AU2023202467A1 - Hail-Met Inflatable Hail Protective Cover for Motor Vehicles - Google Patents

Hail-Met Inflatable Hail Protective Cover for Motor Vehicles Download PDF

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Publication number
AU2023202467A1
AU2023202467A1 AU2023202467A AU2023202467A AU2023202467A1 AU 2023202467 A1 AU2023202467 A1 AU 2023202467A1 AU 2023202467 A AU2023202467 A AU 2023202467A AU 2023202467 A AU2023202467 A AU 2023202467A AU 2023202467 A1 AU2023202467 A1 AU 2023202467A1
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AU
Australia
Prior art keywords
inflatable
hail
overlay
bladders
bladder
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Pending
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AU2023202467A
Inventor
Alexes Ochavez
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Individual
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Individual
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Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2022901060A external-priority patent/AU2022901060A0/en
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of AU2023202467A1 publication Critical patent/AU2023202467A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60JWINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
    • B60J11/00Removable external protective coverings specially adapted for vehicles or parts of vehicles, e.g. parking covers
    • B60J11/04Removable external protective coverings specially adapted for vehicles or parts of vehicles, e.g. parking covers for covering at least the roof of the vehicle, e.g. for covering the whole vehicle

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Professional, Industrial, Or Sporting Protective Garments (AREA)
  • Motor Or Generator Frames (AREA)

Abstract

HAIL-MET INFLATABLE HAIL PROTECTIVE COVER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Abstract This inflatable protective cover is a modular, two-component accessory designed to provide protection to motor vehicles including boats and camper trailers. The first component of the module is a plurality of inflatable underlay bladders made from heat-welding two sheets of flexible plastic material - PVC, TPU or woven polyester or nylon. These bladders will be welded along the edges and within the sheets to form compartments of air-tight cells. Each separate bladder section will be patterned to cover a specific vehicle surface. Non-returning inflating valve/s will be appended to the bladder/s on one or several points. Separate deflating valves will be appended for ease of deflating. The second component, the overlay, will also be made of flexible sheet of material, preferable elastic in nature, like spandex. This will be cut to fit the size of the specific model of the subject vehicle. The inflatable bladders will be fastened to the overlay. Straps will be added to anchor the whole assembly on all four wheels. CD CD CD 7r CD CDD1 11 0 CD

Description

CD CD CD
7r
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CDD1
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CD HAIL-MET INFLATABLE HAIL PROTECTIVE COVER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES
Technical Field
This invention relates to hail protective covers for motor vehicles with focus on inflatable protective covers for automobiles, boats, camper trailers/caravans and motorcycles.
Background of the Invention
Protective covers were fabricated to help keep motor vehicles parked outside be protected from weathering and environmental materials such as dust, rain, frost and snow. With the vehicles protected from the elements, longer lifespan of the surfaces and internal components are assured. Since these are intermittent protection solutions, these are meant to be portable and as such, are typically folded or rolled up for ease of storage and portability.
Back in the day, covers were made of materials that were available for the purpose, like the one whose patent (U.S. Patent No. 1,728,437) was issued to Mott on 17 September 1929. This vehicle cover was made of canvas. Canvas by nature is tough but heavy and bulky. And these properties pose difficulty and inconvenience during fitting, removal and packing.
Consequently, canvas offers no protection against another vicious element - hail. In fact, none of the later materials can offer enough cushion to protect against the damaging effects of hail, without being heavy or bulky or both. Plasticfoams offer protection to a certain degree and would normally compromise either flexibility or volume or both. One such art was granted a patent, US4807922A; submitted by Glover, Ralph S. Another previous art of a similar nature was the one by Timerman, Jerry L. (US5401074A).
One seemingly feasible solution to problem of bulk and weight of the cushioning medium is having inflatable pockets that will provide the cushioning protection from precipitating hail. Several prior arts display merit and are worth mentioning. US20090108624A1 by Hunt, Glen Ralph would top the list. Wang, S.B. (US5350000A), Rudolph Shores (US5890525A), Rory Francis O'Neill (US5941594A), Robert Tellez (US7360820B2), Roland S. Rother (US11148514B2), Michael A. Siciliano (US8985672B2) complete the honourable mentions. In Australia, one notable prior art is by Lily Johnstone Dawson (Australian application number 2017280100).
All of these may give excellent protection to a vehicle except for a limiting factor: lack of versatility and/or adaptability to various size, shape and design of vehicles. It will not be economically viable to come up with several sizes each of which will only accommodate a handful of vehicle models. Being in one piece, these arts will have limitations in accommodating various models with slight differences in the dimensions.
Summary of the Invention
The object of this invention is to provide protection while having the flexibility to accommodate various dimensions because of its modularity. Having the inflatable in several bladder sections add to the versatility of the device and adaptability to various shape and size of subject vehicles. These separate airtight inflatable sections will be connected by rubber or plastic flexible tubes and held together by a car cover of flexible, preferably elastic, material.
The main surface to be covered with the inflatable airtight bladders will be the dorsal part of the vehicle. In cars, this will include the bonnet (hood), front windshield panel, roof, rear glass panel, and the boot(trunk). Protection may also be provided on the side panels, that will include the fender and doors (with the glass windows) and rear fender panels. The pockets or cells within the bladder will be the result of fusing the two sheets by heat welding. This will be done with a wave or net/mesh pattern not just for aesthetic purposes but for even distribution of cushioning protection in the different parts of the surface. THe pockets/cells will be connected by air channels which, basically, are just gaps in the dividing weld seams. The size of the cells will be dictated by the thickness of the bladder required. This is another interesting property of the design. For example, the part that covers the glass panels may not need to be as thick as the ones covering the metal panels. The same goes with the side inflatable panels that may not need to be as thick as the dorsal inflatable panels.
The inflatable bladders will be attached to a (car cover) overlay of flexible, preferably elastic, material by adhesive-backed velcro strips or plastic automatic snaps. The use of velcro or plastic snaps avoids corrosion that may be expected when using metal fixing materials.
Each bladder can have its own inflation valve or linked with a rubber/plastic tube to a main bladder with an inflating and deflating valve.
Deflated, this device can be folded and fit into a portable carry bag that can be stored in the trunk of the car or any appropriate storage compartment in the camper trailer/caravan, garage or boatshed.
To install, simply spread the device over the vehicle just like any vehicle cover. Secure on the wheels by joining the quick release buckles attached to the straps that are in turn fastened to the overlay. The same strap-buckle assembly may also be provided along the side that will run through the ventral part of the vehicle for a more secure anchor. To inflate, simply locate the inflating valve/s that will be protruding through the overlay. Attach the nozzle of the pump, secure the connection and start inflating; stopping only when the recommended pressure is attained. Hand, foot pumps or any electrical pump (12-volt vehicle battery pump or portable electric pump) will do the job.
Alternatively, when rapid inflation is required, compressed gas, such as carbon dioxide, nitrous and helium, can be used. In this set-up, a sealable valve will be affixed instead of the regular inflating valve. The compressed gas may be contained in pressurised cartridges and discharged only when required.
This rapid or instantaneous inflation option can be very handy in instances where immediate protection is required, e.g., being caught in a hailstorm in the middle of the road.
In a situation where the user needs to be under cover as well, an option to provide an overlay with openings that match the vehicle doors can be provided. These can be opened and closed with double- or reversible-tab zipper sliders sewn into the overlay sheet.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1. This shows the intended mesh/net pattern of the bladder on a car in different profiles - top, side and front. Notice the gaps in the tapering parts of the air cells/pockets that will serve as air/gas channels.
Figure 2. This shows the bladder superimposed on a car in different profiles.
Figure 3. This shows cross-sections of the bladder in different profiles.
Figures 4, 5, 6. These plates show an artist's rendering of what the two-component inflatable protective cover (Hail-Met) would look like on a car.
Detailed Description of Embodiments
In totality, the uniqueness of the invention resides in the synergistic function of the two components. The overlay sheet or cover holds the inflatable sectional bladders together as a whole unit that will protect the surfaces of the vehicle. It will hold all the bladders against the surfaces they protect.
The nature of the overlay will help in easing the whole device onto the vehicle as the device will be put in place like a normal vehicle cover. Elastic material is preferred to have a tight, snug fit against the contours of the vehicle. The overlay will have holes where the inflating and deflating valves can go through, making it easier to inflate/deflate the device. Straps will be affixed on locations on the draping part of the overlay where they can be anchored on all four wheels. Quick-release plastic buckles will secure the straps in place. Additional straps will be affixed on the middle part of the draping sides for added anchoring.
The novelty of this device lies in the modularity of sectioned inflatable bladders. This is achieved by conjoining two (2) sheets of flexible plastic material (PVC, TPU, woven polyester or nylon) by heat welding them at the edges to form an air-tight bladder (think of an inflatable pool toy or inflatable mattress). These sheets will be patterned after the shape of the surface they are meant to protect, with slight size adjustments to make up for surface area lost during inflation. For an even distribution of thickness in the bladder, cells or pockets will be formed by heat-welding the two sheets within the bladder in a wavy or net/mesh pattern. These cells/pockets will be connected by air/gas channels that are formed by leaving gaps between the wave welds (Figure 1). The thickness of the pockets can be determined by the distance between wave welds; the bigger the distance, the thicker the cells. This is an interesting property of these modular bladders. The thickness can be adjusted relative to the amount of protection required by respective surfaces.
Inflating/deflating valves will be affixed to the bladders to facilitate inflation/deflation. Bladders can also be connected by flexible plastic/rubber tubes, when valves are affixed to one main bladder that supplies supplemental smaller bladders. An example will be the smaller rear glass panel support bladder connected to the roof panel bladder.
The inflatable bladders will be fastened to the overlay using a pair of velcro with adhesive backing located on various points. Alternatively, where woven plastic sheet is used, plastic automatic snaps can also be used.

Claims (22)

Claims
1. An inflatable hail protective vehicle cover comprised of:
a plurality of inflatable underlay bladders that are made of flexible sheet of plastic material - PVC, TPU, woven polyester or woven nylon,
an overlay, also made of flexible sheet of plastic material, preferably elastic in nature, like spandex.
2. A plurality of inflatable underlay, according to Claim 1, that are made by heat-welding the edges of two sheets of flexible plastic material cut to shape to form an air-tight bladder.
3. A bladder, according to Claim 2, that is heat-welded with rows of wave patterns within to form mesh/net shapes (Figures 1,2,3). The distance between rows of waves will determine the thickness of the bladder.
4. A bladder, according to Claim 2, that is affixed with non-returning inflation/deflation valves to facilitate inflation and deflation.
5. A bladder, according to Claim 2, that will approximate the shape of the surface it is meant to give protection to.
6. The plurality of inflatable bladder, according to Claim 2, will be interconnected by flexible rubber/plastic tubes.
7. The wave patterns, according to Claim 3, will leave air/gas channels as a result of gaps between welds along the tapering parts (Figure 1).
8. The overlay, according to Claim 1, will hold the plurality of inflatable bladders together.
9. The overlay will hold the plurality of inflatable bladders, according to Claim 8, by fastening the bladders to the overlay with adhesive-backed velcro or plastic automatic snaps.
10. The manner of fastening the inflatable bladders to the overlay, according to Claim 9, will facilitate ease of unfastening when there is a need for the bladders to be unfastened, e.g. washing the overlay.
11. The nature of the elastic overlay, according to Claim 1, will facilitate ease of installation of the device and will hold the bladders against the surfaces snugly.
12. The presence of the overlay, according to Claim 1, will help spread the kinetic energy of the precipitating hail to a wider area, thus reducing the impact even before being cushioned by the inflatable bladder.
13. The overlay, according to Claim 1, will be secured on anchor points with straps sewn along the draping parts held together by plastic quick-release buckles. Additional straps will be sewn according to the size and requirement of the vehicle to be covered.
14. The D-shackles will also be sewn into the straps, according to Claim 13, for additional security.
15. The thickness of the specific bladder, according to Claim 3, will be variable depending on the nature and location of the surface it is meant to protect.
16. The plurality of inflatable bladders, according to Claim 1, will be inflated to the recommended pressure using regular mechanical - hand or foot - pumps or electric pumps.
17. Alternatively, the plurality of inflatable bladders, according to Claim 1, can also be inflated using compressed gas - carbon dioxide, nitrous or helium - contained in pressurised cartridges, in instances where rapid or instantaneous inflation is required.
18. The manner of inflating the bladders using compressed gas, according to Claim 17, will require screw-on non-returning sealed inflating valves.
19. Alternatively, an opening can be cut into the overlay, according to Claim 1, to line where the vehicle door is located, in situations where the user needs to get inside the vehicle.
20. The opening in the overlay, according to Claim 19, will be sewn with reversible- or double-tab zippers to facilitate opening and closing.
21. The modularity of the hail protective cover, according to Claim 1, gives it versatility to suit different shapes and sizes of vehicles. This modularity also warrants adaptability to cover a wide variety of vehicle brands and models.
22. The inflatable protective vehicle cover, according to Claim 1, will not only protect motor vehicles, but boats and mobile homes, as well.
Air/Gas Channel Side View Front View Air/Gas Channel Top View Hail-Met Figure 1 22 Apr 2023 2023202467
Side View Front View Top View Hail-Met Figure 2 22 Apr 2023 2023202467
Side View Front View Top View Hail-Met Figure 3: Cross-sectional Views 22 Apr 2023 2023202467
Hail-Met Figure 4
Hail-Met Figure 5
Hail-Met Figure 6
AU2023202467A 2022-04-22 2023-04-22 Hail-Met Inflatable Hail Protective Cover for Motor Vehicles Pending AU2023202467A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2022901060A AU2022901060A0 (en) 2022-04-22 Hail-Met Inflatable Hail Protective Cover for Motor Vehicles
AU2022901060 2022-04-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
AU2023202467A1 true AU2023202467A1 (en) 2023-11-09

Family

ID=88600947

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
AU2023202467A Pending AU2023202467A1 (en) 2022-04-22 2023-04-22 Hail-Met Inflatable Hail Protective Cover for Motor Vehicles

Country Status (1)

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AU (1) AU2023202467A1 (en)

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