GB2436090A

GB2436090A - A safety shield for protecting the driver of a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2436090A
Application number: GB0611255A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Corbett
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-03-11
Filing date: 2006-06-08
Publication date: 2007-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2026-06-08
Also published as: GB0611255D0; GB2436090B; GB0604993D0

Abstract

A safety shield or barrier for protecting the driver of a vehicle from attack comprises a barrier, formed from a plastics material, which is attached only to the driver's seat by means of a pair of upper brackets (see sheet 2/5) which allow the barrier to be adjusted in both vertical and longitudinal planes with respect to the vehicle and a strap which is passed around a lower portion of the seat. As the barrier is attached to the seat the two parts move together when the seat is adjusted. The barrier is located to the rear of the seat and it's occupant, and may also comprise an adjustable side portion bolted in place.

Description

1/. A Safe Shield unit comprising of a moulded polycarbonate material,

shaped to protect drivers from attack. The unit is Attached to the seat by means of a fixing plate and brackets A' which bolts on top of bracket B' which is then bolted to fixing rail C'(see drawing attached).

2/. Bracket A' adjustments are for the depthlthickness of the seat.

Bracket B' adjustments are for vertical movement Rail C' allows for lateral movementladjustment for brackets A' + B' 3/. The Safe Shield being attached to the seat enables the driver to adjust the height of the shield by means of adjusting the brackets A','B' along a steel rail C' (see drawings) Steel nuts and bolts enable the brackets to be adjusted to the rear of the seat to allow for adjustment (lateral and vertical) and are placed either side of the head rest 4/. Rail C' is attached via holes through the body of the shield by bolts Which attach to a wooden back plate. The wooden back plate is covered at the rear by a cushioning material and then covered with a vinyl type material for aesthetics purposes and to protect the rear passenger from any sharp protrusions 5/. A strap is then attached through the base of the shield on either side which is then passed around the base of the seat to prevent the shield from being pulled over the drivers head by a potential assailant (see drawing) 6/. The shield is designed (as it is attached to the seat only) to be moved forward, backwards, vertically and inclined as the seat is adjusted by the driver, without the need for it to be attached to any part of the cars body.

7/. The side section of the shield is attached to the main body of the Shield by means of nuts and bolts which attach through slots allowing for width adjustments. The side screen is adjusted by loosening the bolts and sliding the side section over the main rear body of the shield.

8/. The side section can then be cut to and shaped by the user (customise) as to requirements needed/desired

Claims

Driver Safety Shield

CLAIMS

Over the last 15 years there has been 39 Murders and countless 1000's of attacks on Private [-lire Drivers (Mini Cabs) and the Police, our aim was to design a system to prevent this from happening or at the very least to reduce this increasing trend, my Drivers Protective Shield is designed to fit the drivers car seat and offer the driver protection from attack not only from the Rear but also from the Front Side, using a clear plastic material of 6.00mm in thickness known in the plastics industry as PETG' this material lends itself to be moulded into a specific shape by use of heat and air pressure to retain its strength and clarity, this system is known as Vacuum Forming' and is totally different from other processes by which various flat sheets are cut to size and glued, this process is known as Bonding' and not to be confused with our system, having exhaustively measured 100's of different car seats the system that has been developed will now (in conjunction with our Bracket Fixing Stem) fit all makes of car fitted with a Bucket Type Seat', it affords the driver a clear view of his/her surroundings and does not hinder the driver from operating the vehicle in any way, this has in the main been achieved by virtue of the fact that our Bracket' system which enables the Shield to be attached to the seat by means of hooking over the top of the seat and placing a strap at the base through slots was developed In-House' by us and by means of developing the Tooling' to achieve the specific shape to enable the adjustments to be made without the need for a multi sectioned back plait to be produced, its simplicity in design and construction enables the person fitting the Shield to the car seat to follow simple instructions to fit the Shield within minutes, rather than seeking assistance from another person, once fitted correctly the Shield will protect the rear of the Driver from floor to ceiling and with the Side Section bolted on offers protection from the side, when fitted correctly the Shield can not be pulled off, either backwards due to the Bracketing System or upwards due to the strap at the base, furthermore our developed design of vacuum moulded plastic Rear Section and Side Screen and Bracketing system in conjunction with Police Health & Safety Officers within our Police Constabularies, RoSPA and BSI now means that our system when fitted correctly will allow for Vehicle Manufacturers Air Bag Systems to work correctly, the Ford Motor Company and Avon & Somerset Police in particular have forwarded information concerning our system that has allowed us to make fine adjustments in the shape to allow all IC (Curtain) and Thorax airbags to be deployed correctly in the event of an impact. *.

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Drawing 1/. Is an overview of the concept and how the Driver Safety Shield it is fitted to the Drivers car seat (shown in dotted line) Fig 1. Fixing System (See Drawing No.3) A.= M8 Mild Steel Cup Square Hex Bolt B.= M8 Mild Steel Nut C.= M8 x 16.0mm Mild Steel Bolt D.= 25.0mm x 25.0mm x 5.0mm M8 Special Nut E.= MS Pronged Tee Nut with 11.0mm Barrel (Zinc Plated) F.= Bracket A (see drawing 4A) G.= Bracket B (see drawing 4B) H.= Clear Plastic Body of Safety Shield I.= Shaped Wooden Back Securing Batten (Ply Wood 400.0mm x 12.0mm65.Omm with 25.0mm chamfer) J.= M8 1.25 x 20mm Socket Cap Screw Rail.= In-House Designed Mild Steel Rail (400.0mm x 20.0mm x 30.0mm) Fig 2. Drivers Seat (shown in dotted line) Fig 3. Slots for Base Strap Fig 4. Side Section (see Drawing No.
2) Fig 5. Base Securing Strap Fig 6. 6.00mm Clear (PETG) Vacuum Formed Plastic Shield * S * S.. *.S. * . S... S. S. * . . * . S.

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* Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows: (t Claims.

1. Apparatus for protection of a driver of a vehicle from attack, detachably mountable to driver's seat means of the vehicle and comprising main shield means comprising a transparent plastics material resistant to penetration and extending, in use, behind, to each side and above back means of said seat means, generally horizontally-extending elongate rail means mounted to said main shield means, hook means mounted to the rail means and locatable over an upper edge of said back means, and side shield means comprising said transparent plastics material, adjustably mountable to the main shield means and extending, in use, between said driver's seat means and adjacent front passenger seat means of the vehicle towards dashboard means of the vehicle.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim I, comprising two said hook means, securably repositionable along said rail means. * *** *S*. *

3. Apparatus as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the or each said hook means is adjustable generally vertically, in use, relative to the rail means. Osce

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4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the side shield means extends generally level with seat cushion means of the seat means.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the main shield means and the side shield means each comprise PETG (poly(ethyleneterephthalate) glycol, also known as glycol-modified polyethyleneterephthalate).

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6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the main shield means and the side shield means each comprise polycarbonate.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the main shield means is moulded to curve around each side of the driver's seat means and to form a partial dome above said front seat means.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the main shield means is so profiled as to allow deployment of air bag means between the main shield means and a driver's side of a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rail means comprises elongate channel means formed from a single strip of steel or the like. * * * *.S * *S.

* 10. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising strap means mounted to the main shield means and disposable securingly around a lowest

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* portion of the back means of the driver's seat means. o 0 *C*.

11. Apparatus to protect a driver of a vehicle from attack substantially as described herein with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings.