Patent Application
20180304838
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure and prior art relates to bumper devices and more particularly pertains to a new bumper device for serving as an OEM replacement and aftermarket add on with respect to a vehicle.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a vehicle that has a front end, a bottom side and a pair of front wheels. A bumper is mounted to the front end of the vehicle to absorb impact energy from a collision. The bumper is positioned lower than the bottom side of the vehicle to frictionally engage ground when the vehicle travels over a depression. In this way the bumper inhibits the bottom side of the vehicle from engaging the ground. The bumper has a first well and a winch is selectively mounted therein.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The bumper 20 has a first end 24, a second end 26 and an outer wall 28 extending therebetween. The outer wall 28 has a rear side 30, a forward side 32 and a lower side 34. Additionally, the outer wall 28 has a pair of bends 36 thereon and the bends 36 are spaced apart from each other. Thus, each of the first end 24 and the second end 26 are directed rearwardly from a central portion 38 of the bumper 20. The central portion 38 of the bumper 20 has a width that is equal to a width of the vehicle 12.
Moreover, the rear side 30 is attached to the front end 14 of the vehicle 12 having each of the first end 24 and the second end 26 being directed toward an associated one of the front wheels 18. Each of the first end 24 and the second end 26 is spaced from the associated front wheel 18 thereby inhibiting the associated front wheel 18 from frictionally engaging the bumper 20 when the vehicle 12 is turning. A pair of mounting plates 37 is provided and each of the mounting plates 37 is coupled to the rear side 30 of the bumper 20. Each of the mounting plates 37 is attached to the front end 14 of the vehicle 12 using fasteners, welds or any other conventional means of mechanical fastening.
The lower side 34 is positioned lower than bottom side 16 of the vehicle 12 to frictionally engage the ground when the vehicle 12 travels over the depression. Moreover, the lower side 34 angles downwardly between the forward side 32 and the rear side 30 of the bumper. Thus, the lower side 34 gradually urges the vehicle 12 upwardly from the ground when the lower side 34 engages the ground. The lower side 34 additionally angles downwardly between each of the bends 36. The forward side 32 corresponding to the central portion 38 has the first well 22 extending toward the rear side 30 and the first well 22 is centrally positioned between the bends 36. The forward side 32 corresponding to the central portion 38 has a pair of second wells 40 extending toward the rear side 30. Each of the second wells 40 is positioned between the first well 22 and an associated one of the bends 36.
A plurality of first light emitters 42 is provided and each of the first light emitters 42 is coupled to the forward side 32 of the bumper 20. Each of the first light emitters 42 selectively emits light outwardly therefrom. Moreover, each of the first light emitters 42 is positioned in an associated one of the second wells 40 and each of the first light emitters 42 is electrically coupled to the vehicle 12. Each of the first light emitters 42 may comprise an LED or the like.
A plurality of second light emitters 44 is provided and each of the second light emitters 44 is coupled to the forward side 32 of the bumper 20. Each of the second light emitters 44 selectively emits light outwardly therefrom. Each of the second light emitters 44 is positioned in an associated one of the second wells 40 and each of the second light emitters 44 is electrically coupled to the vehicle 12. Additionally, each of the second light emitters 44 may comprise an LED or the like.
A rear bumper 46 is provided and the rear bumper 46 has a rearmost side 48, a frontmost side 50, a lowermost side 52, a primary end 54 and a secondary end 56. The rear bumper 46 is mounted to a back end 58 of the vehicle 12. The frontmost side 50 of the rear bumper 46 has a depression 60 extending toward the rearmost side 48. Additionally, the lowermost side 52 angles downwardly between each of the primary 54 and secondary 56 ends and the depression 60.
In use, the bumper 20 is mounted the front side of the vehicle 12 as an aftermarket add on or OEM replacement. The winch is mounted in the first well 22 and each of the first 42 and second 44 light emitters is electrically coupled to the vehicle 12. The lower side 34 of the bumper 20 serves as a skid plate when the vehicle 12 drives over a depression thereby inhibiting the bottom side 16 of the vehicle 12 from engaging the ground. Additionally, each of the first 24 and second 26 ends of the bumper 20 are spaced a sufficient distance from the associated front wheel 18 to inhibit the associated front wheel 18 from engaging the bumper 20 when the vehicle 12 is turning. Moreover, the spacing of the first end 24 and the second end 26 with respect to the front wheels 18 facilitate over-sized, aftermarket wheels to be mounted to the vehicle 12 without engaging the bumper 20. Each of the first 42 and second 44 light emitters is turned on in conjunction with the vehicle's lighting system to augment lighting in a darkened environment.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, system and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
