Clip board weather protector

A protective cover for a clip board which permits use of the clip board for writing during inclement weather. The cover is transparent and attaches to the side edges and rear edge of the clip board by means of U-shaped clamps having adjustable thumb screws. A top panel, left panel, right panel and rear panel form a box-like structure over the clip board leaving an opening at the front for access to the writing surface of the clip board. The left panel and right panel are hinged to the front panel in such a way as to allow these side panels to fold flat atop the front panel. Similarly, the rear panel is hinged to the top panel so as to permit the rear panel to fold flat under the top panel when removed from the clip board. Thus, this protective cover is collapsible and portable yet can be quickly assembled and attached to a clip board in case of bad weather out in the field. Sizes for legal or letter size clip boards would be available.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
(1) Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to protective covers. In particular, it relates to 
protective covers for clip boards which permit access to and observation 
of the writing surface of the clip board during use of the cover. 
(2) Description of the Prior Art 
The use of covers to protect and yet observe documents or manual operations 
is found in the prior art. In 1971, Tunkl (U.S. Reg. No. 3,620,498) 
patented an information holder which fastens to the control column of an 
aircraft or other vehicle. The holder could be swiveled for best 
observation by the user. Waiters, in 1976, (U.S. Reg. No. 4,060,293) 
discloses a transparent shield which could be placed over a peeling 
operation, to protect the user from irritating emissions produced while 
peeling onions or the like. Bratton, in 1984, (U.S. Reg. No. 4,445,728) 
discloses an all weather clip board which has a transparent cover as an 
integral part of the clip board assembly. 
None of the prior art devices addresses the problem of portability as does 
the present invention. The known devices are permanently mounted or bulky 
in structure, which would not answer the need of investigators or claims 
adjusters in the field for a protector cover which is easily carried and 
can be readily attached to, or detached from, standard size clip boards. 
The unique arrangement of hinges in the present invention provides a 
protective cover which is small in size and collapses into a relatively 
flat profile for ease of carrying. At the same time the present invention 
is readily assembled and easily attached to or detached from standard size 
clip boards such as used by these investigative personnel. 
Prior art known to this inventor includes the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 
______________________________________ 
1,294,879 2/1919 Davis 
2,839,791 6/1958 Lee 
3,620,498 11/1971 Tunkl 
4,060,293 11/1977 Waiters 
4,445,728 5/1984 Bratton 
______________________________________ 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention, the Clip Board Weather Protector, is a protective 
cover for a clip board which permits use of the clip board for writing 
during inclement weather. It is transparent, collapsible and portable. It 
is particularly useful to investigators and claims adjusters who must make 
notes on the spot while working in the field under sometimes adverse 
weather conditions. 
The preferred embodiment of this invention is a protective cover, for a 
clip board having two side edges and a rear edge, comprising: 
a transparent enclosure means for protecting the writing surface of the 
clip board during inclement weather; and 
an attachment means, mounted on the enclosure means, for temporarily 
fastening the transparent enclosure means to the clip board. 
Transparent enclosure means is a top panel to which is affixed a left 
panel, a right panel and a rear panel, forming a box-like structure over 
the clip board, which structure is open at the front, providing access for 
writing on the clip board. 
Attachment means is a plurality of U-shaped clamps, mounted on the lower 
portions of the left panel, the right panel and the rear panel, which slip 
over the side edges and rear edge of the clip board. Each U-shaped clamp 
has an adjustable thumb screw for holding the protective cover to the clip 
board when the present invention is fully assembled. 
To permit the structure of the present invention to collapse for storage 
and portability, the left panel and the right panel of the present 
invention are hinged to the top panel so as to fold back over the top of 
the top panel. Likewise, the rear panel of the present invention is hinged 
to the top panel so as to fold under the top panel, when the protective 
cover is removed from the clip-board. In its collapsed state, the present 
invention is relatively flat so that it could be carried under the clip 
board or slipped into a separate casing. In case of inclement weather, 
this Clip Board Weather Protector can be quickly unfolded and attached to 
a clip board with a minimum of inconvenience. Alternate sizes of the 
present invention would be available for legal size or letter size clip 
boards. 
OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
The objectives of the present invention are to provide a cover for the 
writing area of a clip board which: 
(1) is accessible from the front and will provide a working area between 
the cover and the writing surface of the clip board; 
(2) will protect documents held on the clip board from wind and rain; 
(3) is transparent to permit observation by the user while writing or 
observing information thereon; 
(4) is lightweight, collapsible and portable for ease of transporting by 
investigators or adjusters in the field; 
(5) can be easily attached or detached from the clip board without the need 
for special tools; 
(6) will be available for legal or letter size clip boards. 
Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will be apparent 
during the course of the following detailed description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is a transparent protective cover which is 
lightweight and collapsible and can be easily and quickly installed on, or 
removed from, a conventional legal size or letter size clip board. The 
protective cover enables an investigator or claims adjuster to take notes 
and peruse documents on the clip board under windy or rainy weather 
conditions. Throughout the following detailed description of the present 
invention, like reference numerals are used to denote like parts disclosed 
in the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the protective cover of the present invention, shown 
generally at reference numeral 10, is used in combination with a standard 
legal or letter size clip board, shown generally at reference numeral 11. 
Protective cover 10 has a transparent enclosure means, shown generally at 
reference numeral 12, for protecting writing surface 13 of clip board 11 
during inclement weather. In addition, protective cover 10 has an 
attachment means, shown generally at reference numeral 14, which is 
mounted on transparent enclosure means 12, for temporarily fastening 
transparent enclosure means 12 to clip board 11. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, transparent enclosure means 12 is a top panel 15 
to which is affixed a left panel 16, a right panel 17 and a rear panel 18. 
The four panels, 15, 16, 17 and 18, form a box-like structure, shown 
generally at reference numeral 19, over clip board 11. Panels 15, 16, 17 
and 18 are made of a plastic material, such as a sheet of thermoplastic 
polymer, which is strong, lightweight and scratch resistant. Structure 19 
is open at the front, shown generally at reference numeral 20, providing 
access by the user for writing on clip board 11. Left panel 16, right 
panel 17 and rear panel 18 are each reinforced at opposing ends by 
vertical supports 21, riveted to the inner side of each of the panels at 
their extreme ends. Similarly, each of these same three panels is further 
reinforced by horizontal supports 22, riveted to the inner side of each of 
the panels at the extreme bottom edge. Vertical supports 21 and horizontal 
supports 22 are made of a light weight metal such as aluminum. The space 
enclosed by structure 19 provides ample room for the user to reach inside 
protective cover 10 for writing or moving documents. 
As best shown in FIG. 2, attachment means 14 is a plurality of U-shaped 
clamps 23, mounted on the lower portions of left panel 16, right panel 17 
and rear panel 18 by fusion to the inside of each horizontal support 22 at 
two or more places. U-shaped clamps 23 slip over side edges 24 and rear 
edge 25 of clip board 11. Each U-shaped clamp 23 has an adjustable thumb 
screw 26 for holding protective cover 10 to clip board 11 when the present 
invention is fully assembled. 
Although transparent enclosure means 12 and attachment means 14 of the 
present invention could be molded as a single unit and slipped over clip 
board 11 from the rear, the preferred embodiment of the present invention 
is made collapsible for ease of storage and transportation by the user. 
Side hinges 27 affixes left panel 16 and right panel 17 to top panel 15 
and rear hinge 28 affixes rear panel 18 to top panel 15. Preferably hinges 
27 and 28 are piano type hinges made of brass or aluminum for their 
strength and ease of operation. One of side hinges 27 is mounted higher on 
its respective left or right panel than the opposite side hinge 27 so that 
left panel 16 and right panel 17 will fold upwardly over front panel 15 
and lie flat thereon without interfering with one another, when protective 
cover 10 is removed from clip board 11. Rear hinge 28 is mounted 
underneath the rear edge of top panel 15 so that rear panel 18 folds 
inwardly, underneath front panel 15, and nestles flatly against the bottom 
of top panel 15. Thus folded, the present invention presents a relatively 
flat tier of panels which slips easily under clip board 11 or into a 
separate carrying case (not shown). 
To attach protective cover 10, the user need only unfold left panel 16, 
right panel 17 and rear panel 18 and slip U-shaped clamps 23 over the side 
edges 24 and rear edge 25 of clip board 11. Thumb screw 26 on each 
U-shaped clamp 23 is then tightened to hold protective cover 10 in place 
atop clip board 11. This procedure is merely reversed to quickly remove 
and store protective cover 10, if the cover is no longer needed.