GB2541433A

GB2541433A - Inflatable vehicle roof storage box

Info

Publication number: GB2541433A
Application number: GB1514774.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan O'brien Samuel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-08-19
Filing date: 2015-08-19
Publication date: 2017-02-22
Also published as: GB201514774D0

Abstract

An inflatable roof-top box for a vehicle has a double-skinned outer wall 1 defining a storage area with an access area covered by a panel 2 with releasable closure means 3. The access panel may also have locking means 4. The roof-top box is secured to a vehicles roof bars by way of attachment means 6, 7.

Description

Inflatable Vehicle Roof Storage Box FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to an inflatable roof storage box for a vehicle. More particularly the invention relates to a double walled single inflatable unit car roof box with fastening and securing means enabling rapid reversible connection to preexisting car roof bars.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] An automobile owner faced with the problem of providing addition storage space in their vehicle typically employs a solid, inflexible roof storage box, secured on the top of the vehicle via means of roof bars, to stow goods and possessions that cannot be fitted in the boot or other storage compartments of the vehicle. Storing this type of roof box whilst not in use is problematic requiring either permanent fixture to the vehicle roof or requiring significant storage space in the automobile owners home, garage or other storage area.

[0003] An alternative to the common inflexible, solid roof boxes are inflatable vehicle roof boxes, these perform the same function yet can be deflated after use and so require only a small volume for storage when not in use. The prior art in US patent 4101062 to Lazar describes an inflatable car roof storage box comprising two sections, an inflatable storage box positioned on top of a separately inflated support platform which is connected via a sequence of hooks to bars running along the upper sides of the vehicle. Hanisch in German Utility Model Patent DE20313622 discloses an inflatable car roof storage box which is secured directly to the car by means of tear resistant elastic bands. Marconi in French national patent FR2935116 discloses a two part inflatable roof storage box with separately inflated upper and lower frameworks held together by a material covering.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] None of the above recited prior art provides an easily inflated single unit storage box which can be rapidly installed, has universal connectivity with pre-installed car roof bars and can be deflated and stored thereafter when not in use.

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention provides an inflatable roof box with attachment and securing means enabling the user to rapidly and reversible connect the box to preexisting roof bars of a vehicle. The inflatable box comprises an inner and outer wall which define a single air cavity, further the inner wall defines an inner storage compartment which is accessible via a reversible closure means defining an opening in the upper and side surfaces of the box. The storage box comprises a plurality of reversible fastening means extending outwards from its outer base surface which engage with the roof bars and inconjunction with a releasable securing means hold the box in place during movement of the vehicle.

[0007] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawing(s), which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several aspects described below.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a side view of an inflatable car roof box consistent with the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of an inflatable roof box consistent with the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the base surface of the inflatable roof box, attachment means and securing means in engagement with a roof bar of a vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described, as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of this invention will be limited only by the appended claims.

[0013] The detailed description of the invention is divided into various sections only for the reader’s convenience and disclosure found in any section may be combined with that in another section. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

[0014] It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0015] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. As used herein the following terms have the following meanings.

[0016] “Comprising” or “comprises” is intended to mean that the compositions and methods include the recited elements, but not excluding others. “Consisting essentially of’ when used to define compositions and methods, shall mean excluding other elements of any essential significance to the combination for the stated purpose. Thus, a device or method consisting essentially of the elements as defined herein would not exclude other materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. “Consisting of’ shall mean excluding more than trace elements of other ingredients and substantial method steps. Embodiments defined by each of these transition terms are within the scope of this invention.

[0017] Referring now in detail to the drawings, therein is illustrated in figure 1 an inflatable vehicle storage box comprising outer wall 1, outer base surface la, an access panel 2 to the inside storage compartment, a reversible closure means 3 which defines the access panel and enables the user to secure contents inside the storage compartment, a locking or fastening means 4 to prevent unauthorized or unplanned opening of the reversible closure means, an inflating port 5 for inflating the storage box, a plurality of attachment means 6 protruding from the outer wall base surface for engagement with a vehicles roof bars with releasable securing means 7 defining an opening or void area 8 to hold the roof bar in position.

[0018] Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the inflatable storage box comprising outer wall 1, an access panel 2 which is shown in an open arrangement by release of reversible closure means 3 and so providing access to the internal storage compartment 9, an inner wall 10 which in combination with the outer wall 1 defines a single air containing compartment 11 which is inflated by input of air or other gas or liquid through inflating port 5. The attachment means 6 are secured to the outer and inner walls by a plurality of second attachment means 12.

[0019] It is contemplated that the inner and outer walls of the storage box are fabricated from a waterproof, durable and importantly flexible material which will protect the contents in the storage compartment but also enable the storage box to be rolled and or folded after deflation, suitable materials for this purpose will include polymeric materials suitable for use in the construction of inflatable boats such as polyurethane or neoprene polymers. Preferred embodiments of the invention will use Hypalon® and or PVC based materials. It will be apparent to the skilled reader that materials can be substituted and or used in combination to achieve the desired result of providing a flexible inflatable storage box which is resistant to rain, wind and sun during journeys in which the the said box is used.

[0020] Furthermore the inner and outer walls can be of the same, different or variable thickness as required by the specific vehicle or contents. The inner base surface wall can optionally be strengthened by the insertion of a flexible toughened foam, plastic or Teflon layer to provide further mechanical strength to the inflatable storage box but still retain the key features of flexibility.

[0021] The reversible closure means can define an access panel at any position in the storage box, it is preferred that the access panel is positioned on the upper surface or sides of the storage box, even more preferred is an access panel defined by the reversible closure means which extends over the upper surface and one or both sides of the storage box. The reversible closure means can be zip, zipper, velcro, hook and loop, stud, button, grip seal, a combination of said closure means or other means known in the art for this purpose, the preferred closure means is zipper or zip. The access panel can be constructed of the same material as the inner and outer walls and so can also envelope part of the air containing compartment 11, alternatively it is contemplated that the access panel can be constructed of alternative waterproof material with suitable physical strength to remain intact when experiencing potentially harsh weather conditions. It is contemplated that a suitable material for this purpose is 1000D Cordura® nylon although it will be apparent that other equivalent materials can be substituted.

[0022] The inner air compartment 11 is defined by the outer and inner walls, it is understood that this compartment can be a single compartment extending the full volume of the storage box or can be sectioned by the mean of partitions between the two walls into one or more compartments. In the case of a plurality of compartments a sufficient number of inflation ports will be provided to provide air access to all parts of the storage box.

[0023] The locking or fastening means 4 can be a standard lock which is integral to the reversible closure means or separate to. The locking means can secure the reversible closure means in a number of ways such as securing a zip to a hoop or other fixture on the outer wall by means of a lock and key or it is contemplated that the locking means secures two or more reversible closure means to prevent opening of the panel, for example a lock which holds two zips in place.

[0024] The roof bar attachment means 6 protrude from the underside of the box, this is defined as the outer base surface la of the storage box. It is understood that a plurality of such attachment means can be provided as required depending on the particular model of vehicle or model of roof bar, in a preferred embodiment two rows of such U-shaped fastening means are provided at the relative front and rear ends of the outer base surface. It is further preferred that each row consists of two or three such attachment means.

[0025] Each fastening means 6 will be partnered with a securing means 7, which is inserted through openings present in the lower ends of the fastening means to secure the vehicle roof bars in the void area 8 in figure 2. Suitable securing means include bolt and nut, hairpin cotter pins, spring clips, hitch pins or equivalent securing devices known in the art.

[0026] Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view demonstrating the mode of attachment and securing the inflatable storage box to the vehicle roof bars. Thus, the inner wall 10 and outer wall 1 define the air compartment 11, a plurality of fastening means 6 is provided which are secured in this embodiment by series of second fastening means 12 with bolt, washer or other suitable means 13 through both the inner and outer walls. The securing means 7 when inserted into the fastening means 6 holds the roof bar 14 in place. A key feature of the storage box of the present invention is the universality of the attachment and securing means regardless of the size of the preexisting roof bars, it is contemplated that inserts or shim 15 such as suitable dimensioned section of cardboard, foam, metal, plastic, rubber or wood or other suitable material will be provided as part of the inflatable storage box of the present invention to ensure close fixture and engagement of the fastening means with the roof bars irrespective of the roof bar width.

[0027] The attachment means 6 are retained by a plurality of second attachment means 12 which as shown in figure 3 can extend through both inner and outer walls of the storage box, or it is contemplated solely the outer walls and if required that the attachment means can be fixed by adhesive to the outer base surface of the storage box. It is a preferred embodiment of the present invention that the attachment means 6 is by an attachment means in the form of a bolt secured by a nut on the inner wall and a second nut holding the fastening means to the outer base wall.

[0028] The inflatable storage box of the present invention can be of any shape, size, colour, it is preferred embodiment that the storage box has a teardrop shape to provide improved aerodynamic performance therefore a vehicle with the teardrop inflatable storage box attached and secured to its roof bars will experience reduced wind resistance during travel.

Claims

1. An inflatable double walled vehicle storage box with reversible closure means defining a panel for access to an inner storage compartment, characterized in that the outer base surface of the box comprises a plurality of attachment means for securing the box to the roof bars of a vehicle.

2. The inflatable vehicle storage box of claim 1, comprising an inner and outer wall which when inflated define a single air chamber between the walls.

3. The inflatable storage box of claim 1, wherein the attachment means comprise a bracket secured to the outer base surface for engaging with the vehicle roof bar and a securing means for insertion through the bracket to maintain the roof bar in position.

4. The inflatable storage box of claim 1, wherein the reversible closure means is velcro or zipper and extends through the upper surface of the box and one or more of the sides of the box to define an access panel to the inner storage compartment.

5. The reversible closure means of claim 5 which further comprises a lock.

6. An inflatable double walled vehicle storage box of claims 1-4 wherein the walls of the box are a based water proof polymeric material.

7. An inflatable double walled vehicle storage box of claims 1-4 wherein the walls of the box are Hypalon®, polyurethane, neoprene, PVC or mixtures thereof.

8. An inflatable double walled storage box of 6 wherein the inner base surface of the box further comprises an additional plastic, foam or Teflon layer.