Description

Technical Field

The present invention finds its application in the technical field of the roofing systems and has particularly for object a cover box for cars.

State of the art

As known, in those places wherein a masonry garage is not available to allow car housing, it is often possible to use special boxes adapted to be placed on the ground in areas adjacent to buildings without requiring masonry works.

These boxes, usually in metal sheet or wood, are generally characterized by forcing the driver to get off the vehicle directly inside the box once the vehicle has been parked in, resulting in the driver having to walk inside its.

As a consequence, such boxes must necessarily have bulky structures that do not allow their positioning in all environments, and in particular in places wherein there is not an area of adequate size and significantly greater than the area occupied by the same vehicle. For this reason, similar boxes cannot be located in places such as common parking areas generally available in the condominium area or close to buildings or masonry works in general.

Moreover, the well-known cover boxes for cars usually have an unpleasant shape from an aesthetic point of view and that is not conformed to that of the vehicle.

A further known type of boxes is the one that provide the presence of a folding covering sheet that closes around the vehicle.

However, this box, due to its construction, is fragile and sensitive to weather, deteriorating rapidly over time.

Last but not least, this box offers no protection against vandalism, since it is sufficient to cut the sheet by a cutter to reach the bodywork of the vehicle.

US2008190472 and US2003098054 disclose a cover box for vehicles having an inflatable support structure and a canvas lining. In addition to not providing adequate protection, such cover box has high dimensions and also requires that the driver has to perform several maneuvers to access and subsequently exit the box.

WO2015071531 discloses a box for vehicles having a reticular carrier structure associated with a folding and reclosable structure. Also in this case, there are high dimensions, low security and difficulty in opening and closing.

Scope of the invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome the above drawbacks by providing a cover box for cars with high efficiency and relatively cost-effective.

A particular object is to provide a cover box for cars with significantly reduced dimensions and only slightly greater than those of the car which it is intended to, while at the same time ensuring a particularly comfortable entry and exit of the driver from the vehicle.

A particular object is to provide a cover box for cars which can be located anywhere the car park is normally provided, including car seats in condominiums.

Still another object is to provide a cover box for cars which combines an aesthetically pleasing appearance, which possibly resumes the profile of the vehicle, with a high strength and resistance to weather and vandalism.

Yet another object is to provide a cover box for cars that can be easily installed without the use of masonry and which can be easily adjusted according to the size of the vehicle. Such objects, as well as others that will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a cover box for cars that, according to claim 1, comprises a support base adapted to be anchored to the ground and a covering fastened to said base and adapted to define a space for housing a vehicle and having a rear hatch for entry and/or exit of the vehicle and a first side hatch for the driver's exit.

The rear hatch and the first side hatch are reciprocally connected by means of a kinematism and/or an automatic mechanism for determining the opening of said first side hatch following the opening of said rear hatch.

In this way, once the vehicle is introduced into the housing space enclosed in the cover, the driver will find the side hatch already open and then he may exit comfortably directly therethrough and without having to walk inside the box.

As a result, the box may have only slightly larger dimensions than the car to be protected because it will not be necessary to provide additional volume to allow the driver to walk. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are obtained according to the dependent claims.

Brief disclosure of the drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in light of the detailed description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the cover box for cars according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the attached drawing tables wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevated view of the cover box for cars in open condition adapted for the entry of the car and for the subsequent exit of the driver;

FIG. 2 is an elevated view of a first detail of the box of Fig. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevated view of a second detail of the box of Fig. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the detail of Fig. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the detail of Fig. 3 according to a particular variant.

Best modes of carrying out the invention

With reference to the accompanying drawings, a preferred, but not exclusive, configuration of a cover box for cars, generally designated with 1, is provided to house and guard any vehicle.

As will be apparent in the foregoing, the box 1 can be shaped according to the shape of the car to be stored so that its inner volume is only slightly higher than the overall size of the vehicle and sufficient to allow it to move within it.

It is understood that the aesthetics aspect of the box, intended both as shape and as surface finish and decoration, does not constitute a limiting element to the scope of the present invention.

From Fig. 1 it is noted that the box 1 essentially comprises a support base 2 adapted to be anchored to the ground and a cover 3 attached to the support base 2 and suitable for defining a space for housing a vehicle.

The cover 3 comprises a rear hatch 4 for the entry and/or exit of the car, and a first side hatch 5 for the exit of the driver.

According to a peculiar feature of the invention, the rear hatch 4 and the first side hatch 5 are reciprocally connected so that the opening of the rear hatch 4 will automatically open the side hatch 5.

In particular, the rear hatch 4 and the first side hatch 5 may be operatively connected to each other by means of a kinematism, not visible from the figures, adapted to turn the opening and closing movements of the rear hatch 4 in the opening and closing movements of the first side hatch 5. The kinematism may be designed according to different ways, with combinations of connecting devices and mechanical transmissions to form a kinematic chain that can be configured according to the needs and without any particular limitations.

Alternatively, the two hatches 4, 5 may be provided with respective automatisms mechanically or electronically connected but always in such a manner that at least the opening of the rear hatch 4 causes the simultaneous opening of the first side hatch 5. The kinematisms or automatic connection may also be equipped with power-assisted electromechanical mechanisms.

Advantageously, the kinematics or automatic connection may be configured to cause the closure of the rear hatch 4 following the closure of the first side hatch 5.

Moreover, according to a variant, remote control means of the rear hatch 4 and/or the first side hatch 5 may be provided for their remote control.

Suitably, the first side hatch 5 will be longitudinally slidable along guide means associated with a side 6 of the cover.

In particular, on each of the upper and lower sides of the side hatch 5 there will be two pins slidable in respective guides.

The side hatch 5 will be sized to leave a gap 7 having width slightly larger than the size of the corresponding door of the vehicle so as to allow it to be opened outward and the driver to exit in a comfortable manner.

The sliding opening of the side hatch 5 will have the advantage of not requiring additional lateral space other than the space normally required for opening the car door, so that the box 1 may also be located in the normal parking spaces for vehicles or close to houses or other works masonry.

In the illustrated configuration, the rear hatch 4 is formed by a unitary body hinged at a top edge of the back of the cover 3 by means of a pair of pins so as to be open by a bottom up movement.

According to an alternative not shown configuration, the rear hatch 4 may be formed by a door or a pair of doors laterally hinged to the cover 3.

According to yet another non-illustrated variant, the cover 3 may also include a second sliding side hatch on the opposite side of the first side hatch 5 and adapted to be located at the exit of the car for the side passenger. Also in this case, the second side hatch may be connected to the rear hatch 4 by means of a kinematism and/or an automatic mechanism for determining its opening following the opening of the rear hatch 4, although according to a variant the second lateral hatch may be equipped with an autonomous opening mechanism, for example of a traditional type but preferably always sliding.

Moreover, both the first side hatch 5 and the possible second side hatch may comprise an emergency opening mechanism to allow it to be opened even when the rear hatch 4 is closed.

In an exemplary manner, such an opening mechanism may comprise an unlocking handle accessible from the inside and in such a position as not to require the opening of the door, but accessible, for example, through the window.

Fig. 2 shows with more detail the support base 2, that can be anchored to the ground, by traditional fixing means, such as removable bolts or similar fixing members, and that may be an element distinct from the cover 3 or unitary therewith.

From Fig. 3 it is noted that, according to a further particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, the box 1 comprises a positioning element 8 of the vehicle adapted to be placed over the base 2 and comprising a pair of longitudinal and parallel guides 9 each defining a rolling track for the wheels of the vehicle.

The positioning element 8 may be a body unitary with the base 3 or be fastened thereto by fixing means of the screw type, bolt type or the like.

The guides 9 may be adjustable in their transverse distance d to fit the transverse distance between the wheels of the vehicle.

According to a first configuration, shown in more detail in Fig. 4, the guides 9 have a concave section so as to form an invitation for wheels that will tend to follow the groove of the guides 9.

Fig. 5 shows a second configuration of the guides 9, wherein each of which comprises a pair of longitudinal tubes 10 parallel to each other and transversally offset to define a respective rolling track.

However, further configurations for the guides 9 may be provided without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, the positioning element 8 will also comprise a front end-stroke limiter 11 positioned transversely with respect to the guides 9 to define a stop for the advancing of the front wheels of the vehicle.

The end-stroke limit 11 may also be adjustable in its longitudinal position to fit the size of the vehicle and allow the vehicle to stop at the proper distance so that the door corresponds with the side hatch 5 of the driver.

In a not shown variant, the cover 3 may be provided with one or more ventilation grids provided with a filter, preferably but not necessarily disposed on the rear and front sides, which will have the task of allowing air circulation to eliminate or at least reduce condensation.

The box 1 may also be equipped with means for forced air circulation within the space for housing the vehicle and/or for dehumidifying such space.

In order to make the box 1 completely autonomous, it may include electrical power means selected in the group comprising the means powered by renewable energies, such as solar panels, and optionally equipped with a buffer battery, for powering automation, servomechanisms and means for the forced circulation of air or for dehumidification. The cover 3 may be a monocoque shell made of plastic material, such as ABS or fiberglass, or metallic material printable and suitable for resisting to accidental or vandalism, and to provide the vehicle with adequate protection against atmospheric agents.

The cover 3 may be painted with colors or silkscreen or films so that the plastics or metals that make it can be protected from U.V.A rays and corrosion. These paintings may have such a look as to harmonize the box with urban furniture or according the creativity of the designer.

In use, when the driver open the rear hatch 4, manually or remotely by an electrically powered servomotor, this will automatically operate the first side hatch 5, and possibly the second side hatch, which will be opened by lateral sliding.

The driver will slowly introduce the car and as soon as he has felt that the wheels are bound by the guides 9, he will leave the steering wheel and make the vehicle to advance until the front wheels meet the front end- stroke limiter 11 on the guides 9. At the end of the internal movement of the vehicle the driver door will match with the side opening 7 left uncovered by the side hatch 5. At this point, the driver will open the car door, which, being smaller than the side opening 7, will have no trouble in lying outside the box 1 so that the driver with a single exit movement will exit both from the car and from the box.

Next, the driver will first close the car door and then the side hatch 5 which, with the aforementioned automation, will also close the rear hatch 4, thus completing the parking maneuver.

The cover box for cars according to the invention is subject to numerous modifications and variations, all of which fall within the inventive concept expressed in the appended claims. All details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements, and the materials and tools may be different according to the needs without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Although the cover box for cars has been disclosed with particular reference to the attached figures, the reference numbers used in the description and claims are used to improve the intelligence of the invention and do not constitute any limitation to the claimed scope.