AU2016101518A4

AU2016101518A4 - Steering wheel cover

Info

Publication number: AU2016101518A4
Application number: AU2016101518A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Virginia Dixon Gourley KEITH
Original assignee: Brightside Visual Ltd
Current assignee: Brightside Visual Ltd
Priority date: 2015-09-04
Filing date: 2016-08-29
Publication date: 2016-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2024-08-29

Abstract

Abstract A steering wheel cover configured to be attached to a steering wheel, said steering wheel cover having a visible outer surface which includes: 5 - a first face; - a second face; - a first side; and - a second side; wherein the first face is visible to a driver when in use on a steering when in a first 10 orientation, and the second face is not visible to the driver in the first orientation; said first side and second side are coterminous at a diametric line that divides the first face and second face in half and that is vertical when the steering wheel cover is in use and the steering wheel is in a neutral position, and wherein the first side is a first colour, and the second side includes one or more 15 visual indicia in one or more contrasting colours. c~j --- b~ 1 ~ 2 <No A-> N N' LL

Description

STEERING WHEEL COVER

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a steering wheel cover incorporating a unique pattern and/or indicia, configured to provide a continuing reminder to the driver of the correct side of the road on which to drive.

Background Art

Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification is not an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.

Tourist drivers and drivers new to a country can have difficulty adjusting to driving on the correct side of the road. This difficulty is particularly apparent when the driver must take evasive action, and instinctively pulls toward, rather than away from, the oncoming traffic.

While rental car companies generally provide information to a driver on which side of the road to drive, this information may not remain at the forefront of the driver’s mind, and the driver may instinctively pull to the incorrect side of the road during evasive manoeuvres, or after stopping in a rest-stop or car park.

Written information can be inadequate where the written information is not provided in a language in which the driver is fluent, and even if affixed to the dashboard, written information is unlikely to be consulted when the driver needs to take evasive action.

Lane departure warning systems and lane keep assist systems have, in recent times, been built into new cars to prevent the car from moving out of its lane. These systems incorporate sensors that detect the white lines demarcating the lane, the system either sounding an alarm and/or overriding the steering wheel and/or brakes when the driver moves out of their lane. However, as an electronic system this may be prone to failure, and often cannot be retrofitted to a vehicle. Furthermore, such systems may be less reliable where road markings are faded, and do not work where there are no road markings.

It would be advantageous for there to be a device which acts as a continuing reminder of the side of the road on which to drive that is always visible to the driver during vehicle operation, and which does not rely on written cues. Furthermore, it would be advantageous for there to be such a continuing reminder which is relatively cheap to manufacture, does not rely on electronics or electronic warning systems, and/or which is easily fitted.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or mitigate at least one of the difficulties described above.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a steering wheel cover configured to be attached to a steering wheel, said steering wheel cover having a visible outer surface which includes: - a first face; - a second face; - a first side; and - a second side; wherein the first face is visible to a driver when in use on a steering wheel when in a first orientation, and the second face is not visible to the driver in the first orientation; said first side and second side are coterminous at a diametric line that divides the first face and second face in half and that is vertical when the steering wheel cover is in use and the steering wheel is in a neutral position, and wherein the first side is a first colour, and the second side includes one or more visual indicia in one or more contrasting colours.

Preferably the first colour is darker than the, or each, contrasting colour.

Preferably the visual indicia are selected from the list consisting of: a second colour, a plurality of repeated shapes, a plurality of dashed lines, glow-in-the-dark material, glow-in-the-dark stitching, words, and a combination of one or more of these.

In a preferred embodiment, the second side includes one or more visual indicia on the front face and/or the second face. Where both the front face and the second face include visual indicia the steering wheel cover is able to be used in both the first orientation and a second orientation, wherein the second face is visible to the driver and the first face is not visible to the driver in the second orientation. In this way, the steering wheel cover may be used in the first orientation in a country that drives on a first side of the road, and in the second orientation in a country that drives on the other side of the road.

In a further preferred embodiment, the, or each, visual indicia include tactile features that match said visual indicia.

The steering wheel cover may be configured to be permanently attached to the steering wheel, for example by stitching the steering wheel cover to the steering wheel, or releasably attached, for example the steering wheel cover being made of semi-rigid but resilient material configured to be removable from the steering wheel.

Brief Description of Drawings

By way of example only, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of a preferred embodiment of the steering wheel cover, in use on a steering wheel in a neutral position and configured for a right-hand drive vehicle;

Figure 2 shows a front view of the second preferred embodiment, showing the front face of the steering wheel cover;

Figure 3 shows a rear view of the second preferred embodiment, showing [one possible] second face of the steering wheel cover shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 shows a rear view of a the second preferred embodiment, showing [another possible] second face of the steering wheel cover shown in Figure 2;

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Unless the context requires otherwise the word ‘comprise’, and variations including ‘comprises’ and ‘comprising’ are intended to be inclusive rather than exclusive. In other words, comprise (and variations) is to be taken to mean include and not ‘consists only of unless the context specifically precludes this interpretation.

Where referred to in this document, when referring to the steering wheel the terms “neutral position”, “neutrally positioned” and similar variations thereof are defined as the position of the steering wheel when the wheels of the vehicle are straight ahead such that the vehicle may travel in a straight line. This position is shown by the dotted line of the steering wheel (11) in Figure 1.

Modern steering wheels typically have an outer ring connected to the steering wheel hub by two to four spokes, the spokes being horizontally symmetrical when the steering wheel is in a neutral position. A steering wheel cover covers the outer surface of the ring of the steering wheel, and must make allowance for the spokes of the steering wheel. Due to these spokes, the orientation of a steering wheel cover, once attached, is defined and any relative movement is restricted or prohibited.

Patterned steering wheel covers are known, generally for wholly aesthetic purposes, however, those identified in the prior art are horizontally symmetrical. The present invention’s horizontal asymmetry provides a visual reminder to the driver of where the car should be in relation to the centre-line.

Figure 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of the steering wheel cover (10) in use on a steering wheel (11); the steering wheel hub and spokes (11a) are shown in dashed lines. The steering wheel cover (10) includes a unique pattern on its outer, visible surface (12). The pattern is divided into a first side (13) and a second side (14), the border between the first and second sides (13, 14) being demarcated by a diametric line (15) that is vertical when the steering wheel cover (10) is in use on a neutrally positioned steering wheel (as can be seen in Figure 1). The diametric line (15) need not be a visible line marked on the steering wheel cover (10). That is, in the preferred embodiment the first and second sides (13, 14) are a left-hand side and a right-hand side of the steering wheel cover respectively, when in use on a neutrally positioned steering wheel.

The steering wheel cover (10) further has a first face (18) and a second face (19). The first face (18) (shown in Figures 1 and 2 in different embodiments) is the face of the steering wheel cover (10) that is visible to the driver when the steering wheel cover (10) is fitted to a steering wheel (11) in a first orientation. The first orientation is shown in Figure 1. The second face (19) (optional embodiments being shown in Figures 3 and 4) is the face of the steering wheel cover (10) that is not visible to the driver when the steering wheel cover (10) is fitted to a steering wheel (11) in the first orientation. In a second orientation, the second face (19) is visible to the driver, and the first face (18) is not visible to the driver.

The first side (13) is a first colour, preferably a dark colour. In the simplest embodiment of the present invention, the second side (14), or a major portion of the second side, is in a contrasting colour to the first side, preferably a light or a bright colour. Preferably, the second side (14) is not only in a contrasting colour, but also includes at least one additional visual indicium (16) in a third colour.

In a preferred embodiment, the additional visual indicia are dashed lines in a colour contrasting with the rest of the steering wheel cover (11). As can be seen in Figure 1, the first side (13) is a first colour, the second side (14) is a second colour, and the dashed lines (16) that are located on the second side (14) are a third colour.

In an alternative preferred embodiment, the first side (13) is a first colour, the second side (14) is also the first colour, but further includes visual indicia in the form of dashed lines (16) in a second colour.

The dashed lines (16) are preferably white, as they are configured to look like the centre-line painted on the road surface. The dashed lines (16) are intended to represent where the car should be in relation to the centre-line of the road. For example, white dashed lines (16) would be on the right-hand side of the first face (18) in a country that drives on the left-hand side of the road (as seen in Figures 1 and 2).

In its most basic form, the visual indicia of the second side (14) may be at least a portion of the second side (14) in a second colour. The whole second side (14) may be the second colour. The vital element of the pattern is that the second side (14) includes visual indicia that distinguish the second side (14) from the first side (13), such that the steering wheel cover (10) is horizontally asymmetrical when in use on a neutrally positioned steering wheel (11). A preferred further feature, that could be included in any of the embodiments previously described, is visual indicia located on the second side (14) that glows in the dark. In the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1, the glow-in-the dark indicium is stitching (17) that is incorporated into the steering wheel cover (10). The glow-in-the-dark characteristic allows the driver to see a visual indicium even when driving at night, when it may be difficult to see the pattern on the steering wheel cover (10). As with the dashed lines (16), the stitching may be shaped to mimic the centre-line of the road.

Another possibility is to form the dashed lines 16 from a glow-in-the dark material.

In the preferred embodiment the second face (19) of the steering wheel cover (10) also includes visual indicium, being at least a portion of the second side (14) in a second colour, and/or including dashed lines (16) in a contrasting colour. Having the visual indicia on both the first face (18) and the second face (19) of the second side (14) allows a single steering wheel cover (10) to be manufactured that may be used on both left- or right-hand drive vehicles.

That is, in the preferred embodiment, in the first orientation the first face (18) is configured to be facing the driver when in use in a country that drives on the left-hand side of the road, and the second face (19) is configured to be facing the driver when in use in a country that drives on the right-hand side of the road. When used in a country that drives on the left-hand side of the road, the second side (14) is on the right-hand of the first face (18), when looked at by the driver. When the steering wheel cover (10) is to be used in a country that drives on the right-hand side of the road, the steering wheel cover (10) is fitted in the second orientation, and the visual indicia on the second face (19) are on the left-hand side of the steering wheel cover (10), as seen by the driver.

Alternatively, the second face (19) of the steering wheel cover (10) may not include any visual indicia, and the steering wheel cover (10) is configured to be used only in a left-hand drive country, or only in a right-hand drive country, not both.

While the preferred embodiments described above include dashed lines (16) as visual indicia, it is to be appreciated that this is only preferred. For example, instead of dashed lines, words (e.g. keep left) or repeating shapes of any kind may be used instead of dashed lines. While these do not mimic the centre-line of the road, they still provide a visual reminder to the driver of where the centre-line should be in relation to the car.

One or more of the visual indicia may be augmented by tactile features matching those indicia, for example, the dashed lines could be embossed into the surface to provide tactile feedback to the driver.

Claims

Claims

1. A steering wheel cover configured to be attached to a steering wheel, said steering wheel cover having a visible outer surface which includes: a first face; a second face; a first side; and a second side; wherein the first face is visible to a driver when in use on a steering when in a first orientation, and the second face is not visible to the driver in the first orientation; said first side and second side are coterminous at a diametric line that divides the first face and second face in half and that is vertical when the steering wheel cover is in use and the steering wheel is in a neutral position, and wherein the first side is a first colour, and the second side includes one or more visual indicia in one or more contrasting colours.
2. The steering wheel cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the visual indicia are selected from the list consisting of: a second colour, a plurality of repeated shapes, a plurality of dashed lines, glow-in-the-dark material, glow-in-the-dark stitching, and a combination of one or more of these.
3. The steering wheel cover as claimed in either one of the preceding claims, wherein the first colour is darker than the, or each, contrasting colour.
4. The steering wheel cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second side includes one or more visual indicia on the front face and/or the second face.
5. The steering wheel cover as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the, or each, visual indicia include tactile features that match said visual indicia.