WO2008156229A1

WO2008156229A1 - Auto surface protection cover

Info

Publication number: WO2008156229A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/004812
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chul-Woo Joo
Original assignee: Chul-Woo Joo
Priority date: 2007-06-21
Filing date: 2007-10-02
Publication date: 2008-12-24
Also published as: KR20080112513A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a protective cover for a vehicle surface capable of having an excellent adhesive strength, being easily installed and dismantled, and reducing time consumption in installation and dismantlement, by having a shape and structure to be in close contact with a surface of a vehicle exterior panel. The protective cover in accordance with the present invention comprises one or more unit covers. Here, the unit covers include a hood cover, a roof cover and a trunk cover installed on a hood panel, a roof panel and a trunk panel, respectively. The unit covers further include a front glass cover and a rear glass cover installed on a front glass and a rear glass, respectively. In addition, the unit covers include front door covers, rear door covers, fender covers, quarter covers and pillar covers respectively installed on a pair of front door panels, a pair of rear door panels, a pair of fender panels, a pair of quarter panels and a pair of pillar panels.

Description

AUTO SURFACE PROTECTION COVER

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a protective cover for a vehicle surface and more particularly, to a protective cover for a vehicle surface capable of having an excellent adhesive strength, being easily installed and dismantled, and also reducing time consumption in installation and dismantlement by having a shape and structure to be in close contact with the surface of a vehicle exterior panel. Background Art

[2] Generally, in order to protect the exterior of a vehicle from external environment elements such as moisture, dusts and direct rays of light, and increase merchantability by making an exterior panel appearance of a vehicle beautiful, painting is performed for a vehicle.

[3] Vehicles manufactured and loaded through various processes including the above- mentioned painting process are delivered to consumers through inland, marine and aviation transport. During the delivery, it is very important to prevent the film of paint from being damaged due to various causes such as moisture, dusts and direct rays of light. In particular, in the case of vehicles exported to foreign countries, in consideration of export/import procedures, transport period to importing countries, duration of storage after transport, and inland and standby period till the final delivery to consumers, period more than 6 to 8 months may be consumed.

[4] Therefore, in order to protect the film of paint of a vehicle, conventional opaque vinyl wrap has been adhered or anticorrosive agent has been applied to the surface of the film of paint. However, adhesion of the vinyl wrap needs much time and manpower, and adhesives may remain after removal of the vinyl wrap. In addition, when the anticorrosive agent is used, car washing should be performed before delivery to consumers. Since wastewater generated during car washing causes environmental contaminations, developed countries restrict use of the anticorrosive agent.

[5] In order to solve the problems, an integral type protective cover for a vehicle surface is used recently. However, since the integral type of protective cover is not adhered closely to the paint film of a vehicle causing a gap therebetween, it becomes floating and harms the paint film when the air flows into the gap at the time of driving or moving. Further, it covers the entire exterior surface of a vehicle. As a result, installation and dismantlement of the protective cover are difficult and need much time and manpower decreasing economic efficiency. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[6] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a protective cover for a vehicle surface capable of having an excellent adhesive strength, being easily installed and dismantled, and also, reducing time consumption in installation and dismantlement by having a shape and structure to be in close contact with the surface of a vehicle exterior panel. Technical Solution

[7] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a protective cover for a vehicle surface according to the invention includes one or more unit covers individually installed on each part of the vehicle exterior panels, wherein the unit covers are formed in a shape and size to cover the surface of corresponding panel.

[8] Here, the unit covers include a hood cover, a roof cover and a trunk cover installed on a hood panel, a roof panel and a trunk panel, respectively.

[9] The unit covers further include a front glass cover and a rear glass cover installed on a front glass and a rear glass, respectively.

[10] In addition, the unit covers include front door covers, rear door covers, fender covers, quarter covers and pillar covers respectively installed on a pair of front door panels, a pair of rear door panels, a pair of fender panels, a pair of quarter panels and a pair of pillar panels.

Advantageous Effects

[11] As described above, the protective cover for a vehicle surface according to the present invention has an excellent adhesive strength, can be easily installed and dismantled and reduce time consumption in installation and dismantlement, since it comprises one or more unit covers having a shape to be in close contact with a surface of a vehicle exterior panel. Accordingly, the protective cover according to the present invention can be installed and dismantled by a few workers, and thus, increases economic efficiency. Brief Description of the Drawings

[12] FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views illustrating a state where a notchback protection cover is installed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[13] FIGS. 3 and 4 are a plan view and a bottom view of the notchback protection cover, respectively;

[14] FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating a state where a hatchback protection cover is installed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; and

[15] FIGS. 7 and 8 are a plan view and a bottom view of the hatchback protection cover, respectively. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[16] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[17] A motor vehicle is classified into a three -box type notchback style consisting of an engine room, a passenger compartment and a trunk, a two-box type hatchback style consisting of an engine room and a passenger compartment, a plainback style and a fastback style without dividing a roof and a trunk.

[18] Although a protective cover for a vehicle surface in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is manufactured such that it can be applied to the above- mentioned various body styles of vehicles, a protective cover only for a notchback style and a hatchback style will be described in the embodiment, since protective covers for a plainback style or a fastback style are similar to a cover for a hatchback style.

[19] FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views illustrating a state where a protective cover for a notchback style is installed among protective covers for a vehicle surface in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 3 and 4 are a plan view and a bottom view of the protective cover for a notchback style, respectively.

[20] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protective cover used in a notchback-style vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as a notchback protection cover, 100) comprises one or more unit covers, and the unit covers include a hood cover 110, a roof cover 120 and a trunk cover 130 installed on a hood (bonnet) panel, a roof panel and a trunk panel, respectively.

[21] The unit covers further include a front glass cover 140a and a rear glass cover 140b respectively installed on a front glass and a rear glass, and a front door cover 150a and a rear door cover 150b respectively installed on a front door panel and a rear door panel.

[22] Moreover, the unit covers further include a fender cover 160, a quarter cover 170 and a pillar cover 180 installed on a fender panel, a quarter panel and a pillar panel, respectively.

[23] Meanwhile, according to a vehicle specification, the unit covers additionally include a chrome-plated part protection cover 190a, an emblem protection cover 190c and a satellite antenna protection cover 19Od for protecting a chrome-plated part, an emblem and a satellite antenna, respectively.

[24] Each unit cover of the notchback protection cover 100 according to the embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[25] First, the hood cover 110 has a shape and size to cover the overall paint film of the hood panel. A double-sided tape 112 is adhered to the underside of the hood cover along the edge of the hood cover so as to attach and install the hood cover 110 to the hood panel. Also, a pair of extension covers 114 are formed on both sides of the front end of the hood cover 110 so that the hood cover 110 is prevented from being taken off while driving. Holders 116 are provided at both sides of the rear end of the hood cover 110 for easy installation and dismantlement, and through-holes 118 are formed at positions corresponding to nozzles for jetting washer liquid so that the hood cover 110 is in close contact with the hood panel. Reinforcement films 119 may be attached to the periphery of the through-holes 118 on the topside or the underside of the hood cover so as to enhance the durability of the periphery thereof.

[26] The roof cover 120 has a shape and size to cover the overall paint film of the roof panel, and a double-sided tape 122 is adhered to the underside of the roof cover along the edge of the roof cover. According to a vehicle specification, when a satellite antenna is installed on the vehicle, a groove 124 is formed at a position corresponding to the satellite antenna on the roof panel of the vehicle. The satellite antenna protection cover 19Od is additionally provided so as to protect the satellite antenna exposed through the groove 124.

[27] Although the trunk cover 130 has a shape and size to cover the overall paint film of the trunk panel in the same way as the hood cover 110 and the roof cover, it consists of a horizontal trunk cover 130a and a vertical trunk cover 130b to be installed on the horizontal plane and vertical plane of the trunk panel bent in the form of "D", respectively. A double-sided tape 132 is adhered to the underside of each trunk cover 130a and 130b. Holders 136 are provided at both sides of the front end of the horizontal trunk cover 130a and at both sides of the lower end of the vertical trunk cover 130b. A pair of extension covers 134 are formed at both side ends of the vertical trunk cover 130b, respectively.

[28] Each of the front glass cover 140a and the rear glass cover 140b has the same shape and size as the front glass and the rear glass, respectively, in the same way as the above-mentioned unit cover. A double- sided tape 142 is adhered to the underside of each glass cover. However, unlike the above-mentioned each unit cover, a transparent film is prepared in the center of each glass cover, and thus front and rear visual fields are secured while driving. That is, the vehicle can be driven in a state the protective cover is installed.

[29] Each of the front door cover 150a and the rear door cover 150b has a shape and size to cover only upper part of the front door panel and the rear door panel, unlike the above-mentioned unit cover. It is because there is less possibility that lower parts of the front door panel and the rear door panel will be damaged by external environment elements such as moisture, dusts and direct rays of the sun. However, covers for protecting the lower part of the front door panel and the rear door panel may be additionally installed or the front door cover 150a and the rear door cover 150b may be provided in a shape and size to cover both upper and lower parts of each panel according to a user's request or transportation and storage environments.

[30] A double-sided tape 152 is adhered to the circumference of the underside of each of the above-mentioned front door cover 150a and the rear door cover 150b. A film 154 for attaching a door guard to one side of the topside of each door cover is provided. Further, each of the front door cover and the rear door cover has a through- hole at a position corresponding to a door catch part and a door catch protection cover 156 is installed around the throuh-hole part of each door cover in order to protect the door catch exposed by the through-hole. Here, the door catch protection cover 156 provided on a driver's side front door is installed to be openable for driver's boarding.

[31] The fender cover 160 has a shape and size to cover only the upper part of the fender panel in the same way as the front door cover 150a and the rear door cover 150b. The fender cover 160 has a through-hole at a position corresponding to a direction indicator light and a direction indicator light protection cover 164 is installed around the through-hole part of the fender cover in order to protect the exposed direction indicator light. The quarter cover 170 has a shape and size to cover the overall surface of the quarter panel. A fuel inlet protection cover 174 which is openable to fill fuel is installed on the quarter cover 170. The fuel inlet cover 174 is attached to only one of a pair of quarter covers 170 according to the vehicle. Also, double-sided tapes 162 and 172 are provided on each underside of the fender cover 160 and the quarter cover 170 for the attachment and installation of the fender cover 160 and the quarter cover 170.

[32] The pillar cover 180 has a shape and size to cover the overall surface or a part of the surface of the pillar panel. The pillar covers 180 consist of A-type pillar covers 180a attached to both sides of the front glass, B-type pillar covers 180b attached to both sides of the roof panel and C-type pillar covers 180c attached to both sides of the rear glass for easy attachment and installation onto the pillar panel having curved surfaces. A double-sided tape 182 is adhered to the underside of each of the pillar covers 180a, 180b and 180c.

[33] Here, each of the front door cover 150a, the rear door cover 150b, the fender cover

160, the quarter cover 170 and the pillar cover 180 is formed as a pair having a shape symmetric to each other to be installed at right and left sides of the vehicle.

[34] Meanwhile, the chrome-plated part protection cover 190a, the emblem protection cover 230 and the satellite antenna protection cover 240 are manufactured in various shapes according to a vehicle specification, a manufacturer or the like. Therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted. [35] Each unit cover as described above is made of high density polyethylene of nondi- rectional superfine fiber having a diameter of approximately 0.5 to 10 D. It is molded only by heat and pressure without adding any binder or filling material. Accordingly, the fiber is lighter and more durable than other materials and a dust is not laid on the fiber. Also, each cover is so durable that it is not broken even though it is folded and unfolded over 20,000 times, and so chemical resistant that it does not react with chemical components such as an acid, a base and a salt. Further, each cover has retractility and flexibility so as to be in close contact with each highly-curved panel. Each cover has good air permeability and waterproof property, and excellent ultraviolet ray and heat shielding property, and its surface is antistatic-treated, thereby having no influence on the paint film of the vehicle.

[36] FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating a state where a protective cover for a hatchback style is installed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 7 and 8 are a plan view and a bottom view of the protective cover for a hatchback style, respectively.

[37] As illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8, the protective cover used in a hatchback-style vehicle

(hereinafter, referred to as a hatchback protection cover, 200) comprises one or more unit covers. The unit covers include a hood cover 210, a roof cover 220 and a tail door cover 230 installed on a hood panel, a roof panel and a tail door panel, respectively.

[38] The hatchback protection cover 200 further includes a front glass cover 240a and a rear glass cover 240b respectively installed on a front glass and a rear glass, and a front door cover 250a and a rear door cover 250b respectively installed on a front door panel and a rear door panel.

[39] In addition, the hatchback protection cover 200 includes a fender cover 260, a quarter cover 270 and a pillar cover 280 installed on a fender panel, a quarter panel and a pillar panel, respectively.

[40] Though not shown in the figures, the hatchback protection cover 200 further includes a chrome-plated part protection cover, an emblem protection cover and a satellite antenna protection cover for protecting a chrome-plated part, an emblem and a satellite antenna according to a vehicle specification in the same way as the notchback protection cover.

[41] Here, the hatchback protection cover 200 is different from the notchback protection cover 100 in that the hatchback protection cover 200 includes the tail door cover 230, but each unit cover of the hatchback protection cover has the same or similar function as that of the notchback protection cover, having difference only in names according to a vehicle style. Accordingly, detailed description of each unit cover of the hatchback protection cover 200 will be omitted.

[42] Although the configuration and operation of the protective cover for a vehicle surface according to the preferred embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the above-mentioned description and drawings, they are described just as an example. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

[1] A protective cover for a vehicle surface for protecting a paint film of a vehicle exterior panel, comprising; one or more unit covers individually installed on each part of the vehicle exterior panels, wherein each of the unit covers is formed in a shape and size to cover the surface of corresponding panel. [2] The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the unit covers include a hood cover, a roof cover and a trunk cover installed on a hood panel, a roof panel and a trunk panel of the vehicle, respectively. [3] The protective cover according to claim 2, wherein the unit covers include a hood cover, a roof cover and a tail door cover installed on a hood panel, a roof panel and a tail door panel of the vehicle, respectively. [4] The protective cover according to any one of claim 2 and claim 3, wherein the unit covers further include a front glass cover and a rear glass cover respectively installed on a front glass and a rear glass, and front door covers, rear door covers, fender covers, quarter covers and pillar covers respectively installed on a pair of front door panels, a pair of rear door panels, a pair of fender panels, a pair of quater panels and a pair of pillar panels. [5] The protective cover according to claim 4, wherein the pillar covers comprise A- type pillar covers attached to both sides of the front glass, B-type pillar covers attached to both sides of the roof panel and C-type pillar covers attached to both sides of the rear glass. [6] The protective cover according to claim 5, wherein the unit covers further include a chrome-plated part protection cover, an emblem protection cover and a satellite antenna protection cover for protecting a chrome-plated part, an emblem and a satellite antenna, respectively.