Patent Abstract:
A vehicle door and fender protection assembly for preventing vehicle doors and fenders from being nicked, scratched, and dented. The vehicle door and fender protection assembly includes padded members being adapted to attach to doors and fenders of a vehicle; and also includes shell members being adapted to cover the padded members; and further includes a vehicle attachment assembly for attaching the padded members and the shell members to the vehicle.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to bumpers for doors and fenders for vehicles and more particularly pertains to a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly for preventing vehicle doors and fenders from being nicked, scratched, and dented. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of bumpers for doors and fenders for vehicles is known in the prior art. More specifically, bumpers for doors and fenders for vehicles heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
     Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,708,380; 5,129,695; 5,956,918; 5,112,092; 5,149,166; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 308,848. 
     While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly. The inventive device includes padded members being adapted to attach to doors and fenders of a vehicle; and also includes shell members being adapted to cover the padded members; and further includes a vehicle attachment assembly for attaching the padded members and the shell members to the vehicle. 
     In these respects, the vehicle door and fender protection assembly according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of preventing vehicle doors and fenders from being nicked, scratched, and dented. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of bumpers for doors and fenders for vehicles now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly construction wherein the same can be utilized for preventing vehicle doors and fenders from being nicked, scratched, and dented. 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the bumpers for doors and fenders for vehicles mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art bumpers for doors and fender s for vehicles, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     To attain this, the present invention generally comprises padded members being adapted to attach to doors and fenders of a vehicle; and also includes shell members being adapted to cover the padded members; and further includes a vehicle attachment assembly for attaching the padded members and the shell members to the vehicle. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the bumpers for doors and fenders for vehicles mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art bumpers for doors and fenders for vehicles, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
     An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such vehicle door and fender protection assembly economically available to the buying public. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly for preventing vehicle doors and fenders from being nicked, scratched, and dented. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly which includes padded members being adapted to attach to doors and fenders of a vehicle and also includes shell members being adapted to cover the padded members; and further includes a vehicle attachment assembly for attaching the padded members and the shell members to the vehicle. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly that intercepts objects such as doors of other vehicles and carts from damaging the doors and fenders of one&#39;s vehicle. 
     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly that can be easily and quickly attached to the doors and fenders of one&#39;s vehicle. 
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly according to the present invention and shown mounted to a vehicle. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the present invention mounted to a vehicle. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a belt of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the belt of the present invention mounted to a vehicle. 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is another side elevational view of the present invention mounted to a vehicle. 
     FIG. 10 are side elevational views of different embodiments of fender padded members of the present invention. 
     FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view of the fender padded member and fender shell member taken along line  11 — 11  of FIG.  10 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 11 thereof, a new vehicle door and fender protection assembly embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 11, the vehicle door and fender protection assembly  10  generally comprises padded members  11 ,  12  being adapted to attach to doors  30  and fenders  31  of a vehicle  29 . The padded members  11 ,  12  include door padded members  11  and fender padded members  12  which have ends which are removably attached to ends of the door padded members  11 . Shell members  14 ,  15  are adapted to conventionally cover the padded members  11 ,  12 . The shell members  14 ,  15  include door shell members  14  and fender shell members  15  which are removably attached to ends of the door shell members  14 . The padded members  11 ,  12  and the shell members  14 ,  15  are contoured and adapted to the shapes of the doors  30  and fenders  31  of the vehicle  29 . Each of the padded members  11 ,  12  and the shell members  14 ,  15  are tapered toward an end thereof. 
     A vehicle attachment assembly for attaching the padded members  11 , 12  and the shell members  14 , 15  to the vehicle  29  includes, as a first embodiment, length-adjustable elastic belts  16  each having fastening members  17 , 18  securely and conventionally attached at ends thereof and being detachably connected to one another, and also includes hook and loop fasteners  20  being conventionally disposed upon and along outer sides  19  of the length-adjustable elastic belts  16 . The length-adjustable elastic belts  16  are adapted to fasten about doors  30  of a vehicle  29  with the hook and loop fasteners  20  being conventionally disposed on an outside of the vehicle  29  and facing away from the vehicle  29 . The padded members  11 , 12  are attachable to the hook and loop fasteners  20 . The vehicle attachment assembly also includes strips of hook and loop fasteners  24  having a ridged spine  34  and being conventionally attached along edges of the ends of the door padded members  11  and the fender padded members  12  to substantially secure the fender padded members  12  to the door padded members  12 . Each of the length-adjustable elastic belts  16  includes a notch  22  being disposed in a bottom edge  21  thereof near one of the fastening members  17 , 18  and being adapted to receive a portion of the door  30 , and also includes a rigid sleeve  23  being conventionally disposed thereupon near one of the fastening members  17 , 18 . The vehicle attachment assembly also includes an elastic strap  25  having a hook member  26  securely and conventionally disposed at one end and a loop member  27  being securely and conventionally disposed at another end. The hook member  26  is adapted to hook about an edge of a door  30 . The loop member  27  is adapted to receive one of the length-adjustable elastic belts  16  therethrough. The elastic strap  25  further having hook and loop fasteners  20  being securely and conventionally disposed upon and along an outer side thereof and being adapted to fasten to one of the door padded members  11 . 
     As a second embodiment, the vehicle attachment assembly includes a plurality of suction cup members  28  being spaced about and being securely and conventionally attached to back sides  13  of the padded members  11 , 12  for attaching the padded members  11 , 12  to the doors  30  and fenders  31  of the vehicle  29 . The vehicle attachment assembly further includes anti-theft strap members  33  being spaced apart and being attached to the padded members  11 , 12 . 
     As a third embodiment, the vehicle attachment assembly includes a magnetic sheet  32  being attached to the padded members  11  as shown in FIG.  8  and being attachable to the vehicle  29 . 
     In use, the user fastens the elastic belts  16  horizontally about the doors  30  of the vehicle  29  and attaches the padded members  11 , 12  to the elastic belts  16  to protect the doors  30  and fenders  31  of the vehicle  29 . 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8