Protective cover for a vehicle

• US 4,964,667 A
• Filed: 10/24/1988
• Issued: 10/23/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Farrell L. Reis, Gayle A. Helms
• Original Assignee: Farrell L. Reis, Gayle A. Helms
• Inventors: Helms, Gayle A., Reis, Farrell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Robert R.
• Application Number:
  US07/261,261
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 96/95.1, 96/136, 160/370.2, 2/243 B, 2/243 R
• US Class Current: 296/95.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 11/08 for windows or windscreens antiglare equipment B60J3/00

Abstract

A vehicle cover formed from foraminous material having a contour complemental to the vehicle to be covered and provided with a plurality of downwardly depending tethers strategically located and reinforced with wire rod to engage junctures associated with portals on the vehicle. The wire reinforcing has hooked upper portions and knotted lower portions to preclude the removal of the cover once the cover tethers are entrained in the portals.

Claims

1. A window cover kit for vehicles comprising in combination:

cover means including a front panel and a pair of side panels of a mesh material for covering side windows and a windshield of the vehicle that precludes heat and sight therebeyond, a plurality of tethers depending from said cover means and strategically placed adjacent vehicle portals, said tethers including a central core formed from not easily frangible material,

said core and tethers fastened to said cover means,

whereby said kit protects the windows and interior of the vehicle from both visual and thermal intrusion,

wherein said central core is formed from wire material,

and wherein said tethers depend from said cover means along the intersection of a leading edge of said side window and a side edge of said windshield by means of a dart formed from said mesh material of leading edges of said side panels and lapped over free side edges of said mesh material of said front panel, stitching and coupling said edges together, and an upper and a lower reinforcing strip sewn and overlying said dart, said wire interposed between said reinforcement strip and said dart.

2. The kit of claim 1 wherein said wire has a hooked upper end and a knotted lower end and stitching circumscribes said upper and lower ends.

3. The kit of claim 2 wherein a lower most portion of said tether means is not provided with said wire but instead has a doubled over portion formed by folding said reinforcing strip over to provide two-ply material and sewn together.

4. The kit of claim 3 wherein a trailing vertical edges of said side panels include a U-shaped border sewn thereto, and a wire core contained within said border and adjacent a bight portion of said U-shaped border extends downwardly to provide a second said tether means, said wire having a hooked upper end and a knotted lower end circumscribed by stitching and said U-shaped border has a lower most portion below said knotted end which is of two-ply material from having been doubled over and stitched.

5. A device for covering a vehicle'"'"'s window, comprising, in combination:

a windshield covering panel including a pair of side edges,

a pair of side window covering panels each having a leading edge, means for connecting one said leading edge to an adjacent side edge,

windshield tether means fastened to said connecting means and having a free end extending downwardly therefrom,

said tether means including an integrally encased reinforcement element having a higher degree of resistance to cutting than material forming a remainder of said tether means, whereby said reinforcement element will not mar the vehicle yet securely attach the device to the vehicle.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein a top panel is provided integrally formed with said windshield covering poanel and connecting each of said pair of said side window panels.

7. The device of claim 6 including a tether means depending from a trailing vertical edge of said side panel provided with an integrally encased reinforcement element therewithin.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein a trailing edge of said top panel is integrally formed with a downwardly extending back panel, and means for connecting said trailing vertical edges of said side panels to outboard edges of said backpanel.

9. The device of claim 6 wherein said top panel extends rearwardly to a lower most edge of a rear window, and said side panels extend and are fastened to a side edge of said top panel.

10. The device of claim 9 including tether means extending from an area of conjunction between said side panels and said top panel including a reinforcement element adapted to be entrained in a portal.

11. The device of claim 5 wherein said reinforcement element is a substantially elongate wire rod having a hooked upper portion and a knotted lower portion encased with an upper and lower reinforcement strips defining said tether means.

12. A method for forming a cover on window areas of a vehicle or the like to reduce ice formation and thermal or visual throughpassage, the steps including;

tailoring a substantially rectangular blank of polypropylene by forming a windishield panel and adjacent side window panels includng removing excess material substantially in the shape of two triangles from the blank to parallel both the slope of the windshield and the length of the windshield compared to its side windows,

seaming together edges of said blank formed by removing the excess material,

and superimposing on the seamed edged area a combined reinforcement strip and depending tether for attaching near a hinge area of a door of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12 including the steps of forming the reinforcement strip and depending tether from a pair of spaced upper and lower reinforcing strips, sandwiching a wire therebetween.

14. The method of claim 13 including forming an upper end of the wire element as a hook.

15. The method of claim 14 including forming the lower end of the wire element as a knot.

16. The method of claim 15 including reinforcing the wire at upper and lower extremities by stitching.

17. The method of claim 16 including the step of tailoring the substantially rectangular blank of polypropylene by forming a rear panel at a trailing edge thereof.

18. The method of claim 17 including the steps of deploying reinforcement strips and depending tethers strategically along the portions of the cover to engage portals on the vehicle.

19. A window cover kit for vehicles comprising in combination:

means for covering side windows and a windshield of the vehicle with a mesh material that precludes heat and sight therebeyond, a plurality of tethers depending from said cover means and strategically placed adjacent vehicle portals, said tethers including a central core formed from not easily frangible material, said tethers embedded within and extending in said cover,

and, said core and tethers fastened to said cover means,

whereby said kit protects the windows and interior of the vehicle from both visual ad thermal intrusion.