Abstract:
The present invention relates to the packaging and/or protecting consumer products such as automobiles during shipping thereof with polystyrene panels.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the packaging and/or protecting consumer products such as automobiles and the like during the shipping thereof. More particularly, the present invention provides a system of exterior protection for automobile exterior body surfaces and like critical impact areas subject to damage during shipment by impact from rocks, other vehicles, shipping transports and the like. 
     2. General Background and Prior Art 
     A problem facing the auto and vehicle industry is the shipment of vehicles, particularly automobiles and trucks, from the assembly plant or like manufacturing facility to the dealership or distributor for sale to the consumer. 
     Vehicles are often damaged on the exterior due to undesirable contact made by a foreign surface with the painted exterior surface of the vehicle or with the vehicle glass windows or mirrors. The result is a wasteful expense created by such damage which must be paid by the manufacturer or dealer and then passed to the consumer. The damage incurred can also be assessed in the terms of inconvenience to the consumer and time lost by the labor in touching up the damages incurred. 
     At present, styrofoam or foam blocks are used by some auto manufacturers placed on the front bumpers of the automobiles they manufacture. The foam block is secured with a length of nylon tape and a metal clamp to the bumper. Upon arrival at the dealership or final destination, and prior to sale, the styrofoam strip is severed using a cutting tool. The entire exterior body of a vehicle is presently unprotected from possible damage to the painted or glass surfaces. It is these exterior body surfaces and windows which are highly susceptible to damage during shipping. The particular automobile can be chipped or damaged simply by the opening of doors as it is sporadically occupied and driven on or off transport trucks, or into/out of various temporary warehouses or yards on its journey to the receiving dealer. 
     Vandalism unfortunately takes a high toll on vehicles as they are shipped. Most vehicle transports (whether by highway or rail) are relatively open structures, being an assembly of connected structural steel members with the vehicles readily accessible. For some reason, railroad cars holding vehicles are a particular &#34;target&#34; for vandals who throw rocks at the vehicle windows as the unmanned rail cars pass through various hostile environments often at relatively low speed and occasionally stopping. Rocks thrown in this manner can break windows, or strike the vehicle body causing dents, paint chipping and the like. It is to this problem that the present invention is directed. 
     GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a system for protecting the exterior surfaces of vehicles, with the application of a series of sculptured preshaped foam panels, depending upon the particular model of vehicle. The panels are designed to mold against preselected exposed surface and critical contact areas of the exterior surface of the vehicle in order to protect against damage done to the vehicle surface during shipping. In the preferred embodiment, each polystyrene panel would be of for example 1/2&#34; to desired thickness in order to absorb the impact resulting from a foreign object making contact with the auto exterior surface occuring during shipping of the vehicle. 
     The polystyrene panels would be provided with an adhesive backing so that the panel could be easily adhered to that particular area of the exterior surface. In the preferred embodiment, each panel inner surface would be coated at least at critical points with the adhesive material. The adhesive material would be of such consistency so that it would adhere to the loosely bonded polystyrene surface permanently, yet bond to protective backing temporarily for shipment of the panels, and upon removal of said protective backing, to the exterior paint of the vehicle in such a fashion that the panel would securely adhere to the vehicle during shipment, but could be removed with little or no trace of residue on the paint of the vehicle, and without any damage whatsoever to the paint of the vehicle. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the adhesive material would be of a non-hydrocarbon base, water-base adhesive to insure permanent adhesion to the polystyrene panel, yet temporary adhesion to a provided protective backing as waxed paper, and temporary adhesion to the painted or glass window vehicle exterior surface as selected. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the molded panels would be precut with the use of a hot-saw means in such configurations to provide a series of precut panels in a &#34;kit-type&#34; arrangement to protect the critical areas of each particular style of vehicle to be protected. The panel kits, containing the necessary panels to protect a particular style of vehicle could be packaged for delivery. Ideally, the &#34;kit&#34; of panels would be available at the end of an assembly-line whereby the panels could easily be applied to the vehicle prior to being stored, shipped or even driven away from the assembly line. The precut or sculptured foam panels or sheets would thus correspond to and affix to a plurality of preselected exposed vehicle surface portions as windows, doors, etc. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a system of protection for exterior exposed surface portions of vehicles during shipment. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide for a group of precut protective panels each sculptured to adhere to a preselected exposed vehicle surface area. 
     It is another object of the invention that the adhesive material be adapted with a protective backing so that the pre-cut panel may have adhesive material applied at time of manufacture so that the panels may be shipped in a &#34;kit-type&#34; fashion, each kit designed to fit the critical preselected exposed surfaces or impact points of a particular style of vehicle, yet during shipment would not adhere to one another. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide foam panels having adhesive backing adhering to the foam surface yet temporarily to its protective backing and subsequently to the painted surface of the vehicle to be protected. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are given like reference numerals and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the foam sheet portion of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a macro-representation of the foam sheet and adhesive material backing and its relation to both vehicle and removable backing surfaces of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a frontal view of a representative panel of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating application of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention showing application of a vehicle body. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the auto-vehicle protective panel 10. It should be noted that throughout the detailed description of the present invention, protective panel 10 is referred to as a representative panel. Since the design of the panel 10 depends upon the particular area of the vehicle to be protected and the particular style of vehicle; i.e., auto, truck, jeep, etc., it is the intent that the nomenclature referring to protective panel 10 shall be representative of the numerous panel 10 designs depending upon applicable use. 
     Protective panel 10 is in the preferred embodiment 1/2&#34; to desired thickness uniform through its design. The protective panel 10 is constructed of polystyrene foam material, a hydrocarbon-base material which is of loose molecular construction, said construction represented by circular constructive bodies 11. FIG. 1 also illustrates the adhesive backing 12 as it is partially peeled away from the adhesive protective backing surface 13. As will be discussed more in detail when reference is made to FIG. 2, adhesive material 13 adheres permanently to polystyrene panel 10, yet temporarily to protective backing 12. Protective backing 12 would be adapted to the adhesive material 13 upon manufacture of polystyrene panel 10 immediately and in the preferred embodiment capable of being peeled away from the polystyrene panel 10 easily and quickly for immediate application of the panel 10 to the surface of the vehicle. 
     FIG. 2 is a microscopic representation of the material construction of the polystyrene panel 10, the molecular structure represented by circular bodies 11. Of particular importance is the fact that adhesive material 13 in microscopic representation of FIG. 2 is of such consistency that the adhesive material 13 is able to maintain permanent adhesion to polystyrene panel 10 due to the ability of the material 13 to seep into and adhere into the inter-body crevices 14 along the shallow surface area of polystyrene panel 10. However, as also represented in FIG. 2, the adhesive material 13 clings merely to the very top surface of protective backing 12, and upon removal of protective backing 12, to the surface of vehicle surface 20. Because in the preferred embodiment, the chemical makeup of the adhesive material 13 is a non-hydrocarbon, water-base substance, the adhesion to the hydrocarbon base, in most cases, lacquer surface 20 of the painted vehicle is on the very exterior surface 20, due to the fact that the hydrocarbon base lacquer paint is of extremely tight molecular configuration, not allowing any seepage and clinging of adhesive material 13 between the intermolecular spaces of the paint surface 20. 
     To minimize the area of vehicle surface which would be exposed to the adhesive material 13, FIG. 3 illustrates the representative configuration which the adhesive material 13 should take to enable adequate adhesion to the vehicle surface 20, yet not establish unnecessary points of adhesion. Thus, FIG. 3 illustrates that the adhesive material 13 may, in the preferred embodiment, be arranged in strips 12 so that the panel will adhere to the surface 20 at the critical points to assure the panel adheres securely. The illustration in FIG. 3 represents the configuration as would relate to a particular panel 10, but in different configuration to differently designed panels. 
     FIG. 4 is an illustration of the panels 13 as they would appear on a representative vehicle 20. The panels 13 would be adhered to the various critical impact areas following the peeling away of adhesive protective strip backing 12. Those critical impact areas represented by the following: 
     Rear quarter panels 21 
     Front fender panels 22 
     Door panels 28 
     Window panels 23 
     Trunk panel 25 
     Top panel 26 
     Wheel well panels 28 
     Bumper panels 24 
     In the preferred embodiment of the invention, it would be through the application of the above-numbered series of panels to a particular vehicle that the preferred application of the invention would be achieved. 
     Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirement of the law, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.