 90B of frame sections 12A and 12B. Guide members 92,94 are slidably disposed within corresponding slots 96,98 in plates 90A, 90B of frame sections 12A. 12B, respectively. Guides 92,94 are preferably formed from a self-lubricating material such as Delrin@.

The right most end of shaft 27 is mounted to a right swing arm 95, which is rotatably connected to plate 90B by way of bolt 97. A left swing arm 91 is connected to shaft 27 near its left end, and swing arm 91 is rotatably connected to plate 90A via bolt 93. Springs 102, 104 resiliently bias lower roller 22 toward upper roller 21 such that, in the static condition, outer surfaces of rollers 25 and 27 touch. Since struts 68 and 69 of lower cage 63 move relative to plate 90A, they are connected at the left most ends to a mounting flange 107.

Similarly, struts 68 and 69 are connected at the right most end to flange 109, as best shown in

Fig. 6. Booster springs 103, shown in Figs. 7-9, may be employed to assist torsion spring 102. Likewise, a booster spring 105, shown in Figs. 5-6 may be employed in association with swing arm 95 for the same purpose.

A coupler 110 may be employed, which may be a Buna N Spider model L-050, between gear box 42 and upper roller shaft 23. Referring now to Figs. 2,3,4 and 10, door 34 pivots about a live hinge 120 between the open position shown at Fig. 3 and the closed position shown in Fig. 2. Projecting latch elements 112,114 are connected to door 35 and are provided with transverse reliefs 113, 115, respectively which are adapted to be engaged by corresponding wall sections 121,123 of latch bar 120. Latch bar 120 is slidable along guide 124 between a first, latching, position in which reliefs 113 and 115 are engaged by wall sections 121,123 in which door 34 is maintained in the closed position, and a second, release, position in which latch bar 120 is slid to the right in Fig. 10 so as to cause wall sections 121, 123 to disengage from reliefs 113, Latch bar 120 is held in a position corresponding to the door closed position by virtue of compression spring 128, but, upon the activation of solenoid 130, plunger 131 of solenoid 130 extends outwardly, moving wall sections 121 and 123 out of engagement with reliefs 113,115. Solenoid 130 may be activated by any conventional means, such as by door-mounted switch 145 or by a remote actuator, which may for example be mounted to a key fob or any other suitable location.

Openings 126,127 are provided in lower housing section 18 through which latch extensions 112,114 may pass to engage the latch bar 123.

An RF control assembly 200 is connected to left frame section 12A and is the interface between human administered commands to the unit, power to the unit, and motor 40. In one embodiment, a hand-held RF transmitter, which may be mounted in a key fob, in

handle 210, or elsewhere as desired, is used to send a signal, which may be in the 400 MHZ range, and which is received by a receiver in the RF control assembly. Appropriate signal conditioning circuitry may be employed relative to the various control aspects disclosed herein which will be known to those of skill in the art. In the preferred embodiment, the transmitter is connected to handle 210 and switches 112A and 112B are mounted on the handle as well.

To utilize the device when the cover is stored within the housing, the door 34 is opened by any means such as that discussed previously, whereupon handle 210 can be grasped. Activating deploy switch 112A, causing motor to energize such that rollers 21,22 expel cover 50 from the housing through housing aperture 19 until enough cover has been deployed to place the handle 210 within the curved receiving section 241 of handle clip 240, shown in Fig. 13. In most applications, the housing will be mounted to the underside of the rear of the vehicle, and clip 240 will be attached to the front end, such as the bumper, of the vehicle using, for example, bolt openings 245. However, any other mounting positions are contemplated to be within the scope of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof. When it is desired to uncover the vehicle, handle 210 is removed from its connection to connector 240 and the retract switch 112B is energized, causing motor 42 to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby causing roller 21,22 to pull cover 50 back into the housing.

A limit switch 260, best shown in Figs. 4 and 14, is used to prevent over-deployment of cover 50. A strip 265 of high tensile strength material is used to connect switch 260 to a portion of cover trailer 54 which will cause switch arm 262 to be pulled into an actuating position to disrupt power to motor 40 when cover 50 has been fully deployed. This prevents rollers 21,22 from pulling at cover 50 and possibly tearing or otherwise damaging the cover

or the housing. Trailer 54 should be long enough so that connector section 56 can extend through opening 19 of lower housing section 18. Connecting section 56 permits cover 50 to be removed and replaced by a new one or to be cleaned.

Handle 210 attaches to leading end 52 of cover 50 by a snap-collar 250 as shown in Figs. 11 and 12. Handle 210 is preferably made of a resilient, inexpensive but durable material such as plastic tube 218, all or a portion of which may be covered by cushioning material 219 such as open or closed cell foam. Power to transmitter (not shown) may be provided by batteries 222 housed within tube 218 and accessed by removal of right end cap 219. The transmitter is preferably mounted within tube 218, associated with circuit board 220, and accessed by removal of left cap 217.

A limit switch override circuit may be actuated by depressing switch 290 mounted to upper housing section 16, and if the system is so engineered, simultaneously depressing the deploy switch 112A on handle 210.

A second motor override switch 340 may be used in association with door 34, such as a magnetic proximity detection switch, to cause power to motor 40 to be interrupted at any time that door 34 is closed. The switch is comprised of a pair of sensors 340,342 which, when in proximity of each other, cause an interruption of power to motor 40. When door 34 is opened, switch sensors 340,342 are distanced from each other sufficiently so as to render the proximity switch inoperable. Housing sections 18 and 30 connect to each other in such a manner that they may articulate relative to each other to permit the device to conform to the contours of the mounting area of the vehicle. In addition, drain apertures (not shown) may be employed in any of the housing sections as desired to permit runoff of liquid.

Electrical connectors 342,344 may be mounted to upper housing section 16 to permit connection of vehicle power to control unit 200 and to permit connection of proximity switch 260 to control unit 200 as well. An RF antenna (not shown) is also desirable to facilitate reception of the transmitted signal from the remote transmitter associated with deployment and retraction switches 112A, 112B, respectively.

An aperture may be provided adjacent the left end of latch bar 120 to permit manual movement of latch bar 120 in the event of power loss or inoperability of solenoid 130 to permit the opening of door 34.

The RF receiver receives the transmitted signal and decodes it to determine if the "deploy"or"retract"button is being depressed.

The RF controller will include a control module having a 403.55 MHZ receiver. The receiver will receive data from the transmitter, whether mounted in the handle 210, a key fob (not shown) or any other location. In the event that both a handle transmitter and a key fob transmitter are utilized, the transmitters associated therewith have been assigned different channel numbers as follows:

Handle transmitter button 112A Channel 1 Handle transmitter button 112B Channel 2 Key fob button 1 Channel 3 Key fob button 2 Channel 4 Key fob button 3 Channel 5

When a channel 1 signal is received, the motor drive circuit will supply 12 volts to the motor causing it to turn in a clockwise direction to nearby expel the cover from the housing.

When a channel 2 signal is received, the motor valve circuit will supply 12 volts to the motor causing it to turn in an anti-clockwise direction to thereby retract the housing to the inside of the housing. When a channel 3 signal is received, a solenoid driver circuit in the RF controller 200 will connect the solenoid to ground. When a channel 4 signal is received, an optional #1 driver circuit will supply ground to drive an auxiliary device. When a channel 5 signal is received, an optional #2 driver circuit will supply ground to drive another auxiliary device. If the control module receives a signal from limit switch 260, the motor drive circuit will only be able to drive in the anti-clockwise direction and not in the clockwise direction.

Handle 210 fits conveniently within a handle receptacle 110 formed in door 34. When door 34 is closed, handle 210, being retained by the handle receptacle 110 on the inside of door 34, is protected from the elements as are the contents of the housing. In the alternative, instead of using an RF transmitter and receiver, any suitable arrangement for actuating the various aspects of the invention may be provided, such as by a hard wire passing from handle 210 through or otherwise connected to cover 50 to motor 40. The invention provides a convenient, fully self-contained and modular unit which permits the ready application of the cover to the vehicle and removal thereof and storage of the cover with minimal human intervention.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

VII. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY It is apparent from the previous paragraphs that an improvement of the type for such a car cover is quite desirable for vehicle cover and deployment, retrieval and storage assembly which avoids the aforementioned problems associated with the background art and is designed to protect the top of the vehicle as well as the sides and/or windows if desired.