Abstract:
A portable sunlight shelter for protecting a motorized vehicle from direct sunlight is disclosed. The sunlight shelter consists of lightweight, elongated structural supports which are attached to the front and rear of a motorized vehicle. Ropes are threaded through the structural support ends above the vehicle to support a flexible material which provides shade. The structural supports, attaching means, and flexible material are easy to put into place and remove. The removable part of the apparatus is easily compacted and stored in the motorized vehicle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/685,214 filed on May 27, 2005. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not applicable  
       REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING  
       [0003]     Not applicable.  
       COMPACT DISC APPENDIX  
       [0004]     Not applicable  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0006]     This invention is directed to providing a portable and temporary sun shelter for a motorized vehicle.  
         [0007]     2. Discussion of Related Art  
         [0008]     Others have worked on providing shade for the interior of the vehicle. US patents have been granted that provide sunshade for a vehicle&#39;s interior by placing various apparatus inside and outside of the vehicle to block out or reflect sunlight away from the vehicle&#39;s interior. Different types of materials have been disclosed as well as various fixtures to adapt the sunscreens to attach to, or be supported by, various internal features of the vehicle. For example, Chai et. al (U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,461) describes an internal sunscreen with an adjustable stiffening frame to fit inside a windshield. Conforti (U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,121) describes a sun shade that partially inhibits sunlight from passing through.  
         [0009]     There have also been external methods of providing sunshade for vehicles, but many of these methods have important convenience limitations and are likely to damage the vehicle or vehicle paint. For example, Wang (U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,654) provides for an external shade which is attached to the roof of the vehicle. The placement of the shade is very awkward without a step ladder, and the attaching point on the vehicle roof is likely to damage the vehicle or vehicle paint. The large shade is not conveniently removed from the roof and collapsed into a small compact volume which makes portability unappealing. Rabbit (U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,711) describes a rolled up material that is stretched from the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle to provide shade. This also has important limitations. The flexible shading material is not stiffened by any means to prevent it from flapping in a strong wind. The abrasion of the material against the vehicle when it is put into place is likely, over time, to damage, scuff, or scratch the paint surface.  
         [0010]     Gillem (U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,933) provides for an external flexible sunscreen to be attached to the vehicles exterior by straps. However, in addition to the limitations of Rabbit, this does not completely shield the vehicle from the sun which allows UV damage to the vehicle&#39;s exterior.  
       OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES  
       [0011]     One main goal of this invention is to provide a portable and temporary sunlight shelter for a motorized vehicle that avoids the limitations of vehicle damage and provides for enhanced convenience. It is highly desirable to design the shelter and structural supports so that they can be removed from the vehicle, reduced to a very compact size, and stored inside the vehicle. Alternately, the shelter and structural supports can be stored externally. The apparatus must be adaptable to provide shade for a wide variety of vehicles, including, but not limited to, sedans, station wagons, trucks, jeeps, sport utility vehicles, vans, buses, and many customized vehicles.  
         [0012]     This invention provides shade for a motorized vehicle which is an important convenience issue in the southern portion of the United States. It is well known that sunlight can raise the internal temperature of a vehicle to levels that are dangerous. Further, the interior of a vehicle can become so hot that the operator must wait for the vehicle interior to cool down enough to be drivable. In addition, by proper selection of shading material, the shelter can provide important UV protection for the vehicle&#39;s interior and exterior. This can improve the value of the vehicle and maintain its physical appearance.  
         [0013]     It is also known that a wind will provide difficulties with flexible materials causing a flapping or chafing motion that is likely to damage the vehicle. The design of this invention provides for sturdy support on the front and rear of the vehicle to maintain a sun shelter that will not chafe or damage the vehicle even under windy conditions.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to provide a sun shelter for a vehicle free of any vehicle damage and providing convenience features for the installation, removal, and storage of the shelter components. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of the invention where a sedan is protected by a flexible shading material with two pivoting supporting structural members attached to the front and rear of the vehicle.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  shows an embodiment of the invention where a truck is protected by a flexible shading material with three supporting structural members attached to the front and rear of the vehicle.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  shows a detail of how structural support members may be attached to the mounting plate at either end of the vehicle.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  shows a method of locking the elongated structural supports so they will not rotate at their pivot point. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     An important embodiment of the invention is where shading is provided by a flexible material that has good longevity and flexibility even when exposed to the sun for extended periods. Materials such as nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, PET, and various woven materials provide flexibility and weatherability, when proper precautions are taken to ensure that prolonged exposure to sunlight will not degrade or decompose the material. Suitable materials will also be water and mold resistant, and will not tear easily in a wind. Materials commonly used in tents and outdoor dining shelters provide adequate protection and longevity. Various strengthening features, such as fiberglass filaments, may be employed to improve the tear resistance of the material.  
         [0020]     The material used in this invention does not have to be rain proof in the sense that the shelter material will not leak when raining. The purpose of the shelter is to keep sunlight off of the car. For example, the ropes that span the structural supports can be stitched to the sheltering material through a long sleeve. The stitching area at the edges of the sleeve does not have to be completely water tight.  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of the invention where a sedan is protected by a flexible shading material with two supporting structural members attached to the front and rear of the vehicle. The sedan  101 , has a front mounting plate  102 , attached to a bracket  103  which is attached underneath the front bumper  104 . The front mounting plate  102 , has two pivot points  105  where the structural supports  106  are attached. The pivot points  105  are at an angle with respect to ground to allow the structural supports  106  to pivot simultaneously and conveniently toward the driver&#39;s side of the vehicle. This allows ready access to the free ends of the structural supports  106  where the ropes  107  inside the shading material  108  may be attached by a person. The ropes  107  are threaded through a hole  109  in the end of the structural support  106 . Alternately, a slot could be used instead of the hole  109 . The ropes  107  are tied off with knot  110  in a manner that stretches the shading material  108  moderately tight, but not so tight as to bend the structural supports  106  against the vehicle  101 . The bracket  103  is attached to the bottom of the bumper  104  by bolts, a clamp, or by welding. Alternately, the bracket  103  can be attached to the structural frame of the vehicle by bolts, a clamp, or by welding. The front mounting plate  102  is attached to the bracket  103  by bolts or welding. Similarly, the back of the sedan  101  has a second duplicate bracket and duplicate mounting plate (not shown).  
         [0022]      FIG. 1  shows ropes  107  that are used to secure the flexible shading material  108  to the structural supports  106 . Alternately, other flexible members can be used such as strings, chains, wires, or straps. For the purposes of this patent, the term flexible member refers to a flexible member which is stiff under tension and can be coiled up for storage.  
         [0023]     The rear of the vehicle will often have a trailer hitch which can be adapted to hold the rear mounting plate securely. The trailer hitch may be used as the rear mounting bracket or an additional member can be adapted to mount on the trailer hitch and securely hold the rear mounting plate.  
         [0024]     The structural supports  106  do not have to be made from a single solid piece of material. Telescoping tubing, for example, may be employed to provide sufficient structural strength, and provide for minimal storage space requirements. A number of materials may be employed that include various plastics and metal tubing. It is a distinct advantage to use strong and lightweight materials such as aluminum, titanium or fiberglass. Various commercially common plastic materials also provide suitable strength with a light weight. Such materials include, but are not limited to, polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC, PET, polystyrene, nylon, and various combinations of commercially available plastics. It is desirable to incorporate UV protection in the material.  
         [0025]     Similarly,  FIG. 2  shows an embodiment of the invention where a truck is protected by a flexible shading material with three supporting structural members attached to the front and rear of the vehicle. Similar to  FIG. 1 , the truck  201  has a front mounting plate  202 , attached to a bracket  203  underneath the front bumper  204 . The front mounting plate  202 , has three pivot points  205  where the structural supports  206  are attached.  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  shows a cross sectional detail of the pivoting feature of the front mounting plate  101 . A 90 degree bent tube  301  penetrates the front mounting plate  101  and is free to rotate about axis  105 . To allow the bent tube  301  to only rotate, and not slide out of the front mounting plate  101 , a front restraining flange  302 , and a rear restraining flange  303  are securely attached to the bent tube  301  but not to the front mounting plate  101 . The restraining flanges  302  and  303  may be attached by glue, by welding, by bolting, by use of a snap ring, by a press fit, or similar methods that are well known in the art. The end of structural support  106  is temporarily fixed to the bent tube  301  by sliding the end of structural support  106  into the bent tube  301  and clamping with the thumbscrew  304 . A matching hole or groove may be created in to the end of structural support  106  to ensure the thumbscrew  304  provides a more secure attachment. A bolt  305  is used to attach the front mounting plate  101  to the mounting bracket  103 . As an alternate, the front mounting plate  101  may be welded to the mounting bracket  103 .  
         [0027]     There are other ways to attach the end of the structural support  106  to the bent tube  301 . Use of snap fittings, spring loaded detent balls, threading of the ends, various clamps, tolerance fits, and mechanical locks may also be employed.  FIG. 3  illustrates only one possible method.  
         [0028]      FIG. 4  shows a method of preventing the structural support  106  from rotating. The front support flange  302 , which is attached to the bent tube  301 , is restrained from moving by a small locking bar  402  which is tightened against the support flange  302  by wing nut  401 . A stud bolt (not shown) is fixed to the front mounting plate  102  that is used by wing nut  401 . The end of the thumbscrew  304  illustrated in  FIG. 3  is also shown.  
         [0029]     While various embodiments of the present invention have been described, the invention may be modified and adapted to various similar shading arrangements to those skilled in the art. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the description and figure shown herein, and includes all such embodiments, changes, and modifications that are encompassed by the scope of the claims.