Patent Application
20100078124
Modern vehicles travel at a high rate of speed and this leads to many contaminants being deposited on the vehicle's finish such as bugs, tar, road grime, rocks, etc. Removing the bugs and other road debris without hurting the vehicles finish is a real challenge. Some solutions to the problem have been used such as strap on or magnetically attached car protectors commonly referred to as a “Car Bra”. These are generally difficult to install and must be special designed to fit particular vehicles.
There is a need for an easy to use method of protecting any vehicle that is easily removable and that does not cause any permanent damage to the vehicle.
A removable protective barrier system and method utilizes a roll of protective polyethylene plastic barrier material called having a water soluble adhesive on one side. In one embodiment a pair of core inserts fit within each end of the roll. Next, the removable protective barrier is applied to a selected portion of the vehicle and pulled and tucked under any curved portions therein. In one embodiment, clear plastic is used with no need to trim lights, license plates, etc since the covered portions remain visible. If an air intake portion such as a grill portion is covered, an opening is cut in the barrier to allow proper air flow. After use, the protective barrier is removed along with any contaminants and bugs that have lodged on the barrier. Multiple layers may be applied. Other vehicle parts may be covered such as mirrors, antennas, etc.
Other features and advantages of the instant invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is made to the drawings in which reference numerals refer to like elements, and which are intended to show by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
Referring to
The removable protective barrier 100 is a polyethylene plastic with a water based adhesive backing. The water based adhesive allows removable protective barrier 100 to adhere without permanently adhering to vehicle 160. If any adhesive does adhere to vehicle 160, it may be easily washed away using water. Of course, other adhesives may be used such as solvent based adhesives as long as it easily comes off surface without harming it or leaving a residue. Barrier 100 is clear allowing the color of vehicle 160 to be seen through barrier 100. It is also acceptable to use colored barriers as long as openings are made for lights or other essential operating equipment to function properly. Other acceptable barriers may be used such as polyurethane or other suitable material.
As barrier 100 is being applied on vehicle 160, headlights 130, a license plate 150 and other like vehicle details are covered over. In the embodiment using clear barrier 100, no further action is taken since light shines through barrier 100 with very little reduction in brightness and license plate 150 is visible. This embodiment also has the advantage of keeping headlights 130 and license plate 150 clean. When covering over a grill 140; however, an opening 170 must be made to allow air to flow through grill 140 as designed to regulate engine temperature.
Opening 170 may be completely cut out as shown or simply slotted and folded under to allow airflow. A plastic covered razor knife is used to cut out opening 170. Of course any suitable cutting device such as a scissors, utility knife, etc. may be used as is known in the art. When using an exposed blade device, care must be taken to avoid scratching or marring the surface of vehicle 160 as well as appropriate safety precautions.
Referring now to
Referring to
Additionally, the instant invention is applicable to protecting many different kinds of vehicles such as boats, bikes, recreational vehicles, snowmobiles, water jets, etc as well as protecting specific items such as mirrors, antennas, etc. Also, the vehicle finish and components such as mirrors, antennas and other vehicle equipment are protected from road hazards such as rocks and other road debris hitting them.
Although the instant invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art.
This application claims priority and herein incorporates by reference U.S. provisional patent application 61/103,316, filed Sep. 26, 2008.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61100316 | Sep 2008 | US |
