US2986113A - Curb signaling device - Google Patents

Description

May 30, 1961 D. FREEs ErAL CURB SIGNALING DEVICE Filed July 16, 1959 Irina/56' United States Patent O n CURB SIGNALING DEVICE David Frees, Encino, and Edwin L. Schwartz, Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to Sutone Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed July 16, 1959, Ser. No. 827,624

Claims. (Cl. 116-28) This invention relates to audible curb signaling devices for motor vehicles and more particularly to adjustably mounted dual exible antennae warning of approach to either a high or low curb.

The prior artA and the automobile accessory industry is replete with disclosures and examples of single flexible curb-warning devices that give the driver an audible signal of his position with respect to the curbing. These earlier devices are useful and they are adjusted initially in a general attempt to take care of any parking situation with respect to high and low curbs.

Unless the conventional single curb guard is set suffciently low to scrape a low curb, it overrides the curband thus fails as a signaling device, except as against high curbs. If the standard single exible antenna is disposed at considerable length from the car body yto engage either a low or high curb, then the driver is warned away from safe desirable close parking against av low curb.

Proper adjustment of the well-known single resonant antenna to permit parking close to a low curb results in dangerous close parking against a high curb. The adjacent high curb parking situation prevents car door opening and consequently a safety hazard because the occupants are forced to descend on the traic side.

The prior art and well known signaling accessories fail completely in solving the curb parking problem that is presented by the design of todays motor vehicles. Thus, with fairly low fenders that project outwardly Vseveral inches beyond the tires, it is necessary to protect against high curbs that may scratch and scrape the fender without touching the tire. For this reason among others, a car must be parked a greater distance away from a high curb than from a low curb which can only scrape or rub the side of the tires.

This invention overcomes the deficiencies of prior structures by providing a novel driver alarm device that will permit safe parking close to a low curb but will warn against a dangerous position near a high curb, and thus indicate a sutcient off-curb parking space to permit opening the door safely. i

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a device that will signal safe parking position near a low curb and will also prevent too close parking near a high curb or obstruction.

Another object of the invention is to provide two angularly disposed audible antennae, one of which will warn the driver of a low curb position and the other of which will signal the driver to a safe parking distance from a high curb.

Still another object of the invention is to provide mechanism for angularly adjusting low and high curb signaling antennae that will permit close parking against a low curb and warn against close parking to a high curb.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a device of the class described, dual adjustable indexing dej 2,986,113 Patented May 30, 1961 f'ice vices for angularly positioning the flexible, audible antennae.

Other objects will become apparent in the ensuing specication and appended drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a motor vehicle with curb signaling device attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational View in partial section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the attachment bracket and indexing mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the improved curb warning device has been attached to the rea-r edge of a front right automobile fender F. The position of fender or body attachment is merely a matter of choice because the device is designed to protect both fenders and body inasmuch as they become a unit in modern cars.

A pair of angularly disposed curb warning antennae have indications L for the lower curb scraping element and H for the high curb contacting member. The two antennae L and H are exactly the same in construction and only one will be described.

An elongated narrow metal strip 10 is twisted in a torsional manner on a longitudinal axis to form a ilexible rod or antenna L or H, having contiguous spiraling edges 11. A solid curb scraping tip 12 is pressed on the outer end of the twisted metal strip 10. The construction of antennae L and H may be conventional as far as this invention is concerned. When attached to the motor vehicle body M, they act as'audible curb signalling devices whose vibrations are transmitted therefrom through the metal fender to the motor car body which tends to act as a sounding board. Thus, theY alarm is transmitted to the driver.

A supporting bracket for the flexible audible antennae L and H are provided in the following mechanism: a bracket B is comprised of a U-shaped yoke 13 which has a reduced web 14 and a pair of legs 15 and 16 disposed at right angles thereto. The leg 15 has a plurality of threaded apertures 17 therein. A pair of threaded screws 18 and 18a respectively are optionally engageable in any of the apertures 17 to 'clamp a fender, body section or flange against leg 16, and thus firmly attach the device to the fender F or motor car body M.

The antennae supporting mechanism is generallyV referred to as S and includes the following elements: two ears 20' and 21 respectively are formed integral with web 14 and bent laterally therefrom at right angles thereto. The ears 20 and 21 are disposed in parallel relationship and are apertured at their ends 22 and 23 respectively. 'A small bolt receiving spacing cylinder 24 is placed between lthe outer ends of the ears Ztl and 21 in alignment with the apertures 22 and23. A series of serrations 25 and 26 respectively on the ends of the cylinder 24 engage a plurality of complemental radial serrations 27 and 28 respectively on the inner sides of ears 20 and 21 and thus fixedly support the cylinder 24 in the ears 20 and 21.

A threaded attachment bolt 29 having a nut 30 is carried in the apertured ears 20 and 21 respectively and the xed small spacing cylinder 24. Dual supports for antennae L and H include a pair of attachment and spacing arms 31 and 32 respectively which have integrally connected, right angularly disposed antennae supporting sections 33 and 34 respectively. The sections 33 and 34 are clamped firmly about the inner ends of the antenna L and H as best seen in Figure 4. The attachment arms 31 and 32 are apertured at 35 and 36 respectively for reception on the threaded bolt 29 exteriorly of the ears 20 and V21. The arms 31 and 32 have a pair of similarly stamped circular sections 37 and 38 respectively about the apertures 35 and 36. The peripheral edges of the stamped sections 37 and 38 have inwardly disposed serrations 39 and 40 respectively. `Mounted on bolt -29 are dual star washers 41 and 42 respectively which 'are seated in the serrated stamped sections 37 and 38 of adjustable attachment arms 31 and 32. The bolt 28'secures the supporting assembly S by being screwed tightly therein. The assembly is further xedly connected by tightening the nut 30.

The disposition of star washers 41 and 42 in the serrated stamped sections 37 and 38 of attachment arms 31 and 32 respectively provides a positive locking mechanism that is essential to the present device. The adjustable locking mechanism for the dual antennae resides primarily in the association of th'e antennae supports 31 and 32 with the tixedly positioned 'ears'20 and'21 and the associated serrated adjustable lockingelements 37"and 38 and star washers 41 and 42 respectively.

The operation of the device is simple. Attachment bracket B is fashioned to straddle different types of fender and body flanges and the plural adjustment apertures and dual clamping screws permit optional engagement on the car body as desired.

The ilexible resonant antennae are then angularly adjusted to absolute fixed positions so that the antenna L will scrape a low curb with the motor vehicle body closely adjacent thereto, but with tires T prevented from rubbing or overunning the curb. The antenna H as shown in Figure 2 overrides the low curb at this time. However, in Figure 2 the antenna H may engage a high curb and the driver is therefore warned to park farther away for protection of the car body and to permit space to open the curb-side door.

Adjustment of the dual flexible resonant antennae is accompanied as before described by releasing and/or tightening the bolt 29 and nut 30 with respect to the indexing mechanism and manual setting of the antenna in absolute fixed position.

The antennae L and H are subject to the most vigorous usage and curb attacks. lt is necessary that their degree of adjustment, different in each car, be absolute in each case and to this end the supporting and adjustment mechanism, herein descibed, has been carefully designed. Adjustment of each antenna to the proper angle to suit any condition of use is possible with the present interlocking elements, which are readily movable to correct adjustable position before the nal absolute tightening operation.

While the form of the invention shown and described is fully capable of achieving the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it will be realized that variations are possible without departure from the spirit of the invention. For this reason it is not intended to limit the invention to the form shown and described but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a high or low curb signaling device, means for supporting a pair of independently adjustable antennae,

' and including: a bracket for detachable mounting on a motor vehicle body; dual ears, on said bracket; a iixedly mounted spacing cylinder between said ears; a locking bolt and nut carried in said ears and said cylinder; serrated antenna arms on said bolt; and star washers on said bolt having interlocking association with said arms.

2. A device for mounting a pair of independently adjustable curb signalling antennae, comprising: a bracket for detachable mounting on a motor vehicle body or fender portions thereof; dual ears on said bracket; a spacing cylinder interlocked between said ears; an antenna attachment and release member carried by said ears and said cylinder; `and dual serrated antenna supports and associated star washers oppositely disposed on said ears and said attachment member for manual angular adjustment and positive interlock therewith.

3. A curb signaling device, comprising: a bracket for detachable mounting on a motor vehicle body or fender portions thereof; dual curb antennae having apertured inner attachment arms; and manually operable locking and releasing mechanism permitting independent angular adjustment of said antennae to project against high or low curbs including, dual ears projecting from said bracket, a spacing cylinder locked between said ears, a threaded bolt carried in said ears and cylinder, and an interlocking connecting means between said attachment arms and said ears and said bolt whereby said antennae may be adjusted and maintained in desired angular curb projection.

4. A device for mounting a pair of independently adjustable curb signalling antennae including: a bracket for detachable mounting on a motor vehicle body or fender portions thereof; an antenna support connected to said bracket; oppositely disposed antenna attached arms pivotally mounted onsaid support, said arms being independently adjustable and each holding an independent antenna; and interlocking mechanism engaging and jointly connecting said arms on said support.

5. A supporting means for detachable mounting on a motor vehicle body and adapted to hold a pair of independently adjustable curb signalling antennae, said means including: a bracket; spaced ears projecting from said bracket; a fixed spacing cylinder therebetween; a threaded bolt and nut mounting in said ears and cylinder; dual spacing supports clamped to the body ends of said antennae and apertured for mounting on said bolt, said supports having adjustment indexes about said apertures; and dual indexing washers on said bolt and engaging said indexed antennae supports permitting optional angular adjustment of said resonant antennae into projected engagement with either a high or low curb.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,642,830 Aves June 23, 1953 2,731,935 Aves Jan. 24, 1956

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