Abstract:
A temporary headlight reflector device for application to a vehicle of a sandwich construction having a temporary elastic or flexible reflective panel with protruding tabs including protective layers releasably bonded by adhesive material to the tab substrate which may be folded over for attachment to the front of a vehicle.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a temporary headlight reflector device for vehicles and in particular to an emergency reflective device for temporarily covering a defective headlight with a reflective panel. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The use of vehicle headlights both by day and by night has two functions. Obviously, the lights assist the driver of the vehicle primarily when driving at night or in shaded locations such as bridges, tunnels and the like. 
     Another important aspect of the use of headlights is that they assist oncoming drivers and other road users such as pedestrians in locating an oncoming vehicle both at night and by day. The primary function of headlights is obviously to enable the driver to see where he is going at night. However, the headlights of a vehicle also perform other useful functions in that they assist simply as a warning that a vehicle is approaching by night or by day. Headlights also as a means of judging speed of the approaching vehicle, and in many cases, and its location. The spacing of the lights to some extent enable a person to judge the speed of an approaching vehicle. 
     Most vehicles have two headlights spaced apart on either side of the front of the vehicle. As in the case of any electrical device, headlights may fail. Bulbs may burn out. Wiring may break. A light may be damaged in a minor collision. 
     In any of these cases, the vehicle is then left with only one light, or in extreme cases, with none at all. If this happens, then where there is only one light which is lit, a pedestrian, or the driver of another oncoming vehicle may have no way of judging the width of the vehicle with the defective light. He may misjudge the location of the defective vehicle on the road and a collision results. Other mishaps may occur as will be apparent to the reader. 
     Where both headlights fail the situation is even more hazardous. Even if the street lights in the location of the vehicle are sufficient to enable the driver to drive slowly and cautiously to a place of safety, or where he can obtain assistance, the mere presence of an unlit moving vehicle will create great danger for other road users and pedestrians as well. 
     Often it is not possible for the driver of the defective vehicle to have the light repaired immediately. He may have to drive many miles, especially at night, before finding a service station where the problem can be repaired. The danger will exist as long as he drives the defective vehicle. 
     It is clearly desirable to have some form of temporary device which can help the driver travel at least some distance to reduce the danger of collision. Ideally, vehicles would be equipped with a portable light which could somehow be fastened in place of the defective light. However, so far such solutions have been impractical and, often, so expensive as to be prohibitive or far to bulky and delicate to remain unobtrusively in a vehicle glove or tool box until such time as they may be required. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     In such a device it is necessary for economical production, manufacture and sale that the device be fabricated from readily available materials and be readily capable of long term safe storage on a vehicle. 
     It is a further object to utilize strip materials to ease manufacture and provide a slim and flexible or elastic temporary headlight so fit into corners and small spaces whether in storage or when in use. 
     It is a still further object of the invention to provide a temporary headlight which may be attached to the front of a vehicle but which may also be attached inside the windscreen in unduly inclement weather or where adhesives have been damaged or rendered effective. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a temporary vehicle headlight comprising a multi-layer sandwich construction including a reflective layer including means for reflecting incoming ambient light, and a tab layer extending behind and beyond said reflective layer in at least one direction comprising, said tab layer comprising a removable protective layer extending beyond said reflective layer, an adhesive layer, and a backing layer secured to said reflective layer and said protective layer by said adhesive layer. 
     The invention further provides a temporary headlight wherein the removable protective layer is adapted to be removed upon installation so as to expose the adhesive layer and folded over on itself behind the reflective layer for attachment to the forward portion of a vehicle. The tab layer extends beyond said reflective layer less than ½ the width of said reflective layer. 
     In another aspect the invention provides a temporary vehicle headlight comprising a multi-layer sandwich construction including a reflective layer including means for reflecting incoming ambient light, and a tab layer extending behind and beyond the reflective layer in at least one direction comprising an adhesive layer, a backing layer secured to the reflective layer, a removable protective layer adhered to the backing layer by an adhesive layer in areas beyond said reflective layer. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the preferred embodiment of the temporary headlight of the invention before use. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-section of the headlight of  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 - 2 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-section of the headlight of  FIG. 1  generally along line  5 - 5  illustrating the 1st step of manufacturing assembly of the reflective surface and the attachment substrate into the sandwich construction of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-section as in  FIG. 3  illustrating the 2nd step of manufacturing assembly of the sandwich construction. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-section taken along line  5 - 5  of the completed headlight. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-section as in  FIG. 5  illustrating the exposed adhesive surfaces. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-section as in  FIG. 6  illustrating the temporary headlight ready for attachment to a vehicle. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-section as in  FIG. 7  illustrating the temporary headlight attached to the front surface of a vehicle along adhesion areas A and B. 
         FIG. 9  is a top plan view of another embodiment of the headlight of the invention having wider fold tabs as affixed to a curved vehicle headlight surface. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1 . illustrates the preferred embodiment of the temporary headlight of the invention  1  in plan view. Forward surface  2  is preferably a flexible or elastic substantially planar synthetic material  3  ( FIG. 2 ) including highly reflective material, as at  4 , adapted to reflect light impinging on the front surface of a vehicle. Preferably planar material  3  is translucent and contains a plurality of reflective particles  5  at least near forward surface  2 . 
     Alternatively, reflective material  4  may be a film-like reflective film or surface  2  may be adapted to reflect incoming light by lens like surface adaptations (not shown) in a known manner. 
     Fold tabs  6  and  7  extend laterally beyond forward surface  2  once the temporary headlight is assembled into its sandwich construction. Preferably forward surface  2  is elongated and attachment tabs  6  and  7  extend from the longer edges  8  and  9 . 
     Further preferably reflective material  3  provides a plurality of bands or areas, as illustrated at  10  and  11  in  FIG. 1 , each or each pair with different or opposite reflective characteristics arranged laterally as in  FIG. 1  or otherwise. As can be seen, bands  10  and  11  provide a blinking affect to the oncoming vehicle or pedestrian due to alternating and changing reflective characteristics of the temporary headlight  1 . 
       FIG. 2  is a central cross-section along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1  and illustrates the fully assembled sandwich construction  12  of the headlight. Surface  2  receives incoming light from vehicular traffic or ambient nighttime conditions as at  13 . Reflected light is returned forward of the vehicle as at  14  which may be directly reflected as at  15 , reflected at various angles to the direction of travel as at  16 , or variable or blinking as shown,  15  and  16  together. 
       FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  illustrate assembly of the sandwich construction  12  of the headlight  1  by means of a cross-section of the type shown at  FIG. 5  (below). 
     Reflective material  3  preferably includes a strong adhesive layer  20  separating reflective material  3  from a strip-away backing film  21 . Such reflective material may advantageously be acquired in strip form or on a spool (not shown). Such reflective material is readily available in the market and is adapted for permanent attachment across its entire surface, unlike the present invention. 
     Tabs  6  and  7  of the sandwich structure  12  extend behind and beyond at least the smaller dimension of the forward surface  2  and are formed from a continuous strip of peel-off adhesive-backed web material  22  which is also flexible or elastic and which includes a releasable adhesive layer  23  between a peel away layer  24  and a web structure  25  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Web structure  25  is a printable material commonly available in strip, roll or sheet form. Preferably layer  24  is a relatively thin component of the sandwich  12  and is loosely and releasable bonded to web  25 . Further preferably releasable layer  24  is adapted to adhere by adhesive  23  substantially more strongly to the rear surface  26  of reflective material  3  than it is to web  25 . 
     In these figures adhesive layers  20  and  23  are shown in bold line. 
     Web material  22  is provided with a pair of die cuts as at  27  and  28  which will appear on roll or strip form web at regular intervals for ease of manufacture. Die cuts  27  and  28  are adapted to be separated along the web  22  by a fixed interval which corresponds to the width of reflective material  3  for ease of manufacture and assembly of sandwich construction  12 . 
     The 1st assembly step is shown at  29  in  FIG. 3 . In this step central portion  29  of peel away layer  23  between die cuts  27  and  28  is removed, as at  30 , exposing the central area  31  of adhesive layer  23 . 
     The 2nd assembly step is shown at  32  in  FIG. 4 . Central portion  29  having been removed, reflective material  3  is installed vertically, as at  32 , forming a strong adhesive bond between rear surface  26  and adhesive layer  23  as at  35 , thus with structural web  22  in the form of a cross as shown in  FIG. 1 . As can be seen the web, strip or roll materials  25  and  3  are completely and efficiently utilized with a single pair of uniformly spaced die cuts  27  and  28 . 
     Alternatively, releasable layer  24  may be removed so that adhesive  23  may combine with adhesive layer  23  directly. 
     The exposed side of web  25  is shown at  33  in  FIGS. 2 through 7 . This side  33  includes printed material (not shown) relating to the installation and use of the temporary headlight  1  and may be seen through transparent packaging material typically used at retail and which would remain with the product while on stand-by with the user (not shown). 
     Side  33  further includes printed indicia which are preferably in the form of fold lines  34 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates the 1st user step in the application of the temporary headlight  1  to a vehicle. Peel away layer  24  is removed from tabs  6  and  7  as at  36 . This removal  36  exposes tabbed sections  37  and  38  of adhesive layer  23  on each side of reflective material  3  as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     At  FIG. 6  web material  22  of the temporary headlight  1  is folded over upon itself along fold lines  34  preferably generally aligned with edges  8  and  9 . Thus, exposed tab sections  37  and  38  of the adhesive layer  23  are brought to the rear of the headlight in condition for attachment to the front surface  41  of a vehicle in the direction as shown at  39  and  40  of  FIG. 7 . 
     Complete attachment of the temporary headlight  1  to the front surface of a vehicle as at  41  is illustrated in  FIG. 8 . Compression along the directions  39  and  40  bring adhesive tabs  37  and  38  into adhering contact with surface  41  in areas marked as A and B respectively. Preferably adhesive tabs  37  and  38  are folded over lines  34  so that there is no overlap as shown at area C on  FIG. 8 . Non-adhesive rear surface  33 ,  FIG. 3 , is now separated from the vehicle surface  41 , as at  44  in  FIG. 8 , and provides ready access to the user for removal of the temporary headlight at cavity  45  which preferably extends the full length of the headlight  1 . 
     Alternatively, and particularly in very cold or inclement weather, temporary headlight  1  may be installed to the inside surface of a vehicle windscreen (not shown) along directions  48  in  FIG. 6 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 8  incoming ambient light  13  from approaching vehicles, streetlighting, signs etc. is reflected forward as at  14 . Reflection may occur in a perpendicular path as at  15  or at an angle  16  determined by the surface and reflectance characteristics of reflective material  4 . 
     Another embodiment of the temporary headlight of the invention  1  is shown in  FIG. 9  wherein the vehicle forward surface  41 ′ is curved as by a vehicle headlight. Fold over tabs  37 ′ and  38 ′ are considerably wider, as at area A′ and B′, so as to overlap in area C′. Continuous adhesive coverage of the area A′ through B′ is provided by compression of the headlight along direction  47  so as to eliminate space  46  bringing adhesive  37 ′ into contact with vehicle surface  41 ′ in area D′. A small cavity  48  may be formed by folding over tab  38  along fold line  34  which adds a facility for ready removal of the headlight. 
     Other variations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.