Abstract:
A removable device for protecting parked automobile doors from dents, scuffs and scratches to its surface that may be caused by the doors of adjacent automobiles or other objects. The device consists of protective elements joined by a rope and mounted to the automobile by magnets. The device has a security tether which engages a locked door of an automobile to resist theft of the device.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to automobile accessories. In particular, this invention relates to a removable device designed to protect an automobile body from dents, scuffs and scratches. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Automobiles are/often damaged in parking lot situations, when the door of one automobile is opened and comes into contact with the side panel or door panel of an adjacent automobile. The damage can include scratches, dents, and chipped paint. Such damage will reduce the aesthetic appearance of the automobile and render it more vulnerable to corrosion, reducing its resale value. Damage to the exterior surface is expensive to repair and may even require repainting to fix properly. 
     The use of protector strips affixed to the side panels and door panels of an automobile is known. Such protective strips typically comprise a base with a resilient outer surface which projects slightly beyond the car body. This type of protector will prevent damage if the contact occurs against the protector, and is thus strategically positioned where another car&#39;s door is most likely to contact the side or door panel. 
     However, because the door protector strip increases the effective width of the car, the extent to which it can project beyond the car&#39;s door and side panels must necessarily be limited because it is permanently attached to the vehicle body, even when the car is in use. This commensurately reduces the chances that a neighbouring vehicle&#39;s car door will impact against the protective strip when it hits the side or door panel of the car. 
     It would accordingly be advantageous to provide a protective device for the side and door panels of an automobile which is removable, and therefore is used only when the vehicle is not in use. This would allow the protective device to project well beyond the side and door panels, to significantly improve the chances that a neighbouring vehicle&#39;s car door will impact against the protective strip. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a protective device that can be temporarily attached to the door and/or side panels of an automobile so that the opening of adjacent car doors or other like objects will impact against the device rather than the automobile body. 
     The invention provides a panel protector which will not mark the surface of the automobile and which is magnetically held to the exterior thereof, for easy mounting and removal. In the preferred embodiment the protective device is durable and of lightweight construction, and can be conveniently and compactly stored when not in use. The device of the invention can be attached to the automobile when parked, and removed and stored when the car is being driven, so the device can be quite large and therefore very effective at protecting the door and side panels of the car against impacts. 
     In the preferred embodiment the device provides means for locking the device to the automobile to resist theft. 
     The invention thus provides a removable protective device for protecting an automobile panel, comprising a protective element comprising a resilient body and a mounting mechanism affixed to the body for removably mounting the device to an automobile body. 
     In a preferred embodiment the protective device comprises a plurality of protective elements, and a flexible connecting element connecting the protective elements such that the protective elements can be longitudinally aligned when extended for mounting, wherein the connecting element determines a maximum spacing between the protective elements when the device is mounted. The device may be mounted to the automobile body by one or more magnets. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the invention: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an automobile to which a removable protective device of the invention is mounted on the automobile doors; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cutaway end elevational view of the device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is side elevational view of an embodiment of the device of the invention bearing advertising indicia. 
         FIG. 5  is an elevation of a security tether for the device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view of the device of  FIG. 1  in a storage condition. 
         FIG. 7  is a rear elevation of one of the tubes in the device of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the present invention  10  in use on the body of an automobile  1 . The device  10  is shown as used on the doors  2  of the automobile  1 , however it will be appreciated that the principles of the invention apply to the use of the device  10  on any part of an automobile body, including the side panels  3 , the fender panels  4 , and the roof  5  (for example to protect the roof when carrying items on top of the automobile), and on any type of automobile. 
     The device  10  comprises two protective elements  20 . The protective elements  20  are each of sufficient length to extend along the portion of the automobile body desired to be protected, for example substantially between the front and rear wheel wells. Although the illustrated embodiment of the device  10  uses two protective elements  20  of equal size, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the use of a greater or lesser number of protective elements  20  and/or protective elements  20  of different sizes and shapes will equally provide the advantages of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  shows a cross-section of the preferred embodiment of the protective element  20 . The protective element  20  comprises a resilient body, preferably a high density foam core  22  which functions to retain the shape of the device  1  and to absorb the impact of another automobile door or other object. In the preferred embodiment the foam is moulded or cut to provide a hemi-cylindrical front surface  22   a  with a flat rear surface  22   b . A metal (preferably steel) plate  24  covering the flat rear surface  22   b , and serves to absorb the impact of the automobile door so that the metal and foam combine to prevent damage to the exterior finish of the automobile. The plate  24  may be adhered to the foam core  22  by flexible rubberized tape wrapped around the foam core  22  and the metal plate  24  in a sufficient number of locations to secure the metal plate  24  to the flat face  22   b  of the foam core  22 , or may be adhered by adhesive or by any other suitable means. 
     A mounting mechanism in the preferred embodiment comprises magnets  26  disposed along a metal plate  24 , as shown in  FIG. 7  at a plurality of positions along the protective elements  20 . The magnets  26  may be attached to the steel plate  24  by double sided tape, or by any other suitable means. In the preferred embodiment, the magnets  26  are high intensity flexible rare-earth magnets, which allow for a secure removable engagement to the automobile body. The magnets  26  are preferably placed in alternate orientations on the two protective elements  20  (i.e. north pole facing out on one and south pole facing out on the other), so that in the storage condition shown in  FIG. 6  the magnets  26  attract rather than repel each other, thereby retaining the protective elements alongside one another. Other mechanism, such as suction cups, may alternatively be used to adhere the protective device  10  to the automobile doors  2 . 
     The foam core  22  may be a foam tube, made to any desired size, which will determine the size of the protective element  20 . The two protective elements  20  are connected end-to-end by a flexible connecting element such as a rope  30 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , so that they can be longitudinally aligned when extended for mounting to the automobile body, and the connecting element  30  determines the maximum spacing between the protective elements  20  when mounted. The rope  30  extends longitudinally through the foam cores  22  of the protective elements  20 , for example being fed through the hollow centres of the cores  22 , and is tied in a knot  32  at each end over a washer  34  to prevent the rope  30  from slipping out of the protective elements  20 . Alternatively the foam core  22  may be solid, formed over the rope  30 , or the rope  30  may be otherwise threaded through the core  22 . The rope  30  is cut to a suitable length so that when the device  10  is fully extended and mounted to the automobile, the two protective elements  20  will be spaced so as to attach to the automobile doors  2  or other desired body panels. 
     The protective elements  20  are preferably covered by a suitable fabric sleeve  40 , for example composed of nylon. The fabric sleeve  40  protects the exterior surface of the body panel from being scratched by the device  10  itself, and provides some resistance to adverse weather conditions. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the fabric sleeve  40  also enables the device  10  to function as an advertising medium, by printing advertising indicia  42  on the sleeve  40 . Various logos, patches and/or designs may be placed directly onto the fabric sleeve  40 . Moreover, the device  10  can be shaped to look like a product, such as a soft drink can, beer can, submarine sandwich, pen, etc., to enhance its promotional function. Also, if formed from a suitable material the sleeve  40  itself may also serve as a connecting element. 
     In the preferred embodiment the device  10  also has a security tether  50  to resist theft, illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The security tether  50  consists of a cord  52  with a loop  54  on one end so that it can be attached to the device  10  in the area where the rope  30  is exposed between the two protective elements  20 . The other end of the tether cord  52  is enlarged, for example having a plastic ball  56  attached to the cord  52 . The end of the tether cord  52  with the ball  56  can thus be placed into the automobile when the door  2  is open, and when the door  2  is closed the tether cord  52  is trapped between the door  2  and the automobile frame. Thus, when the automobile door is closed and locked, the device  10  becomes secured by the security tether  50  because the ball  56  is locked inside the car. 
     In use, the device  10  is extended and oriented so that the rear of one of the protective elements  20  is facing the automobile body. The one of the protective elements  20  is placed on one of the body panels desired to be protected (for example one of the door panels  2 ) and is thus removably mounted to the automobile body by magnets  26 . One of the automobile doors is opened, the ball of security tether  50  is placed in the automobile, and the door is closed and locked to secure the device  10 . The other protective element  20  is then mounted in a similar fashion (for example to the other of the door panels  2 ). The security tether  50  can also be placed in the automobile after both protective elements  20  have been mounted on the automobile body, since there is sufficient slack in the rope  30  between the protective elements  20  to slightly open the automobile door and place the ball  56  of the security tether  50  inside the automobile. 
     The protective device  10  is removed from the automobile by first opening the door to free the security tether  50 , and then exerting sufficient pulling force to overcome the magnetic attraction of the protective elements  20  to the automobile body. The device  1  can then be folded into the compact configuration as shown in  FIG. 6 , with the rope  30  acting as a hinge when folding the device  10  and the protective elements  20  held together by oppositely-oriented magnets  26 . The device may then be easily and conveniently stored in the automobile. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.