AU2004203542A1 - Protective Panels for Vehicles - Google Patents

Description

PROTECTIVE PANELS FOR VEHICLES Field of the Invention This invention is directed to one or more protective panels that can be temporrily attached to a vehicle, and typically an off-road vehicle, to protect the paintw rk and external parts of the vehicle from scratches. The invention will be described with use of the protective panels on an off-road motor vehicle but it should be app eciated that no particular limitation is meant thereby.

Background Art Off-road vehicles (such as four-wheel-drive vehicles or sports utility vehicle s) are very often scratched as the vehicles pass through vegetation. Especially in couktries like Australia, the vegetation (the bush) is quite rough, and an off-road vehicle is often covered in fine scratches as it passes through the bush.

The scratches can result in points of corrosion to the vehicle, and in any event, tre very unsightly.

It is now common for quite expensive four-wheel-drive vehicles to be purchased primarily for road use but occasionally for off-road use. These vehicles need to be protected against scratching during off-road use.

Some forms of protective accessories are known. For instance, headli ht protectors are known which comprise clear plastic plates that are clipped or screwed around the headlights. Bonnet protectors comprising rigid clear plastic sheets are alto known. Various protecting devices for windscreens are known, these including metal mesh members positioned in front of the windscreen to catch stones etc.

new v clear protec off-ro, some where vehicl condit It is also known to provide a form of paint protection especially for hicles. The paint protection is basically nothing more than a thin coating of aaterial to protect the paint against fading and rub marks. However, the paint ion is certainly not sufficient to protect against scratching of the paintwork in .d conditions.

Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide form of protection to a vehicle against scratching in off-road conditions but the protection can be removed quite easily and with little or no damage to the as the protection is usually not required when the vehicle is in the on-road ion.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

Object of the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide protective panels for a vehicle and es ecially an off-road vehicle to reduce scratching of the vehicle body. It is a further object of the invention to provide protective panels that may overcome at least some of the above-mentioned disadvantages or to provide a useful or commercial choice.

vehicle to the vehicle the do attachi: vehich magne an off being memb confor attache In one form, the invention resides in a method to protect an off-road against scratching, the method comprising applying at least one panel member jff-road vehicle, the panel member being removably attached to the off-road In a more particular form, the invention resides in a method to protect r panels and/or side panels of a vehicle, the method comprising releasably ng at least one panel member to the door panel and/or side panels of the the at least one panel member comprising a flexible member which can be ically attached to the door panel and/or the side panel.

In another form, the invention resides in a panel member attachable to road vehicle to protect scratching of the off-road vehicle, the panel member Iormed of flexible material containing magnetic material to enable the panel r to be magnetically attached to the vehicle, the panel member being shaped to Sto the shape of the part of the off-road vehicle to which the panel member is d.

Typically, a panel member will be attached to each door of the vehicle the side panels of the vehicle which extend in front of the door and behind the Thus, as a typical off-road vehicle will have four doors, two front side on the vehicle and two rear side panels on the vehicle, a typical protective oment will comprise at least six panel members, each panel member being ured to the shape of the respective panel on the off-road vehicle.

Each panel member is typically made of magnetic material to enable it 2agnetically attached.

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panels arrang config to be i Each panel member will typically be made of flexible plastics material, which is thick enough and tough enough to protect the vehicle panels against scratch ing. Typically, the panel member will have a thickness of between 0.5-5 millimetres and typically between 0.5-2 millimetres. The panel members may S comprise substantially rigid panel areas connected through hinge members or flexible

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zones to enable the panel member to conform to the shape of the vehicle panel. This

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may be desirable if it is envisaged that certain parts of the vehicle need to be heavily protected. The rigid panel members may be made of much stronger material such as metal, rubber or engineering plastic. The panel members may be provided with any desirable external pattern or ornamentation which may include raised ribs, dimples, or recessed grooves and the like. While it is envisaged that each panel member will be substantially solid, it may be possible to provide a panel member with a "gridlike" configuration or a panel member provided with a plurality of openings which may still provide sufficient protection against scratching but which can also reduce the weight of cost of the panel member.

It is envisaged that the panel member will be configured to enable door handles to be accessed, to provide openings for radio antennas to project through the panel member (if required), to enable the petrol cap to be accessed without removing the panel entirely, and to enable doors etc to be opened and closed without excessive difficulty. Thus, the panel member may be provided with small cutout portions to enable the door handles to be accessed etc.

In a particular embodiment, the panel member can be made of material similar to that of a flexible "fridge magnet", this material being well known.

Typic ally, the material is made by blending a magnetic powder into a molten plastic resin. The plastic resin may be of any suitable type including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polymer blends, copolymers, and the like and no particular limitation should be placed on the type of plastic material. A rubber material such as natural rubber or artificial rubber neoprene) or blends thereof

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may be used and are considered to fall under the definition of"flexible member".

Typically, a set of protective panel members will be made in respect of each type of off-road vehicle and this can be sold as an aftermarket accessory.

Additional panel members may be provided to cover peculiar parts of the vehicle or additional parts of the vehicle. As an example, there may be provided a 4 protective panel member to protect the wheel guard. The wheel guard will typically

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be formed of plastic material. Therefore, the protective panel member to protect the

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wheel guard may be provided with a portion that extends over the metal side panel of the velicle immediately adjacent the wheel guard to enable the protective panel member to be magnetically attached.

If desired, additional fastening means may be provided. The additional fastening means may comprise clips, releasable adhesive, clamps, hooks, and the like,

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it being preferred that the additional fastening means does little or no damage to the vehicle! If desired, the outside of the panel members may be coloured. The coverir g may be selected to be approximately that of the colour of the vehicle such that wden the panel members are attached, they blend into the vehicle. Alternatively, the par el members may be brightly coloured (for instance orange or red) to provide visual safety.

It is envisaged that each panel member will be configured differently to each other panel member such that the panel members can fit precisely and snugly over the required vehicle panel.

The panel members may be shaped by any suitable means including cutting, shaving, punching and the like.

It is envisaged that some panel members may be formed from different materill and other panel members. For instance, some panel members may be subjec ed to greater abrasion and therefore may be thicker or may be made of tougher materitl. As an example, it may be desirable to have a protective panel member on the ex ernal foot plate, or running board of an off-road vehicle (if one is provided), and this member may be clamped in place as opposed to being magnetically attached,

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as the foot plate is typically formed of aluminium which is nonmagnetic.

In use, a set of panels can be stored in the back of an off-road vehicle and if the panels are sufficiently flexible, it is envisaged that the panels may also be rolled mand placed in a tube. When required, the panels can be magnetically attached to 3 0 the respective part of the off-road vehicle and a vehicle can then pass through the bush with the side panels protected against scratching. When finished, the panels can be simply peeled off the side panels of the vehicle and stored. The panels are envisaged to be rpusable many times.

It is also envisaged that the protective panel system can be used on vehicle other than off-road vehicles should it be required to provide temporary protection. Thus, the protective panel system can be applied to ordinary road vehicles if required, trucks, lorries, motorcycles, other utility vehicles, electric vehicles, water vessels and the like, and it is not envisaged that any particular limitation should be placed n the type of vehicle to which the protective panel system can be applied.

In another form, the invention resides in a protective sheet member attacha le over at least part of a vehicle window, the sheet member having a portion that is substantially clear and which is adapted to overlie the window, the sheet member containing at least one magnetic strip which is used to fix the sheet member to the lehicle. Suitably, a plurality of magnetic strips is attached to the edges of the sheet member. The term "magnetic strip" is meant to be interpreted broadly and no particular limitation should be placed on the term "strip". Thus, the term "strip" is meant to include any size and shape of attachment. Suitably, this protective sheet membir is used on the rear glass window of a vehicle, for instance, a vehicle station wagon Support members may be provided to support the sheet member. The support membdrs may be elongate. The support members may be formed of a compressible or resilie t material such as foam, rubber, polystyrene and the like. The sheet material may b, substantially flexible and may comprise a clear plastics material. A suitable clear qlastics material may be an acrylic material although no particular limitation should be placed on the invention merely by this choice of material. It is found that the shet member to protect the rear glass window of a vehicle finds particular applicition when the vehicle is towing a caravan, a trailer, a horse float etc on unseal d roads where there is a risk of stones flicking of the back wheels of the vehicl e, rebounding of the towed vehicle caravan, trailer etc) and striking the rear windov glass of the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the follow ing illustrations in which: Figure 1. Illustrates a set of panel assemblies laid out on the ground and from one side of the vehicle.

Figure 2. Illustrates the same set of panel assemblies attached to the vehicle.

Figurq 3. Illustrates a side panel being peeled off the vehicle.

Figure t. Illustrates how road stones can break the rear window of a vehicle.

Figure 5. Illustrates a rear window protecting sheet.

Detailed Description Referring initially to figure 1, there is illustrated an off-road vehicle The ve ricle has side panels, which comprise a front side panel 11, a front door panel 12, a rear door panel 13 and a rear side panel 14. Of course, the other side of the vehicle contains an identical set of panels. These panels need to be protected against scratching when driving under off-road conditions. The panels are also invariably made of metal.

Referring again to figure 1, a first set of protective panel members is laid out on the ground and in the configuration that the panel members will be attached to the vehicle (see figure These panel members comprise a front side protective panel member 20, a front door protective panel member 21, a lower protective panel member 22 (which also sits on the front door panel 12 and below the moulding strip 16 which is part of the vehicle), a rear door or protective panel member 23, its lower associated panel member 24, and a rear side protective panel member With the particular type of vehicle in question, the side of the vehicle is protected with a projecting moulding strip 16 and rather than the panel members

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extending over the moulding strip, for this particular embodiment, it has been decided to "split" the panel member into an upper panel member 21, 23) and a lower panel member 22, 24), the upper panel member sitting above moulding strip 16 and the lower panel sitting below the moulding strip 16. Of course, if the particular off-road vehicle does not contain a moulding strip, it would not be necessary to "split" the panel member. Again, in this particular embodiment, two additional small panel members are provided being a lower forward panel member 26 and a lower rear panel member 27.

Figure 2 shows all the panel members attached to the car. In particular, the plotective door panel members 26, 23 are provided with small cutout portions which fit over the vehicle door handle. The front side protective panel member 20 is 3 0 provided with a small opening to accommodate the small indicator Of course, the other side of the vehicle contains a roughly identical set of p el members.

Each panel member is made of a relatively flexible sheet of plastic containing impregnated magnetic powder to make the panel member magnetic and therefo e able to be magnetically attached to the relative metal panel of the road vehicle The panel member in the particular embodiment has a thickness of about one millim tre and is made of a suitable plastic material which is sufficiently flexible to enable it to mould to the vehicle panel while being sufficiently tough.

Figure 3 illustrates the front door or protective panel 21 being peeled off the front door panel and particularly illustrates how easily this can be done.

Figure 3 also illustrates a variation to the invention which is a protective panel 31 that sits over the front mudguard of the vehicle. The front mudgu rd is made of plastic and therefore it is necessary to provide protective panel 31 with portions 32 that can be magnetically attached to the front side portion 11 of the vehicle. To provide additional attachment, once protective panel 31 has been attached, portions 32 can be overlaid by protective panel 20 (see figure 1 and figure 2).

Thus, the panel members can be easily stored in a flat condition or a rolled condition when not required and do not take up much space. The panel members can then be quickly attached to the side panels of the vehicle when required and can also be easily peeled off when no longer required with little or no damage to the ve icle panels.

It is envisaged that the panel members may also be provided to extend over o her parts of the vehicle such as the bonnet, the roof, the boot and the like. On the usual off-road conditions, these parts of the vehicle are not prone to scratching however there may be instances where it is desirable to also have protective panel members on this part of the vehicle.

Referring to figures 4 and 5, there is illustrated a means to prevent breakage of the rear window. Figure 4 illustrates schematically how road stones can be flic ed up from the rear wheels of a vehicle, rebound off a towed vehicle (such as a trailer, caravan etc) and strike the rear window to cause the rear window to be dama ed or to break the rear window. Figure 5 illustrates a flexible clear acrylic sheet membbr 40 that is cut and designed to fit over the rear window. The sheet member is held in place by a peripheral magnetic strip 41 that magnetically attaches to the metal around the window. If necessary, foam strips 42 are positioned to support the flexible clear sheet member 40. The member can be easily peeled off when no longer require' context "compi of intet require limited can be ofthei Throughout the specification and the claims (if present), unless the requires otherwise, the term "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or ising", will be understood to apply the inclusion of the stated integer or group ers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context otherwise, the term "substantially" or "about" will be understood to not be to the value for the range qualified by the terms.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications nade to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope ivention.

Claims (9)

1. A panel member attachable to an off-road vehicle to protect scratching of the off-road vehicle, the panel member being formed of flexible material containing magnetic material to enable the panel member to be magnetically attached to the vehicle the panel member being shaped to conform to the shape of the part of the off- road vehicle to which the panel member is attached.

2. A set of panel members attachable to an off-road vehicle to protect scratching of the off-road vehicle, at least some of the set of panel members being formed of flexible material containing magnetic material to enable at least some of the set of Ianel members to be magnetically attached to the vehicle, at least some of the set of panel members shaped to conform to at least part of the shape of the part of the vehicle to which the panel member is attached.

3. The set as claimed in claim 2, wherein the set of panel members comprises at least a front door panel member.

4. The set as claimed in claim 3, wherein the set of panel members comprises a front side panel member, a front door panel member, a rear door panel member (if a rear door is provided), and a rear side panel member.

The set as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each panel ember comprises a flexible plastic material containing impregnated magnetic powder to enable the panel member to be magnetically attached to the vehicle.

6. The set as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a door panel member is provided with an opening to enable the door handle to be operated when the panel member is attached to the door panel.

7. A method to protect the door panels and/or side panels of a vehicle, the method comprising releasably attaching at least one panel member to the door panel and/o side panels of the vehicle, the at least one panel member comprising a flexible mem er which can be magnetically attached to the door panel and/or the side panel.

8. A panel member to protect the glass of a vehicle, and particularly the rear v indow of a vehicle, the panel member comprising a substantially clear flexible sheet member which is adapted to extend substantially over the glass, and at least one magn tic strip to attach the sheet member magnetically to the vehicle.

9. The panel member as claimed in claim 8, including at least one foam strip vhich contacts and supports the sheet member when the sheet member is on the vehicle glass. A panel member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the illustrations. Dated this 3 rd day of August 2004 Paul Andrew DOHERTY By his Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.