Abstract:
A vehicle cover having a plurality of handles with tethers disposed along its longitudinal meridian for easy manipulation of said handles and attached cover so as to lift the cover and dislodge accumulated snow and/or ice. Additionally the present invention has a plurality of fastening clips for increased sustainment of the covers positioning against wind and environmental elements.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to vehicle covers and, more specifically, to a device for covering a vehicle from the fall of snow and/or ice, comprising a flexible impermeable sheet of material, such as plastic or other material, having a plurality of handles with tethers disposed across in intervals along the central lengthwise meridian of said substantially rectangular flexible impermeable sheet. Additionally disposed along its periphery is an elastic band and a plurality of spaced fasteners to secure the cover to the sides of the vehicle in order to encase the entire exposed outside of the vehicle from the elements. A secondary elastic band that encompasses the roof and windows and extends between the hood and trunk is provided to relieve strain on the cover while pulling on the handles, which allows the user to easily pull up the cover&#39;s flexible impermeable sheet after snow and/or ice has covered it creating a slope whereby the accumulated frozen precipitation simply slides off of the flexible impermeable sheet. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     There are other vehicle cover devices designed for protection of a vehicle. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 2,751,977 issued to Pinkerton on Jun. 26, 1956 
     Another patent was issued to U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,667 on Aug. 6, 1957 as U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,667. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,501 was issued to Johnson on Jan. 22, 1980 and still yet another was issued on Sep. 19, 1989 to McKee as U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,216. 
     Another patent was issued to Tahoada on Aug. 28, 1990 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,993. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,396 was issued to Poznansky et al. on May 9, 1995. Another was issued to Mower et al. on Jan. 28, 197 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,197 and still yet another was issued on Aug. 24, 2004 to Clark as U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,827. 
     Another patent was issued to Lehnhoff on Mar. 2, 1989 as German Patent No. DE3727508. Yet another PCT Patent No. WO9521065 was issued to Bock on Feb. 4, 1994. Another was issued to Shiping on Jan. 14, 2009 as Chinese Patent No. CN201179828. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,751,077 
     Inventor: D. F. Pinkerton 
     Issued: Jun. 26, 1956 
     A protection for automobiles comprising flexible cover having transverse and casings with open corner portions, said transverse casings being divided transversely thereof cords slidably threaded through said casings and formed into projection loops at the exposed corner portions of the cover, the ends of the cords projecting from the division points of the transverse casings and being accessible for trying and elastic members provided on said loops. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,667 
     Inventor: E. J. Curran 
     Issued: Aug. 6, 1957 
     A protective covering for vehicles comprising a flexible body of a size sufficient to overlie the major portion of the area of an automobile, loops projection beyond opposite ends of said body, side flexible elements connected to loops and extending along opposite sides of the body, and handles projecting laterally outwardly from the body, and handles projecting laterally outwardly from the body and connected to said elements, said handles constituting extensions of the side elements, the side elements having connections at one end to the respective loops and the handles being formed at the other ends of the side elements, there being two handles at each side of the covering spaced closely apart longitudinally of the covering and free of connections to one another, said loops being generally U-shaped and being adapted to engage under bumper guards of the vehicle at opposite ends of the vehicle, there being two loops at each end of the body with each loop of an end being adapted for engagement under a single bumper guard. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,501 
     Inventor: Bernard I. Johnson 
     Issued: Jan. 22, 1980 
     A tool for removing and replacing wing valves or master valves on an operating wellhead under pressure includes an elongated housing with a fluid coupling on one end for connecting to the outlet end of a wellhead valve and a packing assembly extending from the housing through the valve into the wellhead where it seals fluid flow to the valve. A latch on the packing assembly is used to secure it in the wellhead. The housing is equipped with a manipulator to expand and retract the packing and to engage and release the latch. An auxiliary reaming tool is provided for mounting with the manipulator and inserting through the valve to smooth the bore of a wellhead conduit if necessary prior to inserting the packing assembly into the conduit. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,216 
     Inventor: John P. Mckee 
     Issued: Sep. 19, 1989 
     A cover for covering a selected exterior portion of a vehicle is disclosed. The cover includes at least one layer of flexible material having a relatively even surface with a plurality of raised portions projecting outwardly from the surface. The raised portions are sized and spaced from each other to prevent the layer of flexible material from collapsing between the raised portions. The raised portions are also sized and spaced to prevent non-pooled liquid water lying on the surface of the vehicle from making contact with the even surface of the cover. As such, non-pooled water lying on the vehicle&#39;s surface is incapable of sticking to the even surface when it freezes. Accordingly, the only portions of the cover capable of freezing and sticking to the vehicle&#39;s surface are the raised portions. Thus, the cover is easy to pull off the car even when its raised portions are frozen to the car. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,993 
     Inventor: Vincent C. Tahoada 
     Issued: Aug. 28, 1990 
     A reversibly expandable vehicle cover is a generally rectangular cover body which is folded along transverse folding scores into an accordion pleated hinged series of panels terminating in front and end panels. Extending slidably through receiving openings in the panels and extending beyond the front and rear end panels are adjustable length elastomeric guide cords that fasten at the front and rear ends of the cover body with end panel cords that are themselves fastened by one end to the front and rear end panels of the cover body. Upon extending the cover over the vehicle, the cover is secured to the front and rear ends of the vehicle by couplers associated with the termini of the cords. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,396 
     Inventor: Vlad Poxnansky 
     Issued: May 9, 1995 
     A protective cover for a motor vehicle, particularly for a motorcar, in the form of a strip of a length commensurate with the length of the motorcar and of a width slightly smaller than the width of the baggage compartment of the motorcar. The cover includes a number of stiff rectangular panels connected along their long sides by flexible joints, which permits the cover to be folded into a close stack, to be stored inside the baggage compartment of the motorcar and to be pulled out and to be stretched over the body of the motorcar. The strip is provided with a mechanism for attaching its near end to the inside of the baggage compartment and a mechanism for attaching its far end to the front of the motorcar. The cover further includes two lengths of strip or string having their two ends attached to points proximate two corners of each pair of panels, the strip being of a length commensurate with the distance between the points on the panels in the fully stretched state of the cover. The cover further includes elastic members connecting the centers of each two lengths of strip or string adapted to pull the two strips or strings towards the center line of the cover and thereby pull each pair of panels into mutual contact and all the panels of the cover into a close stack. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,197 
     Inventor: Zeev Mower 
     Issued: Jan. 28, 1997 
     An automobile sunshade cover shades a passenger compartment of an automobile. The sunshade is attached at one end to a pouch for storing the cover, and is arranged so that the pouch is freely suspended by laces from suitable fittings of the automobile, such as the hinges attaching the lid of the trunk to the automobile body. The pouch serves to anchor the sunshade when deployed. The sunshade has a crossbar attached to its front edge which provides a convenient grip for the user during the deployment and folding back of the cover, while acting as a second anchor of the cover when placed under the windshield wipers. In its operative position, the sunshade covers all the automobile&#39;s windows providing protection against the sun regardless of the time of day that the sunshade is deployed or the orientation of the parked vehicle. The sunshade does not cover the automobile&#39;s registration plates or rear reflectors. It is conveniently and unobtrusively stored away in the trunk when not in use to overcome the disadvantages of regular sunblinds, which typically obstruct a driver&#39;s field of view or clutter up an automobile&#39;s interior. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,644 
     Inventor: Shaun P. Jester 
     Issued: Aug. 27, 2002 
     The present invention discloses a device for a cover on a vehicle, group of vehicles or building whereby the vehicles are protected from falling hail during a hail storm. The present invention comprises a flexible cover having an air blower for constantly supplying air to the cover along with spring-loaded outlet air valves whereby a preset pressure is maintained in the cover. The cover operates somewhat on the principle of a hovercraft according to dynamic physics. An air blower is also provided along with straps for holding the cover onto the vehicle. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,827 
     Inventor: Garry E. Clark 
     Issued: Aug. 24, 2004 
     An automobile cover apparatus and system is described. The automobile cover generally includes a main cover body having a hood end, a trunk end, an upper surface and a lower surface, connectors located on the hood end and the trunk end, trunk cords connected to the connectors on the trunk end, a trunk anchor connected to the trunk cords on ends of the trunk cords opposite the ends connected to the connectors, hood cords connected to the connectors on the hood end and a hood connection device connected to each of the hood cords opposite the ends connected to the connectors. The cover can be combined with a winder for a automobile cover kit. 
     German Patent Number DE3727506 
     Inventor: Kurt Lehnhoff 
     Issued: Mar. 2, 1989 
     Cover device for covering the windscreen of a parked motor vehicle in order to protect the windscreen against the accumulation of snow and/or ice. For this purpose, a cover panel ( 1 ) is equipped at the corner points with suction caps ( 2 )-( 5 ) which make it possible to attach the cover device to the windscreen. 
     International Patent Application Publication No. WO9521065 
     Inventor: Robert Back 
     Issued: Aug. 10, 1995 
     A cover device ( 1 ) for motor vehicle windows and/or lights comprising an external shell ( 2 ) which has an inner region ( 3 ) and at least two end regions ( 4 ). The cover device also comprises at least two handles ( 6 ), wherein each of the two handles is connected to the external shell at a perimeter region of each of the at least two end regions. The end regions of the external shell is closable inside a motor vehicle passenger compartment. The cover device protects a motor vehicle windows and/or lights from snow, ice, freezing rain, dirt, dust, debris, or other foreign matter. The cover device can be used on a windshield, a rear window, side windows and lights of a motor vehicle so as to provide for an easy clearing and cleaning of same . . . . 
     China Patent Number CN201179828 
     Inventor: Shi Shiping 
     Issued: Jan. 14, 2009 
     The utility model provides a convenient vehicle cover which can resist frost, snow and sunshine. The vehicle cover adopts Oxford or plastic cloth with silver coating or other cloth with the similar function and consists of five connected sides: a front side, a back side, a left side, a right side and a top side, which enables the cover to cover the surrounding glass of the whole vehicle and the top of the vehicle; and both sides of the front of the cover are respectively provided with a connecting structure connected with a left rear view mirror and a right rear view mirror in the front of the vehicle. The cover is made of reflective materials, can effectively cover the vehicle windows and the top of the vehicle, can resist the sunshine in summer and the frost in autumn and the snow in winter. The cover can be opened by just one person and is very convenient to use. 
     While these covering devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle cover having a plurality of handles for lifting said cover along its longitudinal meridian and dislodging snow and/or ice precipitated on top and sides. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle cover having a plurality of handles with tethers for easy manual manipulation of the covers positioning from central locations. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle cover having a plurality of handles on the top and fastening clips along its periphery in order to maintain it&#39;s positioning against wind and environmental forces until removal is desired. 
     Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds. 
     The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a vehicle cover having a plurality of handles with tethers disposed along its longitudinal meridian for easy manipulation of said handles and attached cover so as to lift the cover and dislodge accumulated snow and/or ice. Additionally the present invention has a plurality of fastening clips for increased sustainment of the covers positioning against wind and environmental elements. 
     The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawing, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. 
     The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an illustrative view of the prior art. 
         FIG. 2  is an illustrative view of the motor vehicle snow and ice cover of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 4  is a side and front view of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 6  is an illustrative view of the motor vehicle snow and ice cover of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the motor vehicle snow and ice cover of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the motor vehicle snow and ice cover of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the motor vehicle snow and ice cover of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a detailed sectional view of the motor vehicle snow and ice cover handle of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is an illustrative side view of a motor vehicle snow and ice cover handle of the present invention in use. 
         FIG. 12  is an illustrative view of the storage pouch for the motor vehicle snow and ice cover of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCED NUMERALS 
     Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, the figures illustrate the Protective Snow and Ice Cover with Handgrips for Motor Vehicles of the present invention. With regard to the reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the various drawing figures.
           10  Protective Snow and Ice Cover with Handgrips for Motor Vehicles of the present invention     12  prior art     14  snow     16  vehicle     18  peripheral edge of  12       20  flexible impermeable sheet     22  handle     24  ice     26  hand grip     28  tether     30  base of  22       32  fastener element     34  chemiluminescent solution     36  clearance     38  reinforcement layer of material     40  lower elastic     42  upper retainer of  30       44  magnetic lower retainer of  30       46  user     48  storage pouch     50  drawstring     52  reinforced ring     54  vent holes     56  firm rings     58  drain with plug     60  sponge material     62  leg     64  flexible impermeable body of  48       66  upper elastic     68  suction cup       

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention (and several variations of that embodiment). This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments, practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For definition of the complete scope of the invention, the reader is directed to appended claims. 
       FIG. 1  is an illustrative view of the prior art  12 . Shown is a vehicle having a conventional bad weather cover  12 . Snow  14  and ice accumulates over this type of vehicle cover, compressing it to the cover and vehicle  16 , making it difficult to remove. Furthermore updrafts and wind get under the peripheral edges  18  and displace the cover  12 . 
       FIG. 2  is an illustrative view of the vehicle snow and ice cover  10  of the present invention in use. The present invention is a snow and ice cover  10  for a motor vehicle  16  comprising a flexible impermeable sheet, such as plastic or other material,  20  having handles  22  for removal of the cover after it has been covered by snow  14  and/or ice  24 . The handles  22  comprise a hand grip  26  and tether  28  attached to a base  30  secured to the flexible sheet  20 . The cover further provides spaced apart peripheral fasteners  32  for anchoring the edges of the flexible impermeable sheet  20  to the vehicle  16 . 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the present invention in use. Shown is the motor vehicle snow and ice cover  10  about to be mounted to a vehicle  16 . The handles  22  have glow paint or a chemiluminescent element  34  disposed therewith. The semi-rigid, resilient tethers  28  are approximately 12″ long. Shown are the fasteners  32  disposed on the rear, front and side of the vehicle  16 . 
       FIG. 4  is a side and front view of the present invention in use. Shown is the motor vehicle snow and ice cover  10  installed on a vehicle  16  so that the cover can be easily removed by grasping and lifting the hand grip  26  and tether  28  to provide approximately 16″ clearance  36  and creating a slope for the snow and/or ice to slide off the cover. 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the present invention in use. Shown is the snow and ice cover  10  mounted to a vehicle  16  having a flexible impermeable sheet  20  with handles  22  having resilient tethers  28  for removal of the cover after covered by snow  14  and/or ice  24 . Spaced apart fasteners  32  anchor the rear, front and sides of the snow and ice cover to a vehicle  16 . A lower elastic band  40  keeps the cover snugly fit to the motor vehicle, while an upper elastic band  66  encompasses the roof and windows and extends between the hood and trunk to relieve strain on the cover while pulling on the handles causing the accumulated snow and/or ice to simply slide off of the flexible impermeable sheet. 
       FIG. 6  is an illustrative view of the vehicle snow and ice cover of the present invention in use. Shown is the snow and ice cover  10  mounted to a vehicle  16  having a flexible impermeable sheet  20  with handles  22  having resilient tethers  28  protruding above the surface of the snow  14  and/or ice  24  layer. Spaced apart fasteners  32  anchor the snow and ice cover  10  to the vehicle  16 . 
       FIG. 7  is a top view of the vehicle snow and ice cover of the present invention in use. Shown is the snow and ice cover  10  mounted to a vehicle  16  having a flexible impermeable sheet  20  with handles  22  having resilient tethers  28  for removal of the cover after covered by snow and/or ice. Spaced apart fasteners  32  anchor the rear, front and sides of the snow and ice cover to a vehicle  16 . A lower reinforced layer  38  is provided for extra strength. An upper elastic band  66  encompasses the roof and windows and extends between the hood and trunk to relieve strain on the cover while pulling on the handles causing the accumulated snow and/or ice to simply slide off of the flexible impermeable sheet. 
       FIG. 8  is a top view of the vehicle snow and ice cover  10  of the present invention. Shown is the snow and ice cover  10  having a flexible impermeable sheet  20  with a plurality of handles  22  with each having a hand grip  26  and a base  30  with a resilient tether  28  disposed therebetween for removal of the cover after covered by snow and/or ice. Spaced apart fasteners  32  anchor the rear, front and sides of the snow and ice cover to a vehicle. A lower reinforced layer  38  is provided for extra strength and lower elastic  40  is peripherally disposed around said flexible impermeable sheet  20  to cooperate with said fasteners  32  to prevent updrafts from entering therein. An upper elastic band  66  encompasses the roof and windows and extends between the hood and trunk to relieve strain on the cover while pulling on the handles causing the accumulated snow and/or ice to simply slide off of the flexible impermeable sheet. Glow paint or a chemiluminescent element  34  covers or is infused in the handle  22  for increased visibility during low light conditions. 
       FIG. 9  is a side view of the motor vehicle snow and ice cover  10  of the present invention. Shown is the flexible impermeable sheet  20  with the reinforced layer  38  bonded to the underside thereof. The handles  22  each comprising a handgrip  26 , a base  30  and a semi-rigid, resilient tether  28  communicating therebetween. The base  30  comprises an upper retainer member  42  and a magnetic lower retainer member  44  to prevent tearing of the material. The magnetic lower retainers  44  serves to form a magnetic bond between the cover and the vehicle&#39;s metal surfaces while the suction cups  68  are used for attachment to the front and rear windows to prevent the casual displacement of the cover in the event that strong winds compromise the elastic and the fasteners. 
       FIG. 10  is a detailed sectional view of the vehicle snow and ice cover  10  of the present invention. Shown is the flexible impermeable sheet  20  with the reinforced layer  38  bonded to the underside thereof. The handles  22  each comprising a handgrip  26 , a base  30  and a semi-rigid, resilient tether  28  communicating therebetween. The base  30  comprises an upper retainer member  42  and either a pliable magnetic lower retainer member  44  or suction cup  68  to prevent tearing of the material. The magnetic lower retainer  44  serves to form a magnetic bond between the cover and the vehicle&#39;s metal surfaces while the suction cup  68  is used for attachment to the front and rear windows to prevent the casual displacement of the cover in the event that strong winds compromise the elastic and the fasteners. 
       FIG. 11  is an illustrative side view of a motor vehicle snow and ice cover  10  of the present invention in use. Shown is a user  46  pulling on the handlegrip  26  of the handle  22  and the tether  28  bending under the applied bias removing the snow and ice from the cover  10  on a vehicle  16  with snow  14  and ice  24  accumulation falling to the side of the vehicle. The upward bias breaks the magnetic bond of the pliable magnetic lower retainer  44  and the suction of the suction cup  68  to the window glass of vehicle  16  and permits the flexible impermeable sheet  20  and associated reinforced layer  38  to be lifted therefrom. 
       FIG. 12  is an illustrative view of the storage pouch  48  for the motor vehicle snow and ice cover of the present invention. Shown is the storage pouch  48  comprising a body  64 , a drawstring  50  within a reinforced ring  52 , a plurality of vent holes  54 , firm rings  56  with sponge material  60  disposed in a lower portion thereof, a plurality of drains with plugs  58  and a plurality of legs  62 . 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above. 
     While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.