2587results about "Removable external protective coverings" patented technology

A protective hull for a vehicle has a plate that covers at least a substantial portion of the underside of the vehicle. A plurality of supports extends laterally from longitudinal members, and a plurality of supports extends laterally from another longitudinal member. A plurality of V-shaped supports is disposed between the lateral supports. The supports have a plurality of voids therein. The voids do not have corners that could encourage tearing of the supports. Cells that are protected from puncture contain fire suppressant and are disposed over the supports.

An improved slat hinge for a laminated retractable truck bed cover that permits greater relative movement between adjacent slats for slat rotation up to 45 degrees to significantly reduce roll diameter while preventing stretching or stress on a pliable surface material that forms the laminate on top of the slats. The hinge itself is formed by strategically designed leading and trailing edges of each slat which engage in an adjacent fashion to permit the desired movement while in the full open position eliminating the possibility of slat disengagement while reducing roll diameter in the stored position resulting in a smooth frictionless hinge rotation with a positive stop.

A guide system for a roller blind of a sliding roof system has a guide rail and a slider that is fixed on the roller blind. The slider is accommodated in the guide rail such that the slider is displaceable in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle and carries the roller blind. A pretensioning device is arranged between the guide rail and the slider. The pretensioning device presses the slider outwards transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in order to tension the roller blind.

Collapsible structures are provided that include two collapsible flexible loop members, each loop member defining a closed loop and having a first and a second edge. Each loop member is capable of assuming an expanded position and a collapsed position. Two adjacent loop members overlap each other at a first overlapping point along the upper edges of the two adjacent loop members, and at a second overlapping point along the lower edges of the two adjacent loop members. The overlapping loop members define a hinge portion about which the two adjacent loop members are pivotable, with the hinge portion positioned vertically with respect to the ground. One or more fabric pieces are provided for substantially covering each loop member, each loop member substantially supporting the fabric in particular areas so that the fabric assumes the particular configuration of the loop member in its expanded position. The loop members and their associated fabric are foldable on top of each other about their respective hinge portions to have the loop members and their associated fabric overlaying each other, and the overlaying loop members are then collapsible to the collapsed positions by twisting and folding to form a plurality of concentric rings and layers of fabric to substantially reduce the size of the structure in the collapsed position.

A double window shade arrangement for a divided window of a motor vehicle, the window shade arrangement includes two separate winding shafts that are arranged on the window at arbitrary angles relative to one another. Window shade strips assigned to the respective winding shafts are moved in at least one direction with the aid of a common driving motor. For this purpose, the electric motor can be coupled to the free edges of the window shade strips or directly coupled to the winding shafts.

A sunshade assembly includes a roller, a pair of rails, and a screen unit. Each rail includes an upper wall, and a lower wall cooperating with the upper wall to define a recess therebetween. A screen unit includes a screen having opposite peripheral edge portions and operable between a wound state and an extended state, and a pair of abutment pieces. Each abutment piece is slidably disposed in the recess, and includes an arcuate first portion fixed to a respective one of the peripheral edge portions of the screen and abutting against the lower wall of the respective rail, and a second portion. The first portion arches downwardly in a normal state, and arches upwardly in an abnormal state caused by pulling of the screen. The second portion abuts against the lower wall in the normal state and against the upper wall in the abnormal state.

The vehicle protection assembly provides a plurality of protective vehicle shields which are magnetically, releasably attachable-to the painted surfaces of a vehicle for protecting the painted surfaces from external damage. The assembly is provided as a kit of the protective vehicle shields customized for a particular vehicle. Each of the protective vehicle shields is formed by injection molding a synthetic elastic material with a magnetic material mixed therein. Each protective vehicle shield is shaped to conform to a particular vehicle body.

Elongated side rails for attachment to a sidewall of a truck cargo box as a portion of a tonneau cover assembly. Each assembly includes a flexible cover that can be operatively secured to side rails. One side rail includes a securing portion that can be operatively connected to the sidewall; an inclined portion extending from the securing portion, the inclined portion having first and second sides; a connecting member extending downwardly away from the inclined portion from a position located between the first and second sides; and a longitudinal portion extending from the connecting member opposite the inclined portion. To secure the cover to the side rails, hook fastener is preferably attached to loop fastener on the cover. One preferred side rail has a ridge to prevent premature engagement of the fasteners. Another preferred side rail has directional hook fastener to prevent premature engagement of the fasteners.

A cover system for motor vehicles and other items is described. In one embodiment, the cover system includes a fabric folded in a predetermined manner wound around a roller that is contained in a housing. A front end of the fabric cover is mounted to a guide bar that includes means for securing the guide bar in place when the cover is deployed. In preferred variations, a tubular motor is utilized to facilitate rolling and unrolling of the cover. When used with motor vehicles, the cover system can be mounted in the trunk of the motor vehicle.

A retractable vehicle cover for protecting the outer surface of a vehicle. The retractable vehicle cover has a housing, which contains a front and a rear reel assembly. Each reel assembly has a spring-loaded reel and a protective sheet wound around the reel. The sheets are extended as needed for covering and protecting both the front end and the rear end of the vehicle. The housing has a plurality of rubber suction cups for selective attachment of the housing to the roof of the vehicle. The housing has two shaft mounting brackets, for holding and supporting two telescopically adjustable shafts. The shafts are selectively extendable horizontally, between the sides of the vehicle, one toward the front and the other towards the rear of the vehicle, to support the front and rear protective sheets at an elevated position above the upper surface of the vehicle.

A cover assembly for a vehicle carried open top container wherein a cover is connected at one end to a vertically adjustable tower and an opposite end to a cross member connected to a pair of pivot arms that are mounted at their lower ends to be pivoted by at least one hydraulic actuator that is mounted to the vehicle intermediate opposite ends of the container and adjacent the bottom thereof. An effective length of each pivot arm may be adjusted and locked in adjusted position.

A collapsible sun shade, including: a shade; at least two supports, each support having a first end and a second end, with the second end of each support coupled to the shade at spaced-apart locations thereof; and a connector coupled to the first end of each support; wherein the shade is adapted to assume an unstable equilibrium position in which the supports and the shade are substantially coplanar with the connector, a collapsed position when the shade and supports are on one side of the unstable equilibrium position in which the shade is folded, and a deployed position when the shade and supports are on the other side of the unstable equilibrium position in which the supports and the shade are expanded.

The present invention is a portable collapsible car cover assembly which includes: (a) a collapsible hollow housing with exit sheet exit apertures, which housing has a compact collapsed configuration and an extended deployed configuration; (b) a base which includes a suction cup for fastening the assembly to the roof of a car; (c) which housing contains sheets of protective material wound around rollers when the car cover assembly is collapsed and stored, and wherein the sheets are unwound to cover the trunk, passenger compartment, and hood when the assembly is fully deployed; (d) several elements for attaching the distal end of the sheets of protective material to a car; and (e) at least two security lines for attaching the housing to the car as a theft deterrent.

A retractable automobile shade device having a pair of sun shade panels for covering the front and rear of the vehicle which retract within a rectangular housing. The housing is mounted on the roof of the vehicle via special clamps which attach to the luggage rack or the rain gutters. Each shade panel has a pull handle located on the end for manual deployment. An optional privacy screen that surrounds and encloses the vehicle adds further protection.

A protective cover for the underside of a vehicle is formed substantially from plastic and can provide a skid plate for the vehicle. The protective cover includes at least one fastening portion which is configured to facilitate attachment of the protective cover to the vehicle. In one embodiment, the protective cover includes a rib that is movable to matingly contact a feature on an underside of a vehicle so that loading from an impact is distributed in a predetermined manner. In another embodiment, the fastening portion includes an abutment wall that substantially transmits a shearing load from the protective cover to a vehicle. In yet another embodiment, the fastening portion is adjacent to an edge portion of the protective cover. The protective cover may be included in a vehicle.

A system for and method of harvesting, storing and converting naturally occurring energy, includes exposing an active material, and more preferably a shape memory element to an ambient activation signal or condition, harvesting a portion of the energy by pseudoplastically straining or superelastically deforming the element, storing the energy by causing a change in the element and / or engaging a locking mechanism, and converting the energy by exposing the mechanism to an activation signal and / or otherwise releasing the mechanism.

A sunshade assembly includes a pair of spaced-apart rails, a roller unit, a screen, and a position-retaining unit. Each rail has opposite front and rear ends, and is formed with a track therealong. The roller unit is spaced apart from the front end, and includes an inner tube member and an outer tube member. The screen has a fixed end secured to the outer tube member, a free end, and opposite peripheral edge portions extending into the tracks. The position-retaining unit includes an annular spool, a rope, and a spiral spring. The rope extends along one of the rails, loops around the rear end, and passes through the track in the rail. The spiral spring is disposed in the spool, and has an inner end connected to the outer tube member and an outer end connected to the spool.

A protector for vehicles' door openings with hingedly mounted doors to cover an adjacent area and protect is from rain and snow. The protector includes at least one frustro-conical roller member with a rollable sheet. The rollable sheet has two straight lateral ends and two curved lateral ends. Male and female hook members for removably mounting one of the straight lateral ends to the upper end of the door so that when the door is swung open the rollable sheet is unrolled substantially covering the area adjacent to the door's opening. Each frustro-conical roller member includes spring bias assembly for urging the rolling back of the rollable sheet after being rolled out. When at least two roller members and at least two rollable sheets are contiguous, the rollabe sheets include a zipper member for releasably joining the contiguous curved lateral ends.

A protective cover for a vehicle comprising a sheet or a web of a flexible material that possesses a property of buckling or curving in the upward direction from the vehicle with the formation of a canopy-type shield for protecting the vehicle from direct sun rays, birds' droppings, etc. The sheet has a length exceeding the length of the upper surface periphery of the vehicle so that the upwardly curved canopy is formed either by applying two oppositely directed forces to the opposite ends of the sheet or by prestressing the sheet. The sheet can be made from plastic or a fabric that incorporates springing metal strips that tend to curve upward when they are in a free state. The sheet can be conveniently stored in wound state in a cylindrical cassette. Storage of the flexible material in a wound state enhances the property of bucking or curving when the sheet is withdrawn from the cassette.

Inflatable protective covers for motor vehicles including automobiles and motorcycles has a flexible bladder with respective upper and lower sheets of a waterproof, air-tight material shaped to cover the motor vehicle. The sheets have mating outer peripheries affixed together in an air-tight manner at a peripheral seam to form a single inflatable pocket therebetween. The single inflatable pocket may be sub-divided into a plurality of interconnected inflatable pockets by affixing together the upper and lower sheets in airtight manner at one or more partial length seams disposed inside the peripheral seam with gaps therealong to keep the inflatable air pockets interconnected. A resilient nipple with stopper is affixed to the bladder to permit inflation and retention of air within the bladder. A quick deflation device has a tubular base affixed to the bladder and a removable screw cap to allow quick removal of air from the bladder. A draw cord extends through an elongate peripheral channel of the bladder with a cord outlet opening through which respective ends of the draw cord extend to removably retain the cover in a deployed, inflated position about the motor vehicle. The protective covers may be designed to fit baggily or be fitted to the motor vehicle and be reusable or disposable depending on the material from which made.

A device for preventing the accumulation of frozen precipitation on and around an automobile's windshield wipers. The device is defined by an elongated, substantially conical sleeve that is formed of polyester laminate industrial fabric. The sleeve is slid onto the windshield wiper of an automobile in advance of oncoming frozen precipitation. After frozen precipitation has accumulated on the automobile, the precipitation can be cleared from atop the protective sleeve and the sleeve can be removed to expose a clean, precipitation-free windshield wiper. Then windshield wiper can then be employed immediately in a conventional manner for cleaning the windshield of the automobile without being impeded by residual frozen precipitation that could otherwise accumulate on the wiper.