Communications: electrical – Vehicle parking indicators
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-02
2002-11-19
Swarthout, Brent A. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Vehicle parking indicators
C340S903000, C340S435000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06483441
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to distance indicating devices and methods, and more particularly to such a method and device for mounting on a vehicle for easy determination of the distance between an object and the vehicle when maneuvering or parking the vehicle. Ever since automobiles have become common place and are parked in garages, everyone has experienced the difficulty of positioning an automobile in a garage without contacting one of the garage walls or an item stored in the garage. Parking airplanes in hangers and attempting to gauge the side by side parking of other vehicles without either vehicle to vehicle contact or vehicle to stationary object contact have frustrated many over the years. Thus it is highly desirable to provide an improved distance indicating device and method. It is also highly desirable to provide an improved distance indicating method and device which would mount on a vehicle to indicate predetermined distances from the vehicle and other stationary objects when maneuvering the vehicle.
Various structures have been proposed in indicating distances between a moving vehicle and a stationary object. Lights, hanging objects, painted lines have all been utilized to guide vehicles into a proper position with regard to adjacent stationary objects. Aircraft are guided into loading bays by lights at which the nose is pointed. Automobile owners have hung from the ceiling small balls or other objects which are aligned with the hood ornament to position the automobile in spaced alignment from stationary objects. Each of these devices have failed in one or more instances and are deficient in operational characteristics, primarily because these objects are attached or secured or mounted on stationary objects surrounding the position at which the vehicle is desired to be located. Thus it is also highly desirable to provide an improved distance indicating method and device which can be attached to the vehicle to position the vehicle optimally from stationary objects.
While spacing automobiles from curbs have been desirably accomplished using curb feelers or flexible wire objects extending from a vehicle to scrape against a curb indicating that the vehicle is correctly positioned with respect to the curb, these devices extend from the car, are relatively unsightly, and often break due to repetitive flexing or impact. Thus it is highly desirable to provide an improved distance indicating method and device for a vehicle which has no structure extending from the vehicle subject to breakage or which is esthetically unpleasant.
While radar technology, sonar technology and laser technology all are well known and used to determine distances between objects and devices without extending between the objects, little of this technology has been utilized in distance indicating devices for use on vehicles both because of the difficulty in utilizing this technology and the expense involved. Thus it is highly desirable to provide an improved distance indicating method and device for vehicles which has all of the aspects of radar, sonar and laser technology but which can be utilized on vehicles relatively easily and inexpensively to indicate distances between the vehicle and fixed objects.
Distance indicating devices utilizing energy wave generators that produce directional focused beams of wave energy are most useful for this purpose. Some of these energy wave generators have become relatively inexpensive and are now available for such use. Thus it is also highly desirable to provide an improved distance indicating method and device for vehicles utilizing conventional wave energy generators and focusing mechanisms to produce directionally focused beams of wave energy to determine the distance between a vehicle and stationary objects. Thus it is also highly desirable to provide an improved distance indicating method and device including conventional wave generators to impinge on or reflect from stationary objects thereby to indicate the distance therefrom.
It is also highly desirable to provide an improved wave generator which cooperate with existing features of known vehicles.
It is also highly desirable to provide improved distance indicating method and devices which are mechanically simple, require little or no maintenance, and are relatively inexpensive.
Finally it is highly desirable to provide an improved distance indicating method and device having all of the above identified features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved distance indicating method and device.
It is also an object of the invention to provide and improved distance indicating device which can be mounted on vehicles to indicate predetermined distances from the vehicle and other stationary objects when maneuvering the vehicle.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved distance indicating method and device which can be attached to the vehicle to position the vehicle optimally from stationary objects.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved distance indicating method and device for vehicles which has no structure extending from the vehicle subject to breakage or which is esthetically unpleasant.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved distance indicating method and device which has all of the advantages of radar, sonar and laser technology, but which can be utilized on vehicles relatively easily and inexpensively to indicate distances between the vehicle and fixed objects.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved distance indicating method and device for vehicles utilizing conventional wave energy generators and focusing mechanisms to produce directionally focused beams of wave energy in determining the distance between a vehicle and stationary objects.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved distance indicating method and device including conventional wave generators which impinge on or reflect from stationary objects thereby to indicate the distance therefrom.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved wave generator which cooperate with existing features of known vehicles.
It is also an object of the invention to provide improved distance indicating method and devices which are mechanically simple, require little or no maintenance, and are relatively inexpensive.
It is finally an object of the invention to provide an improved distance indicating method and device having all of the above identified features.
In the broader aspects of the invention there is provided a distance indicating device having at least one energy wave generator. Each of the generators have a focusing device to produce a directional focused beam of wave energy. Each of the wave generators have a means for mounting the generator to a vehicle and a means for adjustably positioning the generator to intersect or impact an object at a predetermined distance from the generator or the vehicle on which it is mounted utilizing the point of intersection or impact to determine the distance between the vehicle and a fixed object.
An improved method for indicating the distance between a vehicle and a fixed object is also provided utilizing the focused energy wave beam generators of the improved distance indicating device of the invention.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4737001 (1988-04-01), Moss
patent: 4916445 (1990-04-01), Crossley
patent: 4941263 (1990-07-01), Hirshberg
patent: 5432509 (1995-07-01), Kajiwara
patent: 5701122 (1997-12-01), Canedy
patent: 5724141 (1998-03-01), Nishino
patent: 3340687 (1985-05-01), None
patent: 4306419 (1994-09-01), None
Lundy and Associates
Swarthout Brent A.
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