Patent Publication Number: US-2015069744-A1

Title: Vehicle debris shield

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 61/875,444 filed on Sep. 9, 2013, the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The embodiments herein relate generally to vehicle accessories, and more particularly, to a shield for preventing debris from entering the engine compartment of a vehicle. 
     Debris, such as leaves, branches, and other materials, tend to fall on cars and trucks, accumulating on the vehicles. Particularly, debris tends to accumulate and build up in the exposed space between the bottom of a windshield and the beginning of the hood. This potentially results in unwanted debris infiltrating and clogging the engine compartment, intake and/or air conditioning systems. When debris clogs any of these areas, the elements of the car can be damaged, requiring costly repairs or replacements. 
     Therefore, what is needed is a removable shield that prevents debris from accumulating in the space between the windshield and the hood, thus preventing the debris from entering the engine compartment. 
     SUMMARY 
     Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a debris shield for preventing debris from entering an engine compartment of a vehicle, such as a car or a truck. The debris shield may include a row comprising a plurality of panels, each panel being attached to an adjacent panel by a hinge. The row may be collapsible and expandable a proximal end a may have a proximal end, a distal end, and a bottom surface. The bottom surface of the row may be magnetic and, thus, may be configured to removably engage with a hood of the vehicle. The debris shield may also include a first loop attached to the proximal end of the row and a second loop attached to the distal end of the row, wherein the first loop and the second loop are configured to attach to side mirrors on the vehicle, securing the debris shield in place. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The detailed description of some embodiments of the invention is made below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals represent corresponding parts of the figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention shown in use. 
         FIG. 2  is a side detail view of one embodiment of the present invention shown in use. 
         FIG. 3  is a detail perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention shown in use. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention, demonstrated in an unfolded state. 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention, demonstrated in a partially folded state. 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention, demonstrated in a folded state. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous details, examples, and embodiments of the invention are described. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that the invention can be adapted for any of several applications. 
     The device of the present disclosure may be used as a debris shield for preventing debris, such as leaves, from entering the engine compartment of a vehicle, such as a car or a truck, and may comprise the following elements. This list of possible constituent elements is intended to be exemplary only, and it is not intended that this list be used to limit the system of the present application to just these elements. Persons having ordinary skill in the art relevant to the present disclosure may understand there to be equivalent elements that may be substituted within the present disclosure without changing the essential function or operation of the device.
         1. Plurality of Panels   2. Plurality of Hinges   3. Mirror Fastener       

     The various elements of the debris shield of the present disclosure for preventing debris from infiltrating and clogging an engine compartment of a vehicle may be related in the following exemplary fashion. It is not intended to limit the scope or nature of the relationships between the various elements and the following examples are presented as illustrative examples only. 
     By way of example, and referring to  FIGS. 1-7 , some embodiments of the debris shield of the present disclosure comprise a plurality of panels  12 , each panel  12  attached to an adjacent panel  12 , creating a row of panels  12 , wherein the row has a distal end and a proximal end. As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4 - 7  each panel  12  may be attached to its adjacent panel(s) by a connection device, such as a line hinge  14 . Attached to the panel  12  located at the distal end of the row and attached to the panel  12  located at the proximal end of the row may be a mirror fastener  16  configured to engage with a side mirror on a vehicle. For example, the mirror fastener  16  may comprise a loop configured to encircle a side mirror, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5-7  the debris shield  10  may be collapsible and expandable, which may be helpful for storing the debris shield  10  when not in use. For example, the debris shield  10  may be capable of collapsing in an accordion-type fashion. Alternatively, as shown in  FIGS. 5-7 , the debris shield  10  may collapse by folding the row of panels  12  at each hinge  14 . 
     In some embodiments of the debris shield  10 , the panels  12  may have a bottom surface  18  that is magnetic. For example, the entire bottom surface  18  of the panels  12  may be magnetic. Alternatively, a magnetic strip may be adhered to the bottom surface  18  of the panels  12 . As a result, the debris shield  10  may be configured to removably and magnetically engage with, or attach to, a hood of a vehicle, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     In embodiments, and as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the debris shield  10  may be configured to cover the area, also known as a cowl, of a vehicle  20  between the bottom of the windshield and the beginning of the hood  22 . Some embodiments of the debris shield  10  have a length and width just larger than the cowl area. However, alternate embodiments may be large enough to cover both the cowl area and the windshield of a vehicle  20 . As such, the debris shield  10  may prevent debris from entering into the engine compartment of a vehicle through this cowl area and, in some embodiments, may also prevent debris or other materials, such as ice, from coating the windshield. The debris shield  10  may be secured in place over the cowl area and, if applicable, the windshield by both the magnetic bottom  18  and the mirror fasteners  16 . 
     In embodiments, the debris shield  10  comprises a plurality of panels  12 , such that the debris shield  10  is approximately the same size as, or slightly larger than, the width of a vehicle  20 . For example, some embodiments of the debris shield  10  may comprise about 5 to about 10 panels; however, more panels may be present for larger vehicles and fewer panels may be needed for smaller vehicles. Some embodiments of the debris shield  10  may have a length of about 56 inches and a height of about 8 inches. 
     The debris shield may be made of any suitable material and, in some embodiments, is made from a waterproof, water resistant, or water repellant cloth material secured around a guide-wire frame, which may help the shield and panels keep their shape. Alternatively, the debris shield may be made of any other material, such as a durable, lightweight plastic material. 
     A user may attach the debris shield  10  to a vehicle  20 , such as a car or a truck, by expanding the debris shield  10  to cover the width of the vehicle  20 , placing the debris shield  10  on the cowl area of the vehicle  20 , and attaching the mirror fasteners  16  to the side mirrors  24 . In some embodiments, a user may also position the magnetic bottom surface  18  of the panels  12  to overlap with the edge of the hood  22 , which may help keep the debris shield  10  in place. When a user wishes to use the vehicle, the user may simply remove the debris shield (and any collected debris, such as leaves), collapse the debris shield, and store the debris shield until the next time that it will be used. 
     Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous design configurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of the inventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations and arrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of the invention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather than narrowed by the embodiments described above.