GB2619756A

GB2619756A - A protection pad

Info

Publication number: GB2619756A
Application number: GB2208873.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Leeming Christopher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2022-06-16
Filing date: 2022-06-16
Publication date: 2023-12-20
Also published as: GB202208873D0

Abstract

Vehicle bodywork protection plate 10 having at least one magnet strip 18 set back (D) from an edge 22 of the panel by at least one fifth of the height (H) of the panel 10. There may be a second magnetic strip 20 opposite the first edge 22. The protective plate panel 10 may be of a foam material. The height (H) of the panel 10 may be at least half its width. Also claimed a vehicle door 30 with the body panel protective plate 10 attached to magnetically.

Description

A Protection Pad

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a protection pad for a vehicle, especially for protecting the door and door handle of a vehicle, such as a car or van

Background to the Invention

When vehicles, especially cars are parked in close proximity, for example, in a car park, there is a risk that the bodywork of the vehicle will be damaged by adjacent cars. This is particularly true of card doors when other car doors make contact, either through a user opening the door too far, or by wind catching the door and blowing it into the adjacent vehicle Solutions to this problem have previously been proposed, for example, strips of plastics material that engage the edge of a door. Unfortunately, the strips of plastics material protect the car door that is being opened and the vehicle adjacent thereto is not provided with any protection. Additionally, these strips are prone to falling off the edge of the car door, thereby leaving the car door unprotected and littering the floor with plastics material.

Similarly thin strips of foam or plastics material have been proposed that can be applied to a car door when leaving the vehicle in a car park; however, these strips only protect a small portion of the car door and need to be positioned correctly, for example at the correct height, to be effective. Thus, when the apex of a convex surface of a car door is at a different height to that of an adjacent car door, the strip on one vehicle is at the wrong height for protecting the door to which it is attached. This is particularly the case where a compact car is parked next to a utility vehicle. Furthermore, where vehicles are parked facing opposite directions, whilst a front door may have a strip applied thereto, the rear door or the lead or rear bodywork panels are often not provided with such protection, thereby creating a risk of mechanical damage to the bodywork.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to vehicle bodywork protection device comprising: a panel of material having a height and a width and also having a first surface and a second surface; and a first magnetic element positioned the first surface of the panel of material; wherein the first element is set back from a first edge of the panel of material by at least one fifth of the height of the panel of material.

By arranging the magnetic element in a manner in which it is set back from the edge of the device, the device can provide protection to a door handle without requiring complicated or fiddly application to the vehicle door. Door handles on vehicles are different shapes and sizes and can be positioned in varying locations on the door.

Therefore, by leaving a space between the magnetic element and the edge, the device does not need to be perfectly aligned; the user can simply apply the device in a position wherein the magnetic element is below the door handle and the panel of material extends to cover and protection the door handle from mechanical impact Preferably, the first element is arranged to be set back at a position of at least one fifth of the height of the device. More preferably, the first element is arranged to be set back at least a quarter of the height and, it may be advantageous that it is arranged to be set back at least one third of the height of the device. Arranging the first magnetic element at half of the height or more may be detrimental to arrangement, because the device cannot securely adhere to the vehicle due to the risk of the top of the device (when applied to bodywork) either folding over due to its weight, or being caught by air movement, such as wind, and peeling off The panel of material is advantageously, semi-flexible and/or resilient so that upon deformation the panel can return to its original shape Alternatively, the device may plastically deform to allow it to mould to the contours of the vehicle It is preferable that a second magnetic element is provided adjacent a second edge of the panel of material, the second edge being opposite the first edge. Whilst the second, or additional, magnetic elements can be placed in a different orientation to the first magnetic element, for example, orthogonal or non-parallel thereto, having the second magnetic element adjacent the second edge of the panel provides a more secure and more even fixing for the panel It is particularly advantageous that the panel of material comprises foam material. Where the panel of material comprises a foam material, it can provide a cushioning of any impact, thereby reducing the risk of damage. The panel of material may be in the form of a foam later, particularly a thin foam layer, with one or more 'skins' applied to the surface thereof. This composite arrangement allows a more reliable connection between the magnetic element(s) and the panel of material and may also provide some weather proofing and can create a lighter and product. Additionally, the surface skin(s) can provide an element of rigidity to the foam. A further advantage of the use of one or more skins is that it may be the case that the product is more easily printed upon, thereby allowing the device to be printed upon to provide advertising space and/or notices to those viewing the device.

In one embodiment, the height of the panel of material is at least half of the width of the panel of material. To provide a large enough area for the device to work effectively, it is useful that the relationship between the height of the panel and the width of the same is such that a significant surface area is created. This can provide a good covering of the vehicle surface to reduce the risk of damage to the vehicle. Additionally, such a shape provides space for text and/or images, which can be used as advertising space whilst also protecting the vehicle to which it is attached.

It is preferred that the magnetic element is a magnetic strip. It is envisaged that the magnetic element may be in the form of a series of one or more discrete magnetic elements, for example, a plurality thereof; however, one or more magnetic strips provides a continuous and simple connection mechanism for adhering the device to vehicle bodywork.

The invention extends to a vehicle door having a vehicle bodywork protection device attached thereto, as described herein. The invention further extends to a method of applying and/or removing the device from vehicle bodywork.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a front view of a device in accordance the present invention; Figure 2 shows a rear view of a device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 shows a rear view of a device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 4 shows a car door with the device of Figure 3 connected thereto.

Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments

Figures 1 to 3 show a vehicle bodywork protection device 10 comprising a panel of material 12 that has a first surface 14, constituting a rear surface, and a second surface 16, constituting a front surface. The panel of material 12 is a two-dimensional panel of thin foam material that has a height H and a width W. The panel of material 12 can be provided with a sheet material on the front and rear surfaces The first surface 14 is provided with a first magnetic strip 18 and a second magnetic strip 20. The first magnetic strip 18 is set back from a first edge 22 of the device 10 by a distance D of at least a 20% of the height of the device and, preferably, the first magnetic strip 18 is set back by a distance D that is more than 25% of the height to allow sufficient space between the first magnetic strip 18 and the first edge 22 to provide protection for a door handle, without requiring exact positioning when applying the device. In the arrangement of Figure 2, the distance D is one quarter (25%) and in the arrangement of Figure 3, the distance D is one third (33%) The second magnetic strip 20 is arranged to be adjacent a second edge 24 of the device 10, with the second edge 24 of the device 10 being opposite the first edge 22 of the device 10. Adjacent to the second edge 24 is, preferably, within the first 15% of the height of the device 10, when taken from the second edge 24.

Figure 4 shows a vehicle door 30 having a door handle 32 thereon and a window 34. A device 10 according to the present invention is applied to the vehicle door 30 and is arranged with the first magnetic strip 18 below the door handle 32. The first edge 22 of the device 10 extends towards the window 34 and covers the door handle 32. Thus, the device 10 provides impact protection to the door handle 32 of the vehicle door 30 and to the bodywork of the vehicle door 30 with simple application that only requires the first magnetic strip 18 to be aligned correctly. By aligning the first magnetic strip 18, the second magnetic strip 20 is also arranged on the bodywork.

Whilst a substantially rectangular-shaped panel is shown in the figures, it will be appreciated that other shapes may be employed, for example, a panel that is selected from the following group may be used: a square; an oval; a parallelogram; a rhombus; a triangle; a pentagon; and a hexagon. Similarly, non-polygonal shapes, such as a circle or an irregular shape may be employed. A rectangular shape may be advantageous for providing space upon which to print.

It will be appreciated that other connection mechanisms may be employed to affix the device to a car door, such as suction cups; however, magnets are quick and reliable and form a readily releasable connection The magnetic elements, or other connection mechanisms, may be spaced apart laterally, on the device, rather than the being spaced apart longitudinally, however, due to the varying size of door handles, it is preferable that a space should still be maintained between the top edge and the element to allow a door handle to be readily protected.

Similarly, whilst laterally spaced elements may be employed, it is preferable that the elements are longitudinally spaced due to the varying amount of space between the door handle and the edge of the door on a vehicle

Claims

Claims A vehicle bodywork protection device comprising.a panel of material having a height and a width and also having a first surface and a second surface; and a first magnetic element positioned the first surface of the panel of material; wherein the first element is set back from a first edge of the panel of material by at least one fifth of the height of the panel of material.
A vehicle bodywork protection device according to claim 1, wherein a second magnetic element is provided adjacent a second edge of the panel of material, the second edge being opposite the first edge.
3. A vehicle bodywork protection device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the panel of material comprises foam material.
4. A vehicle bodywork protection device according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the height of the panel of material is at least half of the width of the panel of material.
A vehicle bodywork protection device according to any preceding claim, wherein the magnetic element is a magnetic strip.
6. A vehicle door having a vehicle bodywork protection device according to any preceding claim attached thereto.