Patent Grant
8601841
The present invention relates to a hood and wheel brace meant to provide additional security for protecting automotive engine components beneath a vehicle's hood.
Many high performance engines include specialized parts that are expensive to produce and to maintain. Persons with knowledge of cars can readily identify engines that have been enhanced with after market engine components to increase their performance. Although all car enthusiasts would enjoy having their engines running at peak or at a minimum high performance, some simply cannot afford the engine components to accomplish this dream and do not mind paying a reduced rate for “hot” or stolen parts. As such, the theft rate for high performance engine components is quite high and to date the prior art has yet to find a way to successfully deter or eliminate this problem.
Audible alarms are quite popular as a theft deterrent but over the years thieves have been able to quickly silence alarms, open the hood, remove and/or strip the engine in record time. Thus there needs to be a practical solution to protect engine components beneath the vehicle hood in a new and novel manner that does not damage the vehicle's exterior yet effective as a deterrent.
Accordingly, the various embodiments and disclosures described herein satisfies these long felt needs and solves the limitations of the prior art in a new and novel manner.
An objective of the hood and wheel brace is to deter theft of engine components beneath the hood along with immobilization of the vehicle.
Another objective of the hood and wheel brace is to engage the hood and wheels in a unique and novel manner such that the hood remains closed as well as restraining the front wheels such that the vehicle is immobilized until it is released by the owner.
Another objective of the hood and wheel brace is to provide a device for deterring theft of automotive engine components wherein the hood and brace includes a horizontal bar constructed from high-strength materials, e.g. metals such as steel and the like, thus deterring cutting with pliers, hammered or freeze attacks. The horizontal bar includes extendable bars, which may be adjusted laterally allowing the hood and wheel brace to de dimensioned in size to suit the various sizes of different vehicles. In some embodiments, the hood and wheel brace may be painted in bright colors, providing for a visual alert where a disassembled brace can be readily seen if a thief is struggling to displace the hood and wheel brace or attempting to drive the vehicle while the hood and wheel brace is still engaged on the vehicle.
The hood and wheel brace includes a horizontal bar comprising of extendable bars that extend in some embodiments mid-way across the hood of a vehicle. In some embodiments, the extendable bars are solid, comprising of one solid piece constructed form high-strength materials, e.g. metals such as steel and the like. The extendable bars have the capacity to retract and expand by contracting or expanding inward and outward of the horizontal bar.
The hood and wheel brace includes vertical towers that are also constructed of high-strength materials, e.g. metals such as steel and the like. The towers are adjustable to accommodate for the differing heights of hoods relative to the wheels. In some embodiments, the towers slidably move between the wheel's spokes to anchor themselves whereby the tower hooks secure the wheels immobilizing the vehicle.
In some embodiments, the hood and wheel brace includes a locking means positioned on the distal end of the horizontal bar and/or the extendable bars. In some embodiments, the locking means includes a key lock while in others the locking means is secured by a combination locking means.
Additional objectives of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.
The features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the claims and drawing(s), in which like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements or steps. Additionally, the leftmost digit of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.
The following discussion describes in detail an embodiment of the apparatus 100, i.e. the hood and wheel brace 100. However, this discussion should not be construed, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments, as practitioners skilled in the art will appreciate that the hood and wheel brace 100 may vary as to configuration and details of the various elements, without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein. Similarly, the elements described herein may be implemented separately, or in various combinations without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views.
The horizontal bar 102, which is ever so slightly bent, allows the positioning of the hood and wheel brace 102 to be detachably secured on a vehicle's hood without sliding off when mounted as shown in
In some embodiments, the hood and wheel brace 100 is easily transportable as the component parts, e.g. the horizontal bar 102, extendable bars 108, 108′ and the towers 112, 112′ are removably attached to each other such that the brace 100 is capable of ready assembly or disassembly with ease as the extendable bars 108, 108′ can be partially or wholly retracted into the horizontal bar 102. Similarly, the towers 112, 112′ may be partially or wholly detached from the horizontal bar 102 and or the extendable bars 108, 108′.
In some embodiments, the hood and wheel brace 100 can be contracted in size as some of the component parts are collapsible. For example, the towers 112, 112′ may be fixedly attached to the extendable bars 108, 108′. However because the extendable bars 108, to 108′ may be partially or wholly retracted into the horizontal, bar 102, the hood and wheel brace 100 is collapsible in part to be dimensioned smaller in size than when mounted on a vehicle's hood for ease of transport.
The horizontal bar 102 is comprised of an elongated rod 124 of substantially circular cross-section 126. The outer diameter 128 of the rod 124 is dimensioned slightly greater than the diameter 128′ of the extendable bars 108, 108′ to enable the extendable bars 108, 108′ to slidably move unhindered within the horizontal bar 102 whenever an extension in length is desirable. In some embodiments, the extendable bars 108, 108′ comprise of a plurality of concentric collapsible portions 129, 129′ such that each concentric portion 129 is of a substantially circular cross-section 126′ and are dimensioned slightly greater than concentric portion 129 within.
As shown in
In some embodiment, the vertical retractable tower 112 comprises of a vertical shaft 118 and includes a plurality of ratchet teeth 120 longitudinally extending over a portion 122 thereof, configured to allow the vertical shaft 118 to slideably extend longitudinally, either upward or downward, the sizing of the retractable tower 112. In some embodiments the ratchet teeth 120 each comprise of a protruding member 142 outwardly extending in an axial direction away from the vertical shaft 118 which is in mating engagement with a stop surface 144 along the vertical shaft 118 extending perpendicularly to the protruding member 142 to stop the vertical shaft 118 at the desired length for the vertical tower 112 when mounted. The vertical shaft 118 and the ratchet teeth 120 are preferably constructed from case hardened steel.
In some embodiments the ratchet teeth 120 each comprise of a conical surface 146 extending radially outwardly in an axial direction away from the vertical shaft 118, and an annular stop surface 148 extending perpendicularly to the axis A.
The retractable tower 112 has a generally L-shaped member 150 that is rigidly secured to the vertical shaft 118 of the retractable tower 112 extending from one end 114 to form a hook 116 opening in the axial direction away from the vertical shaft 118 of the vertical tower 112 for engagement within a spoke of a vehicle's wheel rims. In some embodiments a durable plastic coating or cover 152 is provided over the hook 118 to protect the wheels rims from abrasions.
In some embodiments, the hood and wheel brace 100 includes locking means 154 further comprising of a key lock cylinder or combination locking means as are generally known and used in the arts. The locking means 154 may be positioned on upper portion 122 of the horizontal bar 102 and/or the extendable bars 104, 104′ for ease of access and handling.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
While the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments and applications, the inventor does not intend to restrict the description to the examples shown. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that the above hood and wheel brace 100 may be modified or changed without departing from the general scope of the present description, the intention of the inventor being to include all such modifications and alterations in so far as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of hood and wheel brace 100 differing from the type described above.
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the hood and wheel brace 100 illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
The present application claims priority to, and is a Continuation in Part of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/516,627 titled: “A Hood And Wheel Brace Device,” filed Apr. 5, 2011. The entire disclosure of said Provisional Patent Application is incorporated herein by reference as if fully stated herein.
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|---|---|---|---|
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61516627 | Apr 2011 | US |
