WO2012056466A1

WO2012056466A1 - Improved auto rickshaw hood with advertising spaces

Info

Publication number: WO2012056466A1
Application number: PCT/IN2011/000005
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hazeeb Rahman Padiyath Abdul Rahman
Original assignee: Hazeeb Rahman Padiyath Abdul Rahman
Priority date: 2010-10-26
Filing date: 2011-01-05
Publication date: 2012-05-03

Abstract

An auto rickshaw hood (10) comprises advertising spaces (12, 14, 16) embedded in the hood (10). The advertising spaces (12, 14, 16) are formed as a depressed area and said spaces are bridged with an acrylic sheet which is lit up by lights placed on the depressed area of the hood (10) between the hood (10) and the acrylic sheet. The auto rickshaw hood (10) is made of fiberglass.

Description

IMPROVED AUTO RICKSHAW HOOD WITH ADVERTISING SPACES

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an auto rickshaw hood and more particularly relates to an auto rickshaw hood which is light in weight comprises of advertisement spaces inbuilt in the hood. The auto rickshaw hood is manufactured using fiber glass which is light in weight and thereby decreases the laden weight of the vehicle eventually increasing the mileage / fuel efficiency of the vehicle. Background of the Invention

Over the past few decades, automobile manufacturers have made numerous innovations, and thus have greatly improved the comfort and safety of vehicle passengers. Nowadays the public transport means like trains, city buses, and auto rickshaws provide more functions than transporting passengers to places. They are the moving advertisement boards today.

People spend a significant portion of their time on commuting to workplace and they come across many vehicles. From a business point of view, therefore, it seems very logical to display your advertisements on a vehicle. Public transport vehicles run by government like buses, trains etc allow putting advertisements on them and have a well defined system to carry out this work. One can bid for a space in train/bus to display their advertisement and pay for the time and space used.

However, in India, metro cities like Mumbai and others, an auto rickshaw is a vehicle for hire and is one of the chief modes of transport. It is observed that there is more number of auto rickshaws on the road than personal and public vehicles. So a commuter sees a lot of auto rickshaws while commuting to his workplace. That makes the auto rickshaw a very good advertising space. To reach the target customer the recognition of a company's brand name in front of public eye is important. The fact of endorsing a product allows selling more.

In India the present practice is that the auto rickshaw is delivered from the manufacturer without a hood. Only body and chassis are supplied by the manufacturing company. The buyer takes the vehicle and it is his duty to manufacture and install the hood at his own cost. The hood is made from resin which is stitched by the hood manufacturer and is supported by multiple metal bar frames originating from the body from the left side to the right side. There is an elliptical transparent opening in the hood at the central back part of the hood. No hood, however, comes with an advertising space.

Several prior art exists which provide an improved hood design. US Patent 5,993,031 by Krise discloses a decorative simulated automobile hood light is disclosed. The hood light contains a light source with light passing through the front and the rear of the enclosure for the light source, which is a simulated automobile hood. The hood can be raised or lowered, permitting access to the light source and simulating the opening and closing of an automobile hood.

US Patent 5,944,347 by Pechman discloses an automobile hood cover comprised of a flexible planar substrate of vinyl coated fabric or other plastic material, which substrate has substantially all of its exterior (outwardly facing) surface covered with protective and decorative lace means, namely, either lace cloth or lace indicia. The cloth or indicia form a lace pattern comprised of regularly recurring sets of discrete graphical motifs.

Similarly US Patent 5,833,024 by Kaneko says that the object of an automotive hood structure of the present invention is to increase the hood strength and make it possible to decrease the sheet thickness of a hood inner 2 without the complicated shape of a hood inner 2 around a striker 3 or the increased size of the striker 3. Reinforcement 4, comprising a top flat portion 41 and flange portions 42, and the striker 3 are disposed between a hood outer 1 and the hood inner 2. A flange portion 31a of the striker 3 is lapped on the flange portion 42 of the reinforcement 4, and welded to the hood inner 2. The top flat portion 41 is fixedly bonded to the inside surface of the hood outer 1.

An auto rickshaw is a three-wheeler also referred as tuk-tuk, trishaw, or autorick in popular parlance, is a motor vehicle and a mode of transport for use as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional rickshaw; a small three- wheeled cart operated by a single individual, and is a 3 -wheeled cabin cycle. Auto rickshaws can be found in many Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, as well as in and some African countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan, and in some parts of Egypt. An auto rickshaw is generally characterized by a sheet-metal body or open frame resting on three wheels, a canvas/resin roof with drop-down sides called hood and a small cabin in the front of the vehicle for the driver and seating space for up to three passengers in the rear. They are generally fitted with an air-cooled scooter version of a two-stroke/four stroke engine, with handlebar controls instead of a steering wheel. Auto rickshaws are considered light duty vehicles.

It is a common practice in India that the auto rickshaw hood is made of some flexible material like resin and it is supported by metal frame running from back of the vehicle till the front windshield. The metal frame adds unnecessary weight to the vehicle and thus reduces its performance.

However none of the hood covers mentioned in the prior art serves the dual purpose of reducing weight and providing a new design as in shape and pattern which along with it specifies a definitely designed area in the auto rickshaw hood for advertisements. Summary of the Invention

One aspect of the present invention is to provide an auto rickshaw hood comprises of plurality of advertisement spaces.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an auto rickshaw hood made up of glass fiber which is light in weight and thereby decreases the laden weight of the vehicle which eventually increases the mileage of the vehicle.

Other aspect of the present invention is to provide a hood having advertisement area which is depressed from the surrounding area which is specifically demarcated for advertising space on the hood at various sides of the auto rickshaw. One of the other aspect of the present invention is to cover the advertisement spaces with acrylic sheet thereby advertisement posters can be pasted over the acrylic sheet.

One of the other aspect of the present invention is to provide illumination lamps especially plurality of LED(s) for illuminating advertisement space at night.

One of the main aspects of the present invention is to provide a novel design of auto rickshaw hood having new form, shape, continuity and positioning of the advertising spaces in the auto rickshaw hood.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an auto rickshaw hood which is cheaper than existing hood with metal frame.

The present invention is intended to solve the problem existing in the prior arts by providing a new auto rickshaw hood with advertising spaces inbuilt and reducing the weight by eliminating metal frame. The present invention provide a designed area specified for advertisements which is a depressed area in comparison to the surrounding areas in the hood which is bridged with an acrylic sheet which is lit by lights placed on the depressed area on the hood in between the hood and the acrylic sheet bridging the depression. This causes backlighting of the depression bridging acrylic sheet .The advertisement is placed on the acrylic sheet surface area and the material used for it is generally self adhesive printed vinyl. This vinyl can be changed whenever new advertisements are to be placed. Only in the roof of the new hood the advertisement space is not depressed but it's elevated in the front and the borders of the elevated area running backwards towards the back of the hood.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the auto rickshaw hood according to an embodiment of the present invention along with the advertisement space.

FIG. 2 shows back view of the auto rickshaw hood according to an embodiment of the present invention along with the advertisement space which is depressed in comparison the rest of the hood. FIG. 3 shows left side view of the auto rickshaw hood according to an embodiment of the present invention along with the advertisement space which is depressed in comparison the rest of the hood.

FIG. 4 shows top view of the auto rickshaw hood according to an embodiment of the present invention where the advertisement space is not the depressed part but the elevated area with its borders running from the front to the back merging on both sides with the remaining part of the hood at the back of the hood.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to an auto rickshaw hood comprises of plurality of advertisement spaces inbuilt in the hood. Generally auto rickshaw is a vehicle used by the more public, so placing advertisement in the Auto rickshaw will be an easier way to attract more customers. Moreover this invention also intended to use fiber glass for manufacturing hood which can able to eliminate the metal frame used in the existing auto rickshaws. In the existing Auto rickshaws resin is used to cover the metal frame and advertisement spaces could not be provided. So this invention intended to solve both the above mentioned problems as described below with the help of drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the hood design 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention along with an advertisement space 12. The advertising space 12 starts from the left side of the auto rickshaw and extending from the back side to the right side (not visible in figure but similar to left side) of the auto rickshaw. It is to be noted that the advertising space 12 is extends continuously from left side to the right side crossing the rear side of the auto rickshaw. The advertising space 12 is of rectangular shape but can be made in any other similar shapes to put the advertisements. Other advertising spaces 14 and 16 are also visible in this figure. The advertising space 14 at the back side of the hood design 10 is separate and above the advertising space 12. Similarly advertising space 16 is at the left side of the hood design 10 and is separate from and located above the advertising space 12. FIGs 2, 3 and 4 shows back view, left side view and top view of the hood design 10 respectively according to an embodiment of the present invention. The hood extends from the back of the auto rickshaw over the top to the front side. The hood design 10 is completely made of fiber glass. Fiberglass (also called fiberglass and glass fiber) is a material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. It is used as a reinforcing agent for many polymer products. Glass fibers are useful because of their high ratio of surface area to weight. This reduces the laden weight of the auto rickshaw.

Further by using fiber glass for manufacturing auto rickshaw hood the present invention provides an economically viable /cheaper auto rickshaw hood which is affordable for common man. The auto rickshaw hood is manufactured as a single piece so fitting with Auto rickshaw will be easier.

Moreover the auto rickshaw in the present invention does not need the metal frame structure which was there with the auto rickshaw to put the hood. It allows the buyer to customize the hood and since it is made of fiberglass, it offers a lightweight structure. In the present invention the hood is self standing and does not need a metal frame to support. This has advantage of reduced laden weight of the auto rickshaw and this aid in better mileage. The hood in accordance with present invention which is manufactured as a single piece comprises of space(s) especially for advertisements which is the novelty of the hood according to present invention.

FIG 2 shows the back portion of the hood design 10 which comprises the' back portion of the advertising space 12 as shown in FIG 1. The advertising spaces 12 and 14 are used to put customized advertisements. Similarly FIGs 3 and 4 shows the advertising spaces 12, 14 and 16 on the left and top sides of the hood. The right side of the hood which is not shown in drawings is similar to the left side view and also contains advertising space 16 and thus providing a new design as in shape and pattern which along with it specifies a definitely designed area in the auto rickshaw hood for advertisements. Only the area specified for advertisements is a depressed area in comparison to the surrounding areas in the hood which is bridged with an acrylic sheet which is lit by lights placed on the depressed area on the hood in between the hood and the acrylic sheet bridging the depression. This causes backlighting of the depression bridging acrylic sheet .The advertisement is placed on the acrylic sheet surface area and the material used for it is generally self adhesive printed vinyl. This vinyl can be changed whenever new advertisements are to be placed. Only in the roof of the new hood the advertisement space is not depressed but it's elevated in the front and the borders of the elevated area running backwards towards the back of the hood. The advertising spaces 12, 14 and 16 can be in any form, shape, continuity and positioning. Even though advertisement spaces are designed in substantially rectangular shape, it can be varied depends upon the requirement of Customer.

The boundary of the advertising spaces is formed by inner lines where the measurement lines start or end on the hood 10 surface. The advertising spaces comprise of an acrylic sheet covering the entire area on which the advertisements posters will be pasted.

The advertisement poster to be used in the present invention comprises self- adhesive vinyl sheets with advertisements printed on them. These posters are custom made and prepared on request. If the advertisements needs to be changed then only the poster is removed and replaced by another poster. There is a silver coated rubber beading or a plane black rubber beading lining the entire borders of the acrylic sheet on the specified advertising spaces 12,14 or 16 and is used to secure the acrylic sheet on the advertising spaces. The back side of the hood provides a rectangular area between the two advertisement areas of Approximately 24 inches in length and covered by a transparent acrylic sheet bordered by silver rubber beading for the smooth rear vision for the driver as per statutory laws.

The advertising spaces 12, 14 and 16 according to the present invention will contain LED bulbs illuminating the advertisement from behind the acrylic sheet making it a backlit advertisement at night.

In another embodiment of the present invention the advertisements can be displayed on inside panels to reach to passengers who spend about 30 minutes in the auto rickshaw. The outside panels can also be animated with bright colors, logos and message which can attracts people in just few seconds. This self moving advertisement ensures it reaches more people everywhere. Only in a short period of time, the brand advertisement will be identified even by those lacking awareness without their conscious thought.

Advantages of the invention

1. Auto rickshaw hood with advertisement spaces which attract more customers.

2. Auto rickshaw hood which is light in weight increase mileage/fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

3. Auto rickshaw hood manufactured as a single piece so fixing with the Auto rickshaw will be easier.

4. Auto rickshaw hood which eliminates the usage of metal frame and resin.

5. LED bulbs are provided to illuminate advertisements which ensure the attraction of customers even at night time.

6. Auto rickshaw hood which is more economical than existing hoods used in the rickshaws.

7. Auto rickshaw hood wherein the advertisement spaces can be varied depends upon the customer requirement.

8. Auto rickshaw hood wherein the advertisement spaces are covered with acrylic sheet where the posters can be pasted.

Claims

An auto rickshaw hood (10) with advertising space comprising;

plurality of advertising spaces (12, 14,16) inbuilt in the hood;

said advertising space (12) extends continuously from left side to right side crossing the rear side of the auto rickshaw hood;

said advertising space (14) is positioned at the back side of the hood and placed above the advertising space (12);

said advertising space (16) is positioned left side and right side of the hood;

wherein the advertising spaces (12,14,16) are formed as depressed area and the said spaces are bridged with an acrylic sheet which are lit by lights placed on the depressed area on the hood in between the hood and acrylic sheet bridging the depression.

The auto rickshaw hood as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hood is made of fiberglass and the hood extends from the back side of the auto rickshaw over the top to the front side.

The auto rickshaw hood as claimed in claims 1 and 2, wherein the acrylic sheet is provided with silver coated rubber beading or a plane black rubber to fix it on the advertising spaces.

The auto rickshaw hood as claimed in claims 1 to 3, wherein the acrylic sheets are lit by the LED illumination bulbs placed behind the acrylic sheets.

The auto rickshaw hood as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the hood is manufactured as a single piece with inbuilt advertisement spaces.

The auto rickshaw hood as claimed in claims 1 to 6, wherein the hood eliminates the usage of metal frame and thereby increase the mileage by reducing the laden weight of the auto rickshaw.

The auto rickshaw hood as claimed in claims 1 to 7, wherein the hood includes a rectangular area positioned between advertising spaces (12, 14) covered by a transparent acrylic sheet for enhancing rear vision for the driver.

8. The auto rickshaw hood as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the advertisement posters are pasted on the acrylic sheet fixed with the advertising spaces provided on the hood.

9. The auto rickshaw hood as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the advertisement space is designed substantially rectangular in shape.

10. The auto rickshaw hood as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the shape and positioning of the advertisement space can be suitably varied depends upon the requirement.