WO1995027633A1

WO1995027633A1 - Automobile accessory

Info

Publication number: WO1995027633A1
Application number: PCT/US1995/004351
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sassan Khajavi
Original assignee: Suncover, Inc.
Priority date: 1994-04-06
Filing date: 1995-04-06
Publication date: 1995-10-19

Abstract

An automobile accessory mountable for easy access in an automobile, preferably in the trunk. The accessory may include a storable sunshade (10), for covering the cabin portion of a variety of vehicles, securable to a mounting assembly (11) attached thereto. The trailing edge of the sunshade is anchored inside the vehicle when the cover is disposed onto the vehicle. The mounting assembly is affixed firmly inside the trunk or other rear compartment of the vehicle. The sunshade is deployed by being taken out of the monting assembly and fed from the trunk through the opening (27) which is created between the raised closure member for the compartment and the body of the vehicle. The mounting assembly may include a closable flap (230) which defines a small object receiver when closed, and displays warning indicia (232) when opened. The sunshade may be detachable from the mounting assembly.

Description

AUTOMOBILE ACCESSORY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains to an automobile accessory which provides a number of useful functions, and more particularly to such an accessory which includes a car sunshade, a storage means for the sunshade, a small object receiving pouch, a warning display, and combinations thereof.

It is known that sunlight damages the exposed surfaces of the interior of a vehicle. It is also known that when parked under direct sunlight, the vehicle's interior temperature rises due to the familiar greenhouse effect. This rise in temperature further damages the vehicle's interior. Furthermore, the hot air and the hot surfaces of the interior can prove uncomfortable for a person staying in or returning to the vehicle. Some articles in the vehicle such as magnetic media and electronic equipment can sometimes suffer from the elevated temperature as well.

In addition, when a vehicle is left to stand outside all night exposed to the elements, the finish on the vehicle will be dulled.

The general object of this invention is to provide sun protection for the interior of a vehicle by means of a highly effective, low cost, durable, easy to use, theft resistant and reflective sun protection cover to be deployed over the cabin of the vehicle.

The cover, its storage bag or pouch, and its attachment means for securing an end of the cover to an end of the vehicle are designed as a single integrated unit which significantly reduces the cost of the unit. It further makes the unit easier to use.

As shown herein the pouch is held firmly inside the trunk of the vehicle by plastic dipped hooks which engage openings in the trunk lid. The cover is deployed by being taken out of the trunk through the opening which is created between the trunk lid and the rear windshield or body of the vehicle when the trunk lid is opened. Accordingly, the deployment and storage of the cover can readily be handled by a single person requiring no special tools or the like. Since the cover is anchored or remains anchored securely at the trunk end thereof, it remains stable during deployment as well as during storage.

According to another feature of the invention, the cover uses the vehicle's own body parts to hold it in place when pulled over the cabin. At least one door of the vehicle is used to hold the cover in place by being closed onto it whereby the cover will fit underneath the upper portion of the door containing the window frame. The leading portion of the cover can be held in place by being tucked under the windshield wipers of the vehicle.

According to a further embodiment, the cover employs elastic strings disposed to be wrapped about the side view mirrors of the vehicle.

The foregoing design of the cover makes it substantially theft proof without requiring any specific tie-down or locks or alarms or the like. In the deployed position, the cover is firmly anchored to the interior of the trunk. With the trunk lid closed and locked it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to tamper or remove the cover from the vehicle. When the cover is stowed, the cover is safely locked within the trunk, concealed and out of sight. STJMMARY QF THE INVENTION AND OBJECTS

In general, it is an ob act of the present invention to provide an automobile accessory which may have one or a combination of several features useful with a variety of vehicles, including sedans, vans, convertibles, and hatchbacks.

As disclosed herein, in one aspect of the invention a storable vehicle cover for covering at least the cabin portion of a vehicle carries a storage means or pouch secured thereto to be disposed in the trunk of the vehicle in a manner anchoring the trailing edge of the cover when the cover is disposed onto the vehicle. The storage means or pouch remains affixed firmly inside the trunk of the vehicle. By opening the trunk lid of the vehicle the cover is in position to be readily removed from its associated pouch and fed from the trunk through the opening which is created between the raised trunk lid and the rear windshield or body of the vehicle.

In another aspect of the invention, the invention comprises a trunk organizer having a pouch which doubles as a warning symbol when opened.

A protective vehicle cover according to the invention includes a sheet of strong, flexible, pliant material sufficient to overlay a substantial portion of the front windshield, rear windshield, and the side windows of a vehicle to be covered. The sheet carries a storage unit at one end thereof with the storage unit being anchored within a compartment of said vehicle. The compartment has a closure moveable between open and closed positions so that the sheet is clamped between the closure and the body of the vehicle when the closure is in its closed position. The storage unit comprises a pair of panels joined together along a forward edge of each. One of the panels is movable between a first and a second position with respect to the other panel to form an open space therebetween for receiving the cover for storage therein.

The storage unit for the protective vehicle cover is mounted in a variety of vehicles and locations within the vehicles. For a sedan these locations include the floor of the trunk compartment of a vehicle and the rear sill of the trunk compartment of a vehicle. For a van, the location for the storage units include the rear closure door, where the protective sheet is disposed to be clamped between said rear closure door of the van and the body of said vehicle when said rear closure doors is in its closed position. For a hatchback, the storage unit is mounted in a rear storage compartment of a hatchback vehicle in locations such as the inside of the hatch door, the floor, the protective internal cover, and the rear sill.

A protective vehicle cover includes a sheet of strong, flexible, compliant material sufficient to overlay the front windshield, rear windshield and side windows of a vehicle to be covered. The sheet carries a storage pouch at one end thereof to be disposed within a compartment of the vehicle. The compartment has a closure member moveable between an open and a closed position. Means are provided for mounting the pouch from the interior surface of the compartment. The pouch has an opening thereto which is accessible for storing the sheet within the pouch.

The invention provides a method of protecting the interior and exterior of a vehicle of a type having a compartment accessible via a movable closure carried on a pair of laterally spaced hinges connected to the vehicle body. The method includes the steps of forming a sheet of material which is sufficient to overlay the front windshield, rear windshield and side windows of the vehicle, forming at one end of said sheet a storage pouch having top and bottom surface portions, yieldingly retaining said surface portions to be carried within the compartment of the vehicle, opening said compartment, removing said sheet from the pouch, feeding the sheet from the compartment onto the roof of the vehicle via an opening formed between the vehicle body and an edge of the closure between the hinges, clamping the sheet between the closure and the vehicle body to retain an end edge of said cover anchored in place.

The method further includes the step of closing a side door in a manner to clamp a portion of the sheet covering the side window of the door between the vehicle body and the door to retain the sheet in a covering relation to the side window.

It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a car cover of the kind described having a reflective outer surface to minimize transmittal of heat into the vehicle.

It is yet an additional object of the invention to provide pie-shaped slits at the rear corners of the car cover associated with elastic strings bounding the space between the open end of the slits and extending further along the bottom edge of the cover whereby the cover assembly can accommodate a variety of sizes of vehicles.

Yet an additional object of the invention is the provision of a car cover having a relatively large open central region to permit wind to readily escape from beneath when it is being deployed.

Yet a further object of the invention is the provision of an improved method of deployment of a car cover onto a vehicle. The foregoing and other objects of the invention shall become more readily evident from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a plan view of a car cover according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows the rear of a vehicle with its trunk raised and a storage pouch portion of the car cover disposed in place;

Figure 3 shows a side elevation of a vehicle trunk containing a car cover stored therein;

Figure 4 shows a side elevation showing the removal of the car cover from the pouch carried by the closure of the trunk;

Figure 5 shows a perspective view showing how the car cover can be fed through the opening between the trunk lid and the body of the vehicle;

Figure 6 shows a side elevation view of the construction shown in Figure 5 illustrating the feeding of the car cover through the opening formed between the trunk lid and the vehicle body;

Figure 7 shows a vehicle covered and protected by a car cover of the kind described according to another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 shows a car cover disposed in place on a vehicle according to the first embodiment; Figure 9 shows an enlarged detail in side elevation of another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 10 shows a side sectional elevation view of a sedan with a car cover stored in a pouch on the deck of the trunk compartment;

Figure 11 shows a side sectional elevation view of a sedan with a car cover stored in a pouch on the rear sill of the trunk compartment;

Figure 12 shows a side elevation view of a van with a car cover stored in a pouch located on the inside surface of the rear hatch door and threaded through the opening between the bottom of the hatch door and the body of the van;

Figure 13 shows a side elevation of a van with a car cover stored in a pouch located on the inside surface of the rear hatch door and threaded through the opening between the top of the hatch door and the rear edge of the roof of the van;

Figure 14 shows a side sectional elevation view of a van or hatchback vehicle with a car cover stored in a pound located on the floor surface of the rear cargo area thereof;

Figure 15 shows a side sectional elevation view of a hatchback vehicle with a car cover stored in a pouch located on the inside surface of a privacy screen for the rear cargo area thereof;

Figure 16 shows a side sectional elevation view of a hatchback vehicle with a car cover stored in a pouch located on the outside rear sill of the rear cargo area thereof; Figure 17 shows a side sectional elevation view of a hatchback vehicle with a car cover stored in a pouch located on the inside surface of the rear hatch door;

Figure 18 shows a plan view of a preferred sunshade embodiment of this invention in the deployed configuration as it would look deployed on a flat surface;

Figure 19 shows the connection of the sunshade of Figure 18 to its mounting assembly, the connection partially disconnected, and the receiver pouch partially opened;

Figure 20 shows the embodiment according to Figure 18 with the sunshade in the stowed configuration and the receiver pouch partially opened;

Figure 21 shows an embodiment according to Figure 18 with the sunshade stowed and with the receiver pouch fully opened to display a warning symbol;

Figure 22 shows a partial cutaway view of a side edge of the embodiment of Figure 18, with the sunshade deployed;

Figure 23 shows a partial cutaway view of a side edge of the embodiment of Figure 18, with the sunshade stowed away;

Figure 24 shows an elevational view of a part of the side of a car protected by a deployed sunshade according to this invention;

Figure 25 shows a deployed sunshade on a vehicle; and

Figure 26 shows a retracted and stowed sunshade, but with a receiver pouch opened to display warning indicia. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferably the nature of the material employed in the car cover 10 should be chosen to be wear and tear resistant, weather resistant, lightweight, thin, foldable, stain resistant, washable, non-shrinking and able to hold print. One such material which provides the foregoing qualifications includes nylon.

Of the foregoing characteristics the sheet of material forming cover 10 should primarily be strong, flexible, and pliant. Cover 10 carries a storage unit or pouch 11 at the trailing end thereof as shown in Figure 1. Storage unit 11 comprises a pair of fabric panels 12, 13. Panels 12, 13 are mutually joined together along a forward edge of each panel. One of panels 12, 13 is movable between raised and lowered positions with respect to the other said panel to form an open space therebetween for receiving the car cover 10 to be stored therein. Preferable, the trailing edge of both panels 12, 13 carries a flexible reinforcing material 16 sewn into the edge margin thereof so as to both reinforce the edge margin of panels 12, 13 and to permit the edge margin to flex when removing cover 10 therefrom.

Cover 10 includes a tail piece 17 of essentially flat material captured between the leading edge margins of panels 12, 13 of storage unit 11. Thus the leading edge margins 14 of panels 12, 13 are sewn together therealong and capture tail piece 17 therebetween.

Cover 10 has a sufficient scope so as to cover the trailing windshield, the leading windshield, and side windows of the vehicle to which it is to be employed.

Finally, storage unit 11 includes a plurality of plastic dipped hooks 18, 19 to be connected to the underside of trunk lid 21. Thus, trunk lid 21 has been provided with the usual strengthening or reinforcing bars 22. Bars 22 as shown have been formed with a number of openings 23 therein which can be engaged by the ends of hooks 18, 19. As thus arranged, a storage pouch for use in a vehicle has been provided comprising confronting flexible side panels 12, 13 wherein the side panels are joined along a given edge 14 while an opening is formed along the opposite edge of pouch 11. A plurality of hooks 18, 19 coupled to pouch 11 serve to support same from the underside of the interior of a compartment of the vehicle. Hooks 19 each support the trailing edge of a pair of edges 16 of pouch 11 by means of an elastic band 24. Thus band 24 serves to pull the trailing corners of panels 12,13 together while hook 19 supports both of the trailing edges.

A pair of spaced apart hinges 26 serves to support trunk lid 21 for movement between lowered and raised positions.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4 with trunk lid 21 in its raised position an opening 27 is defined between the leading edge of trunk lid 21 and the body of the vehicle.

As shown Figure 3, the tail piece 17 joins the balance of the cover 10 to pouch 11. Accordingly a very small length 10a of cover 10 will underlie pouch 11 when the cover has been stored therein. When it is desired to employ cover 10 to protect the interior and exterior of a vehicle of a type having a compartment such as the trunk accessible via a moveable closure carried one pair of laterally spaced hinges connected to the vehicle body, the method of installing the cover comprises the steps of forming a sheet of reflective material such as cover 10 which is sufficient to overlay the front windshield, rear windshield and side windows of the vehicle. The next step is to form at one end of the sheet a storage pouch having a top and bottom surface portions. Next the surface portions are yieldingly retained to be carried within the compartment of the vehicle from the underside of the closure thereof. The next step is to open the compartment, then remove the sheet of material forming cover 10 from the pouch 11. Next the sheet of material forming cover 10 is fed from the trunk compartment onto the roof of the vehicle via opening 27 formed between the vehicle body and an edge of the closure 21 and defined between hinges 26. The next step is to clamp the sheet of material forming cover 10 between closure 21 and the vehicle body to retain an end of the wheel opening for a vehicle. (See Figure 7.)

As mentioned above, in order to avoid capturing the substantial gust of air beneath cover 10 as it is being applied to the vehicle and thereby make it difficult to handle, a relatively large opening 33 has been formed in the top of cover 10

Means for anchoring the forward end of cover 10 to cover with the leading windshield of the vehicle includes the step of simply tucking the leading end edge margin of cover 10 beneath the windshield wiper blades 34 as shown in Figure 8.

The embodiment shown in Figure 8 also shows the concept of closing and locking the side doors 36 of the vehicle out to the downwardly depending portion of cover 10 so as to cover the door windows from the inside.

According to another embodiment as shown in Figure 7, the leading end of cover 10 can be secured by means of elastic straps 37 disposed to be hooked about the outside mirrors on opposite sides of the vehicle such as mirror 39.

Thus cover 10 can be clamped by the side doors of the vehicle and locked, whereby the sides serve to cover the side windows while the vehicle remains locked. From the foregoing it will be readily evident that there has been provided an improved car cover capable of being locked securely to the vehicle and in which the car cover carries its own storage pouch within a compartment of the vehicle.

In addition to the above, it will be evident that the number of appropriate openings such as for antenna and the like can be located variously through the cover.

The side edges of cover 10 further include elastic drawstring bands 30, 35 serving to accommodate variations in the size of the cabin portion of various vehicles.

In addition, it will be evident that pouch 11 can also be provided by employing a single panel 12 located closely in confronting relation to the underside of trunk lid 21.

Thus, as shown in Figure 9, a single panel 12' hung from hooks 18• , 19' disposes panel 12• in confronting relation with respect to the underside of trunk lid 21'. The trailing edge margin 16' can flex away from trunk lid 21' to accommodate the storage of a car cover therebetween.

FIGURES 10-17 illustrate a number of examples of a car cover being used with a variety of vehicles and locations within each type of vehicle. For example, the vehicles include sedan-type vehicles as described herein above, vans, and hatchbacks. The pouch for containing the cover can be mounted in a variety of places within a vehicle. For example, in a sedan, the pouch can be mounted to the inside surface of the truck lid or to various other places within the trunk on the trunk deck and rear sill. Similarly, the pouch can be mounted in various places within a hatchback or a van vehicle, as described herein below. Mounting of the pouch to the various locations is accomplished, for example, using a plurality of straps and hooks as discussed previously. Deployment and storage of the car cover is similar to that described herein above.

FIGURE 10 shows a sedan 50 with a car cover 52 stored in a pouch 54 located on the deck 56 of the trunk compartment 58. The car cover is threaded between the rear edge of the truck lid 59 and the body of the vehicle.

FIGURE 11 shows a sedan 60 with a car cover 62 stored in a pouch 64 located on the rear sill 66 of the trunk compartment 68.

FIGURE 12 show a van-type of vehicle 70 with a car cover 72 stored in a pouch 74 located on the inside surface of the rear hatch door 76 and threaded through the opening between the bottom of the hatch door 76 and the lower body of the van 70. The sheet of material forming the cover 72 is fed from the pouch in the van compartment onto the roof of the vehicle in several ways. As illustrated one way is to feed the cover through the opening formed between the vehicle body and the bottom of the rear hatch door closure with the cover being held between the rear hatch door and the lower body of the van 70.

FIGURE 13 shows a van 80 with a car cover 82 stored in a pouch 84 located on the inside surface of the rear hatch door 86 and threaded through the opening between the top of the hatch door 86 and the rear edge of the roof of the van 82.

FIGURE 14 shows a van or hatchback-type vehicle 90 with a car cover 92 stored in a pouch 94 located on the floor or rear deck surface 96 of the rear cargo area 98 of the vehicle.

FIGURE 15 shows a hatchback-type vehicle 100 with a car cover 102 stored in a pouch 104 located on the inside surface of a privacy screen 106 for covering the rear cargo area 108 of the hatchback.

FIGURE 16 shows a hatchback vehicle 110 with a car cover

112 stored in a pouch 114 located on inside surface of the rear sill 116 of the rear cargo area 118 of the hatchback.

FIGURE 17 shows a hatchback vehicle 120 with a car cover 122 stored in a pouch 124 located on the inside surface of the rear hatch door 126 of the vehicle. The cover 122 is deployed through the space between the top of the door 126 and the rear edge of the roof of the vehicle, as illustrated.

Turning now to FIGURE 18, the automobile protection device 200 consists of the sunshade 202, shown deployed, and the mounting assembly 206. The extended sunshade 202 is a flat piece of suitable fabric that is of a size sufficient to cover the front windshield, the rear windshield, the side windows and the top of a standard size car. A plurality of door or mirror attachment loops 204 are sewn or otherwise suitably attached onto the sides of the sunshade 202 to allow easy attachment to car door handles and mirrors. The sunshade 202 is attached to the mounting assembly 206 by sunshade attachment means 208 best seen in Figure 19. The sunshade attachment means 208 can be any conventional means to attach one piece of fabric to another. For example, buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, hooks and loops, and the like can be used; however the preferred means of attachment is a zipper.

Mounting assembly 206 includes a folded piece of material forming a pocket 222 within which sunshade 202 is conveniently stowed away when not in use. Pocket 222 is formed between a rear wall 221 and a front wall 223, the two walls 221 and 223 joined at fold 214 (see also Figure 22) . The mounting assembly 206 also includes a receiver pouch 228 attached to the front wall 223 of pocket 222 by a second attachment means 210 encircling the front surface of wall 223 (that surface that is away from the inside surface of the trunk lid when the device is mounted) of the pocket 222 of mounting assembly 206. The second attachment means 210 can, again, be any attachment means conventionally used for fabric attachment; however, the greatly preferred means of attachment is a zipper extending around three sides and stitching 227 on the fourth (or bottom) side of receiver pouch 228. At the bottom of the mounting assembly 206 is a first rope 212, preferably an elastic rope, that extends through a bottom hemmed portion 229 of the fabric of pocket 222 and out the two ends 216. Although the first rope 212 can be fixedly attached to the side of the mounting assembly 206 at the edge or hem 214, preferably the rope is slidably received within the hem 214. The first rope 212 rope secures the hook means 19 used to attach the mounting assembly 206 to the inside of the trunk lid. Each free end of the first rope 212 is looped back through a grommet 218. The grommet can be a mounted metal or plastic grommet or can be a sewn fabric grommet or the like. The size of the loop created by the first rope 212 can be adjusted by the placement of a grommet engaging knot 220 on the elastic rope.

A second rope 225, preferably elastic, is shown at the top of the front wall 223 of pocket 222 in a hem 231 (see also Figure 23) and is looped in the manner heretofore described for the first rope 212. Hooks 19 are slidable on the loops, for mounting the device on the inside surface of a trunk lid of a standard automobile or any other convenient surface. The mounting assembly 206 could be mounted in vans, station wagons and similar vehicles not having trunks in a conventional sense as noted in connection with previously described embodiments. As best seen in FIGURE 19, the sunshade 202 is removably attached to the mounting assembly 206 by any acceptable attachment means 208, a zipper being preferred. In this manner, the sunshade 202 can be easily and quickly removed from the mounting assembly 206 for convenient use as an emergency blanket or ground cover. When detached, the one- size-fits-all sunshade 202 is well suited for such use, since it is not tailored beyond being a flat piece of fabric with hemmed edges.

As best seen in FIGURES 20 and 23, the sunshade 202, when retracted, fits into the sunshade pocket 222 through the opening defined by the tops of walls 221 and 223. The sides of walls 221 and 223 are sewn together by stitching 235 with the top of rear wall 221 extending a short distance above the top of front wall 223, the extension serving as a lid 224. The pocket lid 224, being an extension of the rear wall 221 of pocket 222, defines a flap which is brought forward covering the opening of pocket 222 and has a central flap attachment means 226 which attaches to the front wall attachment means 233 to secure the stowed sunshade 202 inside the pocket 222 and prevent its accidental deployment. Preferably, attachment means 226 and 233 are constructed of hook and loop material, for example Velcro®.

The pocket portion 222 of the mounting assembly 206 is preferably made of heavy fabric, for example, canvas, and can be made form natural or man-made fabrics, nylon being preferred.

A receiver pouch 228 for small objects such as flares, tools, loose tennis balls, and the like is provided by the flap of cloth 230 which is permanently attached to the trunk mounting assembly 206 on one edge only by stitching 227, and is releasably retained at its other three sides on the front surface of front wall 223 of pocket 222 by the second attachment means 210. The small objects within the receiver pouch 228 can be stowed and retrieved by partially unzipping the receiver pouch as shown in Figures 19 and 20.

In FIGURE 20, the sunshade 202 is fully retracted into the pocket 222 of mounting assembly 206 for stowage (therefore not shown in this figure) The sunshade pocket lid 224 is shown to extend across the opening of the sunshade pocket 222 and attaches to the lid attachment means 233.

The flap 230 is shown fully opened in FIGURE 21 and the inside surface 231 of the flap 230 displays a visible indicia 232 that will be visible when the trunk of the automobile is open. In one embodiment of this invention, a plurality of indicia flaps 234 are provided so that various emergency or other types of messages may be selectively displayed. A reflective emergency triangle 232 is shown displayed as exemplary. Alternative indicia include readable messages such as "PLEASE CALL FOR

ASSISTANCE", "HELP", advertising logos, and the like. The plurality of indicia flaps 234 are retained in position by attachment means 236 which is preferably hook and loop material, for example Velcro®.

Turning now to FIGURE 24, the sunshade 202 of the present invention is shown deployed to cover the top of an exemplary automobile having an exemplary automobile side 239. A first door 240 has a recessed door handle 242. An elastic door attachment rope 244 is shown extended under the door handle 242 from a first door attachment loop 246 to a second door attachment loop 248 and attached to the door attachment loops by knotting 249. The elastic door attachment rope 244 placed under the recessed handle 242 secures the sunshade 202 on the top of the automobile.

The second exemplary automobile door 250 has an outwardly extended door handle 252 which forms an anchoring means for an extended door handle strap 254. The door handle strap 254 consists of two strips of hook and loop material (for example, Velcro®) long enough to securely fasten to each other around the door handle. A single cloth strap with hook material and loop material portions, properly positioned for mating upon looping of the strap, may be employed in lieu of two separate strips. An elastic rope 256 attached to the door handle strap 254 extends upwardly to a third door attachment loop 258 on sunshade 202 and attaches thereto by tieing.

The vehicle protection device 200 of the present invention can be mounted at a number of places in an automobile, as described in detail heretofore. It is preferable to mount the vehicle protection device to the inside of the trunk lid, which is possible in a majority of standard size passenger automobiles, regardless of country of origin or the automobile, or the manufacturer. FIGURE 25 shows a typical mounting and deployment. If desired, since the material of sunshade 202 is very thin (although tight knit) , the front doors can be shut with the sunshade 202 sandwiched between the door and the car frame for security against strong winds. Also, if desired additional attachment loops 204 can be provided on the front of sunshade 202 for attachment to windshield wipers.

Although non-standard size automobiles, for example stretch limousines, cannot be adequately covered by the one-size- fits-all cover, they can be fitted with custom sized sunshades to receive the benefits of this invention.

Since the cover stows in the trunk, one person can easily deploy the sunshade 202, because one portion of the sunshade 202 is permanently anchored to the trunk. The cover attached to the inside of the trunk lid acts as a permanent tie-down point. Moreover, since the attached sunshade pouch is in the locked trunk, the cover is substantially theft-proof.

Once deployed, the preferred reflective fabric, 100% polyester with metalized reflective coating, preferably 10 oz. or heavier, covers all windows, thereby protecting interior surfaces, rear speakers, and delicate contents of the automobile such as tapes and the like, from exposure to sunlight. It also helps keep valuables inside the automobile out of sight and, when deployed, it also allows passengers within the stopped automobile a great degree of privacy from onlookers. The preferred 100% polyester with metalized coating fabric is water-resistant and provides an excellent snow and ice cover. The sunshade 202, when dust, snow, ice, or water covered, can be cleaned by simply pulling the sunshade rearwardly (leaving the trunk closed) , thereby inverting it. A few quick shakes or jerks of the end of the inverted sunshade clears off any loose debris readying the sunshade for stowing. The preferred fabric can be easily cleaned using soapy water, and conveniently, the fabric can be machine cleaned. Since the sunshade 202 stores in its entirely enclosed pocket 222, a sunshade 202 moistened by rain or snow can be retracted within the pouch while the trunk remains dry.

The small object receiver pouch 228 allows convenient storage of small objects and prevents them from sliding around in the trunk. A further advantage of the described receiver pouch 228 is that the emergency indicia 232 can be displayed when the pouch is fully opened and the trunk lid is opened, as seen in FIGURE 26. The emergency indicia is preferably highly reflective, and, when displayed, reduces the chance of rear-end type collisions from following vehicles. Moreover, in the event of an emergency stranding the motorist in a remote location, the sunshade 202 can be unzipped from the mounting assembly 206 and used as an emergency blanket. A sunshade 202 made of the preferred 100% polyester with metalized coating fabric reflects a significant amount of body head back to the body wrapped in the sunshade.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention in the form of a trunk organizer, the mounting assembly may function as a small object receiver pouch 228 and warning display device 232 only, i.e. without a sunshade 202. Such an embodiment would have the general appearance of the invention shown in Figures 20, 21, and 26, but with only a single wall 221 instead of the double wall 221, 223 construction. Such embodiment would also be void of a lid 224 and attachment means 226, 233. To keep manufacturing costs down, instead of forming a different mounting assembly for the embodiment with a sunshade 202 and the embodiment without a sunshade 202, the same basic construction can be used for both embodiments. In this case, the embodiment without a sunshade 202 would include a pocket 222 having walls 221, 223 exactly as shown in Figures 20, 21, and 26. This would provide the user with a pocket 222 in addition to the small object receiving pouch 228 for additional storage space.

The vehicle protection device 200 is preferably mounted on the inside surface of the trunk lid of the typical automobile with minimum inconvenience. It will, of course, be appreciated that the mounting assembly 206 could be mounted in vans, station wagons and similar vehicles not having trunks in a conventional sense. Once the mounting assembly 206 is installed on the trunk lid, the sunshade pocket 222 is opened and the sunshade 202 is pushed through the opening between the trunk lid and the body of the automobile and the sunshade is extended over the top of the automobile. As previously indicated, because the sunshade is anchored into place, it is easy for one person to spread and store. The preferred silver-coated polyester material used for the cover provides total (360p) protection from ultraviolet rays and infrared rays. The heat, cold, sun. dirt, and snow will not build up on the surface of the parked automobile itself as the automobile is subjected to the insults of the environment. Valuables — car stereo, cassette tapes, wallet — remain unseen thereby reducing temptation of passing thieves. Unlike conventional car covers, which are made from multiple pieces of fabric custom tailored together, the one-size-fits-all sunshade of the present invention is preferably made from only one flat piece of fabric. The sunshade of the present invention is also useful for convertibles when the top is either up or down, providing ideal protection for either the top, when up, or the interior of the car when the top is down, against ultraviolet rays.

Although the mounting hardware, elastic ropes 212, 225 and hooks 19, of the mounting assembly 206 may be easily connected to the framework of a standard trunk lid, some high end vehicles have a solid, sound absorbing, cloth cover panel over the inside of the trunk lid, this being the trend of the industry. In such a case, the hooks 19 can be clipped over the edges of the cloth lining panel, or the elastic ropes 212, 225 can be stretched over the snaps holding the panel in place. Alternatively, the normal panel fasteners can be removed, and the hooks 19 may simply be substituted in their places to hold the panel to the inside of the trunk lid. In all cases, the hooks 19 connected to the lower elastic ropes 212 can be clipped over or around the hinge bars connecting the trunk lid to the vehicle body.

In the simplest form of the invention, the automobile accessory device may comprise only a mounting assembly attachable to the inside surface of a trunk lid of a standard automobile and having an outer surface facing away from the inside surface of the trunk lid; and a panel having an inner facial surface and upper and lower edges, the panel being attached at one of its edges to the mounting assembly and releasably attachable to the other of the edges, whereby, upon release of the panel from the mounting assembly, the inner surface of the panel and outer surface of the mounting assembly, together, display distress indicia. Although it is known to display distress indicia upon the opening of a trunk by some manufacturers, the size of such indicia is quite small. In accordance with the present invention, since the distress indicia spans across the attachment point of the panel to the mounting assembly, when the panel is hinged away from the mounting assembly, the outer surface of the mounting assembly and the inner surface of the panel display distress indicia within an area twice as large as can be displayed without the hingeable feature. In this embodiment of the invention, as well as in others previously described, multiple flaps of the outer cover panel, which may be fabric itself, may be provided in order for the user to select different distress indicia depending upon the situation at hand. The embodiment of the invention just described will have the physical appearance of the arrangement according to Figure 21, but with the only elements being a simple trunk lid cover panel in place of the front wall 223 of mounting assembly 206, and the flap 230 attached to such panel along an attachment line 227. Ropes 212, 225 and hooks 19, in such embodiment, attach to the panel 223, and flap 230 is attachable by an appropriate means to the panel 223 as well in the attached configuration. When flap 230 is released from its attachment to panel 223, the entire, double sized, distress indicia 232 will be displayed.

All embodiments of the present invention may be sold as an after-market accessory, or may be sold as standard equipment with the purchase of an automobile, i.e. the invention may be built into the trunk lid of a new car as it is assembled on the assembly line. The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined and limited only by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automobile accessory device comprising: a mounting assembly including a pair of spaced, inner and outer, walls defining a pouch, the mounting assembly adapted to be attached to the inside surface of a trunk lid of a standard car such that a first side of the outer wall of the pouch faces away from the inside surface of the trunk lid, the pouch having at least one fabric flap attached to the first side, the flap having an outer side and an inner side, the outer side being displayed when the flap is attached to the pouch, thereby forming a closed small object receiver, and the inner side being displayed when the small object receiver is opened, the inner side having indicia thereon; and a flat sheet of fabric stowable in the pouch and of a size sufficient to overlay a substantial portion of the front windshield, the rear windshield, the side windows, and the top of a standard size automobile, the flat sheet being removably attached to the mounting assembly.

2. The automobile accessory device of Claim 1, wherein the flat sheet of fabric is made from 100% polyester with metalized reflective coating fabric.

3. The automobile accessory device of Claim 1, further comprising: a hem on an edge of the mounting assembly; at least one loop of rope, the loop mounting at least one hook, a first end of the loop formed by the intersection of the rope and the hem, the second end of the loop defined by a first side of a grommet means punched into the mounting means, the length of the loop determined by the placement of a grommet engaging knot on the elastic rope on the second side of the grommet means.

4. The automobile accessory device of Claim 1, wherein a plurality of flaps, each bearing indicia, are attached to the outer wall of the pouch.

5. A automobile accessory device comprising: a mounting assembly adapted to be attached to the inside surface of a trunk lid of a standard car, the mounting assembly having a first side facing away from the inside surface of the trunk lid, the first side having a flap of material attached thereto to form a receiver pouch; and a sheet of fabric, sufficient to overlay a substantial portion of the front windshield, the rear windshield, the side windows, and the top of the car, attached to the mounting assembly.

6. The automobile accessory device of Claim 5, wherein the sheet of fabric is detachable from the mounting assembly.

7. The automobile accessory device of Claim 5,^wherein the flap of material is permanently attached on one of its sides to the first side of the mounting assembly, and is removably attachable on all of its other sides to the first side of the mounting assembly.

8. The automobile accessory device of Claim 7, wherein the flap of material is attached on the bottom edge of the mounting assembly.

9. The automobile accessory device of Claim 8, wherein the flap, when opened, displays an inner surface bearing indicia.

10. The automobile accessory device of Claim 5, wherein the flat sheet of fabric is sized to fit a majority of standard size sedan automobiles.

11. The automobile accessory device of Claim 5, further comprising: a hem on an edge of the mounting assembly; at least one loop of rope, the loop mounting at least one hook, a first end of the loop formed by the intersection of the rope and the hem, the second end of the loop defined by a first side of a grommet means punched into the mounting means, the length of the loop determined by the placement of a grommet engaging knot on the elastic rope on the second side of the grommet means.

12. A automobile accessory device comprising: a mounting assembly adapted to be attached to the inside surface of a trunk lid of a standard car; a sheet of fabric sufficient to overlay a substantial portion of the front windshield, the rear windshield, the side windows, and the top of a sedan automobile, the sheet of fabric, when not in use, being stowable in the mounting assembly; and a flap, having indicia on its inner surface, releasably attached to the mounting assembly, the flap displaying the indicia when released from the mounting assembly, and removing the indicia from view when attached to the mounting assembly.

13. The automobile accessory device of Claim 12, wherein a flap attached to the mounting assembly forms a receiver pouch for small objects.

14. The automobile accessory device of Claim 12, wherein a flap is permanently affixed to the mounting assembly on one side and removably attached on all other sides.

15. The automobile accessory device of Claim 12, wherein a plurality of flaps, each bearing indicia, are attached to the mounting assembly.

16. The automobile accessory device of Claim 12, further comprising: a hem on an edge of the mounting assembly; at least one loop of rope, the loop mounting at least one hook, a first end of the loop formed by the intersection of the rope and the hem, the second end of the loop defined by a first side of a grommet means punched into the mounting means, the length of the loop determined by the placement of a grommet engaging knot on the elastic rope on the second side of the grommet means.

17. A automobile accessory device comprising: a mounting assembly including a pair of spaced, inner and outer, walls defining a pouch, the mounting assembly adapted to be attached to the inside surface of a trunk lid of a standard car such that a first side of the outer wall of the pouch faces away from the inside surface of the trunk lid; and a flat sheet of fabric stowable in the pouch and of a size sufficient to overlay a substantial portion of the front windshield, the rear windshield, the side windows, and the top of a standard size automobile, the flat sheet being removably attached to the mounting assembly.

18. The automobile accessory device of Claim 17, wherein the flat sheet of fabric is made from 100% polyester with metalized reflective coating fabric.

19. The automobile accessory device of Claim 17, further comprising: a hem on an edge of the mounting assembly; at least one loop of rope, the loop mounting at least one hook, a first end of the loop formed by the intersection of the rope and the hem, the second end of the loop defined by a first side of a grommet means punched into the mounting means, the length of the loop determined by the placement of a grommet engaging knot on the elastic rope on the second side of the grommet means.

20. An automobile accessory device comprising: a mounting assembly adapted to be attached to the inside surface of a trunk lid of a standard car and having an outer surface facing away from the inside surface of the trunk lid; and at least one fabric flap attached to the outer surface of the mounting assembly, the flap having an outer side and an inner side, the outer side being displayed when the flap is attached to the outer surface of the mounting assembly, thereby forming a closed small object receiver, and the inner side being displayed when the small object receiver is opened, the inner side having indicia thereon.

21. The automobile accessory device of Claim 20, further comprising: a hem on an edge of the mounting assembly; at least one loop of rope, the loop mounting at least one hook, a first end of the loop formed by the intersection of the rope and the hem, the second end of the loop defined by a first side of a grommet means punched into the mounting means, the length of the loop determined by the placement of a grommet engaging knot on the elastic rope on the second side of the grommet means.

22. The automobile accessory device of Claim 20, wherein a plurality of flaps, each bearing indicia, are attached to the outer surface of the mounting assembly.

23. The automobile accessory device of Claim 20, wherein the flap of material is permanently attached on one of its sides to the outer surface of the mounting assembly, and is removably attachable on all of its other sides to the outer surface of the mounting assembly.

24. The automobile accessory device of Claim 23, wherein the flap of material is attached on the bottom edge of the mounting assembly.

25. The automobile accessory device of Claim 20, wherein said mounting assembly comprises a pair of spaced, inner and outer, walls defining a pouch, the outer wall defining the outer surface to which the flap is attached.

26. An automobile accessory device comprising: a mounting assembly attachable to the inside surface of a trunk lid of a standard car and having an outer surface facing away from the inside surface of the trunk lid; and a panel having an inner facial surface and upper and lower edges, said panel attached at one of said edges to said mounting assembly and releasably attached to the other of said edges, whereby, upon release of said panel from said mounting assembly, said inner surface of said panel and said outer surface of said mounting assembly, together, display distress indicia.

27. The automobile accessory device of Claim 26, wherein said panel is made of fabric.

28. The automobile accessory device of Claim 27, wherein said panel comprises a plurality of fabric flaps each of which includes means for selectively attaching the respective flap to the adjacent flap for all flaps except the flap closest to said mounting assembly, and for attaching the flap closest to the mounting assembly to the mounting assembly, thereby displaying different distress indicia as each flap is detached from its attached condition.