Protective cover with ground seal

Abstract

A protective cover with a skirt can provide a ground seal. In one embodiment, the protective cover includes a skirt and a plurality of strips. The skirt may include a skirt wall having a top edge and a bottom edge, and a hollow sealing tube along the entire bottom edge of the skirt wall. The sealing tube may include at least one inlet for inserting material into the sealing tube. Each of the plurality of strips may have two ends, both of which are attached to the top edge of the skirt wall on opposite sides of the skirt wall.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 965,558, filed January 24, 2020, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth.

[0003] In addition, this application relates to International Patent Application No. PCT / US2018 / 055616, filed October 12, 2018, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 580,870, filed November 2, 2017, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth. Background of the Invention

[0004] Invention Field

[0005] The embodiments described herein generally relate to protective covers, and more particularly to skirts that form a ground seal for protecting objects (e.g., vehicles, furniture, etc.) from external influences such as rodents, insects, water, weather (e.g., wind, rain, snow, etc.) from intrusion into or surrounding the objects. Background Technology

[0007] Conventional protective covers do not provide any seal at the ground. Unfortunately, this allows for the intrusion of external influences, which can damage the covered object. External influences may include, but are not limited to, rodents, insects, water, wind, rain, snow and / or other weather, and / or any other influence that can penetrate the gap or loose fit between the edge of the protective cover and the ground. Therefore, a protective cover is needed that forms a ground seal to protect objects from such influences. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Therefore, a skirt forming a ground seal is disclosed. In an embodiment, the protective cover includes: a skirt comprising a skirt wall having a top edge and a bottom edge, and a hollow sealing tube along the entire bottom edge of the skirt wall, wherein the sealing tube includes at least one inlet for inserting material into the sealing tube; and a plurality of strips, each of the plurality of strips having two ends attached to the top edge of the skirt wall on opposite sides of the skirt wall.

[0009] Each of the plurality of strips may be detachable from the skirt wall at at least one of its two ends. Each of the plurality of strips may be detachable from the skirt wall at both of its two ends. The length of each of the plurality of strips may be adjustable. The protective cover may also include a top cover sized to cover the plurality of strips.

[0010] The sealing tube may include a sleeve formed in the bottom edge of the skirt wall. The sealing tube may also include a conduit within the sleeve. The at least one inlet may include a valve passing through the wall of the sleeve and the wall of the conduit, the valve providing a flow path for fluid to enter the interior of the sealing tube from the outside of the sealing tube.

[0011] The protective cover may further include fasteners that releasably attach the outer edge of the top cover to the top edge of the skirt wall. The fasteners may include a zipper with a first zipper side and a second zipper side, the second zipper side being configured to releasably engage with the first zipper side, wherein the first zipper side extends around the circumference of the top cover, and wherein the second zipper side extends around the circumference of the top edge of the skirt wall.

[0012] The skirt wall may be at least 18 inches high between its top and bottom edges. The skirt wall may be at least 24 inches high between its top and bottom edges. The skirt wall may be at least 36 inches high between its top and bottom edges.

[0013] The skirt panel may include a single segment having two ends, and the two ends may be configured to overlap at an overlapping area and releasably adhere to each other. The overlapping area may include two fasteners at opposite ends of the overlapping area. Each of the two fasteners may include a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being secured to a first end of the single segment of the skirt panel, and the second portion being secured to a second end of the single segment of the skirt panel, and the first portion being configured to releasably engage with the second portion. Each of the two fasteners may include Velcro™.

[0014] The sealing tube may have a diameter of at least two inches. The protective cover may be sized and shaped to cover the vehicle. The skirt may have an elliptical profile. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Details of the invention, both in its structure and operation, can be gathered in part by studying the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals refer to the same parts, and in the drawings:

[0016] Figure 1A and Figure 1B The protective cover according to the implementation scheme is shown;

[0017] Figure 2 A view of the overlapping area in the protective cover according to the embodiment is shown;

[0018] Figure 3 A top-down plan view of the protective cover according to the embodiment is shown;

[0019] Figure 4 The cut-off portion of the sealing tube according to the embodiment is shown; and

[0020] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the sealing tube according to the embodiment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Upon reading this description, those skilled in the art will understand how the invention can be implemented in various alternative embodiments and applications. However, although various embodiments of the invention will be described herein, it should be understood that these embodiments are shown by way of example and illustration only, and not by way of limitation. Therefore, this detailed description of the various embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope or breadth of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

[0022] In one embodiment, a skirt forming a ground seal is disclosed. The skirt can be used alone (e.g., where the user does not wish to cover the entire object), integrally formed into a top cover during manufacturing, added to or packaged with a top cover after manufacturing, or added to or modified into an existing, previously manufactured protective cover (e.g., a conventional protective cover without a ground seal). Whether used alone or in combination with a top cover, the skirt can be used indoors or outdoors to store, cover, and protect objects (e.g., vehicles, furniture, etc.) from weather (e.g., wind, rain, snow, etc.), from being occupied or damaged by rodents or insects, etc. The skirt can be loosely compliant to an object (e.g., a general-purpose cover, such as for furniture) or tightly compliant to an object (e.g., a custom cover, such as a custom vehicle cover, for example, shaped for a specific vehicle). While the skirt will be primarily described and shown herein for use with vehicles, it should be understood that the skirt can be sized and adapted to protect any object, including but not limited to indoor and / or outdoor furniture (e.g., chairs, tables, grills, dressing tables, shelves, etc.).

[0023] Figure 1A and Figure 1BA protective cover 100 according to an embodiment is shown. The protective cover 100 may include a skirt 110 and one or more (and preferably) multiple strips 120 for suspending the skirt 110. The skirt 110 may include a skirt wall 112, a sealing tube 114 located at the bottom end of the skirt wall 112, and at least one overlapping area 116. As used herein, the terms “top” and “bottom” are used for ease of understanding to convey the relative positions of the various components with respect to each other and do not imply any specific orientation of these components (e.g., relative to the external environment or the ground) in absolute terms. However, it should be understood that during the deployment of the protective cover 100, the skirt 110 is typically located at the bottom and in contact with the ground, while the strips 120 will be located at the top, further from the ground, and resting above the top of the protected object, thereby suspending the skirt 110 in a loop surrounding the object.

[0024] In one embodiment, one or more strips 120 are used to suspend the skirt 110 around an object such as a vehicle. Each strip 120 may have two ends attached to opposite sides of the skirt 110. Each strip 120 may be adjustable (e.g., a ratchet strip), which allows the length of the strip 120 to be adjusted to remove or reduce slack around the object to be protected.

[0025] In embodiments where the skirt panel 110 has a circular or substantially circular outline, the protective cover 100 may include at least two strips 120 that cross at the top and jointly connect to four attachment points on the skirt panel 110, the attachment points being equidistantly spaced around the circumference of the skirt panel 110. In a top plan view, the two strips 120 may intersect at substantially orthogonal angles.

[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, the skirt 110 has an elliptical profile. In this embodiment or another embodiment with a non-circular profile, the longitudinal strip 120A may connect the two points along the circumference of the skirt 110 that are most far apart from each other. Additionally, one or more transverse strips 120B, 120C, and / or 120D may pass through the longitudinal strip 120A at substantially orthogonal angles in a top plan view, such as... Figure 2 As shown. In this case, the longitudinal strip 120A can be considered as the ridge of the protective cover 100, while the transverse strips 120B to 120D can be considered as the ribs of the protective cover 100.

[0027] It should be understood that the protective cover 100 may include other configurations of the strips 120, as long as the strips 120 effectively suspend the skirt panel 110 around the object to be protected. The strips 120 may be permanently integrally formed to or otherwise attached to the skirt panel 110 (e.g., via stitching, adhesive, etc.) or releasably attached to the skirt panel 110 (e.g., via hooks and loops such as Velcro™, buckles, screws, bolts, and nuts, etc.). The strips 120 may be attached to the skirt panel 110 on the inside of the skirt panel wall 112 and / or the sealing tube 114 and / or the outside of the skirt panel wall 112 and / or the sealing tube 114. Additionally, the strips 120 may similarly be permanently attached to each other (e.g., via stitching, adhesive, etc.) or releasably (e.g., via hooks and loops such as Velcro™, buckles, screws, bolts, and nuts, etc.) at one or more (potentially all) of the points they pass through. Alternatively, strip 120 may be attached to skirt 110, but not to each other.

[0028] Skirt 110 may be made of a waterproof or water-resistant material. Skirt 110 may be thicker than, less thick than, or the same thickness as strip 120. Skirt wall 112, sealing tube 114, and strip 120 may be made of the same or different materials. In an embodiment, skirt wall 112 is made of 600D polyester, and preferably of 600D polyester with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coating (e.g., on the inside and / or outside) to improve durability. Skirt 110 has a height H when deployed. In an embodiment, H is 18 inches, 24 inches, 36 inches, or any value between 18 inches and 36 inches. Given the size and shape of the object to be protected (e.g., the size and shape of a vehicle), the length of each strip 120 may be configured to hold skirt 110 at its full height H so that the top edge of skirt wall 112 remains fully raised. For example, in an embodiment of a protective cover 100 designed for a passenger car, strips 120B and 120D may be shorter than strip 120C to address the tendency of passenger cars to be shorter at the front and rear than in the middle. On the other hand, in an embodiment of a protective cover 100 designed for a sports utility vehicle (SUV), strip 120B may be shorter than strips 120C and 120D to address the tendency of SUVs to be shorter at the front and taller in the middle and rear. Similarly, in an embodiment of a protective cover 100 for a van or other vehicle with a uniform height along its entire length, strips 120B to 120D may all have the same length. Alternatively or additionally, the length of each strip 120 may be adjustable, for example via fastening devices (e.g., hooks and loops such as Velcro™, buckles, etc.), which allow the loops in each strip 120 to be lengthened or shortened, thereby increasing or decreasing the length of the strip 120.

[0029] Preferably, in all cases, during deployment, the skirt 110 is held at its full height, with the sealing tube 112 flush with the ground. Thus, the skirt 110 forms a wall around the object to be protected, and the weight of the skirt 110, and particularly the weight of the sealing tube 114, creates a seal between the bottom of the skirt 110 and the ground to prevent intrusion. It should be understood that in practical implementations, depending on the height H, the skirt 110 will extend exactly flush with the ground (e.g., if the height of the protective cover 100 is exactly the height of the object when deployed over it), or in a preferred embodiment, extend at least slightly beyond the bottom of the object (e.g., if the height of the protective cover 100 is greater than the height of the object when deployed over it), such that it bends outward or inward, or wrinkles or folds to be flush with the ground. Therefore, a user can deploy the protective cover 100 over a vehicle or other object, and the skirt 110 will act as a barrier against intrusion by rodents or other small animals, water, or other weather conditions.

[0030] like Figure 1B As shown, the protective cover 100 may include or be used with a protective top cover 200, which may be permanently attached, releasably attached, or not attached to the skirt panel 110 and / or the strips 120. The top cover 200 may be integrally formed with the protective cover 100, or may include an existing cover or tarpaulin used in conjunction with the protective cover 100. For example, the top cover 200 may be placed over the object to be protected, and the protective cover 100 may be placed over the top cover 200 to lower the top cover 200 by a downward force exerted by the weight of the strips 120 and the sealing tube 114. Alternatively, the protective cover 100 may be placed over the object first, and then the top cover 200 may be placed over the protective cover 100 to cover the space between the strips 120. In either case, the top cover 200 may be releasably adhered to the protective cover 100 by any known fastening device, or may not be adhered to the protective cover 100 but may be held to the protective cover 100 by its own weight or the weight of the protective cover 100. The top cover 200 may be made of the same or different breathable, reflective and durable material as that used to make the skirt 110 and / or strips 120.

[0031] The top cover 200, skirt panel 110, and / or strip 120 may be manufactured as a single piece of material or multiple pieces of material, and then joined together during or after manufacturing. In an embodiment, the top cover 200 is a separate piece releasably fastened to the skirt panel 110 via fasteners such as zippers. For example, the top edge of the skirt panel 110 may include one side of a zipper 210 around its entire circumference, while the bottom edge of the top cover 200 may include the other side of a zipper 210 around its entire circumference. Thus, the top edge of the skirt panel 110 can be zipped to the bottom edge of the top cover 200, thereby joining the two together. This can be particularly helpful when used to protect large and / or tall objects (such as trucks, vans, or SUVs), as it may be difficult to completely cover such objects. Advantageously, only the top cover 200 must be pulled or thrown over the object, while the skirt panel 110 simply needs to be pulled up from the ground and fastened to the top cover 200, for example, by pulling and pressing the corresponding sides of the zipper 210 together.

[0032] Figure 2 A closer view of the overlapping region 116 according to the embodiment is shown. As shown, the skirt wall 112 can be formed as a rectangle with one end overlapping the other to form a circular profile, an elliptical profile (e.g., as shown in the figure). Figure 3 (as shown in the illustration) or other shaped outlines of a ring. The two ends of the skirt wall 112 may be permanently or releasably adhered to each other to hold the skirt wall 112 in a ring shape. In the illustrated embodiment, the two ends of the skirt wall 112 are releasably adhered via two fasteners 118A and 118B. Each fastener 118 may include a corresponding strip with an industrial-strength hook and loop (e.g., Velcro™). For example, a first vertical strip of hook or loop may be formed on or near the edge of a first end of the skirt wall 112, and a corresponding second vertical strip of loop or hook configured to engage with the first vertical strip may be formed at a width W from the edge of a second end of the skirt wall 112. Similarly, a third vertical strip of loop or hook may be formed on or near the edge of a second end of the skirt wall 112 opposite to the first end, and a corresponding fourth vertical strip of hook or loop configured to engage with the third vertical strip may be formed at a width W from the edge of a first end of the skirt wall 112. Therefore, when the first and second vertical strips are engaged as fasteners 118A and the third and fourth vertical strips are engaged as fasteners 118B, the skirt wall 112 is held in a ring shape, configured to surround the object to be protected, having an overlapping area 116 of width W. The width W of the overlapping area 116 can be at least nine inches. Additionally, the skirt 110 can be disassembled by releasing and separating the fasteners 118 to allow an object (e.g., a vehicle) to enter and exit the interior of the skirt 110.

[0033] It should be understood that fasteners 118 may include other fastening devices besides those described above. Alternatively, instead of using releasable fasteners, fasteners 118 may permanently adhere the ends of the skirt panel 112 to each other. For example, fasteners 118 may include stitching, adhesives, etc. Regardless of type or whether it is permanent or releasable, each fastener 118 may have a width of at least one inch, and preferably two inches. Additionally, each fastener 118 may extend the entire height H of the skirt panel 110.

[0034] Figure 3 A top-down plan view of the protective cover 100 according to an embodiment is shown. As shown, in the embodiment, the skirt 110 may be manufactured as a single linear segment. This segment may be bent, and then the two ends of the segment may be secured to each other using fasteners 118 to form a loop (e.g., having an elliptical profile) capable of surrounding an object. It should be understood that, as used herein, the term "segment" refers only to the outline or profile of the skirt 110, and a single segment may comprise numerous different materials and / or components.

[0035] In an alternative embodiment, the skirt 110 may include multiple segments, each segment being engaged to an adjacent segment via fasteners 118 to form a loop. In this case, the skirt 110 may include two or more overlapping regions 116. Specifically, given N segments, the skirt 110 will include N overlapping regions 116. Thus, an embodiment of the skirt 110 with two segments will include two overlapping regions 116, an embodiment of the skirt 110 with three segments will include three overlapping regions 116, an embodiment of the skirt 110 with four segments will include four overlapping regions 116, and so on.

[0036] Additionally, each overlapping region 116 may include at least two fasteners 118 at each end of the overlapping region 116. Therefore, given N segments, the skirt 110 will include 2 x N fasteners 118. An embodiment of the skirt 110 with two segments will include four fasteners 118, an embodiment of the skirt 110 with three segments will include six fasteners 118, an embodiment of the skirt 110 with four segments will include eight fasteners 118, and so on.

[0037] While multiple sections allow users to more easily fold the protective cover 100 or skirt 120 for storage or transport, improper segmentation can result in gaps between the sealing tube 130 and the ground, which compromises the protective quality of the grounding seal. Therefore, as discussed above, each section can overlap with each adjacent section by width W in the overlapping area 116 and be secured by at least two fasteners 118 on both sides of each overlapping area 116 to form a robust seal.

[0038] During the deployment of the protective shield 100, conformability to the ground is achieved via a sealing tube 114, which may be filled with a surface contouring material. The sealing tube 114 may be sealed or secured (e.g., sewn) to the skirt panel wall 112 to prevent any gaps within the skirt panel 110. In embodiments, the sealing tube 114 may include or be formed as a sleeve containing contouring material. The sleeve may be at least two inches wide to ensure that the sealing tube 114 has sufficient size and weight to conform to the ground. For example, the sleeve may have a basic cylindrical shape with a diameter of two inches or greater. However, a width or diameter less than two inches may be used (e.g., if the sleeve is filled with a heavier contouring material).

[0039] Figure 4 The cut-off portion of the sealing tube 114 according to the embodiment is shown, while Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a sealing tube 114 according to an embodiment is shown. As shown, the sealing tube 114 may include a corrugated conduit 420 inserted into a tubular sleeve 410 along the bottom edge of a skirt wall 112. The corrugated conduit 420 defines an interior 430 of the sealing tube 114. In an embodiment, the profiler material is a fluid, such as water. In this embodiment, one or more valves 440 may be inserted through the walls of the sleeve 410 and the corrugated conduit 420. Each valve 440 may be configured to open to allow fluid to pass from the outside of the sleeve 410 to the interior 430 of the sealing tube 114 (e.g., to fill the sealing tube 114), and to close to prevent fluid from flowing out of the interior 430 of the sealing tube 114. In embodiments using water as the profiler material, each valve 440 may be configured to connect to a standard fitting for a hose or other water line. Each valve, or one or more different valves, may also be configured to open to allow fluid to pass from the interior 430 of the sealing tube 114 to the exterior of the envelope 410 (e.g., to vent the sealing tube 114 for easy storage, shipment, or other transport). Valves intended for filling the sealing tube 114 may be oriented upwards from the interior of the sealing tube 114 to the exterior of the envelope, while valves intended for venting the sealing tube 114 may be oriented downwards from the interior of the sealing tube 114 to the exterior of the envelope. However, it should be understood that while a single valve may be used for both filling and venting the sealing tube 114, it may be necessary for the user to flip or otherwise manipulate the sealing tube 114 to switch from filling to venting.

[0040] In alternative embodiments, the contouring material can be a dry material, such as dry silt or a material with similar properties. However, the ability to fill the sealing tube 114 with water is preferred because water is more readily available to most users and naturally and evenly distributes itself throughout the sealing tube 114. Therefore, the protective cover 100 can be shipped to the user without filling the sealing tube 114, and the user can easily fill the sealing tube 114 with water after receiving the protective cover 100. This reduces the weight of the goods and thus lowers shipping costs.

[0041] The type and quantity of the cladding material, as well as the size of the sleeve 410 in the sealing tube 114, should be selected to use sufficient weight to seal the skirt 110 to the ground by gravity, so as to prevent or restrain rodents and / or insects from passing under the sealing tube 114 without compromising the conformity of the sealing tube 114 to the ground. If the sealing tube 114 is overfilled (e.g., too much water is used), the sealing tube 114 may not conform properly to the ground. On the other hand, if the sealing tube 114 is underfilled (e.g., too little water is used), the sealing tube 114 may not be heavy enough to seal to the ground. In other words, a gap may form between the sealing tube 114 and the ground, or the sealing tube 114 may not be heavy enough to restrain the entry of rodents or insects.

[0042] In this implementation, the strips 120 are releasably attached to the top edge of the skirt 110. This releasable attachment can be achieved using any known fastening device, including but not limited to hooks and loops (e.g., Velcro™), buckles, etc. This allows the user to separate the skirt 110 from the strips 120, for example, to lower the skirt 110. Thus, if the protective cover 100 is designed to protect the vehicle, the removable skirt 110 allows the user to release the suspension of the skirt 110 via the strips 120, allowing the skirt 110 to fall to the ground. Specifically, when leaving the parking space, the user can detach (e.g., untie or loosen) at least one end of each strip 120 from its corresponding attachment point to the skirt 110. Gravity will force the skirt 110 to collapse (e.g., wrinkle or fold) to the ground, but due to the weight of the sealing tube 114, the skirt 110 will remain around the vehicle in its current profile (e.g., despite rain or other external influences). The user can then leave the skirt 110 on the ground (e.g., where the sealing tube 114 remains in a generally elliptical shape, representing the vehicle's outline) and drive in or out of the skirt 110 by driving along one side of it. In other words, the user only needs to place the skirt 110 once (e.g., in their garage, carport, or other parking space) and does not need to move it (or may only move it occasionally) for all subsequent uses. Furthermore, for each use, the user does not need to lift the skirt 110 (which may be relatively heavy due to the sealing tube 114) over the vehicle. When the user needs to lift the skirt 110, they can simply drive along one side of the skirt 110 to park the vehicle inside it. Then, for each strip 120, the user can ensure that the first end of the strip 120 is attached to one side of the skirt 110, throw or drag the second end of the strip 120 over the vehicle to the opposite side of the skirt 110, and reattach the second end of the strip 120 to the opposite side of the skirt 110, thereby re-suspending the skirt 110 around the vehicle to once again protect the vehicle with the protective cover 100 having a ground seal formed by the sealing tube 114. This can be accomplished by placing the top cover 200 under or above the strip 120 and / or securing the top cover 200 to the skirt 120 (e.g., via zipper 210).

[0043] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to adopt or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the basic principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the description and drawings presented herein represent currently preferred embodiments of the invention and thus represent the subject matter broadly contemplated by the invention. It should also be understood that the scope of the invention fully encompasses other embodiments that may become apparent to those skilled in the art, and the scope of the invention is accordingly not limited thereto.

Claims

1. A protective cover comprising: A skirt panel, the skirt panel including a skirt panel wall having a top edge and a bottom edge, and a hollow sealing tube along the entire bottom edge of the skirt panel wall, wherein the sealing tube includes at least one inlet for inserting material into the sealing tube; as well as Multiple strips, each of which has two ends attached to the top edge of the skirt wall on opposite sides, wherein the multiple strips are configured to suspend the skirt around the object to be protected without being attached to the top cover.

2. The protective cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of strips is detachable from the skirt wall at at least one of the two ends.

3. The protective cover as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of strips is detachable from the skirt wall at two of the two ends.

4. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the length of each of the plurality of strips is adjustable.

5. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the sealing tube comprises a sleeve formed in the bottom edge of the skirt wall.

6. The protective cover as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sealing tube further includes a conduit within the cover.

7. The protective cover of claim 6, wherein the at least one inlet includes a valve passing through the wall of the cover and the wall of the conduit, the valve providing a flow path for fluid to enter the interior of the sealed conduit from the outside of the sealed conduit.

8. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the top cover is sized to cover the plurality of strips.

9. The protective cover of claim 1, further comprising a fastener that releasably attaches the outer edge of the top cover to the top edge of the skirt wall.

10. The protective cover of claim 9, wherein the fastener includes a zipper, the zipper including a first zipper side and a second zipper side, the second zipper side being configured to releasably engage with the first zipper side, wherein the first zipper side extends around the circumference of the top cover, and wherein the second zipper side extends around the circumference of the top edge of the skirt wall.

11. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the skirt wall is at least eighteen inches high between the top edge and the bottom edge.

12. The protective cover of claim 11, wherein the skirt wall is at least twenty-four inches high between the top edge and the bottom edge.

13. The protective cover of claim 12, wherein the skirt wall is at least thirty-six inches high between the top edge and the bottom edge.

14. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the skirt panel includes a single segment having two ends, and wherein the two ends are configured to overlap at an overlapping area and releasably adhere to each other.

15. The protective cover of claim 14, wherein the overlapping region includes two fasteners at opposite ends of the overlapping region.

16. The protective cover of claim 15, wherein each of the two fasteners includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being secured to a first end of the two ends of the single segment of the skirt, and the second portion being secured to a second end of the two ends of the single segment of the skirt, and wherein the first portion is configured to releasably engage with the second portion.

17. The protective cover of claim 16, wherein each of the two fasteners comprises 18. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the sealing tube has a diameter of at least two inches.

19. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the protective cover is sized and shaped to cover the vehicle.

20. The protective cover of claim 19, wherein the skirt has an elliptical profile.

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