FR2967382A1 - Removable protective device for protecting sides of body of car during parking in car park, has deformable material pad extending over entire length of vehicle, where pad includes longitudinal passage that receives elastic link - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a deformable material pad (2) extending over the entire length of a vehicle to be protected. The pad includes a longitudinal passage that receives an elastic link (1), where the elastic link includes a hook (6) at one end on a side of a vehicle body, and a pump suction cup (7) at the other end inside the vehicle. The elastic link is mounted to slide freely in the interior of the longitudinal passage of the pad, where the pad is divided into sections threaded onto the elastic link.

Description

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to the protection of the bodywork of motor vehicles by

parking. In fact, they have been exposed to other car drivers' door-locks and other wheelchair shocks in supermarket car parks.

causing damage to their bodies. To remedy this drawback, it is often affixed on the sides of vehicles, and especially on their doors, anti-shock beads, mounted original or installed as accessories. But, because of their small thickness, these beads are insufficiently effective.

The removable magnetic protection bar device described in FR 2895952-A1 is not satisfactory because, besides its cost related to the use of expensive materials, it is only intended for the protection of the doors only and not all the sides of the vehicle.

The present invention aims to provide a removable protective device that is:

- able to protect shocks from the entire lateral flanks of parked vehicles,

- easy to install and remove on the vehicle, - easily folded to occupy a reduced storage space,

- simple and inexpensive to manufacture,

- protected against theft when installed on the vehicle.

These objects are achieved thanks to the invention which consists of a bead made

deformable synthetic material extending substantially over the entire length of the vehicle to be protected and which comprises a longitudinal passage which receives an elastic link provided at each of its ends with fastening means, one side on the body and the other inside the vehicle. 2967382 -2-

The combination of a bead of deformable synthetic material with an elastic link therethrough which itself carries the means for fixing the assembly on the

5 vehicle makes it possible to achieve, by means inexpensive and widely available on the market, a device whose volume provides a real protection of the body against shocks, very easy to set up and remove, easily foldable on him-

even to adopt a reduced storage space and protected from theft when it is put into service by the fact that its means of attachment associated with the elasticity of the link allow, at

less than one side, an attachment inside the vehicle so that the device is trapped by the pinching of the corresponding opening of the vehicle (run or hood)

According to an advantageous embodiment, the bead is divided into several sections.

which makes it possible to adapt the number of beads of the protection device to any size of vehicle, and to facilitate its folding for storage. The elastic link is preferably mounted to slide freely inside the longitudinal passage of the bead, or sections of bead, so as to position it as efficiently as possible on the sidewalls of the vehicle.

According to a preferred embodiment, the fastening means carried by the two

ends of the elastic link are formed on one side by a suction cup and the other by a simple metal hook or plastic. The suction cup allows fixing on the

Outer surface of the body or on the glass of a headlight, while the hook is intended to be stitched in the needle-punched fabric which usually lines the inside of the trunk, or is hooked to a projection such as the opening of access to rear optical blocks

or a ring in the trunk. 35

According to an alternative embodiment, the hook may be replaced by a piece of self-adhesive tape, of the type known under the trade name Velcro. 2967382 - 3-

The invention is described below with the aid of the nonlimiting exemplary embodiment illustrated by the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the principle of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a general view showing the device of the invention placed along a sidewall of a motor vehicle,

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the folding of the device on itself for storage,

FIG. 4 illustrates the attachment of the device inside the trunk of a vehicle, and FIG. 5 illustrates the attachment of the device on a headlight at the front of the vehicle.

In these figures, it can be seen that the device according to the invention consists essentially of

by a bead of deformable material (2) having along its length a longitudinal passage (3) through which is threaded an elastic link (1), the bead being intended to be applied against the outer side (4) of a vehicle (5).

It can be seen in FIG. 3 that the elastic link (1) protrudes freely on either side of all the sections of deformable material constituting the bead (2), and that at one end

its ends is fixed a hook (6), while the other is fixed a suction cup (7). 25

The deformable material constituting the bead (2) may be for example a polyester foam tube such as those which are commonly used as a caulking material for water pipes or protection of the roof bars of vehicles

30 automobiles. The elastic link (1) will preferably consist of a multi-stranded elastic as schematically illustrated in FIG.

The suction cup (7) will preferably be constituted by a pump suction cup for easier set-up and removal. FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 show that the installation and removal of the device

according to the invention is very simple. In practice, one of the ends of the bead is fixed by means of the suction cup (7) on the headlight at the front of the vehicle (5), then, the trunk being open,

10 the bead (2) is deployed along the lateral side of the vehicle, and the hook (6) is fastened to any suitable element inside the vehicle trunk (projection, ring, needled, carpet, trunk mat etc.). Once the chest is closed, the elastic link is

is pinched in the trunk opening which provides the double advantage of limiting the forces exerted on the fastening means inside the trunk and to protect the device

against theft.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS1) - Removable protection device for the sides of a motor vehicle characterized in that it consists of a bead of deformable material (2) extending substantially over the entire length of the vehicle to be protected and which comprises a longitudinal passage ( 3) which receives an elastic link (1) provided at each of its ends with fastening means (6, 7), on one side on the body and on the other inside the vehicle (5). 10 2) - Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the elastic link (1) is mounted freely sliding inside the longitudinal passage (3) of the bead (2). 15 3) - Device according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the fastening means disposed at the ends of the elastic link (1) are on one side a hook (6) and the other suction cup (7). 20 4) - Device according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that at least one fastening means (6, 7) is constituted by a piece of self-catching tape. 5) - Device according to any preceding claim characterized in that the bead of deformable material (2) is divided into sections threaded on the elastic link (1). 6) - Device according to any preceding claim characterized in that the bead of deformable material (2) is polyester foam. 7) - Device according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the elastic link (1) is a multi-strand elastic link.-6 8) - Device according to any one of claims 2 to 7 characterized in that the suction cup is a suction cup pump.