The present invention relates to a protective cover for vehicle remote keyless entry devices.
Many vehicles are equipped with keyless entry devices for remotely locking and unlocking vehicle doors. Because such remote devices are usually attached to a key chain, they are susceptible to scratching and other external damage. Furthermore, they are often exposed to rain which can irreparably damage the remote.
A myriad of vehicle remote protectors exist in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. D456,600 issued to Gadson discloses an ornamental design for a combined remote key case and key ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,691 issued to White discloses a protective case for a remote control transmitter including a clear plastic cover panel slidably received within a container. The container includes an opening through which the transmitter's key ring passes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,416 issued to Jamie discloses a remote car alarm protective device including a protective housing having a first section hingedly attached to a second section whereby the first section can be pivoted upwardly to selectively expose the transmitter buttons.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,817 issued to Barletta discloses a beeper slip on cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,776 issued to Ward discloses a protective device for a remote control unit including a resilient, deformable foam housing having a flexible, transparent panel overlaying the remote buttons. The remote is secured within the housing with hook and loop fasteners.
As indicated above, numerous remote protective enclosures exist in the prior art. However, each of the devices is complex and therefore expensive to manufacture; furthermore, each device requires that an access panel or an equivalent be manipulated in order to insert and remove the vehicle remote which is cumbersome and laborious.
The present invention overcomes the above described problems by providing a protector that is designed to allow a remote to be quickly and easily removed or installed. Furthermore, the device easily accommodates varying size keyless entry devices.
The present invention discloses a protector for a remote keyless entry device including a hollow enclosure having four edges, a top surface and a bottom surface. On one of the edges is an opening in communication with an interior chamber. The opening is expandable allowing varying size remote keyless entry devices to pass therethrough. The enclosure may include a transparent panel on the top surface providing access to the function buttons on the remote keyless entry device. The expandable opening may be sealed with a tab that attaches to the enclosure with hook and loop fasteners, snaps or similar fasteners. Another embodiment includes a zipper along three of the edges allowing the enclosure to open and close in a clamshell type fashion.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a protector for a remote keyless entry device that protects it from external damage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a protector that is configured to fit about varying size remote keyless entry devices.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a protector for a vehicle remote that can be quickly and easily secured about the remote. Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the attached drawings and the appended claims.
The present invention discloses a protector for a remote keyless entry device including a hollow enclosure 1 having a top edge 32, a bottom edge 31, two opposing side edges 2, a top surface 3 and a bottom surface 4. The enclosure is constructed with a pliable but resilient material such as rubber or vinyl allowing the enclosure to conform to varying size remote devices. On one of the edges is an opening 5 in communication with an interior chamber. The opening is expandable whereby varying size remote keyless entry devices may be inserted therethrough. For example, the opening may include an elastomeric band 6 integral with the seam that defines the opening allowing the opening to expand and contract.
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On the top surface of the enclosure is a window 12 that is superimposed on the control buttons 13 when the remote is received within the enclosure. The window is selectively covered with a flap 14 that can be raised to provide selective access to the control buttons. The flap includes a lower edge 15 fixedly attached to the top surface of the enclosure. Adjacent an opposing upper edge is a hook and loop fastener 21 that engages a mating fastener 22 on the enclosure to removably attach the flap thereto. Accordingly, the remote control buttons can be easily accessed without removing the remote from the enclosure.
The above described device can be constructed with any variety of materials such as foam rubber, leather, vinyl or any other suitable equivalent. The zipper is preferably constructed with plastic or a similar material so as to be corrosion resistant. Furthermore, though the device is depicted and described as being primarily rectangular or square in shape, the device can have any shape depending upon the shape of a given remote. However, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the size, shape and materials of construction of the various components can be varied.
Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims.
This application is entitled to the benefit of provisional application No. 60/425,079 filed on Nov. 8, 2002.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4141401 | Hindemit | Feb 1979 | A |
4420078 | Belt et al. | Dec 1983 | A |
4733776 | Ward | Mar 1988 | A |
4762227 | Patterson | Aug 1988 | A |
4951817 | Barletta et al. | Aug 1990 | A |
5388691 | White | Feb 1995 | A |
5873456 | Hull et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
6155416 | Jaime | Dec 2000 | A |
D456600 | Gadson | May 2002 | S |
6471056 | Tzeng | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6533111 | Harden | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6612432 | Motson | Sep 2003 | B2 |
20010002003 | Kuzdak et al. | May 2001 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60425079 | Nov 2002 | US |