US2889165A - Car body protectors - Google Patents

Description

June 2, 1959 s. v. ZIENTARA CAR BODY PROTECTORS Filed Mgrgh 21, 1955 INVENTOR r STANLEY v. ZIENTARA BY [6M ATTORNEY United ttcs Patent 2,889,165 Patented June 2, 1959 CAR BODY PROTECTORS Stanley V. Zientara, Chicago, Ill. Application March 21, 1955, Serial No. 495,597

Claims. (Cl. 293-1) My invention relatm to motor cars, and more particuarly to means for protecting the bodies thereof against injury by adjoining cars in a garage or parking lot. It is customary to park cars in a garage or parking lot quite close to each other. Therefore, when the door of one car is opened, its outer edge frequently strikes the body of the adjacent car, creating a mark, scratch or dent. Doors in current makes of cars are quite wide and it is difiicult to open them sufliciently to allow the entrance or egress of occupants without having the door swung so wide as to strike the adjoining car with the chance of damaging it as stated. This condition is particularly serious when the adjoining car is new or highly polished, as the owner probably is doing his best to avoid any injury to its appearance. In view of this situation, it is one object of the present invention to provide a protector for motor cars which will prevent an opening door of the same from inflicting any injury to the body of an adjoining car.

A further object is to provide a protector which also forms a guard for the car on which it is mounted to save the body thereof from injury by an opening door of an adjoining car.

Another object is to provide a protector which is in the form of a unit for each door of the car for which it is intended, so that each door will carry protective means both for itself and an adjoining car.

An additional object is to design the novel protector in the form of a simple accessory which may be mounted quickly by the owner of the car on all the doors thereof to serve as stated.

A still further object is to construct the novel protector in a manner to fit all car doors and for retention of the same when the doors are closed or locked.

An important object is to design the novel protector as a neat trim for motor cars, in order that it may add to rather than detract from the appearance thereof.

With the above objects in View, a better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typical motor car, showing two of the protectors mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a protector;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, partly broken away, and showing the application of the protector to the side of a motor car body;

Fig. 4 is an inverted view of the right-hand portion of the protector as seen in Fig. 3, with one part extended for purposes of clarity; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view, showing a modified form of the protector.

In accordance with the foregoing, specific reference to the drawing indicates the main portion of the protector as a tube of rubber designed to be stretched along each door of a motor car 11, as indicated in Fig. 1. Since the opening door of one car will strike the body of an adjoining one at the point of greatest prominence or convexity thereof, the height at which the protector is 2 placed is approximately along the middle, where such prominence or convexity shouldoccur.

The tube 10 is designed to receive frontal and rear end pieces 13 and 14, respectively. Thus, either of these may be designed ornamentally, the illustration for the frontal end piece 13 being that of an arrow which may be marked with the initials of the car owner.

Figs. 3 and 4 show more clearly the .manner of attaching the end pieces to the rubber tube 10. Thus, Fig. 4 shows that the end piece 14 is a block which has a cavity 16 on the inner side, that is, the side facing the motor car body and indicated at 14a. The forward end of the end piece has a cylindrical bore 17 designed for the insertion of the corresponding end of the tube 10 with a frictional fit to the position indicated. When this has been done, a nail 19 is inserted from the bottom of the rear end piece into a bore 20 made in the same and a bore 22 made in the tube 10 to the extent of lodging the pointed end of the nail in the top stock of the rear end piece, as shown in Fig. 2. Now, the rounded head 24 of the nail will fitneatly against the bottom of the end piece, as shown in the same figure.

The rear end piece 14 is also designed to seat a metallic hook 30 in the cavity 16, the rear end piece being molded on the inside with cascaded layers 31 and 31a for this purpose whereby to seat the head portion 30 and the curved neck portion 30a of the hook, respectively, as shown in Fig. 3. The bill 32 of the hook 30 projects on the outside in a position to engage the side rim 35 of a motor car door 36 along which the protector is placed, in the manner shown in Fig. 3. This figure shows both ends of the protector secured in this manner; and the length of the tube 10 may be calculated. to require a limited amount of stretch in order to have the hooks secure a firm hold on the door.

The protector is properly mounted on the motor car door when it is positioned as shown and described. However, in case the rubber tube tends to become relaxed with extended use, the protector is made with additional means to maintain it in engagement with the motor car door. As clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, such additional means comprise a wire 40 extending inside the rubber tube and having coil spring formations 41 at intervals. The wire 40 terminates with hooks 43; and the hooks 30 have shanks 45 which are perforated at one or more places, as indicated at 47, for the engagement of the spring wire books 43. When the hooks 30 are properly lodged in the end pieces 13 and 14, the connection of the spring wire hooks 43 will be such as to duplicate the tension of the rubber tube 10. However, when such tension relaxes as stated, that of the more permanent spring wire 40 will prevail, serving to hold the protector in firm engagement with the motor car door.

The end pieces 13 and 14 are of a fairly firm type of rubber; and the rear end piece 14 is made with a rounded corner 48 because it is carried by the free end of the door 36. Thus, when the latter is opened wide, the impact of the end piece 14 with the body of an adjoining car will be cushioned by the yieldable and rounded properties of the rear end piece, so that no mark or other injury will be inflicted to the adjoining car.

With a set of protectors mounted on a motor car as shown in Fig. 1, the same is not only equipped to render adjoining motor cars safe against marring or injury in the manner just stated, but a car equipped with the protectors is also safeguarded along the course of its doors when the doors of an adjoining car are opened into contact with the equipped car, since the alined protector will form a continuous rubber guard at the height of greatest body bulge or prominence, this factor being of special importance where the equipped car has no chrome trim along its body for protective purposes.

When a car is equipped with a set of the protectors, the closing and locking of'its doors will retain the protector against tampering or unauthorized removal. While the protector may be utilized only .when a car is to be parked between adjoining cars, it is designed to be made as a permanent mounting in order to avoid the annoyance of mounting, removal or storage. To this end, the protector is preferably made with an attractive design, as shown in Fig. 2, in order to form a neat trim along the body of the car; and the rubber tube 10 need not necessarily be of the conventional cylindrical cross-section, Fig. 5 showing that a tube a of triangular cross-section could be employed as an ornamental variant. It is also possible to lend the tube the form of a molding or other- Wise embellish the tube and end pieces with attractive and pleasing efiects.

In case the rubber tube 10 becomes unduly relaxed, it is a simple matter to withdraw the nail 19, remove the tube, cut off a piece, and restore the fit of the tube with the required amount of tension.

In conclusion, it may be said that the novel protector not only solves the problem of body defacement or injury by the closely parked cars, but also adds an ornament to the motor car as the means for that purpose.

While I have described the invention and its modification along specific lines, various minor changes or refinements may be made therein without departing from its principle, and I reserve the right to employ all such changes and refinements as may come Within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A protector for the doors of motor cars for positioning along the exterior surface of a car door comprising an elongated yieldable cushioning member having free ends, fastening means provided at said free ends, and a cushioned bumper member encasing at least one of said fastening means to protect other cars from injury due to the opening of said door.

'2. A protector for the doors of motor cars for positioning along the exterior surface of a car door comprising a cushioning tube, spring means having free ends channelled in said tube and extending substantially the length thereof, door gripping means provided at said free ends of said spring means to engage opposite edges of said door, a cushioned bumper member slidably mounted on said tube and encasing at least one of said fastening means to protect other cars from injury due to the opening of said door.

3. The structure of claim 2, and means maintaining said bumper member in fixed position on said tube over said fastening means.

4. A protector for the doors of cars positioned laterally along the outermost exterior surface of a car door comprising an elongated cushioning tube, a resilient member having free ends channelled in said tube and extending substantially the length thereof, a hook provided at one of said free ends engaging the hinged edge of said door, a second hook having an upwardly directed portion provided at the other of said free ends engaging the opening edge of said door; a cushioned bumper member having a cavity with a connecting bore therein, said bore receiving a portion of said tube, said hook seated in said cavity, a portion of said bumper within said cavity engaging said upwardly directed portion of said second hook whereby said second hook is projected outwardly of said cavity, and means maintaining said bumper member in a fixed position on said tube.

5. The structure of claim 4, wherein said means comprises a pin which extends through said bumper member and through a portion of said tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,212,493 Brunken Aug. 27, 1940 2,288,669 Atkinson July 7, 1942 2,456,157 Tadd Dec. 14, 1948 2,675,983 King Apr. 20, 1954

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