Device for protection of a vehicle

The present invention relates to a device for protection of a vehicle, especially of private cars and the like, m order to prevent damage to the sides of the vehicle in question in connection with parking vehicles in the form of a row beside each other, an elongate side protection, which is arranged to be possible to be arranged m an extended protection state and m a collected storage state, respectively, comprising fastening members at mutual distance from each other, in order to detachably be possible to be fastened along the desired side of the vehicle, and that the protection comprises an elastic member in order to enable resilient holding function along the side of the vehicle.

There is a great problem with parking damage to cars that are parked m rows laterally close to each other. This applies to parking places such as, e.g., supermarkets and in multistorey car parks but also on board ferries and other places where there is a lack of space. This especially applies when the cars tend to become greater and greater and driver and passengers have difficulties m fending off adjacent cars without striking with doors and damaging both their own and the parked car of the neighbour. Such damage can be annoying to get, and also cost a lot of money to have repaired. There are permanent protections m the form of soft borders, for instance such as is shown m DE 19947417, but these are often not beautiful to see on the vehicle. It will be like going around with fenders on a boat.

US 5,184,857 Al discloses a device for protection of a vehicle comprising an elongate side protection (20), which is detachably fastenable at the sides of the

vehicle by fastening members (50) arranged at mutual distance from each other. The protection is elastic and receives internally therein an elastic thread (40), which can be stretched out from a contracted storage state to an extended securing state, in which the protection resiliently is held along the vehicle in a protection state. On a stretch cord (40), there are threaded a number of elastic tubular protection elements (100, 20) . Internally in said protection elements (100, 20), there is a stiff tube (10) in which the stretch cord (40) is running. The protection elements (20, 100) all the time assume the same length and are not telescopic or compressible length-wise (1) but the stretch cord (40) handles that.

The damping tubes (20) threaded onto the stretch cord (40) can hardly be length-variable since they internally receive a line ferrule in the form of a stiff tube

(10) . Folding is enabled by the protection being m the form of segments (20, 100) in said known protection. See column 10, lines 64-68, and extension is enabled by only the elastic thread (40) being resilient. The mentioned threaded elastic tubular protection cushions (20, 100) have equal length irrespective of how far the elastic thread (40) is pulled out.

Therefore, the mam object of the present invention is primarily to by simple and well working means provide a protection device for a vehicle and which is enabled to from compact closely packed together state easily be possible to be taken out and detachably be possible to be fastened along the side of a vehicle in question and m that connection protect the side of the vehicle against outer damage by the car doors of the neighbour. Said object is attained by means of a device according to the present invention, which essentially is characterized m that the protection is formed of a band composed of plastic or rubber material, which is arranged to in

an active protection state be collected in zigzag shape and in a compressed storage state be collected closely packed together to a pile, contractible by means of said elastic pulling members, by the fact that the protection band along the main part of the length extension thereof is connected with said elastic pulling members and with fastening members supported by the protection band at the respective ends thereof.

According to the present invention, said extensibility and contractibility, respectively, are formed by the fact that there is formed a folded band according to the embodiment, which is shown in Figs. 1-16. Thus, it is essential to have fastening members connected with the proper band to enable at least the extensibility.

The invention is described below in the form of a preferred embodiment example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 shows the protection device mounted on a four-door car,

Fig. 2 shows the protection device mounted on a two-door car,

Figs. 3-4 show the function of the compacting of the device from extended protection state to compressed storage state,

Fig. 5 shows the end portion of the protection device m extended fastening-prepared state,

Fig. 6 shows one end of the protection device in mounted securing state,

Fig. 7 shows a part of one of the line ferrules of the protection device, Fig. 8 shows the side ferrule of the fastening device,

Fig. 9 shows m perspective a parking with laterally parked cars and with the protection m active protection state,

Fig. 10 shows a planar view of a parking with laterally parked cars, one car of which is provided with protection according to the invention,

Fig. 11 shows an example of an alternative fastening member at end of band,

Figs. 12-13 show examples of fastening using such fastening members at four-door and two-door, respectively, vehicles,

Fig. 14 finally shows example of simple fastening member formed of end of band, and

Figs. 15-16 show examples of clamping of such fastening members at four-door and two-door, respectively, vehicles .

The protection is extended m some seconds and attached at the front edge of the driver's door and the rear edge of the rear door. It gives an efficient side protection for doors in, among other things, parking places lying parallel where the space m connection with exit from and entry to a car is very scarce under and the doors (the sides) easily may become damaged of own as well as others' cars. The protection also protects against persons who are walking between the sides of the cars and risk to scrape against the sides of the cars. From covering a part of front wing or fender, doors and a part of rear wing or fender, the protection can fast be pressed together to a small handy packet. The protection is attached by fastening members at the front edge of the front door and at the rear edge of the rear door. The fastening member is kept in place reliably and efficiently when the doors are closed. A glued on washer having a hole constitutes a wear protection for the protection and a through rubber cord, which is provided

with knot on both sides, makes extension and collapsing of the protection simple and efficient.

Below, examples according to Fig. 1-Fig. 10 are first described. A device 1 at a protection 2 of a vehicle 3,

3 ¹ , and especially on that occasion of private cars and the like, which have openable doors 4, 4 ¹ , m order to prevent or at least decrease the risk of damage arising to the sides A, B of the vehicle in question in connection with parking vehicles 3, 3 ¹ in the form of a row beside each other, comprises an elongate band-shaped and/or line-shaped side protection 2, which is arranged to be possible to be arranged m an extended protection state S and m a compressed storage state E, respectively, and fastening members 6, 7 at mutual distance L L from each other. Said protection 2 is arranged in order to detachably be possible to be attached to the vehicle 3, 3 ¹ along the desired side A, B of the vehicle. The protection 2 comprises an elastic member 8, 8 ¹ , which is arranged m order to enable resilient holding function along intended side/sides A, B of the vehicle.

The protection 2 is formed, which is shown m the drawings, of a band 5, 5 ¹ manufactured of plastic or rubber material, which is both liquidproof, heatproof and coldproof. This protection band 5, 5 ¹ is preferably along the main part of the length extension L, L ¹ thereof connected with an elastic pulling member 8, 8 ¹ , which extends along the entire or part the length extension L, L ¹ of said protection band between the fastening members 6, 7. Preferably, the pulling member 8, 8 ¹ is formed of a so-called cord of twined rubber and which extends through holes 9 of the protection band 5, 5 ¹ at regular distances X from each other, as seen along the length extension of the protection band m extended state through the centre of the band.

Said protection band 5, 5 ¹ is arranged to in active protection state S be collected in zigzag shape and m storage state E collected closely packed together to a pile 10 and contractible by means of said elastic pulling members 8, 8 ¹ . This is clearly shown among others in Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

The width of said band may be approx. 10 cm and the thickness may vary between approx. 0,5-2 cm. The length is suitably adapted to different car models. On the outside, the owner may himself write name and/or car registration number so that the protection does not become so attractive to steal.

Fastening members 6, 7, which preferably are arranged to detachably easy be possible to be hooked on around the front and rear, respectively, circumference edge 11, 12 of a door and/or the edge 13, 14 of a wheel housing 15, 16, are preferably formed of ferrule-provided fastening hooks, and where the ferrule is formed of a soft material, such as, e.g., rubber, plastic, textile that protects the enamel from being damaged upon the hookmg-on.

The pulling member 8, 8 ¹ is with one end 8A thereof connected to the protection band 5, 5 ¹ by means of protection ferrule/ferrules 17 in the form of a number of washers against which a thickening 18, 19, for instance a knot of the pulling member 8, 8 ¹ , is arranged to abut m a certain position . Said fastening members 6, 7, which are formed of a number of detachable fastening hooks, are each one kept mounted by means of a preferably protection ferrule-provided rivet 20 and extend preferably with the rear fastening portion 6A, 7A thereof through an arc-shaped slot 21 of the protection band 5, 5 ¹ . Said respective fastening hook 6, 7 is turnable around said mounting rivet 20, such as is shown m Fig. 8.

Said fastening hooks 6, 7 are pivotably mounted supported by the side protection 2, preferably at a distance M

from the respective ends 2A, 2B thereof. Thereby, a turnable loose part 22, 23 of the protection band 5, 5 ¹ is formed and which extends past said fastening hooks approx. 0,3-0,5 m in order to additionally protect the respective side A, B of the vehicle further past the fastening hooks 6, 7 and the engagement thereof with the doors 4, 4 ¹ /wheel housing 15, 16 etc., of the vehicle.

From folded state E, in which the band 5 can be held together by the cord 8 by means of, e.g., a knot thereon or by means of a separate lock member of known type, the band 5 can be pulled out almost to the full length thereof. The advantage of the zigzag-shaped configuration in extended protection state S is that you can reach further out laterally from the respective side A, B of the vehicle so that a better damping is obtained if some one opens a door 104 of a laterally positioned vehicle 103 and that the person who then opens the door 104, earlier can sense that there is a car parked on the side, if this has not been already observed. By pulling the respective ends 2A, 2B of the band, the same is stretched out to the full length thereof.

After hookmg-on by means of the hooks etc., 6, 7 of the vehicle, the cord 8 works as a rubber elastic that holds the band 5 m place, but allows that the hooks 6, 7 are loosened when the parking is finished and it is desired to drive away with the car. Then the band 5 is easily pushed together to the folded storage state E, such as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, before the band is locked m a folded formed pile 10 by, e.g., a knot of the cord 8 in the opposite end 8B of the knot 18. In Fig. 11, a variant is shown of alternative fastening member 150 in the respective end 5 ² A, 5 ² B of the band 5 ² . Said fastening member 150 is formed of a thickening of the band 5", by means of a PVC cloth 151, which is folded around

the respective two ends 5 ² A, 5 ² B of the protection and glued on along the two sides 5A, 5B opposite each other. Between said PVC cloth 151, a thickened portion 152 of a sponge rubber or another elastic durable piece of material is received. For instance, a piece of a sponge rubber wire may work as such a portion.

Suitably, said PVC cloth 151 is pressed together after glue coating using suitable glue against the band surfaces 5A, 5B of band ends 5 ² A, 5 ² B and closely against the elastic sponge rubber portion 152. In that connection, chamfered ends 153 of the band 5 ² may facilitate the compression so that the PVC cloth 151 is pressed together side 154 against side 155 using glue therebetween.

Said elastic fastening member 150 works in such a way that it is clamped on the inside between the frame 156 of the body and the inner frame 157 of the door 4 ¹ at the front edge 158 as well as rear edge 159 of a said door 4 ¹ and works as stop and cannot be pulled out as long as door 4 ¹ , doors 4 ¹ , 4 ¹ in question are closed and m that connection also locked. In Figs. 14-16, the simplest embodiment of fastening members 250 m a side protection band 52 is shown. By means of increased quality of the band 5 , the ordinary ends 5 ² A, 5 ² B of the band can simply work as fastening members 250 by itself. By simply sticking m the ends 5 ² A, 5 ² B of the band 5 ² between door 4 ² and frame 256 and after that close the door/doors 4 ¹ , the flexible band ends 5 ² A, 5 ² B will efficiently be clamped between door 4 ^Z and frame 256 at the front edge portion of the front door 4 ² and at the rear end portion 259 of the front door 4 ^? or of the rear door 4 ² , respectively. Thus, the flexible band 5 ² is pressed together in the space between the same and is retained efficiently and reliably m protection state CS. Opening of door 4 ² and doors 4 , 4 , respectively, entails that the band 5 ² comes loose and

can be folded together again after having protected the vehicle 203.

The nature and the function of the invention should have been understood by what has been mentioned above and shown in the drawings but the invention is naturally not limited to the embodiments described above and shown m the accompanying drawings. Modifications are feasible, particularly as for the nature of the different parts, or by usage of equivalent technique, without departing from the protection area of the invention, such as it is defined in the claims. Possibly, it could be possible to have a connection to the vehicle that enables that it is not possible to space apart the protection from the vehicle without breaking the same. Suitable material of the band may be similar to such material that is utilized m rollable ground sheets for camping use, vα_z. polyethylene plastic/polyethene .