Abstract:
The disclosure encompasses a privacy barrier (curtain) to be temporarily attached to a vehicle without requiring any substantial modification to the vehicle. This privacy barrier mounts to a vehicle and spans the gap formed between an open door and the body of the vehicle, or alternatively between a plurality of open doors. These can be side doors, or rear doors. The fasteners used to attach the curtain to the vehicle can be clips, magnets, suction cups, or similar devices that can be attached to, and removed from, the vehicle without any substantial modification to the vehicle. The disclosure may utilize fasteners having a non-marring surface or an intermediate, non-marring material between the fastener and the vehicle.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 60/968,127, filed Aug. 27, 2007. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     a) Field of the Disclosure 
       [0002]    The disclosure encompasses a privacy barrier (curtain) to be temporarily attached to a vehicle without requiring any modification to the vehicle. This privacy barrier temporarily and removably affixes to a vehicle. One intended use for a user who wishes a small privacy area for example to change clothes in where a more suitable facility is not convenient. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0003]    The disclosure encompasses a privacy barrier (curtain) to be temporarily attached to a vehicle without requiring any substantial modification to the vehicle. This privacy barrier mounts to a vehicle and spans the gap formed between an open door and the body of the vehicle, or alternatively between a plurality of open doors. These can be side doors, or rear doors. The fasteners used to attach the curtain to the vehicle can be clips, magnets, suction cups, or similar devices that can be attached to, and removed from, the vehicle without any substantial modification to the vehicle. The disclosure may also utilize fasteners having a non-marring surface or an intermediate, non-marring material between the fastener and the vehicle. This disclosure is a device and method for a privacy screen that is easy to erect, time saving, lightweight, and compact. The device conforms to substantially all vehicles and in one embodiment has no rigid stays which would hinder storage and setup. The resulting device can be manufactured at a very low cost using established processes. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view, generally from the top, of one embodiment of the privacy curtain attached to a two-door vehicle. 
           [0005]      FIG. 1   a  is a top view, of one embodiment of the privacy curtain attached to a two-door vehicle. 
           [0006]      FIG. 1   b  is an isometric view, generally from the top, of another embodiment of the privacy curtain attached to a two-door vehicle. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view, generally from the top, of one embodiment of the privacy curtain attached to a four-door vehicle. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2   a  is a top view, of one embodiment of the privacy curtain attached to a four-door vehicle. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a side cutaway view of one embodiment of a fastener attached to a material sheet. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0010]    Before beginning, and axes system  10  is disclosed, including a vertical axis  12 , a longitudinal axis  14 , and a transverse axis  16 . These axes can be seen in  FIG. 1  and generally describe directions for ease of understanding. It is understood, of course, that the embodiments can be repositioned into other orientations to fit alternative applications. 
         [0011]    It is often desired for a user to have a small, temporary privacy area near their vehicle, which could then be dismantled and stored conveniently within the vehicle taking up a very small amount of the interior portion of the vehicle. Such privacy areas are useful, for example, during sailing regattas, kayaking, wind surfing, biking, skiing triathlons, or while surf entry diving. A user engaged in these activities may drive to a location, change from their street clothes to a swimsuit and/or wet suit, engage in recreation, then change back to their street clothes prior to leaving. Oftentimes, restroom or changing facilities are not close, or are possibly unavailable, or undesirable. 
         [0012]    The device in one form is also very useful to emergency service personnel, FEMA personnel, and Red Cross personnel. Where extrication of a passenger or driver is not possible, the apparatus can be set up and attached to the vehicle blocking the view of occupants or contents of the vehicle from passersby. This will make it easier for emergency service personnel to do their job, and will real relieve some of the anxiety on the part of the occupants of the vehicle. Thus, a quick and efficient means for forming a privacy area is desired. 
         [0013]    Prior art attempts to satisfy this need, such as found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,066,078, 2,122,668 and others, for an enclosed area often require rigid stays, straps, ropes, etc. Alternatively, or additionally, relatively permanent adaptations to the vehicle were required, such as embodied in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,532,989 and 6,044,856. In these, and similar examples, a portion of the attachment system is permanently attached to the vehicle. This substantially, and often negatively, reduces the perceived value and aesthetics of the vehicle. Many of these examples had very negative effects in that the privacy screen could not be easily stored, say, for example, in a vehicle glove compartment or door pouch. While, in the past, it was not considered disadvantageous to make modifications to a vehicle; this is not the case today. Most people do not desire permanent adaptations to their vehicles, as shown by the wide variety of roof racks and bicycle carriers which can be fixedly and removably attached to a vehicle, and do not require substantial nor permanent modification to the vehicle. 
         [0014]    Many similar prior art devices were formed to function also as protection from wind, rain, sun, etc., thus, having a roof and/or a floor. This configuration (including a roof/floor) made set up and take down much more difficult than the disclosed embodiments. In some examples, a vertical extension is required in prior art devices to attain the height needed for proper headroom. These embodiments are larger, and thus, require more space to store. These embodiments often did not provide privacy to the region between the occupant and the open doorway. 
         [0015]    In the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  1   a,  and  1   b,  a material sheet  68  forms a curtain  20  which is shown attached to a vehicle  22  having a single side opening door  24 . This embodiment of the curtain could easily be adaptable to a similar vehicle having a plurality of side opening doors  24 , wherein the foreword portion  26  of each door is hingedly coupled to the vehicle  22 . An alternate embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 2 and 2   a  attached to a vehicle  122  having a plurality of side opening doors, and including a front door  124  and a rear door  125 . This second embodiment will be described in more detail after a full description of the first embodiment. 
         [0016]    It will be noted that for the curtain to be effective, a non-transparent material should be used. While the material need not be opaque, the material should not be transparent to the point that any substantial details can be seen through the curtain. It may be useful to have areas of varying non-transparency. For example, it may not be needed to have the portion of the curtain adjacent an opaque portion of the vehicle, or below knee level, or above shoulder level comprised of a non-transparent material. Thus, these areas could be made from screen, clear plastic sheet, or other materials different from the remainder of the curtain  20 . 
         [0017]    In one embodiment, the curtain does not rely on any rigid or flexible stays. This will increase the ease of set-up, and will substantially reduce the stored volume of the enclosure. For example, the enclosure can be formed of lightweight rip-stop nylon, providing for a stored volume on the order of 100 cubic inches. In one embodiment, the entire stored curtain can fit within a volume of 3″×3″×10″ or possibly as little as 5″×5″×2″ when produced of very thin material. This would fit easily within a glove box, or other small storage area. 
       Description of First Embodiment 
       [0018]    Returning to  FIG. 1 , it can be seen how the curtain  20  is attached to the vehicle  22  at a plurality of points. While the attachment fasteners shown generally allow for a variety of fastening points, in this example, the curtain  20  is attached at a first attachment point  28 , a second attachment point  30 , a third attachment point  32 , and a fourth attachment point  34 . Other attachment points could be utilized, such as a plurality of points  36  and  38  at the upper portion  40  of the door  24  to further secure the curtain. Additionally, a plurality of attachment points along the forward edge  42  of the curtain  20  could hold the curtain  20  in position, such as at the door well, as shown as attachment point  40 . Similarly, fasteners, and thus, attachment points could be coupled at the rearward edge, for example, at attachment points  48  and  50  to the rear quarter panel  52 , or another location. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 1   a,  the gap  80  between the outermost edge of the open door and the body of the vehicle is bridged substantially enhancing the privacy of an occupant within the privacy area  54 . 
         [0019]    Positioning this curtain, as shown in  FIG. 1A , provides a partial privacy area  54 . As you can see, the curtain  20  in this example has an open area  58  towards the vehicle  22  through the open doorway  56 . This may be desirable as a compromise between ease of setup, privacy, and access to the interior portion (driver&#39;s seat) of the vehicle  22 . 
         [0020]    If it is desired to close off this area  58 , another material sheet  60  may be positioned, for example, between the attachment point  28  near the front part of the door and the attachment point  34  near the rear portion of the doorway, as shown in  FIG. 1B . This material sheet  60  could attach to the vehicle at a forward attachment point  62 , a rearward attachment point  64  and at least one intermediate point  66 . It is also conceived wherein the first material sheet  68  attaches to the second material sheet  60  along a vertical edge, such as the forward edge  42  at attachment points  70 ,  72 , etc., and also along the rearward edge  46  at attachment points  74 ,  76  and  78 . This can be accomplished either by Velcro, snaps, clips, interoperating magnets, or any similar removable fastening system. In addition, in one embodiment the first material sheet  68  and second material sheet  60  could be formed as a unitary structure. This embodiment substantially provides 360° of privacy in a horizontal plane around a user. Where the edges of the first and second material sheet come together, access to the interior portion of the vehicle can be achieved. The material sheets can also be oriented to allow an opening for entrance and egress to the privacy area. It may also be desirable to have an opening such as a zippered window, a Velcro seam, or simply a split down a portion of this second material sheet  60  to allow easy access to the interior portion of the vehicle and still allow for privacy. It may also be desirable to have the second material sheet  60  be a separate, smaller apparatus than the first material sheet  68  such that the overall apparatus folds into a smaller area and is easier to set up and take down. 
         [0021]    In some vehicles having a rear door or doors, the embodiments shown above can be used upon those doors in a very similar manner. 
       Description of Second Embodiment 
       [0022]    Looking to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2 and 2A , it can be seen that many of the same methods and apparatus are utilized. For example, the material sheet  168  can be very similar to the material sheet  68 , except in one embodiment being longer in the longitudinal  14  and vertical  12  directions. To ease in understanding, the same numbering is generally used, being incremented by 100. One similarity between this example and the previous embodiment is that the material sheet  168  is attached at a forward attachment point  128 , a second attachment point  130 , a third attachment point  132 , and a fourth attachment point  134 . In addition, the material sheet  168  can be attached to the open rear door  125 , for example, at attachment points  129  and  131 . This allows for a much larger privacy area  154 , as seen in  FIG. 2A . Of course, once again a second material sheet  60  could be placed in the open area  158  to substantially enclose the privacy area  154  on all vertical sides. This can be facilitated by interoperating magnets provided on the vertical edges  128  and  134  of each material sheet. This can form a privacy curtain substantially surrounding the privacy areas on all horizontal sides, in one embodiment leaving the top and bottom sides open. Alternatively, as previously discussed, this open area  158  could remain uncovered to allow access to the interior portion of the vehicle. 
         [0023]    Thus, the gap  180  between the outermost edge of the open door and the body of the vehicle is bridged substantially enhancing the privacy of an occupant within the privacy area  154 . This embodiment substantially provides 360° of privacy in a horizontal plane around a user. 
         [0024]    In some vehicles having a rear door or doors, the embodiments shown above can be used upon those doors in a very similar manner. 
       Description of Several Embodiments of Fasteners 
       [0025]    One preferred method for attaching the material sheets to the vehicle utilizes a plurality of magnetic fasteners. For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a material sheet  200  is folded around a magnet  202  forming a loop or pocket  204  into which the magnet  202  is disposed. The fabric is then stitched  206  or otherwise attached which encloses the magnet  202 . 
         [0026]    This stitching  206  can also be seen in  FIG. 2  as a substantial sleeve around the upper portion of the material sheet  168 . In one embodiment, this allows for transverse and longitudinal repositioning of the magnets  202 . Alternatively, vertical stitching  208 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , could be included to partially or substantially prohibit transverse and longitudinal repositioning of the magnets  202  within the pocket  204 . 
         [0027]    In one example, the material sheets forming the curtain  20  could be produced from a lightweight synthetic material commonly known as rip-stop nylon. Alternatively, other woven or non-woven fabrics and materials could be utilized including canvas, Tyvec®, or a lightweight plastic sheet. There are many materials which could be utilized to achieve this objective as long as the material allows for folding, or stuffing the curtain  20  into a very small space such as, for example, a vehicle glove compartment, door pocket, seat pocket, etc., to allow for easy storage and transportation. 
         [0028]    In addition, a plurality of markers could be utilized such as paint dabs, a removable sticker, or similar elements to more permanently indicate upon the vehicle a preferred positioning of the fastener. This may make set up easier, and quicker. 
         [0029]    In addition, a plurality of fastening systems could be utilized at the same time. For example, in a vehicle having frameless doors, it may be desirable to have a portion of the curtain attach to the vehicle by way of magnets coupled to the body of the vehicle. In addition, a portion of the curtain may be attached to the window on the door by way of a clip or suction cup. The suction cups or clips could include a portion configured to interoperate with magnets as previously described. 
         [0030]    In addition, the curtain can be attached to a vehicle having frameless windows on the doors, by attaching the first end of the curtain to the body of the vehicle substantially forward of the open doorway, positioning the curtain around the exterior or interior of the open door, and attaching the second end of the curtain to the body of the vehicle. Thus where the curtain is positioned exterior of the door, frictional and static forces will help keep the curtain positioned. Where the curtain is positioned interior or exterior of the door, a portion of the curtain may be “folded over” the top edge of the window or door and thus further held in place. The downward force of the top edge of the curtain, including any fasteners such as magnets disposed in this upper edge, will increase the ability of the curtain to remain in place without putting undue pressure on the glass, nor requiring any permanent nor damaging fasteners to the window. 
         [0031]    Of course, the fasteners can be attached to the interior, or the exterior portions of the door and/or vehicle. 
         [0032]    While the present invention is illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments are described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the scope of the appended claims will readily appear to those sufficed in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicants&#39; general concept.