TIRE SUN SHIELD

Abstract

There is provided a tire sun shield, an attachment system for the tire sun shield, and a method of making and using the tire sun shield. A structure according to the present disclosure includes: a flexible fabric sheet; a flexible frame attached to a periphery of the flexible fabric sheet; a top fastener connected to a periphery of the tire cover adjacent to the top of the flexible fabric sheet, the top fastener being configured to attach to the wheel well of the vehicle, the flexible fabric sheet including two holes; a resilient fastener having two ends threaded through the two holes; and two side fasteners attached to the resilient fastener, the two side fasteners being configured to attach to the wheel well of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A tire cover, comprising: a flexible fabric sheet having a front side, a rear side, a top, and a bottom; a flexible frame coupled to a periphery of the flexible fabric sheet; a top fastener coupled to a periphery of the tire cover adjacent to the top of the flexible fabric sheet and configured to attach to a wheel well of a vehicle, the flexible fabric sheet including one hole located adjacent to the periphery of the flexible fabric sheet on one side of the top fastener and including another hole located adjacent to the periphery of the flexible fabric sheet on another side of the top fastener; a resilient fastener having two ends, one of the two ends being threaded through the one hole from the rear side to the front side of the flexible fabric sheet and another of the two ends being threaded through the another hole from the rear side to the front side of the flexible fabric sheet; and two side fasteners, one of the two side fasteners being attached to the one end of the resilient fastener and another of the two side fasteners attached to the another end of the resilient fastener, the two side fasteners being configured to attach to the wheel well of the vehicle.

2. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the flexible fabric sheet includes two layers, and the flexible frame is inserted between the two layers such that the flexible frame is positioned adjacent to a seam joining the two layers.

3. The tire cover of claim 2, wherein the seam includes an opening at the top of the flexible fabric sheet exposing a portion of the flexible frame, and a fabric strap is attached to the exposed portion of the flexible frame.

4. The tire cover of claim 3, wherein one part of a snap fastener is attached to the fabric strap and configured to connect to another part of the snap fastener attached to the wheel well of the vehicle.

5. The tire cover of claim 3, wherein a loop is attached to the fabric strap and configured to connect to a button attached to the wheel well of the vehicle.

6. The tire cover of claim 3, wherein a magnet is attached to the fabric strap and configured to connect to another magnet attached to the wheel well of the vehicle.

7. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the one hole and the another hole are located below a horizontal center line of the tire cover when the tire cover is oriented such that the top fastener is located at a top portion of the tire cover.

8. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the resilient fastener includes a bungee cord.

9. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the one hole and the another hole are reinforced by grommets.

10. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the top fastener is one of a snap fastener, a magnet, a button loop, a hook-and-loop fastener, or a clip.

11. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the flexible fabric sheet includes material that blocks ultraviolet (UV) rays or reflects light.

12. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the flexible frame is configured to transition between a folded state and an open state in which the flexible fabric sheet is tensioned, and the flexible frame includes a wire formed in a circular shape when not folded in the open state and is made of a material that, after folding the flexible frame to the folded state, can return to the circular shape in the open state.

13. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the flexible fabric sheet includes two layers, and the two layers include materials different from each other.

14. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the rear side of the tire cover faces inward toward an exterior sidewall of the tire, and the front side of the tire cover faces outward away from the exterior sidewall of the tire.

15. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the flexible fabric sheet includes a single layer of material, and the flexible frame is inserted inside a hem formed by folding an outer circumferential edge of the single layer of material around the flexible frame.

16. The tire cover of claim 15, wherein the hem includes an opening at the top of the flexible fabric sheet exposing a portion of the flexible frame, and a fabric strap is attached to the exposed portion of the flexible frame.

17. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein a length of the resilient fastener is longer than a distance between the one hole and the another hole.

18. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the flexible fabric sheet includes two layers of material, one of the two layers of material facing the outside includes material that blocks ultraviolet (UV) rays or reflects light, and another of the two layers of material facing the inside includes material that blocks heat.

19. The tire cover of claim 1, wherein the two side fasteners include hooks.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a tire cover installed on a tire.

[0014] FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of the back or tire facing side of the tire cover in the expanded state.

[0015] FIG. 3 depicts an embodiment of the tire cover in the folded state.

[0016] FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of the tire cover including a fabric strap connected to the flexible frame and including a snap fastener.

[0017] FIG. 5 depicts an embodiment of the tire cover in which one part of the snap fastener is attached to the wheel well of the vehicle.

[0018] FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of the tire cover in which the two parts of the snap fastener are pressed together to attach the tire cover to the wheel well.

[0019] FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment of the front side of the tire cover in the expanded state.

[0020] FIGS. 8A and 8B depict an embodiment of the tire cover having two side fasteners attached to the wheel well.

[0021] FIG. 9 depicts the tire cover in the folded state and stored in a storage bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a collapsible tire cover 10 configured to be installed on a vehicle 20 such as an RV to cover and protect the tire 30 (not shown) from dry rot due to rain, snow, UV rays, dust, dirt and other environmental factors. It should be noted, that although use of the tire cover 10 on an RV is shown and described, the present invention may be used to cover tires of other types of vehicles. For example, the tire cover 10 may cover the tires of a car, truck, van, bus, or the like.

[0023] FIG. 2 depicts a rear side of the tire cover 10 that faces inward toward an exterior sidewall of the tire 30. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the tire cover 10 includes a flexible frame 11. The flexible frame 11 is formed in a circular shape when not folded and made of a material that, after folding the flexible frame 11, can return to the not-folded circular shape. As shown in FIG. 3, the flexible frame 11 may be twisted and folded down to a smaller circular shape approximately of the size of the unfolded circular shape. The flexible frame 11 can be made from materials including plastic or metal. The diameter of the flexible frame 11 when unfolded is approximately the same as the diameter of the tire of the vehicle or the diameter of the wheel well of the vehicle. Thus, tire covers 10 having different size diameters can fit a corresponding vehicle having a tire size or wheel well size corresponding to the diameter of the tire cover 10.

[0024] The tire cover 10 further includes a flexible fabric sheet 12 that covers the flexible frame 11. The flexible fabric sheet 12 is also a circular shape having a diameter that is slightly larger than the diameter of the flexible frame 11 when unfolded in an open state. Thus, the flexible fabric sheet 12 can be attached along the circumference of the flexible frame 11 by folding the outer circumferential edge of the flexible fabric sheet 12 around the flexible frame 11 to form a hem into which the flexible frame 11 is located. The flexible fabric sheet 12 may also be attached to the flexible frame 11 by other methods such as fabric loops located along the circumference of the flexible fabric sheet into which the flexible frame 11 is located. In another embodiment, the flexible frame 11 may be inserted between two flexible fabric sheets 12 such that the flexible frame 11 is positioned adjacent to a seam joining the two flexible fabric sheets 12.

[0025] The flexible fabric sheet 12 may include a single layer or alternatively may include multiple layers. The flexible fabric sheet 12 may include materials that block ultraviolet (UV) rays, reflect sunlight, and/or block heat. When the flexible fabric sheet includes two layers, one of the two layers may include one material and another of the two layers may include another material different than the one material. In one embodiment, when the flexible fabric sheet 12 includes two layers, one of the two layers facing the outside includes a material that blocks ultraviolet (UV) rays or reflects light, and another of the two layers facing the inside includes a material that blocks heat.

[0026] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a top fastener 13 is attached to a top portion 10a of the tire cover 10. When the tire cover 10 includes a single flexible fabric sheet 12, the top fastener 13 may be attached to the hem or one of the fabric loops. When the tire cover 10 includes at least two flexible fabric sheets 12, the top fastener 13 may be attached to a seam joining the at least two flexible fabric sheets 12. The tire cover 10 is not limited to a single top fastener 13 and may include multiple top fasteners 13 placed near the top of the flexible fabric sheet 12 and offset from each other.

[0027] In one embodiment, the hem of the single flexible fabric sheet 12 includes an opening to expose a portion of the flexible frame 11. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the seam connecting two flexible fabric sheets 12 includes an opening to expose the portion of the flexible frame 11. The fabric strap 14 is attached to the exposed portion of the flexible frame 11 by including the flexible frame 11 in a hem formed by sewing an edge of the fabric strap 14 after folding the fabric strap 14 around the flexible frame 11.

[0028] Alternatively, the fabric strap 14 may be sewn directly on the flexible fabric sheet 12. The top fastener 13 may be attached to the fabric strap 14. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the top fastener 13 may be a snap fastener in which one part 15a of the snap fastener (as shown in FIG. 4) is attached to the fabric strap 14 and another part 15b of the snap fastener (as shown in FIG. 5) is attached to a wheel well 16 of the vehicle 20. The top fastener 13 is not limited to a snap fastener 15. The flexible fabric sheet 12 may also be attached to the vehicle 20 by the top fastener 13 that may be one of a magnet, a button loop, a hook-and-loop fastener (Velcro), clips, or the like.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 5, when a snap fastener is used to attach the flexible fabric sheet 12 to the vehicle 20, a hole may be drilled into the wheel well 16. In a large vehicle, such as an RV, the hole may be drilled in the lip 16a of the wheel well 16 so that the aesthetics of the vehicle 20 is not diminished when the tire cover 10 is not attached to the vehicle 20. The another part 15b of the snap fastener is attached to the wheel well 16 of the vehicle 20 by inserting the another part 15b of the snap fastener into an exterior portion of the hole and securing the another part of 15b the snap fastener via a nut (not shown) or other fastening device. The top portion 10a of the tire cover 10 is attached to the wheel well 16 by pressing the two parts 15a, 15b of the snap fastener together as shown in FIG. 6.

[0030] In a case a magnet is used as the top fastener 13, one magnet may be attached on or placed within the fabric strap 14. In this case, if the wheel well 16 is not metallic or does not have a magnetic field, an object having a magnetic field may be installed on the wheel well 16 so that the magnet is attracted to the object have the magnetic field to attach the tire cover 10 to the wheel well 16. If the wheel well 16 is metallic or does have a magnetic field, it may not be necessary to install another magnet on the wheel well since the one magnet may be attached directly to the wheel well.

[0031] In a case a button loop is used as the top fastener 13, the fabric strap 14 may be configured as a loop and a button may be installed on the wheel well 16 so that the button is slipped through the loop to attach the tire cover 10 to the wheel well 16. A similar configuration may be used for a hook-and-loop fastener or any other fasteners having two parts.

[0032] Referring again to FIG. 2, when the tire cover 10 is oriented such that the top fastener 13 is located at the top portion 10a of the tire cover 10, the flexible fabric sheet 12 includes two holes 17 positioned adjacent to and below a horizontal center line CL of the tire cover 10. One of the two holes 17 is located adjacent to the periphery of the flexible fabric sheet 12 on one side of the top fastener 13 and another of the two holes 17 is located adjacent to the periphery of the flexible fabric sheet 12 on another side of the top fastener 13. The two holes 17 may be reinforced by grommets G to prevent the flexible fabric sheet 12 from tearing or fraying. A resilient fastener such as a bungee cord 18 having two ends 18a, 18b (as shown in FIG. 7) is attached to the tire over 10 by threading one end 18a of the bungee cord 18 through one hole 17a of the two holes 17 and another end 18b of the bungee cord 18 through another hole 17b of the two holes 17. A length of the bungee cord 18 is slightly longer than the distance between the two holes 17 such that two side fasteners 19 can be installed on the ends 18a, 18b of the bungee cord 18 as shown in FIG. 7.

[0033] FIG. 7 depicts a front side of the tire cover 10 facing outward and away from an exterior sidewall of the tire 30. As shown in FIG. 7, both ends 18a, 18b of the bungee cord 18 protrude from the two holes 17 on the front side of the tire cover 10. The side fasteners 19 are installed at the ends 18a, 18b of the bungee cord 18. The sides of the tire cover 10 are attached to the wheel well 16 by attaching the side fasteners 19 to an inside of the lip 16a of the wheel well 16. As shown in FIGS. 7, 8A, and 8B, the side fasters can be hooks, and after the side fasteners 19 are attached to the wheel well 16, the bungee cord 18 is tensioned to hold the sides of tire cover 10 securely to the wheel well 16. Thus, when the top fastener 13 and the side fasteners 19 are attached to the wheel well 16, the tire cover 10 is securely attached to the wheel well 16 while leaving space between the tire cover 10 and the tire 30 to allow for ventilation so that moisture and heat do not become trapped between the tire cover 10 and the tire 30, thus reducing further degradation of the tire 30. The side fasteners 19 are not limited to including a hook. The side fasteners 19 may be one of a snap fastener, a magnet, a button loop, a hook-and-loop fastener (Velcro), clips, or the like.

[0034] The configuration of the top fastener 13 and side fasteners 19 allow for easy installation of the tire cover 10 such that the attachment points to the wheel well 16 are easily accessible to a user. The user does not have to reach into the wheel well 16 and does not have to bend down into awkward positions. Furthermore, the tire cover 10 is securely attached to the wheel well 16 using fewer attachment points than existing designs and does not need any further adjustment after attachment, thus reducing the time and effort to install the tire cover 10.

Installation

[0035] A description of the installation process of the tire cover 10 is now provided. The tire cover 10 may be stored in a bag 40 (as shown in FIG. 9) when the tire cover 10 is folded down to approximately size of the unfolded circular shape as shown in FIG. 3. After removing the tire cover 10 from the bag 40, the tension from the flexible frame 11 causes the tire cover 10 to expand to its full size as shown in FIG. 2.

[0036] In one embodiment, the tire cover 10 includes the fabric strap 14 including one part 15a of the snap fastener attached thereto and the wheel well 16 includes another part 15b of the snap fastener attached thereto. The user may press the one part 15a to the another part 15b to securely attach the two parts 15a, 15b of the snap fastener thereby securing the top portion 10a of the tire cover 10 to the lip 16a of the wheel well 16 as shown in FIG. 6. The user may then attach each of the side fasteners 19 to the lip 16a on both sides of the wheel well 16 thereby securely attaching the tire cover 10 to the wheel well 16 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.

[0037] Any reference in this specification to an embodiment means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments. The features of any one embodiment may be combined with features of one or more other embodiments described herein to form additional embodiments.

[0038] Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments, numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this invention. More particularly, reasonable variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the foregoing disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0039] For example, the present technology can adopt the following configurations. [0040] (1) A tire cover, including:

[0041] a flexible fabric sheet having a front side, a rear side, a top, and a bottom;

[0042] a flexible frame coupled to a periphery of the flexible fabric sheet and having a folded state and an open state in which the flexible fabric sheet is tensioned;

[0043] a top fastener coupled to a periphery of the tire cover adjacent to the top of the flexible fabric sheet and configured to attach to a wheel well of a vehicle, the flexible fabric sheet including one hole located adjacent to the periphery of the flexible fabric sheet on one side of the top fastener and including another hole located adjacent to the periphery of the flexible fabric sheet on another side of the top fastener;

[0044] a resilient fastener having two ends, one of the two ends being threaded through the one hole from the rear side to the front side of the flexible fabric sheet and another of the two ends being threaded through the another hole from the rear side to the front side of the flexible fabric sheet; and

[0045] two side fasteners, one of the two side fasteners being attached to the one end of the resilient fastener and another of the two side fasteners attached to the another end of the resilient fastener, the two side fasteners being configured to attach to the wheel well of the vehicle. [0046] (2) The tire cover of (1), wherein

[0047] the flexible fabric sheet includes two layers, and

[0048] the flexible frame is inserted between the two layers such that the flexible frame is positioned adjacent to a seam joining the two layers. [0049] (3) The tire cover of (1) or (2), wherein

[0050] the seam includes an opening at the top of the flexible fabric sheet exposing a portion of the flexible frame, and

[0051] a fabric strap is attached to the exposed portion of the flexible frame. [0052] (4) The tire cover of any of (1) through (3), wherein

[0053] one part of a snap fastener is attached to the fabric strap and configured to connect to another part of the snap fastener attached to the wheel well of the vehicle. [0054] (5) The tire cover of any of (1) through (4), wherein

[0055] a loop is attached to the fabric strap and configured to connect to a button attached to the wheel well of the vehicle. [0056] (6) The tire cover of any of (1) through (5), wherein

[0057] a magnet is attached to the fabric strap and configured to connect to another magnet attached to the wheel well of the vehicle. [0058] (7) The tire cover of any of (1) through (6), wherein

[0059] the one hole and the another hole are located below a horizontal center line of the tire cover when the tire cover is oriented such that the top fastener is located at a top portion of the tire cover. [0060] (8) The tire cover of any of (1) through (7), wherein the resilient fastener includes a bungee cord. [0061] (9) The tire cover of any of (1) through (8), wherein

[0062] the one hole and the another hole are reinforced by grommets. [0063] (10) The tire cover of any of (1) through (9), wherein

[0064] the top fastener is one of a snap fastener, a magnet, a button loop, a hook-and-loop fastener, or a clip. [0065] (11) The tire cover of any of (1) through (10), wherein

[0066] the flexible fabric sheet includes material that blocks ultraviolet (UV) rays or reflects light. [0067] (12) The tire cover of any of (1) through (11), wherein

[0068] the flexible frame is configured to transition between a folded state and an open state in which the flexible fabric sheet is tensioned, and

[0069] the flexible frame includes a wire formed in a circular shape when not folded and is made of a material that, after folding the flexible frame, can return to the not folded circular shape. [0070] (13) The tire cover of any of (1) through (12), wherein

[0071] the flexible fabric sheet includes two layers, and

[0072] the two layers include materials different from each other. [0073] (14) The tire cover of any of (1) through (13), wherein

[0074] the rear side of the tire cover faces inward toward an exterior sidewall of the tire, and

[0075] the front side of the tire cover faces outward away from the exterior sidewall of the tire. [0076] (15) The tire cover of any of (1) through (14), wherein

[0077] the flexible fabric sheet includes a single layer of material, and

[0078] the flexible frame is inserted inside a hem formed by folding an outer circumferential edge of the single layer of material around the flexible frame. [0079] (16) The tire cover of any of (1) through (15), wherein

[0080] the hem includes an opening at the top of the flexible fabric sheet exposing a portion of the flexible frame, and

[0081] a fabric strap is attached to the exposed portion of the flexible frame. [0082] (17) The tire cover of any of (1) through (16), wherein

[0083] a length of the resilient fastener is longer than a distance between the one hole and the another hole. [0084] (18) The tire cover of any of (1) through (17), wherein

[0085] the flexible fabric sheet includes two layers of material,

[0086] one of the two layers of material facing the outside includes material that blocks ultraviolet (UV) rays or reflects light, and another of the two layers of material facing the inside includes material that blocks heat. [0087] (19) The tire cover of any of (1) through (18), wherein

[0088] the two side fasteners include hooks.