Parking lot car locator

The invention relates to an improved car finder apparatus that instantly identifies one's automobile in a parking lot or other area through a personally selected number of large and small flags and/or flashing and non-flashing lights.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention is in the field of car finders that are meant to locate a car 
in a large parking lot or other area where it may be difficult to 
ascertain where one's car is. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
There are prior art devices that have a similar purpose but none that 
applicant is aware of that can personally identify one's own car. None are 
as fool-proof and instantly changeable. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is an improved car finder that comprises a system of 
replaceable flashing or non-flashing lights and/or large and small flags 
that can be arranged in various configurations to personally identify 
one's car. The user arranges the various sized flags or lights in any 
number of configurations that he can instantly recognize upon returning to 
his car even if there are other cars using the same car finder system. 
It is the object of this invention to provide an identifying system for 
automobiles that is fast and simple to change from one configuration to 
any one of a thousand others in a matter of seconds. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a means to identify cars 
from other cars that are using similar devices in the same area.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The car finder is attached with the holding device 12 shown in FIG. 1. This 
device has a lip 15 that is placed between the top of the window 16 and 
the window frame 17. To use, the lip 15 is placed on top of the rolled 
down window 16 and then the window 16 is rolled up. The lip 15, in FIGS. 
1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, is made to be of a minimal width so that it can fit on 
the windows of all cars. If the lip 15 was wider it would not fit into the 
space between the window 16 and the frame 17 of some cars that have a 
window that is thinner than the lip 15 of this holder. At the top of the 
holder 12, FIG. 6 is a pedestal 13, with a number of holes 26,27 in it for 
holding various numbers of flags to be used in it. The end 14 of holder 12 
is bent over and acts like a spring-clip holding the various flagstaffs 
11,23 in place, as is more clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. 
The locating apparatus is a combination of large and small flags 10,22 in 
various quantities complemented by a number of flashing and/or 
non-flashing lights of various colors set in a preselected pattern to 
identify the user's car. For instance, different colored replaceable 
lights may be used. With a three light combination and assuming 10 
different colors, there would be a thousand possible combinations of flags 
and lights to identify one's car. Non-flashing replaceable lights 19 may 
also be used. 
Flashing lights may also be used. This would be useful if and when the time 
comes that parking lots become filled with a plethora of the standard 
large and small flag combinations. In that case it would be helpful in 
picking one's car out of a lot with a multitude of similar locating 
devices, be they lights or flags. Flashing lights 19 are connected with 
parallel wiring 21, as shown in FIG. 5. This parallel wiring method 
enables either one, two, or three lights to be flashing at any given time. 
This makes a car easy to identify. 
The light finders are powered by their own battery supply 18, in FIGS. 1, 
3, 5 and 6. FIGS. 3 and 5 show the electrical connections 24,25 to the 
lights. The battery supply 18 is secured to the back of the car finder 
holding device 12, and has a weather proof plug 24 to activate the 
flashing lights 19. 
Flags can also be used along similar lines. Combinations can be based on 
the number of large and/or small flags that are placed in the large or 
small holes 26,27, FIG. 6A. FIG. 2 shows a display using only large flags 
10. FIGS. 4 and 5 show a display using large 10 and small flags 22. FIG. 3 
shows the mini flashing light 19 secured to a large flagstaff 11. FIGS. 3 
and 5 show the mini flashing lights 19, secured to large flagstaff 11, and 
the mounting clamp 20, that secures it to the large 10 or small flags 22. 
For example, one, two or three large flags 10 could be used, or one, two, 
three, or four small flags 22 could be used, or any combination of large 
10 and small flags 22, and/or flashing and non-flashing lights 19. Large 
flagstaffs 11 would be attached to the car finder in holes 26, and the 
small flagstaffs 23 would be inserted into holes 27, FIG. 6A. 
These car finders could be easily stored in the glove compartment. The same 
car finder could also be used by various car owners of the same family, as 
it can be easily used on all cars.