FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to accessories for vehicles generally, more specifically related to a pad that is mounted to vehicles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is a need for a pad that can be mounted to vehicles, and particularly small vehicles, such as motorcycles. The pad may serve as a seat or as a cushion for the back or other parts of the body.
Small vehicles frequently have insufficient storage space. There is need for a pad that also provides storage for transporting cargo.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention is a pad that may be mounted on vehicles. The pad is particularly useful for mounting on small vehicles, such as motorcycles. The pad comprises of an expandable compartment that receives and holds cargo for transportation by the vehicle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partial view of a motorcycle showing the pad mounted to a rear fender.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pad, showing the expandable enclosure expanded for holding and receiving cargo.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a zipper, with the zipper in the fully open position.
FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the pad.
FIG. 5 shows the pad with the expandable member expanded away from the base member, and mounted on the fender of a motorcycle.
FIG. 6 is a sectioned view taken essential along line 6-6 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is an isolation demonstrating an attachment strap positioned relative to the motorcycle.
FIG. 8 is a sectioned view taken essentially along line 8-8 of FIG. 6.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of the pad of the present invention.
FIG. 10 shows the pad of FIG. 9 attached to a sissy bar of a motorcycle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning now to the drawing figures, in a preferred embodiment, the pad comprises a padded member 2, a base member 4, and an expandable enclosure 6 that is present between the padded member and the base member. The expandable member has a void within the walls of the expandable member. The void within the expandable member receives and holds cargo that may be transported by the motorcycle or other vehicle. The expandable member has an opening 8 therein. The opening may be closed by a fastener, such as a zipper 10. When the zipper is closed, the opening to the expandable member is fully closed and the cargo is retained within the expandable member.
In the preferred embodiment, an additional zipper 12 is also provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the additional zipper is positioned below the padded member, and above the base. When the expandable enclosure is emptied, or when it is desirable to use the pad as a seat, the zipper 12 is closed by bringing the sides of the zipper together, by what is commonly known as “zipping the zipper up.” When the zipper 12 is fully closed, the padded member is pulled against the base member, and the pad may be used as a seat. As shown in FIG. 1, an annular flap 14 is pulled over the closed zipper to cover the zipper 12. When the zipper 12 is fully closed, the expandable member is compressed between the base member and the padded member, and the base member backs the padded member.
As shown in FIG. 3, zipper 12 of the preferred embodiment is extra-annular. That is, zipper is present on more than the perimeter of the pad. As the slide 16 traverses from a terminal stop in the fully open position, to a terminal stop 20 in the fully closed position, the zipper traverses the full perimeter of the pad, and beyond the full perimeter of the pad. This feature can also be seen in FIG. 2, which shows each terminal stop for the slide. In the preferred embodiment, the zipper has a length that is about 20 to 30 percent longer than the length that is required for the zipper to traverse the perimeter of the device. This zipper structure allows the pad to be fully pulled against the base as the pad is pulled from the fully zipper open position of FIG. 1, to the zipper fully closed position of FIG. 1.
The pad has a base member 4 that is below the padded member when the device is in place as show in FIG. 1. The base member is a semi-rigid material. As used herein, “semi-rigid” means that the base will not deform when it is not under a load, but the base may be deformed by manual pressure, although the base is preferred to be resilient, so that it regains its original form when manual pressure is released. The semi-rigid base may be made from various materials including PVC, metal, fiberglass, polypropylene, or polypropylene. The base may be covered by vinyl, leather, nylon, or other textile materials.
The padded member may be formed of open cell or closed cell foam 22, gels, cotton, polyester, and other resilient materials. The padded member may be covered with vinyl 24, leather, nylon, or other textile materials.
As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of suction cups 26 may extend from the pad and below the base. If the pad is to be used as a seat, it is preferred that a relatively large number of suction cups are used, so that the seat is not subject to sliding when mounted, for example, on a fender.
It is also preferable that, in addition to the suction cups, a retaining strap 28 extends beyond the pad and from each side of the pad. The strap is preferred to have a hook shaped end 30 that allows the strap to grip the vehicle such as a portion of the fender of a motorcycle, or trim pieces of a motorcycle. FIGS. 5-7.
In an additional embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a first strap 32 and a second strap 34 extend beyond the base member and opposite the padded member. The first strap and the second strap are fastened together, and may be used to attach the pad by forming an annular retainer. The first strap and the second strap may have fastening material, which may be hook and loop material 36, snaps, or other fasteners. In this embodiment, the base member, the expandable enclosure, and the padded member are present, although suction cups may not be present.
In use, cargo may be placed within the expandable enclosure through the opening. The expandable enclosure may then be closed by means of the zipper 10. The cargo may be clothing, other vehicle accessories, books, food or beverages, or any article that will fit within the expandable enclosure. Typically, when the expandable enclosure is carrying cargo, zipper 12 will remain in the fully open position.
When the pad is used as a seat, as shown in FIG. 1, the expandable enclosure is emptied of cargo and zipper 12 is fully closed. Zipper 12 pulls the padded member against the base member 4, and the pad may be used as a seat. The flap 14 is moved downward over the zipper, both for aesthetic purposes and to protect the zipper 12.
Patent Application
20060207028
