Thermal Protection Cover for a Vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed is a thermal protection cover for a vehicle. The cover is comprised of a top layer, a bottom layer, a heating element, and a battery. The heating element is connected to the battery by a connector. The battery is place at one of the corner of the cover in a socket to avoid water deposition in the surrounding area. The heating element is insulated and made up of gauge wire or metal rods and further the heating element is sandwiched between the top layer and the bottom layer of the cover. The heating element runs in a looped configuration which traverses the length and width of the covering and heats the entire cover. Once activated, the temperature of the insulated heating element quickly rises, warms the surface of the cover and efficiently melts accumulated ice or snow. The cover operates on a rechargeable battery source.

Claims

1. A thermal protection cover for a vehicle, comprised of a top layer, a bottom layer, a flexible heating element, and a battery which is connected to the heating element by a connector.

2. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the battery is positioned at one of the corners of the thermal cover in a socket to avoid water deposition in the surrounding area.

3. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the heating element is insulated and sandwiched between the top layer and the bottom layer of the thermal cover 10.

4. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the top layer is a water resistant, heat absorbing material to melt frozen accumulation and the bottom layer is a heat resistant material to protect the car's surface.

5. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the heating element runs in a looped configuration which traverses the length and width of the covering and heats the entire thermal cover.

6. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein once activated, the temperature of the insulated heating element quickly rises, warms the surface of the thermal cover, and efficiently melts accumulated ice or snow.

7. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the thermal cover operates on a rechargeable battery which provides a power switch to turn on or turn off the heating element.

8. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the battery can be any one of several different varieties which may be connected with a standard wall outlet.

9. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the user opens and unrolls the cover over the top surface of the user's vehicle upon the approach of a snowstorm, then unfolds the cover such that the entire vehicle is covered.

10. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the top layer and the bottom layer are preferably manufactured from a flexible, durable material with substantial heat resistant properties, such as canvas or sailcloth.

11. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the heating element is preferably manufactured from an electrically conductive carbon carrying fabric coated with a soft stabilizing material.

12. The thermal cover of claim 1, wherein the connector and the battery are preferably manufactured from rigid, durable, corrosion resistant materials with substantial structural strength, such as steel, copper alloy, and aluminum alloy.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure. The drawings contain representations of various trademarks and copyrights owned by the Applicants. In addition, the drawings may contain other marks owned by third parties and are being used for illustrative purposes only. All rights to various trademarks and copyrights represented herein, except those belonging to their respective owners, are vested in and the property of the applicants. The applicants retain and reserve all rights in their trademarks and copyrights included herein, and grant permission to reproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent and for no other purpose.

[0015] Furthermore, the drawings may contain text or captions that may explain certain embodiments of the present disclosure. This text is included for illustrative, non-limiting, explanatory purposes of certain embodiments detailed in the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a top view of a cover for a vehicle, in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a top front perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a top side perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1.

[0019] FIG. 4 is an exploded side perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1.

[0020] FIG. 5 is an exploded front perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a side view of the cover of FIG. 1 placed over a vehicle, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1 placed over the vehicle of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being preferred is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0024] Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.

[0025] Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection is to be defined by the issued claim(s) rather than the description set forth herein.

[0026] Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used hereinas understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such termdiffers in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.

[0027] Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, a and an each generally denotes at least one, but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, or denotes at least one of the items, but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, and denotes all of the items of the list.

[0028] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.

[0029] The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in, the context of covers for automobiles, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to use only in this context.

[0030] Fortunately, an after-market accessory is available which can be used to prevent the effects of cold weather on a parked vehicle from occurring. A thermal protection cover for a vehicle, which provides a sturdy protective cover which may be rapidly deployed to temporarily cover the vehicle, would resolve this problem.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a top view of a cover 10 for a vehicle, in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment. The cover 10 includes a connector 14, and a battery 15. FIG. 2 is a top front perspective view of the cover 10. FIG. 3 is a top side perspective view of the cover 10.

[0032] FIG. 4 is an exploded side perspective view of the cover 10. The cover 100 includes a top layer 11, a heating element 12, and a bottom layer 13. FIG. 5 is an exploded front perspective view of the cover 10.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a side view of the cover of 10 placed over a vehicle 16, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the cover 10 placed over the vehicle of 16.

[0034] According to some embodiments, the cover 10 is intended for use as an after-market modification for the user's vehicle, to be purchased and installed by the user. Alternate embodiments, which may be installed as original equipment by the manufacturer of the vehicle, are contemplated.

[0035] According to the first exemplary embodiment, the thermal cover 10 is comprised of a top layer 11, a bottom layer 13, a heating element 12, and a battery 15. The heating element 12 is connected to the battery 15 by a connector 14. The battery 15 is positioned at one of the corners of the thermal cover 10 in a socket to avoid water deposition in the surrounding area. The heating element 12 is insulated and made up of gauge wire or metal rods and further the heating element 12 is sandwiched between the top layer 11 and the bottom layer 13 of the thermal cover 10.

[0036] The top layer 11 is made of a water resistant, heat absorbing material to melt any accumulated snow or ice. The bottom layer 13 is made of a heat resistant material to protect the car's surface. According to an embodiment, the heating element 12 runs in a looped configuration which traverses the length and width of the covering and heats the entire covering. Once activated, the temperature of the insulated heating element 12 quickly rises, which warms the surface of the thermal cover 10 and efficiently melts accumulated ice or snow.

[0037] The thermal cover 10 receives power from a rechargeable battery 15. The battery 15 includes a power switch to turn-on or turn-off the heating element 12. The battery 15 may be any one of several different varieties which may be connected with a standard wall outlet. The battery 15 may be produced in many different shapes and sizes. Several different combinations of electrode materials and electrolytes are used, including lead-acid, nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), and lithium-ion polymer (Li-ion polymer).

[0038] Further, in an alternate arrangement the thermal cover 10 may also include a solar panel which may recharge the battery 15. In another alternate arrangement the thermal cover 10 for covering a motor vehicle may also include a snow sensor, which may activate the heating element 12 whenever it senses the snow.

[0039] To use the cover 10, the user opens and unrolls the cover 10 over the top surface of the user's vehicle 16. For example, the user may use the cover 10 upon the approach of a snowstorm. The user then unfolds the cover 10 such that the entire vehicle 16 is covered.

[0040] The top layer 11 and the bottom layer 13 are preferably manufactured from a flexible, durable material with substantial heat resistant properties, such as canvas or sailcloth. The heating element 12 is preferably manufactured from an electrically conductive carbon carrying fabric coated with a soft stabilizing material. The connector 14 and the battery 15 are preferably manufactured from rigid, durable, corrosion resistant materials with substantial structural strength, such as steel, copper alloy, and aluminum alloy. Components and methods listed above are preferable, but artisans will recognize that alternate components and methods could be selected without altering the scope of the invention.

[0041] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.