Abstract:
An air deflector is mounted to the area of the knee of a motorcyclist to prevent a stream of air from striking the motorcyclist&#39;s face. In one embodiment, the deflector comprises a deflector plate and a mounting plate connected by a hinge mechanism. When the motorcycle is in motion, the air flow impacts the deflector plate, forcing the deflector to extend upward until a support web restrains the deflector plate.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/288,244, filed Oct. 17, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    A serious problem for motorcycles riders is that a blast of air impacts their neck, face and eyes while they are moving. This problem is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , which is a side view of a rider  10  on a motorcycle  12 . As shown, an air stream  14  flows below the windshield  16 , up the front side of the torso of rider  10  and hits the neck and face of rider  10 . This air stream is annoying, particularly on long journeys. It is also noisy and may carry bugs and rain drops. Most importantly, the air stream presents a safety hazard, as it may distract the rider&#39;s attention from the road and from other vehicles. 
         [0003]    U.S. Published Application No. 2004/0244087 suggests blocking this air stream with a deflector worn on the chest of the rider. This solution is not satisfactory, in part because a chest-worn deflector may impair the movement of the upper body and arms of the rider. In addition, the deflector cannot be easily removed and is unsightly. If mounted to a jacket, the jacket must be made of heavy material and fit tightly enough to hold the deflector in place during operation. This may uncomfortable, particularly in warm weather. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    These problems are solved with a deflector of this invention. According to this invention, a forward-extending deflector is mounted to the area of the knees of the motorcycle rider. The deflector extends into the air stream and effectively prevents a large portion of the air stream from reaching the neck, face and eyes of the rider. The deflector of this invention does not interfere with the movement of the rider&#39;s arms and other upper body parts. 
         [0005]    The deflector may be formed in a variety of sizes and shapes. In one embodiment, for example, the deflector is in the form of a visor of a cap. The deflector may be strapped to the legs of the rider. Typically, the deflector extends in a forward direction about 3-5 inches. 
         [0006]    In another embodiment, the deflector is pivotally mounted to the rider&#39;s leg such that it is extended by the air flow when the cycle is in motion and collapses against the rider&#39;s leg when the cycle is stationary. 
         [0007]    This invention also includes a method of blocking a air stream from the neck and face of a motorcycles rider by mounting a deflector to the rider&#39;s knees. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is side view illustrating how an air stream flows against the face and neck of a motorcycle rider. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a deflector of this invention mounted to the knee of a motorcyclist. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a close-up side view of the deflector mounted to the knee. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a close-up front view of the deflector mounted to the knee. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a detailed view of the defector showing the strap used to mount it to a knee. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a close-up side view of the deflector with links to provide it with support against the air stream. 
           [0014]      FIGS. 7A-7C  illustrate a collapsible deflector that lies flat against the motorcyclist&#39;s leg when not in use. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a top view of a deflector in the form of a half-visor. 
           [0016]      FIGS. 9A and 9B  show a perforated deflector. 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is view of another embodiment according to the invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  is a view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10  showing the deflector in its extended condition. 
           [0019]      FIG. 12  is a view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10  showing the deflector in its collapsed condition. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]      FIG. 2  illustrates a deflector  20  of this invention. Deflector  20  is mounted to the knee of rider  10 . As shown, deflector  20  extends into air stream  14  and prevents a large part of air stream  14  from impacting the neck and face of rider  10 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a more detailed view showing that deflector  20  is in the form of a cap visor and mounted to the knee  22  of rider  10  by means of a strap  24 .  FIG. 4  is a front view of the deflector  20  mounted to the rider&#39;s knee. Preferably, deflector  20  is mounted against the knee cap of rider  10  but it could also be mounted slightly above or slightly below the knee cap. As shown in  FIG. 4 , deflector  20  contains an inner cap visor  21 A, which is fastened to the outer cap visor  21 B in some manner (e.g., by stitching or gluing) to increase the extension of deflector  20 , thereby allowing deflector  20  to block more air. The extension of deflector  20  in this embodiment is about 5 inches. 
         [0022]      FIG. 5  illustrates deflector  20  alone, showing strap  24  with a buckle  28 , allowing deflector  20  to be easily mounted to and removed from the knee area of rider  10 . As shown, strap  24  is looped back against itself through an opening  30  in buckle  28 , making the length of strap  24  adjustable to fit the leg of the motorcyclist. Deflector  20  includes a mounting surface  32  which presses firmly against the knee of the motorcyclist when buckle  28  is secured. 
         [0023]    The defector  60  shown in  FIG. 6  is similar to deflector  20  except that defector  60  contains links  62  extending from strap  64  to visor  66  to prevent visor  66  from being forced backward by the force of the air stream. Links  62  could be in the form of strings, elastic thread or a webbing. 
         [0024]    A possible problem with air deflectors is that they can be cumbersome and unsightly.  FIGS. 7A ,  7 B and  7 C illustrate a collapsible deflector  70 . Deflector  70  is pleated so that it folds down against the leg of the rider when it is not being used to block an air stream.  FIG. 7A  shows deflector  70  in its collapsed condition, lying downward against the motorcyclist&#39;s leg.  FIG. 7B  is a front view of deflector  70  in its open condition when is it blocking an air stream.  FIG. 7C  is a side view of deflector  70  in its open condition. 
         [0025]      FIG. 8  shows a top view of a deflector  80  that is in the shape of a half-visor, allowing deflector to fit snugly against the gas tank  82  and improving the efficiency of deflector  80  in blocking air. Typically, deflector  80  extends about 4 inches from the strap  24 . 
         [0026]    In some cases, it may be desirable to perforate the defector.  FIGS. 9A and 9B  illustrate deflector  90  that has a hole  92  adjacent the knee  22  of the rider. A tube  94  extends backward from hole  92  and to the side so as to direct the air that flows through hole  92  away from the face of the rider. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 10-12  show another embodiment of a deflector according to the invention that collapses when not in use. As shown in  FIG. 10 , deflector  100  includes a pivotable deflector plate  102 , a hinge mechanism  104 , a mounting plate  106  and a flexible support web  108 . Mounting plate  106  is attached to a strap  110 . A Velcro pad  110   a  at one end of strap  110  mates with a Velcro pad  110   b  on the other side of strap  110  to attach deflector  100  to the rider&#39;s leg. In other embodiments, strap  110  could be secured with snaps, buckles or other mechanisms, in place of or in addition to Velcro. 
         [0028]      FIG. 11  shows deflector  100  strapped to the leg of a rider while the motorcycle is moving. As shown by the arrows, the air flow forces deflector  100  upward into its extended condition, with support web  108  in tension. In this embodiment, support web  108  is taut when the angle between deflector plate  102  and support plate is approximately 100 degrees. Strap  110  is wrapped around the rider&#39;s leg just below the kneecap to hold mounting plate  106  against the rider&#39;s leg.  FIG. 12  shows deflector  100  in its collapsed condition when the motorcycle is not in motion. 
         [0029]    In one embodiment, deflector  100  is constructed by wrapping a cloth material such as denim around internal plates to form deflector plate  102 , mounting plate  106  and hinge mechanism  104 . The cloth between deflector plate  102  and mounting plate  106  functions as the hinge mechanism  104 . Support web  108  is also made of denim, and strap  110  is attached to mounting plate  106  by stitching or gluing. In other embodiments, leather, vinyl or other materials could be used in place of cloth, or the mounting and deflector plates and hinge mechanism could be made of entirety different materials. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 10 , support web  108  is attached to mounting plate  106  along an edge  108   a  and to deflector plate  102  along an edge  108   b.  Support web  108  is trapezoidal in shape, and edges  108   a  and  108   b  are attached at acute angles to the side edges of mounting plate  106  and deflector plate  102 , respectively, such that support web  108  tends to push the air flow outward around the outside of the rider&#39;s leg. Edges  108   a  and  108   b  in this embodiment function as lines of attachment between support web  108  and mounting plate  106  and deflector plate  102 , respectively. It will be understood that there are numerous other ways of constructing deflector  100 . Moreover, although deflector plate  102  and mounting plate  106  are shown as planar in  FIGS. 10-12 , they may be contoured or shaped in various ways. Although support web  108  is shown as a single piece of material, it may be perforated in various ways or may comprise one or more strands of a tensile member such as string, cord or wire. 
         [0031]    The embodiments of this invention described above are illustrative and not limiting. Many different and alternative embodiments will be apparent from the above descriptions. For example, while the deflectors described above are mounted to the motorcyclist&#39;s leg by means of a strap, it is also possible to mount the deflector by sewing it or otherwise attaching it to the motorcyclist&#39;s pants. The following claims are to be interpreted broadly to include all such alternative embodiments.