Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-29
2001-01-09
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
C340S463000, C340S472000, C340S473000, C340S479000, C340S480000, C116S036000, C116S046000, C362S004000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06172598
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electrical displays for vehicles, and more particularly to electrical displays indicating the motion of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vehicles such as automobiles utilize lighting systems for illuminating the road, and for communication with other drivers. For example, turn signals are used for informing other drivers of an intent to make a turn. More importantly, brake lights are used for informing other drivers of an imminent slowing or stopping. Conventional brake lights includes a light bulb disposed in a housing at the rear of a vehicle, wherein the brake light is activated when the brake pedal is depressed, and deactivated when the brake pedal is released.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,584 issued to Gustanfson discloses a display which is in the form of a sheet of transparent material having imprinted on one side thereof the upper portion of a head of an animal and having on the other side a layer of a non-permanent adhesive. The display is mounted on the rear window of an automobile, the automobile being of the type which includes a brake light on the rear window. The display is mounted on the window such that the brake light is where the nose of the animal would be located. In use, when the brakes are applied, the brake light is turned on giving the appearance that the nose intermittently lights up. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,419 issued to T. W. Stults, discloses a safety beacon stop light which may be radially installed upon a rod on top of an automobile and which may be electrically connected to the conventional stop light lamps in the rear of the vehicle, and operable in unison with the stop lights when the automobile brake is depressed. However, neither apparatus provides a means of communicating application of the vehicle brakes by a moving indicator.
Other conventional means of communicating vehicle motion are attaching roller blades or figurines to vehicles, where flow of air past the blades of figurines attached to a moving vehicle causes them to rotate. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,146 issued to O'Hara discloses an air speed indicator for use in combination with a vehicle having an exterior surface. The indicator comprises a shaft mounted to the vehicle by a means of a mounting member such that the shaft is angled away from the direction of relative airflow. A propeller is mounted on the shaft through a tapered opening that enables the propeller to process on the shaft and thereby change the axis of rotation with consequent changes in the direction of movement of the propeller on the shaft. However, the propeller system is only activated by air flow past a moving vehicle.
There is, therefore, a need for a prominent and motion based means of communicating driver operation of a vehicle's brakes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies these needs. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a motion indicator for use on a vehicle, comprising: a base; a shaft rotatably attached to the base; at least one winder having a hub attached to the shaft; a motor for rotating the shaft to rotate the winder; and switch means responsive to the brake system in the vehicle, such that: (1) when the brake system is engaged, the switch means electrically connects the motor to a power supply in the vehicle to rotate the winder, and (2) when the brake system is disengaged the switch means electrically disconnects the motor from the power supply to stop rotation of the winder. The base can include means for attaching the motion indicator to the exterior of the vehicle, and the motor can be attached to the base. The power supply can comprise the electrical system of the vehicle to provide electrical power when the vehicle engine is started and running.
In another embodiment, the motion indicator further includes at least one brake light responsive to the vehicles' brake system, such that when the brake system is engaged the brake light turns on, and when the brake system is disengaged the brake light is turned off. The brake light can be attached to the hub of the winder. The winder can include winding arms extending outwardly from the hub, and the brake light can be attached to the winding arms.
The broad planar surfaces of the winding arms are perpendicular to the top surface of the base, causing significant wind resistance to the rotation of the winding arms. The winding arms can be of substantial surface area, which creates even greater resistance to the rotation. The winding arms are substantial in width thus presenting an aesthetically appealing and whimsical effect when viewed by another driver. Conversely when the car is moving the wind resistance of the winding arms is significantly reduced in comparison to prior art devices, because during portions of the rotation the winding arms present a very thin profile in relation to the forward direction of the vehicle. When a substantial aperture is added to the winding arm wind resistance is further reduced.
Prior art devices, by example that of U.S. Pat. No. 2,473,631 by H. J. Beemer have a winding arm or propeller like blade with the broadest portion of their face that is parallel to the surface where the shaft exits the motor base, as such they do seek to minimize the wind resistance from the rotating blade, but create significant wind resistance to the forward movement of the vehicle.
The winding arms can be of substantial surface area. In one embodiment the winding arms can slow and stop their rotation when the brakes are applied. This allows the winding arms to create the image and effect of a wind-up toy that slows and stops the rotation of its winding key when the vehicle begins to decrease velocity and come to a complete stop. This slowing and stopping of rotation when braking does decrease the visibility of any brake indicator lights that may be attached to the winding arms.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2408590 (1946-10-01), Williams
patent: 2473631 (1949-06-01), Beemer
patent: 2578562 (1951-12-01), Lapadura
patent: 3213419 (1965-10-01), Stults
patent: 3531634 (1970-09-01), Plouch
patent: 3610917 (1971-10-01), Hunt
patent: 4916584 (1990-04-01), Gustafson
patent: 5182146 (1993-01-01), O'Hara
patent: 5502909 (1996-04-01), Rabkin
patent: 5619182 (1997-04-01), Robb
patent: 5683162 (1997-11-01), Oh
patent: 5734320 (1998-03-01), Suzuki
Lee Jean
Lee Young
Park John K.
Park & Sutton LLP
Pope Daryl
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