US20080061568A1

US20080061568A1 - Car door damage prevention device

Info

Publication number: US20080061568A1
Application number: US11/517,614
Authority: US
Inventors: Ronald E. Janus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-09-08
Filing date: 2006-09-08
Publication date: 2008-03-13
Also published as: US7635152B1

Abstract

A damage prevention device for a car door or car body includes an elongated moulding that is attached to an outer surface of a car door to prevent damage from doors of adjacent cars when opened rapidly. The moulding can be extruded or can be molded. The moulding has flattened ends that can be pushed or wedged into a space created between the hinged door body end and the car body, and the other space between the other end of the door body and the car body.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is a well known fact that cars being parked adjacent to each other in parking lots or parking garages invariably receive dents from doors of cars next to each other when they are irresponsibly opened. While most parking places are marked sufficiently wide enough to accommodate most cars, if parked correctly, but many drivers do not make an effort to park parallel within the marked lines on the parking surface. This results in that many car doors are too close to each other when any of the doors are opened whereby dents and dings are found in many car doors.
Car manufacturers are well aware of these problems by permanently installing mouldings on the full width of the door and possibly at the widest profile of the door exhibiting the most outer surface. However, most cross sectional profiles of car doors are not the same with different makes of cars whereby the edges of the doors will hardly ever match the profile of the adjacent cars again resulting in damages.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,037 is typically an example of preventing damage to adjacent car doors. In this disclosure a pad is used that consists of a semi-rigid foam material with a flexible urethane lining sealing the interior. The flexible urethane lining is used to seal the attracting magnets within the backside. While this may work very well, The protecting pad my be stolen when attached. The magnets my have a detrimental effect on the paint on the door especially, if the paint is of a metallic nature whereby the molecules in the paint may be rearranged to mar the appearance of the paint. In recent years many car manufacturers have fiber glass material on roofs and doors of cars. In this case, the magnets would ineffective. The inventive design of the present invention will alleviate the above noted problems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The car door damage device consists of polymer based material in the form of a flexible cylindrical tube and is sized to fit a majority of the linear measurement of most automobile panels. The way to fasten the cylindrical tube to the outside of a door panel involves no tools and no other implements to accomplish the fastening. At the end of each tube there are flattened strips that are inserted between the car body and the door body when the door is opened and as soon as the door is closed, the flattened strips are wedged between the car body and the door body in a permanent manner as long as the door remains closed. The protective device cannot be stolen unless it is ripped apart, whereby it is of no further use to anybody.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cylindrical moulding installed on car door;

FIGS. 2-4 show the various element used to install the moulding;

FIGS. 5-8 show a different type of moulding being installed on a car door;

FIGS. 9-11 is still another type of moulding being installed on a car door.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a partially shown car A having a closed door D thereon, while FIGS. 2-4 show the individual elements of the protective moulding 1. The closed door has a protective flexible cylindrical moulding 1 attached thereon. The cylindrical moulding is made of a polymer based material and can be extruded in its present form. The moulding 1 has attached thereto a longitudinal strap 5 by way of a dove-tail recess 4 into which the longitudinal strap 5 can be snapfitted. The longitudinal strap 5 has a squared-off end 3 which is hooked over the open door edge while the other end 2 of the strap 5 is placed between the car body and the open door body. When the door is closed, the end 2 of the strap 5 is wedged between the car body and the door body while the squared-off end is locked between the rear edge of the door and the corresponding car body.
The moulding shown in FIGS. 5-8 cannot be extruded as was explained in FIGS. 1-4 but this system has to be molded. In FIG. 5 the moulding 6 is similar in effect and similar in construction and effect as was the moulding shown FIGS. 1-4 but there no longitudinal strap 5 which is received in the dovetail 4 of the cylindrical moulding 1. The protective moulding 5 in FIGS. 5-8 still have the ends as were shown in FIGS. 1-4. The squared-off end is still received in the open door edge as shown in FIG. 6 and the other open end is received and wedged between the car body and hinged end of the door body. When closing the door the moulding 6 is held in place in the manner as was explained with regard to FIGS. 1-4.
FIG. 8 is a cross section through the molded moulding 6 and in top view. D being the door body.
It should be noted at this time that it is immaterial whether the squared-off end is first hooked between the car body and the hinged end of the door body first or at the other end first. This simply is a matter of preference and could be decisive if one is left-or right handed.
FIGS. 9-11 show still another moulding 9. This moulding 9 is so constructed that it covers more than a door when installed. FIG. 9 is perspective view of a moulding 9 having an extension 12 thereon which covers more than the door D. This may come in handy when protection a two door car. This moulding would have to molded. There is a forward end 10 which is inserted between the car body and the hinged end of the door and will be wedged there between when the closing the door. An inner end of the moulding 9 has a lateral extension 11 which is similar to the squared-off ends 3 and 8 in previous Figs. above. This lateral extension is placed between the edge of the door D and its corresponding car body. When the door D is closed the lateral extension will be wedged there between and cannot be dislodged until the door is opened. In this embodiment of the protective moulding, the extension 12 will extend past the door D and will extend over the quarter panel of the car body. This would protect the quarter panel of the two door car from rear doors of an adjacent car which is parked next to the two door car. This prevents dings and dents to be made in the rear panel of the two door (sports) car, when rear doors are opened carelessly.
This moulding 9 is much longer than the previously described mouldings in FIGS. 1-8. Therefore, a notch 13 is molded into the moulding to be able the user to fold the moulding in half when storing the same in the trunk or the back seat of the car.

Claims

1. A car door damage prevention device comprising an elongated moulding substantially the length of a car door, said device having a cylindrical cross section and is made of a polymer foam material, each end of said elongated moulding having flattened ends, with each flattened end being received in the space between the car body and the hinged end of the door body and the other edge of the door body and the car body, respectively, said moulding being extruded in such a manner to leave an interior dove-tail recess in its elongated direction.

2. (canceled)

3. The damage prevention device of claim 1 including an elongated strap press fitted into said dove-tail recess, said elongated strap having said flattened ends.

4. The damage prevention device of claim 1, wherein said elongated moulding is molded including said flattened ends.

5. (canceled)

6. A car door damage prevention device comprising an elongated moulding substantially the length of a car door, said device having a cylindrical cross section and made of a polymer foam material, each end of said moulding being unitarily joined with a respective flattened end to define a one-piece elongated moulding, with each flattened end for being received in the space between the car body and the hinged end of the door body, and the other edge of the door body and the car body, respectively.

7. A car door damage prevention device comprising an elongated moulding substantially the length of a car door, said device having a cylindrical cross section and made of a polymer foam material, said elongated moulding being molded to include an extension extending beyond the width of a car door; one end of said elongated moulding including a flattened end and an intermediate end of said elongated moulding including a squared-off end to be placed and wedged between the door body, which is opposite said end of said hinged side of said door body, and said car body.