Patent Application
20070182151
The present invention relates generally to a wheel well and undercarriage protector for vehicles, such as trucks. More particularly, the invention encompasses a method and an apparatus for year-round fender protection for vehicles, such as, trucks, and especially during winter and rainy conditions. The invention further includes the option for a splash guard. The fender protectors also add to the aesthetics of the truck.
In the automotive industry, both the owners and the manufacturers, use different types of innovations to protect and extend the life of their vehicles. For example, some vehicles are provided with fender attachments. Some of the fender attachments are strictly for cosmetic purposes for the outside of the vehicle, while other fender attachments are there to prevent dings from rocks and stones and other road debris that gets kicked-up by the rotation of the tire. However, none of such improvements address the need to protect the undercarriage or the wheel well of the vehicle.
The prior art is also replete with inventions that have extended and enhanced the protection of the vehicle bodies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,630 (Tucker) relates to devices for protecting vehicle parts during cleaning. More specifically, the invention relates to devices or shields for protecting vehicle wheel rims when cleaning vehicle tires, where a protective covering device suitable for protecting the surface of the wheel rim of an automobile against damage by toxic cleaning solutions used to clean the surrounding tire is applied. The shield is temporarily attached to the rim with a grasping device which provides assistance to the user who is holding the protective device over the rim while applying cleaning solution to the surrounding tire.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,968 (Iampen) relates to the field of covers for mounting on tires, and in particular, to flexible covers for mounting over exposed outer sidewalls of a tire when the tire is in a static position, for example, when a vehicle is parked and the tire is supporting the vehicle. The tire protective cover protects the static mounted tire from environmental hazards, wherein the environmental hazards include ultra-violet radiation and air-borne contaminants such as, corrosive fluids or paint protection from dogs urinating on rims and tires. The tire cover includes a resilient casing for covering a side of a tire, wherein the resilient casing covering the one side of the tire has a generally circular member having a radially adjacent series of sequentially raised concentric annular surfaces. Lugs are provided for gripping, and structurally reinforcing, the concentrically inner, center portion of the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,278 (Ward, et al.) discloses an automotive vehicle splash guard, where the splash guard includes a generally flat and flexible mounting component contoured to be mounted in a wheel well of any vehicle of a class of vehicles and a contoured member shaped to provide body panel engagement with at least one selected vehicle but not all vehicles of the class. The member and the component have engaging portions which are contoured complementally such that when the member and the component are secured together the member and the component together give the appearance of a unitary splash guard custom molded to fit such at least one selected vehicle of the class. A process for making customized splash guards is also disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,911 (Becker) discloses an air duct for cooling rotating tires that broadly funnels or directs air up and into the face of an air fender or rotating tire. The air duct comprises a depending wall having an upper and a bottom edge. Formed within the wall is a leading tunnel section in communication with a baffle section, the tunnel section having a discharge end. The tunnel section defines at least one flow path which channel ambient air through the discharge end and into the baffle section where the air is subsequently directed into the face of air fender or rotating tire. The baffle section is defined as being between the discharge end of the tunnel section and either the leading surfaces of an air fender or where there is no fender, or the leading surfaces of the associated tire.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,306 (Gaspar) discloses a wheel protection device for a vehicle for preventing flying debris from striking the rear tire. The wheel protection device includes a mounting bracket for mounting on the front portion of the fender of the vehicle; and a debris deflection member being attached to the mounting bracket and being adapted to extend below the fender of the vehicle forward of the wheel when the mounting bracket is mounted on the front portion of the fender. The debris deflection member has a curved outer surface for orienting in a forward direction on the vehicle to deflect debris laterally of a path of the wheel.
United States Patent Application No. 20040140664 (Ward) where a splash guard assembly for an over the highway vehicle and a kit for making the assembly are disclosed. The assembly includes a contoured splash guard and an intermediate mounting element for positioning between the splash guard and a vehicle side panel. The guard and the element are complementally contoured to fit together. The element is also contoured to fit a specific vehicle panel adjacent a wheel well of a vehicle having such panel. When assembled the element and panel are interconnected to enable mounting of the guard. Fasteners secure the element and guard together and the element to the panel.
The prior art has not addressed the problem of sand, salt, and road debris that gets kicked-up during the tire rotation and damages the undercarriage, wheel well, fenders and other body parts of a vehicle, including kicking the said debris onto a closely following vehicle. Thus, there exists a need to protect the fenders, the wheel well and the undercarriage of a vehicle from road elements, especially, during the winter and rain, including the safety and protection of a closely following vehicle from such flying projectiles.
This invention overcomes the problems of the prior art. The invention provides an option for the mechanically inclined operator of a vehicle, or the manufacturer, to mount the inventive fender protector as needed to protect the fenders, especially, during the winter months when salt and sand is applied on the roads and highways, or during the period of rain or when going through a terrain where road debris may be kicked-up to damage various vehicle body parts.
This invention is a novel method and an apparatus for wheel well and undercarriage protection for vehicles, such as trucks.
Therefore, one purpose of this invention is to provide at least one fender protector above at least one tire of a vehicle.
Another purpose of this invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for the protection of vehicles during winter and/or rain.
Yet another purpose of this invention is to include a splash guard as part of the inventive vehicle protection.
Therefore, in one aspect this invention comprises a wheel well and undercarriage protector for a vehicle, comprising:
(a) a contoured fender, wherein said contoured fender has a substantially contoured portion, wherein said contoured portion has at least one first extended edge to securely accommodate at least one securing means; and
(b) at least one means to secure said at least one securing means to a portion of said vehicle, such that at least a portion of said contoured fender rides above a tire of said vehicle.
In another aspect this invention comprises a method of mounting a wheel well and undercarriage protector for a vehicle, comprising:
(a) securing at least one securing means to a contoured fender, wherein said contoured fender has a substantially contoured portion, wherein said contoured portion has at least one first extended edge to securely accommodate said at least one securing means; and
(b) securely securing said contoured fender to a portion of said vehicle, such that at least a portion of said contoured fender rides above a tire of said vehicle.
The features of the invention believed to be novel and the elements characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not drawn to scale. Furthermore, like numbers represent like features in the drawings. The invention itself, both as to organization and method of operation, may best be understood by reference to the detailed description which follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention is basically directed to a contoured fenders for vehicles, especially, trucks. The trucks are usually an expensive piece of equipment, and thus most of the owners and operators make all sorts of attempts to protect and extend the life and beauty of their vehicle. This protection becomes all the more important, especially, during the winter months when salt and sanding not only soils the vehicle but also corrodes the metal parts of the vehicle especially due to the flying debris from the tires.
The inventive contoured fender not only substantially reduces the exposure of the vehicle to the road salt and sand, but also contains the road salt, sand and other debris within a confined area. The inventive fender also dresses up the truck.
The inventive contoured fender preferably follows the contours of the tire and is preferably attached to the axle or spindle so that it will move with the steering and suspension movement of the truck. Thus, the inventive contoured fender can be installed in any truck without having to modify any wheel well or fender area or any steering mechanisms in any substantial way. The inventive fender is also designed to be active with the suspension and steering mechanism of the vehicle such that it maintains alignment and movement with the suspension and steering movement of the tire.
The extended lip/edge 22, 24, 62, 64, of the fender 23, 63, provides a superior control of the water spray and other projectiles, such as, sand, salt, road debris from hitting and damaging the vehicle fenders, wheel wells and undercarriage and assists in keeping the vehicle clean.
This invention allows the vehicle owners, especially, truck owners to be able to preserve their vehicles by greatly reducing the exposure to road salt and sand, which will ultimately help prevent their vehicles from rusting and ultimately extending the life of the vehicle, such as a truck.
The contoured inventive fender also preserves the vehicle by substantially reducing road salt and sand from being propelled off of the vehicle tires and into the wheel well and also the undercarriage of the vehicle to help prevent corrosion due to exposure from the elements. Also, the vehicle, especially, the undercarriage and the areas around the wheel well will remain substantially clean while driving the vehicle with the inventive fender under muddy and snowy conditions.
The need to clean the vehicle will be substantially reduced with this invention. These inventive protectors also greatly add to the aesthetics of the vehicle.
Upon filing of the instant patent application the inventive wheel well and undercarriage protector will be available at www.4×4miniskirts.com under the trademark 4×4MINISKIRTS™.
While the present invention has been particularly described in conjunction with a specific preferred embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will embrace any such alternatives, modifications and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.
