The invention relates to a clamping system for securing a sheet of automotive glass over existing window opening in a vehicle door.
Emergency Response Teams (ERT) are trained in numerous rescue and/or take-down manoeuvres wherein the ERT officers are required to remove and/or stun the occupants of an automobile or vehicle. These manoeuvres often require breaking the automobile side windows in order to gain access-to the occupants. Therefore, during training exercises a vehicle can be used a maximum of four times (for standard four-door vehicles) to recreate the exercise. Once the windows have been destroyed, the officers participating in the training can no longer practice destroying the window as they approach the vehicle. At this point, the training becomes unrealistic and less effective since the officers are unable to complete the exercise. Therefore, once all the windows in the vehicle have been destroyed, the vehicle essentially becomes obsolete since it can no longer serve as an effective training unit. Accordingly, during the course of training, multiple vehicles are required in order to stage appropriate drills. Furthermore, once all of the existing windows have been destroyed, the vehicle can no longer be used for any other outdoor training exercises in poor weather conditions since the interior of the vehicle cannot be protected from the elements as there are no windows left to roll-up. Therefore, once the windows have been destroyed, the vehicle becomes unsuitable for training purposes rendering the training process costly wasteful and inefficient.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to develop a technology that enables ERT officers to be able to repeatedly practice vehicle take-downs that involve the breaking of vehicle windows, without destroying the original windows on the vehicle rendering the vehicle obsolete.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,119 to Chacon, Sr. discloses a window retaining apparatus used to hold the rear window of a truck in place in the window frame while the urethane seal therebetween is curing. The apparatus disclosed comprises a telescoping body portion made up of inner and outer tubular sections so that the unit can be adjusted to suit various sizes of windows. Suction cups are used to engage the glass window panel, while tie-down clamps, located at opposite ends of the unit are used to engage the window frame. In use, the apparatus allows for the glass window panel to be held in place and to be pressed against the window frame while the urethane seal therebetween cures. The apparatus is advantageous in that the glass window panel no longer needs to be held in place manually during the curing process.
While Chacon, Sr. discloses a type of clamping unit that is adjustable to suit different sized windows and employs suction cups and hook-type fasteners to secure the clamping unit to the automobile when in use, the unit is not suitable or easily adaptable for use as a training unit. The clamping unit disclosed by Chacon, Sr. holds the window panel in the actual opening of the doorframe; therefore the original window panel would have to be removed and the vehicle would not remain in a usable condition. Accordingly, the unit disclosed by Chacon Sr. does not meet the needs that are addressed by the present invention.
The present invention provides a clamping system for securing a sheet of automotive glass over an existing window opening in a vehicle door. The system provides first and second clamping units adapted for securely supporting the sheet of automotive glass therebetween. First means associated with the first clamping unit supports the first clamping unit from a frame of a vehicle door and second means associated with the second clamping unit supports the second clamping unit on an outside panel of the door. Each clamping unit includes inner and outer clamping bars which adjustably hold the sheet of automotive glass therebetween, the first clamping unit being adapted to hold an upper portion of the sheet adjacent an upper edge thereof and the second clamping unit being adapted to hold a lower portion of the sheet adjacent a lower edge thereof. Once the sheet of automotive glass has been broken as part of a training exercise the broken remnants of the sheet are removed from the clamping units and replaced with a new sheet of glass so that training can continue.
The present invention will be better understood with reference to the detailed description taken in combination with the drawings in which:
Referring to the drawings, there is shown in
The upper or first clamping unit 12, as shown in
The upper clamping unit 12 includes an adjustable locking means 28 for bringing the first and second clamping bars 12a, 12b into engagement with the upper portion W1 of the glass window panel W adjacent the upper edge thereof. Preferably, the locking means 28 comprises an elongated threaded member (or bolt) 30 which is inserted into corresponding annular receiving brackets or bosses 32, 33 each of which is mounted on the respective upper surface 34, 35 of the first and second clamping bars 12a, 12b. The receiving boss 32 located on the first clamping bar 12a is threaded internally for receiving and engaging with the threads on the elongated threaded member 30. The receiving boss 33 located on the second clamping bar 12b does not require internal threading as the elongated threaded member 30 is intended to rotate freely within the receiving boss 33. Once the elongated threaded member 30 engages with the threads on the inside surface of the receiving boss 32, rotation of the elongated threaded member 30 draws the first and second clamping bars 12a, 12b towards each other and eventually into contact with the glass window panel W.
In order to prevent the first and second clamping bars 12a, 12b from twisting with respect to each other as the threaded member 30 is screwed into the receiving boss 32, aligning means 36 are provided which serve to both align and stabilize the clamping bars 12a, 12b with respect to each other. The aligning means 36 are located on either side of the locking means 28 and are disposed towards the ends of the clamping bars 12a, 12b. The aligning means 36 preferably comprise corresponding first and second bracket elements or annular bosses 38, 39 positioned on the respective upper surfaces 34, 35 of the first and second clamping bars 12a, 12b. An aperture 40, 41 extends through each of the first and second bosses 38, 39, the aperture 40, 41 being sized to receive an aligning rod 42. The aligning rod 42 is inserted through the apertures 40, 41 in the first and second bosses 38, 39, thereby ensuring that the first and second clamping bars 12a, 12b remain in a substantially parallel relationship when in use. The aligning rod 42 can be formed from any suitable means such as a wooden dowel, or a metal or plastic rod.
The upper clamping unit 12 is preferably affixed to the door frame by means of tether straps 44 positioned on either side of the centrally located locking means 28. The straps 44 are attached at a first end 45 to the first clamping bar 12a between the adjustable locking means and aligning means by means of screws that are hidden behind the strip of cushioning material 27. As shown in
The lower clamping unit 14, shown in
As with the upper clamping unit 12, the lower clamping unit 14 also includes adjustable locking means 60 comprising a pair of annular receiving brackets or bosses 62, 63, and an elongated threaded member 64 (or bolt). The receiving bosses 62, 63, however, are instead mounted on the bottom surface 65, 66 of each of the first and second clamping bars 14a, 14b. The receiving boss 62 that is mounted on the first clamping bar 14a is threaded internally for engaging with the threads on the elongated threaded member 64 as it is inserted into the receiving bosses 62, 63. Once the elongated threaded member 64 engages with the threads on the inside surface of the receiving boss 62, rotation of the elongated threaded member 64 draws the first and second clamping bars 14a, 14b towards each other and eventually into contact with the glass window panel W. The lower clamping unit 14 also include aligning means 67 identical to the aligning means 36 provided on the upper clamping unit 12. Accordingly, the aligning means 67 comprises corresponding first and second bracket elements or bosses 68, 70 positioned on the bottom surfaces 65, 66 of the clamping bars 14a, 14b. An aperture 72, 73 extends through each of the first and second bracket elements 68, 70, the apertures 72, 73 being sized to receive an aligning rod 74. The aligning rod 74 is inserted through the apertures 72, 73 in the first and second bracket elements 68, 70, thereby ensuring that the first and second clamping bars 14a, 14b remain in a substantially parallel relationship when the lower clamping unit 14 is in use.
The lower clamping unit 14 differs from the upper claming unit 12 in that it is preferably secured to the door of the vehicle by means of suction cups 76. The suction cups 76 are positioned on either side of the centrally located locking means 60 equidistant from locking means 60 and the aligning means 67. The suction cups 76 are attached to the outer surface 54 of the first clamping bar 14a with a hinge mechanism (not visible in
According to another embodiment of the invention, as seen in
As mentioned above, the glass window panel W used with the clamping system 10 is not very heavy. Nevertheless, it is preferable to design the lower clamping unit 14 to be able to carry additional weight to ensure that the clamping system 10 is secure. Accordingly, the suction cups 76 used on the lower clamping unit 14 are adapted to be able to support a load of up to 25 lbs, even although the glass window panel does not usually exceed 5 lbs.
When the clamping system 10 is in use, the automobile glass window panel W is first secured in the upper and lower clamping units 12, 14. The clamped window panel is then lifted towards the vehicle door where the original window has been rolled downwards into its retracted position, exposing the vehicle interior via the window opening. With the door 3 of the vehicle in the open position, the straps 44 are then affixed to the upper portion D of the doorframe 2 thereby positioning the upper clamping unit 12 and the glass window panel W in place over the original window opening in the door. The lower clamping unit 14 is then secured to the outer surface of the vehicle door panel by applying pressure to the suction cups 76 which then adhere to the door panel surface. Once the clamping system 10 and the glass window panel W are in place over the original window opening in the vehicle door, the training exercise can begin and the glass window panel can be broken without damaging the original window. Once the training exercise is complete, a new automobile glass window panel can be inserted into the clamping system 10 and the training exercise can be repeated. Once training has been completed, the vehicle remains completely usable as the clamping system 10 can easily be removed from the vehicle 1 and the original windows can be raised or rolled-up into their closed position.
While the present invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that variations or modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/740,243 filed Nov. 29, 2005.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60740243 | Nov 2005 | US |