Abstract:
A phantom image is temporarily displayed on a body panel of a motor vehicle. The image appears under certain weather conditions and then vanish after a few moments. The image is created when a temperature dependent substance material is present on the body panel and a heat source is applied to the opposite side of the panel with an intervening insulated area in a predetermined pattern.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to motor vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to an arrangement for temporarily displaying an image on a motor vehicle body panel. 
     2. Discussion 
     It is known in the prior art to put permanent images on body panels of automobiles. This is done with such regularity that nearly every automobile has at least the model of the vehicle emblazoned upon a body panel. Furthermore, images may be affixed so as to advertise the dealer of the automobile or to advertise the business of the owner of the automobile. For the most part, these images are permanently affixed to the exterior of the vehicle. They can not be removed without extensive labor and are not easily concealed. 
     It is also known to create relatively temporary designs and emblems upon certain surfaces. Generally, these inventions harness the thermo-chromatic abilities of certain substances that are painted or adhered to a surface. However, these inventions have been generally limited to toys, novelty items and the like. Furthermore, these inventions require uniform temperature dispersion at a constant rate to be able to view the image or color change. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a general object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for temporarily displaying an image on a motor vehicle panel. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide such an arrangement that is inexpensively produced and easy to install onto the body panel of a vehicle. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a body panel that has an arrangement integral in the body panel formation. 
     In the preferred form, the present invention provides a body panel upon which a predetermined phantom image may be temporarily displayed. This image will appear under certain weather conditions and then vanish after a few moments. The image is created when a temperature dependent material is present on the body panel and a heat source is applied to the opposite side of the panel with an intervening insulation material in a predetermined pattern. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a motor vehicle including an arrangement for temporarily displaying an image on a motor vehicle panel in accordance with the teachings of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a view of the underside of the vehicle panel of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2A is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the arrangement modified to include a plurality of ribs; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an injection molding apparatus and mold; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a sheet molding compound apparatus; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a molded composite panel according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a tailored blank according to the teachings of the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a panel including air pockets according to the teachings of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With initial reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary vehicle  10  is illustrated to include a temporary image  12 . The temporary image  12  is produced with an arrangement  13  for temporarily displaying an image on a motor vehicle panel in accordance with the teachings of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the exemplary use shown, the image  12  is created on a top or exterior side  20  of a hood  14  of the vehicle  10 . However, it will be understood that the teachings of the present invention are applicable for producing an image  12  on other body panels. Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the body panels upon which the image  12  is displayed may be made of a plurality of materials. Examples of materials from which the body panel may be produced include steel or one made of a composite material, such as carbon fiber. 
     The image  12  created by the arrangement  13  of the present invention is only temporary. As will become more apparent below, the image  12  is created when the hood  14  of the vehicle  10  is covered with a weather related, temperature dependent substance such as frost, dew or light snow. When an engine  15  in the vehicle  10  heats up, the temperature dependent substance evaporates in a predetermined manner. 
     With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and additional reference to FIGS. 2A and 3, the arrangement  13  of the present invention will be further described. The arrangement  13  is illustrated to include an insulation material  18  configured in a predetermined pattern. As illustrated, the predetermined pattern is designed to create an image  12  consistent with a trademarked Dodge Viper logo owned by the assignee of the subject application. 
     The insulation material  18  may be disposed between inner and outer hood panels or placed on a naked underside  16  of the hood  14  as shown in FIG.  2 . Furthermore, the insulation material  18  may be made of a solid insulation affixed closely to the underside  16  of the hood  14 . In another embodiment, the insulation material  18  may be hollow, thus effectively creating an air gap between the engine and the underside  16  of the hood  14 . Also, certain structures such as ribs  19  (shown particularly in FIG. 2A) may be used to create an area of cooler air, relative to the remainder of the underside  16  of the hood  14 . 
     As the vehicle&#39;s engine  15  warms during operation, the underside  16  of the hood  14  is heated as well. In turn, heat is transferred to the top side  20  of the hood  14 . The insulation material  18  slows the transfer of heat to the top side  20  of the hood  14  in the areas covered by the insulation material  18 . In this manner, a predetermined portion of the top side  20  of the hood  14  remains cooler for a period beyond that which the remainder of the top side  20  of the hood  14  remains cool. Explaining further, the area of the image  12 , which is directly opposite the insulation material  18 , is kept cooler due to the presence of the insulation material  18 . Therefore, if there is a temperature dependent substance, such as frost, on the top side  20  of the hood  14  it would remain in the area opposite that of the insulation material  18  for a period greater than it would remain on the other portions of the top side  20  of the hood  14 . 
     The present invention may be further practiced in several different processes. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, an injection molding process and Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) are two further possibilities. With particular reference to FIG. 4, an exemplary injection molding apparatus  22  is shown. Plastic pellets (not shown) are mixed and fed through a feeder hopper  24  then further through a tube  26  which heats and melts the pellets into a liquid which is moved towards a nozzle  28 . At the nozzle  28 , the pellets are injected into a mold  30 . 
     Various methods of injection molding are well known in the art. Typically, existing technology utilizes mold which is generally of constant thickness and has a varying shape depending on the particular product. However, in accordance with the present invention, the mold  30  may include varying thicknesses  32  on one side while being substantially flat on another  34 . 
     Turning particular reference to FIG. 5, a second well known method of creating a molded composite panel is shown. Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) is well known in the art. It is known in the art to place a portion of SMC material  36  onto a mold or die  38 , seal the die  38  with a top portion  40  and then heat the device to cause the SMC  36  to flow into the die  38  to create a finished product. However, generally the die  38  includes several surface variations for individual parts that are to be produced in the finished piece. In accordance with the present invention, the die  38  has varying thicknesses areas  42  while the top portion  40  is substantially flat thus creating a molded panel substantially flat on a first side with varying thicknesses on a second side. 
     With reference to FIG. 6, an exemplary molded panel  44  produced by either injection molding (FIG. 4) or SMC (FIG. 5) is shown. The molded panel  44  includes areas that are both relatively thin  46  and relatively thick  48 . The thick areas  48  are formed into the mold or die  30 ,  38  (from FIGS. 4 and 5) to produce a molded panel  44  that will produce the predetermined arrangement  13  (as shown in FIG.  1 ). In this way, it is the thicker areas  48  that produce slower warming of the top surface  50  of the molded panel  44  when a heat source is applied to the bottom surface  52 . 
     Another well known method in the art is that of tailored blanks where different layers of metal are laser welded together, generally for strength purposes. However, this process may now be used to create a flat panel that has varying layers of metal in a predetermined form to practice the present invention. Again creating a temperature variance between the first side and the second side of the panel when a heat source is applied to a first side of the panel. With particular reference to FIG.  7 , a tailored blank panel  58  includes a top layer  60  of metal, which is continuous, with several auxiliary layers  61  welded to the top layer  60  to create a tailored blank panel  58 . Similar to the molded panel  44  (FIG.  6 ), the tailored blank panel  58  has thicker areas  62  where auxiliary layers  61  are placed and thinner areas  64 . The thicker areas  62  include several auxiliary layers  61  to create the predetermined formation. Therefore, as a heat source is applied to a first side  66  of the tailored blank panel  58 , a temperature variance is created as the heat must travel through the auxiliary layers  61  in the thicker areas  62  and only the top layer  60  in the thinner areas  64 . 
     With reference to FIG. 8, yet another exemplary method includes creating air pockets  70  in a panel  72 . An outer layer  74  of the panel  72  is substantially flat. Affixed to the outer layer  74  are interior layers  76  which cooperate with the outer layer  74  to create air pockets  70  therebetween. These air pockets  70  heat slower than the bare metal layers  76  and are positioned to create the desired predetermined pattern  13  (FIG.  1 ). 
     While the invention has been described in the specification and illustrated in the drawings with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment illustrated by the drawings and described in the specification as the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any embodiments falling within the description of the appended claims.