Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-18
2002-02-19
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S851000, C280S848000, C280S154000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06347809
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to flexible brushes, flaps, and the like for preventing or reducing scatter of loose materials and/or wiping down an object over which they pass, and more specifically to a stabilizer bar for such devices. The present stabilizer bar is adaptable to mud guards and the like on the rear of motor vehicles, as well as to brushes and flaps used in car washes, conveyor systems, etc., to stabilize such devices and to prevent excessive movement of the devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of relatively thin, flexible sheet or strand materials depending from an overhead structure for catching scattered materials, is well known. Perhaps the most commonly known of such devices is the “mud flap” which is nearly universally found behind the rear tires on larger vehicles (buses, trucks, etc.) for reducing or precluding the scatter of sand, small stones, water spray, etc. from the rear tires of such vehicles.
However, such flexible flaps, brushes, and the like are also used in other environments for slightly different purposes. Flexible fabric flaps are often found in so-called “brushless” car washes, where they are used in lieu of relatively stiff fiber rotary brushes, and are considered to be easier on vehicle finishes. Relatively large flaps, as well as brushes and the like, are also used in the conveyor industry for brushing off a conveyor or for precluding the carriage of undesirable articles beyond the brush or flap installation.
A potential problem which all such brush and flap installations have, is that they are prone to move about excessively due to their flexibility. For example, the relative wind produced as a result of motor vehicle movement, often causes mud flaps or stone guards to flex upwardly to the extent that they allow debris to be sprayed upwardly and rearwardly toward following vehicles. Such action can potentially lead to windshield and paint damage to a following vehicle, and is especially hard on a vehicle which is being towed closely behind the larger vehicle, as in the case of a large recreational vehicle or motor home which is towing a smaller car, boat, etc. Flexible flaps in car washes are also prone to excessive movement due to air movement caused by relatively high velocity sprays and blow dryers, and flexible guards and flaps used in conveyor lines may also catch upon an article or be flipped up momentarily, thus causing them to lose contact with the conveyor for at least a brief time.
Many people have recognized these problems in the past, and have attempted to provide solutions in the form of various guards, stabilizing devices, etc. to reduce excessive movement of such flexible brushes, flaps, and the like. However, for various reasons, the stabilizing devices of the prior art have not proven to be completely satisfactory in reducing movement of such flexible guards. In most instances, they fail to completely surround the guard, thus allowing the guard to flex forwardly excessively, or perhaps comprise a rigid structure which cannot flex or move without damage in the event the device contacts an immovable object (e.g., high curb or parking lot wheel stop, edge of deep potholes, etc.).
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a stabilizer for reducing or precluding excessive movement of flexible brush and flap type guards of various types. The present stabilizer completely surrounds the flexible guard device, to reduce or preclude excessive movement either forwardly or rearwardly relative to the direction of travel of the guard or adjacent moving object. The present stabilizer also includes a novel suspension system, allowing the stabilizer device to move longitudinally, laterally, and/or vertically in the event of contact with another relatively immovable object, thus precluding damage to the stabilizer and/or to the structure to which the stabilizer is attached.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,520 issued on Aug. 20, 1974 to John J. Kelly, titled “Combined Mud Flap And Stabilizer Therefor,” describes a cable type stabilizer attached at both ends to the attachment bracket for the mud flap (not to the vehicle structure, as in the case of the present stabilizer) and secured to the back of the mud flap in a U shaped configuration. The Kelly device is not adaptable to brush type guards comprising multiple small strands of material, due to the attachment means. Kelly provides for vertical adjustment of his stabilizer, but such adjustment is cumbersome, as a series of cable clamps must be loosened for the length of the cable to be adjusted as desired. It must also be noted that the Kelly specifies the diameter of the cable as being from one quarter to five eighths inch (column 2, lines 44-45). Even the smaller diameter cable is not particularly flexible, and would not readily flex to allow for compression in the event the flap were jammed upwardly by a curb or the like. Also, the Kelly stabilizer attaches only to the back of the flap, rather than loosely surrounding the guard, as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,722 issued on Apr. 15, 1975 to Harold V. Conner, titled “Mud Flap Apparatus For Trucks,” describes a mud flap assembly having an inflexible strap extending down the back of each flap and secured thereto, thus rendering the flaps inflexible. While the straps are pivotally attached to the mud flap carrier, they cannot bend or compress when encountering a solid object, as can the present stabilizer. Moreover, the present stabilizer is not attached directly to the mud guard, as is the Conner device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,839 issued on Nov. 8, 1983 to Thomas S. McCain, titled “Mud Flap Stabilizer Device,” describes a complex assembly including lighting means mounted in a lower pivotally attached portion. The upper portion is rigidly mounted to the vehicle structure, unlike the present stabilizer assembly, with only the lower portion being pivotally mounted. However, the motion of the pivotally mounted lower portion is extremely limited, to only about fifteen to twenty degrees rearwardly and even less forwardly (column 3, line 29). Contact with a curb during backing maneuvers would likely damage the device, resulting in costly repairs due to its complexity. The flexible mounting of the present stabilizer, allowing longitudinal, lateral, and vertical motion, allows inadvertent contact with immovable objects with no damage resulting to the vehicle, mud guard, or stabilizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,532 issued on Feb. 25, 1986 to William C. Early et al., titled “Mud Flap Holder For Trucks,” describes a clamp arrangement for removably securing the upper edge(s) of the mud flap(s) to the rear of a truck trailer or the like. The holder includes rigid rod elements which extend downwardly behind the flaps and extend partially across the flaps, with secondary elements which may be installed to the opposite (front) side of the flaps and which extend partially over the opposite portion of the flaps. The rod elements allow flexure of the mud flaps only beyond their extremities, and the same potential problems of rigid mud guard stabilizers or retainers noted above with other devices, are seen to apply here as well.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,908 issued on Sep. 24, 1991 to William M. Betts, titled “Mud Flap Anti-Sail Bracket,” describes a pair of rigidly mounted rods which extend downwardly in front of each edge of a mud flap and slightly below the bottom edge thereof. The rods have upturned portions to which a crossmember may be adjustably clamped, with the crossmember extending across the back of the mud flap. However, the crossmember does not completely surround the mud flap, whereas the present stabilizer does. The rigid mounting of the Betts bracket does not provide any compliance or resilience if struck, and would thus be damaged, or transfer damage to the structure to which it is mounted, in the event of contact with a curb
Johnson Brian L.
Litman Richard C.
Sliteris Joselynn Y.
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