WO2001083209A1

WO2001083209A1 - Temporary protective covering

Info

Publication number: WO2001083209A1
Application number: PCT/US2001/011786
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dennis W. Doney; Mark S. Hall
Original assignee: Doney Dennis W; Hall Mark S
Priority date: 2000-04-27
Filing date: 2001-04-10
Publication date: 2001-11-08

Abstract

A temporary protective covering (10) used to cover open areas on automotive vehicles that have broken windows or warped body panels due to damage by collision or vandalism is provided. A flexible film web (12) having an adhesive backing (14) covering the entirety of one side of the web is applied to the exterior of the damaged automobile to prevent infiltration of water.

Description

TEMPORARY PROTECTIVE COVERING

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a temporary protective covering used to cover open

areas on automotive vehicles that have broken windows or waφed body panels due to

damage by collision or vandalism. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, the

invention relates to a flexible film web having an adhesive backing covering the entirety

of one side of the web.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is generally known and a common practice to employ a layer of plastic film or

tarp to temporarily cover the open areas on automotive vehicles that have broken

windows or warped body panels due to damage by collision or vandalism. Frequently,

the plastic film will be tied or taped to temporarily cover the opening until permanent

repairs are completed. The ability of the film to reliably seal and span large

unsupported areas, so as to produce a moisture or rain impervious barrier, can be

difficult. Further, the ability to maintain the pieces of broken glass in a fixed position,

so as to reduce the risk of injury, is also difficult. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The temporary protective covering accordingto the present invention comprises

a web of polymeric film having an adhesive backing transparent composite film.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 illustrates a temporary protective covering using the repair web of the

present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the temporary protective covering

of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 through 6 illustrate the typical installation of the temporary protective

covering of Fig. 2 on an automobile window.

Figs. 7 through 9 illustrate the typical installation of the temporary protective

covering of Fig. 2 on a warped body panel section of an automobile.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Fig. 1 illustrates the temporary protective covering accordingto the present

invention prior to installation. As illustrated, the temporary protective covering is

preferably formed from a plastic film, generally designated by the numeral 10 supplied

in a rolled form. More preferably, the plastic film is a stretchable plastic film and is

made available in a roll form. As further seen in Fig.2, the temporary protective covering 10 is preferably

made up of two superimposed layers supplied in a web. Preferably, the web may be

supplied in a rolled form to minimize shipping and handling expenses and to further

minimize storage requirements for the web pending its usage. The top layer 12

preferably is a relatively resilient transparent film of plastic. Alternatively, the top layer

12 may range from a clear plastic to a translucent plastic to an opaque plastic of any

desired color.

The bottom layer 14 is a thin layer of transparent adhesive. Optionally, where

an exceptionally tacky adhesive is used, a third protective layer may be provided which

is removably adhered to the adhesive layer to prevent the adhesive from prematurely

adheringto the reverse side of the plastic web. The protective layer may be removed

from the relevant area of the web just prior to application to a window area.

As noted above the top plastic layer 12 is preferably a stretchable plastic.

Further, the plastic layer 12 is also puncture resistant and sufficiently flexible to cover

and conform to metal, glass edges that are broken, twisted and misshapened due to

damage. Further, the plastic layer 12 will remain flexible even when subjected to a

wide variety of weather conditions including sub zero cold, scorching summer sun,

heavy rainfall and high winds. Preferably, the plastic layer 12 is transparent to enable

photography of the details of covered damaged areas without the need to remove the

plastic material. The plastic layer 12 may be selected from a number of plastic films as generally

known in the art. Preferably, the transparent film layers are to be selected from the

group consisting of, but not limited to, polyesters such as transparent film grade

polyethylene terephthalate and related copolymers, including blends with polystyrene or

the like; certain transparent grades of polyolefins such as polyethylene and/or

polypropylene and in particular, biaxially oriented polypropylene; acrylics such as film

grade polymethylmethacrylateand related copolymers and film based on or containing

polystyrene as previously recited. Most preferably, a component is added to the plastic

prior to forming the web to inhibit ultraviolet damage of the plastic caused by exposure

to sunlight. The most preferred stretchable plastic film for use as the plastic layer 12 is

low density polyethylene such as that supplied by Surface Guard Inc.

Any suitable thickness of plastic film may be used. Preferably, the plastic is

formed into a web having a thickness of about 2 thousandths of an inch (2 mil) to

about 5 thousandths of an inch (5 mil). Most preferably, the plastic has a thickness of

about 4 thousandths of an inch (4 mil).

The adhesive 14 to be used accordingto the present invention can generally be

any hot melt, pressure sensitive, transparent adhesive as generally known in the art.

Preferably, a light tack adhesive is used so that the protective covering of the invention

may be applied on freshly painted heat cured surfaces. Light tack adhesive permits later

removal of the protective covering without damaging or otherwise liftingup the newly

painted surface. Further, a light tack adhesive does not transfer from the protective covering to the protected surface. Such transfer would necessitate potentially damaging

cleaning of the protected surface. Further, a light tack adhesive is less likely to

aggressively bond to itself making the protective covering easier to handle. If the

protective covering inadvertently binds to itself during installation, light tack permits

easy separation.

Preferably, acrylic based adhesives such as pressure-sensitive adhesive derived

from copolymerizingvarious organic acrylates and acrylic acid are used. In the case

where a liner is used to prevent the adhesive from adhering to the reverse side of the

plastic web, the adhesive is further selected such that it has no or low tolerance to

moisture and as such, can be pacified by wiping with a dry cloth or the like. Typically

the adhesive layer is about 0.5 thousandths of an inch (0.5 mil) to about 2.5 thousandths

of an inch (2.5 mil) thick, most preferably 0.5 to 1 mil thick acrylic based adhesive has

been found useful for purposes of this invention. The most preferred adhesive for use

as the adhesive layer 14 is acrylic. Most preferably, the adhesive layer does not exhibit

excessive tack or adherence to the plastic layer 12 selected for use in the present

invention so that no third protective layer is required.

The temporary protective covering web is preferably a convenient size to

enable the product to be easily transported and applied by only one person. Further, a

tool for severing the web is conveniently supplied with the temporary protective

covering web of the present invention. An appropriate size for supplying a roll of the

web material of the present invention would be about 24 inches wide by about 200 feet long, rolled onto a cylindrical core with the adhesive side toward the core leaving

the non-adhesive surface exposed to resist contamination. The 200' length is

preferably continuous without perforation or other types of tear sites.

To use or install the temporary protective covering in Fig. 1, the film may be

applied to the surface to be protected as the film is unrolled or the film may be rolled

out to an appropriate size and cut off from the roll. The cut section should be of

sufficient size to cover the entire area to be protected as well as a portion of the

surrounding area. The adhesive side of the cut section of the web of the present

invention is then is adhesively pressed to the entirety of the area to be protected. In an

alternative manner, the film may not be cut from the roll before adhering the film to the

object to be protected. Rather, the leading edge of the roll of film may be applied to a

selected side of the area to be protected. The roll of film may then be unrolled while

applying and adhesively pressing the film onto the area to be protected. Once the entire

area to be protected is covered, the web is severed from the roll using, for instance,

scissors, a knife or a box cutter tool, and the trailing edge of the severed web is

adhesively pressed to the item being protected.

In applying the temporary protective covering of the present invention in either

of the manners described above, when the web is applied over fractured or broken glass,

one can readily see that the glass remaining in place adheres to the plastic film,

preventingthe glass from falling and distributing about the area where workers in the

area could be easily cut or injuring in another manner by the glass. More importantly, the protective covering is especially useful in protecting

freshly repaired painted areas now ground to bare metal along with freshly applied and

sanded plastic body filler. Such areas must not be left unprotected when stored outside

and exposed to the weather elements for fear of moisture contamination and oxidation.

One should also appreciate that the temporary protective covering of the present

invention may be applied to an area in a variety of ways. For instance, the web may be

applied from side to side, top to bottom or at any other desired angular relationship.

Further, where the area to be protected is of a width greater than the supplied roll, the

web maybe applied in a shingle type relationship in successively overlapping layers

such that rain or snow melt will run down the surface without penetrating under the web

to, for instance, allow water in a vehicle which is being protected.

The actual manufacturing of the protective covering accordingto the present

invention can be by any of the methods generally known in the art to fabricate

laminated polymer film and the like. The preferred protective covering uses a 4 mil

plastic with about 1 mil film of adhesive.

As seen in Figs. 3 to 6, a broken automobile window may be repaired by

applyitigthe leading edge of the protective covering of the present invention to an area

to one side of the broken window. The roll of protective coveringis unrolled and the

protective covering is applied to the automobile and pressed into adhesive contact with

as much of the surface of the area to be protected as possible. Once the area to be

protected is covered, the web is severed and the trailing edge of the cut web is pressed down on the automobile. In addition, the person applying the protective covering may

apply further pressure to the protective covering by pushing down on the applied web

using hand pressure to further secure the adhesive to the automobile.

As seen in Figs. 7 through 9, the protective covering may be applied in a like

manner to a damaged automobile to span open areas between warped body panels and

their normally mated structures to protect against entry of water and dirt and other

debris into the automobile interior even though a window may not be broken. The

protective covering is unrolled and applied to the area to be protected in a similar

manner to that used to cover a broken window.

To further illustrate the invention, the following examples are presented.

EXAMPLE 1

A temporary protective covering as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 was made using 3

mil thick clear low density polyethylene film. A 0.5 mil layer of the acrylic adhesive

was applied to the low density polyethylene film. The 200' by 24" wide web was rolled

onto a paper core.

The temporary protective covering so supplied was then applied to a damaged

automobile by attachingthe leading edge of the roll of protective coveringto an area of

the car ahead of a broken passenger window. The leading edge was thus adhered to the

post and a portion of the front window. Then, as the web was unrolled, the web was

adhered to the window and the surrounding support structure. One the entire area was covered, the web was severed and the trailing edge of the applied web was adhesively

adhered to the automobile. This temporary repair prevented water infiltration into the

automobile as a result of dew and rain.

EXAMPLE 2

A temporary protective covering was made according to the present invention

as described in Example 1. The temporary protective covering was applied to an

automobile which was undergoing repairs for damaged body panels. The protective

covering was applied to an area of the automobile which included portions having

been filled with plastic body filler as well as areas which had been recently painted

and heat cured. The covered area was protected from the elements and, upon removal

of the protective web, no damage to the painted area or the plastic filled area was

observed.

EXAMPLE 3

A temporary protective covering was made according to the present invention

as described in Example 1. The temporary protective covering was applied to a

damaged automobile having body panels displaced from their normal mating vehicle

structures leaving open areas between them. The protective covering was applied to

an area of the automobile having a front door that had been damaged in an impact

collision. This impact collision had pushed the center of the door into its mating

structure and outwardly twisted the upper portion of the door thus creating an open

area. The open area was a greater size than the width of the web necessitating two parallel lengths of the web to span the gap. The first piece of the protective covering

was adhesively attached to the middle section of an undamaged area of an adjacent

rear door and stretched horizontally across the damaged front door and over the front

fender by 6 inches where the web was severed and adhesively applied. The second

piece was likewise adhesively attached to the rear door above the first piece

overlapping the first piece by 3 inches where the second piece was adhesively applied

to the top edge of the backside of the first piece. The second piece provided

sufficient width to overlap along its top edge onto the undamaged roof panel. This

second piece was stretched horizontally across the open area between the out twisted

upper section of the door and the opening in the body into which the door normally

mated. The second piece continued over the front windshield by 6 inches where the

web was severed and adhesively applied. The covered area protected the vehicle

interior from the elements by effectively sealing any entry point for water and wind.

Upon removal of the protective web, no damage to the painted surfaces was observed

and the adhesive on the web did not transfer to the body surfaces.

While only certain embodiments have been set forth, alternative embodiments

and various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. These and other

alternatives are considered equivalents and within the spirit and scope of the present

invention.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A temporary protective covering web comprising:

(a) a continuous first layer of a plastic film;

(b) a second layer of adhesive applied to the entirety one side of

said first layer of plastic film;

said web being rolled onto a core

2. The web of claim 1 wherein said plastic film is a low density

polyethylene.

3. The web of claim 1, wherein said adhesive is an aqueous based acrylic

adhesive.

4. The web of claim 2, wherein said plastic film has a thickness of about 2

mil to about 5 mil.

5. The web of claim 3, wherein said adhesive has a thickness of about 0.5

mil to about 2 mil.

6. The web of claim 1 , wherein said web has continuous unrolled length

of about 200 feet and a width of about 24 inches.

7. A temporary protective covering kit comprising: (a) a web of plastic film having an adhesive backing covering the entirety

of one side of said plastic film, said film and adhesive combination being rolled onto

a core, and

(b) a severing tool for use in severing said web at a selected location.

8. A method of effecting a temporary repair of a window, said method

comprising:

(a) ^' providing a web of plastic film having an adhesive backing covering

the entirety of one side of said plastic film, said film and adhesive combination being

rolled onto a core;

(b) applying the leading edge of the web in an adhesive manner to an area

adjacent to said window;

(c) unrolling said web and adhesively adhering said web as it is unrolled to

said window to be protected until said web contacts a second area adjacent said

window; and

(d) severing said web and adhering said trailing edge of said severed web

to said second adjacent area.

A temporary protective covering kit comprising: (a) a continuous web of plastic film having no perforations and having an

adhesive backing covering the entirety of one side of said plastic film, said film and

adhesive combination being rolled onto a core, and

(b) a severing tool for use in severing said web at a selected location.

10. A method of effecting a temporary protective covering of an

automobile undergoing repair, said method comprising:

(a) providing a continuous web of plastic film having an adhesive backing

covering the entirety of one side of said plastic film, said film and adhesive

combination being rolled onto a core;

(b) applying said web to the area to be protected and adhesively adhering

said web to the area to be protected;

(c) severing the dispensed web from said web rolled on said core;

wherein said protective covering may be removed from said protected area without

causing damage to any paint contacted by said web or to any plastic filled area

contacted by said web.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said plastic film is a low density

polyethylene.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said adhesive is an aqueous based

acrylic adhesive.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said plastic film has a thickness of

from about 2 mil to about 5 mil.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said adhesive has a thickness of from

about 0.5 mil to about 2 mil.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said web has an unrolled length of

about 200 feet and a width of about 24 inches.

16. The temporary protective covering web according to claim 1 , wherein

said adhesive has a tack such that when the protective covering is applied to a painted

surface, the adhesive is not transferred to said painted surface.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said adhesive has a tack such that

when the protective covering is applied to a painted surface, the adhesive is not

transferred to said painted surface.

18. A method of effecting a temporary protective covering an automobile

warped side panel, said method comprising:

(a) providing a continuous web of plastic film having an adhesive backing

covering the entirety of one side of said plastic film, said film and adhesive

combination being rolled onto a core; (b) applying said web to the warped body panel area and surrounding

undamaged area to be protected and adhesively adhering said web to said areas to be

protected;

(c) severing the dispensed web from said web rolled on said core.