Abstract:
The present invention relates to the conversion of a vehicle to cover the windows, more specifically to a conversion using opaque panels permanently attached to selected windows of a vehicle. The flexible panels are formed and cut to match the exact dimensions of a window of a particular make and model vehicle. The panels are attached to the exterior of the windows using an appropriate adhesive. The panels prevent people from looking through the covered window. The panels may be painted to match the exterior paint of the vehicle. In addition, the panels provide an increased area for applying advertising to the side and rear of the vehicle.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates to the conversion of a vehicle to cover the windows, more specifically to a conversion using opaque panels permanently attached to selected windows of a vehicle.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Cargo vans and like vehicles have been developed by vehicle manufacturers with the specific intention of providing individuals with the ability to transport large amounts of product, equipment, packages, etc. Such vehicles can provide a more practical and cost effective alternative to a larger truck. These vans are often made with no side windows or rear windows so that people can not view the contents of the vehicle from the outside. Further, storage racks or the like may be mounted on the interior walls of a cargo van without interfering with windows or destroying the aesthetic appearance. The removal of the windows also allows a larger area for the side and rear of the cargo van to be used as a “billboard” for advertising the company. These vehicles are desirable for many applications, and thus manufacturers have resorted to manufacturing these specialized vehicles as a counterpart to a passenger van vehicle using windows. Because the vehicles are specially manufactured to meet the niche market for such vehicles, it would be desirable to allow conversion of a standard passenger vehicle to a similar special use. Further, as cargo vans of this type are not as readily available as passenger vehicles, such as a minivan, allowing use a such a passenger vehicle for a specialized purpose would be advantageous. A passenger vehicle also will have a higher resale value when retired from the specialized use application, particularly if it can be converted back to a passenger vehicle.  
           [0003]    Since the introduction of the minivan, the vehicle has become extremely popular with families for its versatility. The minivan can be used to carry either passengers or cargo by quickly converting to either use by inserting or removing the rear seats. Mini-vans have also attained great popularity for use by businesses to haul around light equipment, make deliveries, and other related uses which do not require the larger cargo van. A problem with such usage is that the minivan has windows on its side and rear which allow the contents of the vehicle to be seen by persons outside the vehicle. In addition, the windows impede the use of the sides and rear of the vehicle to be used as a billboard or location for graphic material to advertise a company name, service or other materials. Any use of graphic material is also generally not aesthetically pleasing. Although one original equipment manufacturer has produced a limited number of minivans where the side quarter panel windows are deleted, such vehicles are not generally available, or have even been discontinued due to the limited market. Alternatively, these types of vehicles may also require special ordering, and the cost is substantially higher. It would thus be desirable to allow conversion of a windowed vehicle produced by an original equipment manufacturer to be converted for use as a “cargo” type vehicle.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a conversion system and method for covering the existing windows of a vehicle in a manner preventing the contents of the vehicle to be seen from the outside of the vehicle.  
           [0005]    It is also an object of the present invention to provide window covers for a vehicle which can be used to increase the space availability for advertising on the side or rear of the vehicle.  
           [0006]    A further object of the invention is to provide a window cover for a vehicle which is rigid, and is adhered to a window in a manner to provide additional structural integrity to the window to impede access to the vehicle through the windows. Such additional structural integrity along with preventing visibility into the vehicle would impede the “smash-and-grab” thefts which may occur otherwise. The window cover according to the invention may also be constructed of a material which would inhibit scratching or the like to maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance.  
           [0007]    The invention disclosed and described herein provides a conversion system and method for covering the existing windows of a windowed vehicle, such as a window van. The window coverings are preferably constructed from a rigid material, and are opaque to prevent the contents of the vehicle from being seen from the outside of the vehicle. The covers in a preferred embodiment can be constructed of a thermoplastic material such as ABS plastic, and can be colored, coated or painted. The coverings provide an increase in area to allow the space on the vehicle side and/or rear to be used for graphical information, such as a large billboard to advertise the company name, goods and/or services provided as an example. The coverings are preferably manufactured of a thin polymer material which has the ability to conform to the curved surface of the glass window. The covering is preferably permanently affixed to the window using an adhesive applied to the face of the panel. In one embodiment, the adhesive is applied to the entire face of the panel, or alternatively, an adhesive could be applied or positioned at discrete locations on the face of the panel to adhere it to the window. It may be desirable under certain conditions to allow the egress of moisture which could be entrapped behind the panel once adhered to the window. The coverings may be designed to match the window size exactly, or could be trimmed if needed to match the window configuration.  
           [0008]    These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIGS. 1 a  and  1   b  are side and rear views of a vehicle, such as a mini-van.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIGS. 2 a  and  2   b  are front and side views of a window cover panel according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b  are side and rear views of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 1 with the window covers of the present invention installed thereon.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 5 a  and  5   b  are side and rear views of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 1 with the window covers of the present invention installed thereon and showing the application of graphical information thereto.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0014]    In the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which, in conjunction with this detailed description, illustrate and describe a vehicle conversion system and method including a window cover panel in accordance with the present invention. Referring now to the drawings, in which like-referenced characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first directed to FIG. 1, wherein a vehicle  10 , such as a minivan, is shown. As seen in FIG. 1 a , the vehicle comprises a side  12 , front side window  14 , middle side window  16 , and rear side window  18 . In FIG. 1 b  the vehicle rear  22 , or trunk, is shown with rear window  24 . Some vehicle windows are designed to open on a hinge (not shown). These hinges typically result in an exterior button  26  on the exterior window. The windows shown are all representative of the standard factory windows of a windowed vehicle, such as a minivan, station wagon, conversion van, passenger van, cargo van or the like.  
         [0015]    Referring now to FIGS. 2 a  and  2   b , a preferred embodiment of a window cover panel  30  according to the invention is shown. The panels  30  are preferably manufactured to match standard sizes which correspond to the various window sizes of a particular vehicle make and model. Panel  30  is preferably made of a rigid polymeric material such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), but other suitable materials are contemplated. Although preferably formed as a rigid panel, the panel  30  also desirably allows some flexing or shaping to conform to a window shape. Thus, panel  30  may be configured with a thickness or gauge which allows such bending or flexing, or could be formed of a material which allows this function. In practice, a panel  30  made of an ABS material having a thickness of approximately 0.050 to 0.15 inches has been found to function acceptably, but any thickness may be acceptable depending on the material from which it is constructed or other factors.  
         [0016]    The panel  30  is also preferably rigid to enhance weatherability and provide an aesthetic appearance which emulates the appearance of the sides  12  or back  22  of the vehicle  10  adjacent the windows. The material may also be made scratch-resistant to maintain a desired appearance. The preferred rigid panel  30  also is found to facilitate providing additional structural integrity to the window on which is applied. The panel  30  helps to absorb any impacts on the window, and if such an impact is of a force to cause breakage of the window, the panel  30  tends to maintain the integrity of the window panel, with any pieces of the window tending to remain adhered to the panel  30 . This will in turn impede the ability to gain access through the window of a vehicle which has been covered with panel  30 .  
         [0017]    Although the preferred cover panel  30  is formed of a rigid type of material, it could also be produced of a more resilient material. Some attributes of a harder material would not be realized in such an embodiment, but other features would be maintained. The panel  30  could also be produced as a laminate of two or more layers of material to provide desired structural or other characteristics. For example, a panel  30  could be formed with a flexible, resilient material on the interior thereof, which is applied to the window, and a hard outside layer or shell. Other such embodiments are also contemplated, to provide desired physical characteristics for a particular application. Again as examples, the panel  30  could be provided with an exterior surface particularly adapted to have graphical information applied thereto, or could be formed of materials which would enhance the structural integrity of the panel  30  for security purposes or the like, such as by use of materials having particular physical characteristics. Other desired attributes for a particular purpose or application would be apparent to one skilled in the art, and can be easily achieved using different combinations of materials and/or laminates as desired.  
         [0018]    In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the panels  30  are preferably manufactured by vacuum forming techniques, such that panels  30  can be made to conform to the compound curves which may be present in a standard vehicle window. The cross-section of FIG. 2 b  shows the curved panel, and any compound curve in a window can be accurately matched using these forming techniques. Providing panel  30  with curvatures to match the window facilitates application of the cover panel to a window, and will also facilitate forming a proper bond with the window upon being applied. Alternatively, the panels  30  may simply be stamped, molded or otherwise manufactured from a sheet of suitable material to substantially match or conform to the vehicle window to be covered. In such an embodiment, the panel  30  may be desirably constructed to allow it to conform to a window shape or curve. As yet another alternative, the panels  30  may be constructed to have dimensional characteristics to accommodate a variety of different window configurations, with the panel being trimmable or otherwise adapted to match a particular window.  
         [0019]    The panels are preferably attached to the glass using an appropriate adhesive media  32  to permanently attach the panels  30  to the glass window. For safety purposes, the panels are desirably adhered to the glass in a manner so as to eliminate the possibility of the panel becoming loose and potentially being blown off the window during operation of the vehicle. It has been found that full face adhesion of the entire surface of panel  30  to a window provides this function, although providing an adhesive at discrete locations on the panel may be sufficient. The adhesive also preferably has adhesion characteristics to maintain proper adhesion of the panel  30  to a window under all operating conditions of a vehicle, including under differing temperature, moisture and like conditions. Thus, in alternate embodiments, the adhesive layer  32  is applied to the entire face of the panel  30 , or is positioned at discrete locations on the panel to properly adhere it to the window. Also in the preferred embodiment, the layer of adhesive is applied to the panel, and a further release paper layer  34  may be used to protect the adhesive layer until use of the panel  30  is desired, similar to adhesive labels or the like. In practice, it has been found that a double-sided adhesive film, such as produced by 3M company under product number F-9473PC may be suitable in conjunction with an ABS panel, but other suitable adhesives are contemplated. As an example, a foam adhesive in strips or other configurations may be applied at discrete locations on the panel. The adhesive material may be applied to the panel  30  when use is desired, such as an adhesive strip, a liquid adhesive or the like, positioned or spread over at least a portion of the surface. Again, in the preferred embodiment, the adhesion characteristics will prevent possible release of the panel  30  during operation of the vehicle  10 . It may also be desirable to adhere the panel  30  at least at the edges thereof to inhibit the ingress of air or moisture between the panel  30  and the vehicle window. Although these attributes are contemplated in the preferred embodiments, other suitable arrangements for properly securing the panel  30  to the vehicle window are also contemplated. The adhesive media  32  is preferably a double-sided adhesive film applied to the mating surface of panels  30  with a roller press, taking advantage of the flexibility of the panels  30 . The adhesive can be applied during manufacture by laminating the film layer to the panel from roll stock or the like.  
         [0020]    For use, the paper backing layer is removed just prior to attachment of the panel  30  onto the window. The media  32  is applied to the entire mating surface  34  of the panels  30 . The window is generally cleaned of any debris or contamination prior to attachment of the panel  30 , and the panel  30  is pressed into position in a manner to prevent trapping of air between the panel  30  and the window.  
         [0021]    As shown in FIG. 3, the panels  30  may also be designed to cover any exterior buttons  26  without inhibiting the direct contact of the panel to the window surface. The panel  30  itself may be formed with a hole  36  to match the location of the buttons  26  or formed with a button accommodating portion at these locations, which would be easily accomplished in a formed panel, such as a vacuum formed or molded panel embodiment.  
         [0022]    The panels  30  are preferably colored, coated or painted to yield the desired appearance, such as to match the vehicles color using the factory paint code. The color can also be applied to the panels by the use of body colored decal material. When in hotter climates, especially when using darker colors, the window cover panels are preferably made of a more suitable material such as a high temperature fiberglass ABS material which will effectively prevent degradation of the panels in higher temperature environments. Although the panels may be opaque, some light transmission through the panel  30  may be desirable, and can be accommodated by suitable choice of materials or coloration. As an example, the panel  30  may be covered with a one-way mirrored type of material or other composite or laminate material that allows a level of light to be transmitted therethrough. Such materials may give the appearance of being solid but allow some light transmission.  
         [0023]    The panels  30  are positioned directly over the corresponding window and attachably pressed into position. As shown in FIG. 4, a modified vehicle  110  includes window cover panels  46 ,  48 , and  54  covering the middle side window  16 , rear side window  18  and rear window  24 , respectively. The window cover panels  30  prevent persons from looking into the vehicle  110  through these covered windows. The panels  30  also protect the interior of the vehicle  110  from direct sunlight. The panels  30  transform the vehicle  110  into a cargo/panel vehicle in that the panels do not inhibit the aesthetic qualities of the vehicle.  
         [0024]    As shown in FIG. 5, the panels  30  increase the availability of space available for advertising on the side  212  and rear  222  of the vehicle  210 . Decals  60 , or another coating or paint can be added to the exterior of the vehicle, including the panels  30 , to advertise on this larger area.  
         [0025]    Although the present invention has been described above in detail, the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. Accordingly, the scope and content of the present invention are to be defined only by the terms of the appended claims.