Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – With distinct wind deflector
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-14
2001-04-17
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
With distinct wind deflector
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217107
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to airfairings for reducing aerodynamic drag when operatively mounted on trucks and the like. In particular, it relates to a simplified two-piece airfairing which is nestable when not in the operative position, as for example during shipping. To change from the nested to the operative position only requires manipulation of a few nuts and bolts and rotation of the top part.
2. Prior Art
The following United States patents are known:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,549 entitled Nestable Multipiece Truck Cab Roof Fairing Assembly issued Feb. 18, 1997 to David F. Chen and David F. Lewis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,837 entitled Adjustable Height Fairing with Translatable Upper Fairing Member issued Oct. 5, 1993 to Noel Luttrell.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,626 entitled Rooftop Drag Reducing Device issued Dec. 29, 1992 to Nathaniel C. Wiley, Jr., and John R. Heath.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,322 entitled Aerodynamically Configured Cab Roof Assembly for a Truck issued Sep. 18, 1990 to Huston Marlowe, J. Tao and Virgil Pound.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,471 entitled Rooftop Drag Reducing Device for Multi-Truck Shipment when Mounted issued Apr. 24, 1990 to Nathaniel C. Wiley, Jr.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,862 entitled Drag Reducer for Land Vehicles issued Jan. 20, 1981 to Frank T. Buckley, Jr.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 374,418 entitled Air Fairing and Trim Tar Unit issued Oct. 8, 1996 to Timothy A. Griffin.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 375,925 entitled Air Fairing issued Nov. 26, 1996 to Timothy A. Griffin.
All of the airfairings disclosed in the above patents are more or less more complex than the airfairing of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an airfairing preferably made from glass fibres/polyester resin in two pieces. To change from the operative to the nested position, and vice versa, the top piece, after removing the nuts and bolts, is simply flipped or rotated 180° through its vertical plane of symmetry such that its top edge (in the operative position) becomes its bottom edge (in the nested position), and vice versa when changing from nested to operative position. When using the above preferred materials, an airfairing wall thickness of 0.15 inch is sufficient. Other materials may imply different thicknesses.
An airfairing according to the present invention comprises: a bottom part, shaped in the usual aerodynamically advantageous manner, adapted for being affixed to the roof top of a vehicle such as a truck cab at its bottom edge and having its top, free, edge engaging a compatible bottom edge of a top part, likewise shaped in the usual aerodynamically advantageous manner, when the airfairing is in an operative assembly position; and the said top, free, edge of the bottom part engaging the compatible bottom edge of the top part after the top part has been rotated 180° through its vertical symmetry plane and lowered to put the airfairing in a nested assembly position within the bottom part, wherein the compatible bottom edge of the top part remains contiguous and substantially co-planar with the top, free, edge of the bottom part.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5249837 (1993-10-01), Luttrell
patent: 5603549 (1997-02-01), Chen et al.
patent: 5658039 (1997-08-01), Bennett
Dayoan D. Glenn
Engle Patricia
Kueffner Friedrich
Laydon Composites Ltd.
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