Abstract:
An emergency roof detachment device for a vehicle providing a detachable roof portion that is coupled to a fixed top portion of a vehicle and has a handle capable of allowing the occupants of the vehicle to detach the detachable roof portion of a vehicle in order to facilitate an escape from the vehicle in an emergency situation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/271,693 filed Oct. 17, 2002 in the name of the Applicant, to which priority is claimed. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates generally to safety devices for vehicles and, more specifically, to an emergency roof detachment device for a vehicle dimensioned to allow a driver or another person to detach substantially the entire roof portion of the vehicle from the body of the vehicle in the event that the vehicle&#39;s occupants are trapped and unable to use other means, such as the vehicle&#39;s doors, to escape a disabled vehicle.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Over 40,000 people die every year in road accidents in the United States. Many victims of car crashes are not killed instantly but rather succumb to their wounds at a later time. Often, the delay in receiving life-saving medical care is a contributing cause to the death. Occasionally, medical personnel arrive on the scene to treat the victims of car accidents, but are unable to reach the victims because they are trapped in a badly damaged vehicle. In side-impact collisions especially, the side doors of a vehicle are often crushed, rendering them unusable.  
         [0004]     It is often the case that in order to dispense life-saving medical treatment, the occupants of a vehicle must first be extricated from the damaged vehicle. In the event that the doors of the vehicle have been disabled, or the vehicle is on its side, blocking the doors closest to the vehicle&#39;s occupants, another way must be found to remove the victims of a car crash.  
         [0005]     Currently, emergency medical personnel must wait precious amounts of time for fire department or other rescue services to arrive with hydraulic tools, such as cutters, spreaders, rams, “Jaws of Life” and the like, in order to cut the vehicle open. These piston-rod hydraulic tools as well as other tools often require electricity, are heavy, and very expensive. The result is that it is time-consuming and often impossible to employ such devices, and the result is that lives are lost.  
         [0006]     Much of the time, cutting tools are used to cut open the roof of a vehicle, since this is often the largest and easiest area of a vehicle to get to. The roof of a vehicle, when removed, also provides the easiest access to the vehicle&#39;s occupants.  
         [0007]     Occasionally, after an accident, a person is not badly injured, but is nevertheless unable to extricate himself or herself through the damaged doors of a vehicle. This predicament often results in death when the car catches on fire, and the trapped occupant either suffocates or is burned to death.  
         [0008]     Several attempts have been made to solve this problem with various kinds of vehicle hatches. All such inventions provide relatively small hatches, however, allowing only room enough for a single person to exit the vehicle at any one time. Additionally, depending on the type of accident, the placement of the relatively small escape hatch may prevent passengers trapped in the backseat of the vehicle from utilizing the hatch in order to exit the vehicle.  
         [0009]     For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,731 issued to Sears shows an outwardly opening hatch that is hinged to the roof of a vehicle. This design poses several problems. Due to the relatively small size of the hatch, in the event that more than one person is in the vehicle, the delay caused by waiting for others to exit the hatch may result in death or serious injury, especially in the event that the vehicle catches on fire. Additionally, the hinges prevent detachment of the hatch, leaving the hatch in the area of the roof, which can often be an obstacle to removing a person from a vehicle. European Patent Application 89201170.1 also shows a relatively small, hinged escape hatch for a vehicle. Japanese Patent 4-212626 shows an escape hatch that is not hinged, but suffers from the same size limitations of the other prior art. In all of the prior art references, if the relatively small hatch area of the roof is damaged, which can occur in a rollover accident, it is possible that the hatch may be unusable.  
         [0010]     A need therefore existed for an emergency roof detachment device for a vehicle having a detachable roof portion that comprises substantially the entire roof of a vehicle and is therefore capable of providing all of the occupants of a vehicle with the ability to easily escape from a disabled vehicle by initiating detachment of the detachable roof portion of a vehicle.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     An object of the present invention is to provide an emergency roof detachment device for a vehicle capable of detaching a detachable roof portion of a vehicle in order to facilitate the exit of one or more occupants from the vehicle.  
         [0012]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for exiting a vehicle capable of allowing one or more persons the ability to detach a detachable roof portion of a vehicle in order to exit the vehicle.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an emergency roof detachment device for a vehicle is disclosed, comprising, in combination, a vehicle having a fixed top portion, the fixed top portion defining an opening, a crossbar having a first end and a second end, the first end of the crossbar being coupled to a passenger side of the fixed top portion of the vehicle, the second end of the crossbar being coupled to a driver side of the fixed top portion of the vehicle so that the crossbar reinforces the fixed top portion of the vehicle, the crossbar being dimensioned to bisect the opening into a front opening proximate a front windshield of the vehicle and a rear opening proximate a rear windshield of the vehicle, each the front opening and the rear opening being dimensioned to permit a person to pass therethrough, a detachable roof portion having a front end and a back end and dimensioned to be detachably coupled to the fixed top portion of the vehicle, the front end of the detachable roof portion being detachably coupled to the fixed top portion of the vehicle proximate a top portion of a front windshield and the back end of the detachable roof portion being detachably coupled to the fixed top portion of the vehicle proximate a top portion of a rear windshield, and a handle coupled to an interior portion of the vehicle and dimensioned to initiate detachment of the detachable roof portion from the fixed top portion of the vehicle.  
         [0014]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for exiting a vehicle is disclosed comprising, in combination, the steps of providing a vehicle having a fixed top portion, the fixed top portion defining an opening, providing a crossbar having a first end and a second end, the first end of the crossbar being coupled to a passenger side of the fixed top portion of the vehicle, the second end of the crossbar being coupled to a driver side of the fixed top portion of the vehicle so that the crossbar reinforces the fixed top portion of the vehicle, the crossbar being dimensioned to bisect the opening into a front opening proximate a front windshield of the vehicle and a rear opening proximate a rear windshield of the vehicle, each the front opening and the rear opening being dimensioned to permit a person to pass therethrough, providing a detachable roof portion having a front end and a back end and dimensioned to be detachably coupled to the fixed top portion of the vehicle, the front end of the detachable roof portion being detachably coupled to the fixed top portion of the vehicle proximate a top portion of a front windshield and the back end of the detachable roof portion being detachably coupled to the fixed top portion of the vehicle proximate a top portion of a rear windshield, providing a handle coupled to an interior portion of the vehicle and dimensioned to initiate detachment of the detachable roof portion from the fixed top portion of the vehicle, and initiating detachment of the detachable roof portion from the fixed top portion.  
         [0015]     The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the emergency roof detachment device for a vehicle of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a side, cross-sectional view of the emergency roof detachment device of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a side, cross-sectional view of the handle of the emergency roof detachment device of the present invention used to initiate detachment of the detachable roof portion from the fixed top portion of the vehicle.  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a side, cross-sectional view of the handle of  FIG. 3 , showing the handle in the unlocked position after initiating detachment of the detachable roof portion.  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the detachable roof portion being detached from the fixed roof portion of the vehicle after the handle initiated detachment of the detachable roof portion.  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is a side, cross sectional view of the fixed roof portion of a vehicle defining an opening dimensioned to be covered by the detachable roof portion of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , reference number  10  refers generally to the preferred embodiment of the emergency roof detachment device for a vehicle of the present invention. The emergency roof detachment device  10  comprises a vehicle  16  having a fixed top portion  14  that defines an opening  36 . The emergency roof detachment device  10  further comprises a crossbar  38  having a first end  40  and a second end  42 . The first end  40  is coupled to a passenger side  44  of the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16 . The second end  42  is coupled to a driver side  46  of the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16 . The crossbar  38  is dimensioned to reinforce the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16 . The crossbar  38  may be made out of any material so long as that material is sufficiently strong as to add additional reinforcement to the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle in the event of a rollover or other accident that may hinder or prevent the use of the emergency roof detachment device  10 . The crossbar  38  is dimensioned to bisect the opening  36  into a front opening  37  proximate a front windshield  24  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) of the vehicle  16  and a rear opening  39  proximate a rear windshield  28  of the vehicle  16 . Both the front opening  39  and the rear opening  39  are dimensioned to permit a person to pass therethrough.  
         [0023]     The emergency roof detachment device  10  further comprises a detachable roof portion  12  having a front end  13  and a back end  15  and is dimensioned to be detachably coupled to the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16 . The front end  13  of the detachable roof portion  12  is detachably coupled to the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16  proximate a top portion of the front windshield  24 . The back end  15  of the detachable roof portion  12  is detachably coupled to the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16  proximate a top portion of a rear windshield  28 .  
         [0024]     In the preferred embodiment, the detachable roof portion  12  comprises substantially the entire roof of a vehicle  16 , however, it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the emergency roof detachment device  10  in which the detachable roof portion  12  does not comprise substantially the entire roof of a vehicle  16 , such as in a long, strip-like configuration, so long as at least a portion of the front end  13  of the detachable roof portion  12  is coupled to the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16  proximate a top portion of the front windshield  24  and at least a portion of the back end  15  of the detachable roof portion  12  is coupled to the fixed top portion  14  proximate a top portion of the rear windshield  28 .  
         [0025]     In the preferred embodiment, the detachable roof portion  12  is rectangular-shaped, although it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative configuration of the emergency roof detachment device  10  in which the detachable roof portion  12  had a different shape, so long as at least a portion of the front end  13  of the detachable roof portion  12  is coupled to the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16  proximate a top portion of the front windshield  24  and at least a portion of the back end  15  of the detachable roof portion  12  is coupled to the fixed top portion  14  proximate a top portion of the rear windshield  28 . There are many ways to couple and configure the detachable roof portion  12  to a vehicle  16  so long as the detachable roof portion  12  uncovers at least one opening  36  large enough to permit a person to pass therethrough.  
         [0026]     Preferably, the detachable roof portion  12  comprises a plurality of prong members  30 , preferably protruding out of the back end  15  of the detachable roof portion  12 , dimensioned to mate with corresponding recessed portions  32  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) in the fixed top portion  14 , preferably proximate the rear windshield  28 , of the vehicle  16 . While, in the preferred embodiment, a plurality of prongs  30  and corresponding recessed portions  28  are used to couple the detachable roof portion  12  to the fixed top portion  14 , it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the emergency roof detachment device  10  in which the detachable roof portion  12  is coupled to the fixed top portion  14  in a different way, so long as the detachable roof portion  12  can be easily detached from the fixed top portion  14  by a person.  
         [0027]     Referring now to  FIGS. 2-5 , the emergency roof detachment device  10  further comprises a handle  18 . The handle  18  is coupled to an interior portion of the vehicle  16  and dimensioned to initiate detachment of the detachable roof portion  12  from the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16 .  
         [0028]     In the preferred embodiment, the handle  18  comprises a quick-release mechanism  19 . The quick-release mechanism  19  allows the handle  18  to easily, and quickly initiate detachment of the detachable roof portion  12  from the fixed top portion  14 . While, in the preferred embodiment, the handle  18  comprises a quick-release mechanism  19 , it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the emergency roof detachment device  10  which lacks a quick-release mechanism  19 , so long as the handle  18  can be used to initiate detachment of the detachable roof portion  12  from the fixed top portion  14 .  
         [0029]     Still referring to  FIGS. 2-5 , the handle  18  preferably comprises a gripping arm  27  having a first end  29  and a second end  31 . The first end  29  of the gripping arm  27  is dimensioned to be gripped by a person (not shown) and the second end  31  of the gripping arm  27  is pivotally coupled to the detachable roof portion  12 . The handle  18  preferably further comprises a locking arm  48  having a first end  50  and a second end  52 . The first end  50  of the locking arm  48  is pivotally coupled to both the second end  31  of the gripping arm  27  and the detachable roof portion  12 . The second end  52  of the locking arm  48  is dimensioned to couple the locking arm  48  to the fixed roof portion  14  when the locking arm  48  is in a locked position. In the preferred embodiment, the emergency roof detachment device  10  further comprises a pad  54  coupled proximate the second end  52  of the locking arm  48 . The pad  54  is dimensioned to cushion the locking arm  48  from the fixed roof portion  14  of the vehicle  16  when the locking arm  48  is in a locked position. While, in the preferred embodiment, the handle  18  comprises a gripping arm  27 , a locking arm  48  and a pad  54 , it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the handle  18  that lacks some or all of the above-described features, so long as the handle  18  is capable of initiating detachment of the detachable roof portion  12  from the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16 .  
         [0030]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the emergency roof detachment device  10  preferably comprises a reinforcing frame  56  coupled about the fixed roof portion  14  proximate the opening  36 . The reinforcing frame  56  is dimensioned to reinforce the fixed roof portion  14  of the vehicle  16 . The reinforcing frame  56  may or may not be used in conjunction with the crossbar  38  so long as it is capable of reinforcing the fixed roof portion  14 . While, in the preferred embodiment, the emergency roof detachment device  10  comprises a reinforcing frame  56 , it should be clearly understood that substantial benefit could be derived from an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which there is no reinforcing frame  56  or some other mechanism is used to reinforce the fixed roof portion  14  of the vehicle  16 .  
       Statement of Operation  
       [0031]     In order to operate the emergency roof detachment device  10 , a vehicle  16  must be fitted with a detachable roof portion  12  that can be detachably coupled to a fixed top portion  14  of a vehicle  16  proximate an opening  36  dimensioned to permit a person to pass therethrough. The front end  13  of the detachable roof portion  12  is detachably coupled to the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle proximate a top portion of the front windshield  24  and the back end  15  of the detachable roof portion  12  is detachably coupled to the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle proximate a top portion of the rear windshield  28 . This step may be done at a manufacturing stage. Once the detachable roof portion  12  is installed and the handle  18  is coupled to an interior portion of the vehicle  16 , then one must simply use the handle, preferably by pulling, to initiate detachment of the detachable roof portion  12  from the fixed top portion  14  of the vehicle  16 . The person using the handle  18  to initiate detachment of the detachable roof portion  12  of the emergency roof detachment device  10  may be either one of the occupants of the vehicle  16  or some other person reaching into the vehicle  16  in order to facilitate the exit of the occupant from the vehicle  16 .  
         [0032]     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.