GB2116500A

GB2116500A - Temporary part-windscreen device for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2116500A
Application number: GB08207551A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Bernard Edwards
Original assignee: PENTAGON PLASTICS Ltd
Current assignee: PENTAGON PLASTICS Ltd
Priority date: 1982-03-16
Filing date: 1982-03-16
Publication date: 1983-09-28
Also published as: GB2116500B

Abstract

A temporary part-windscreen device for a vehicle, includes a flexible frame (1) attachable to the outer surface of a damaged windscreen (6) of a vehicle to surround a hole (7) through the windscreen and a sheet of flexible transparent material (2) located or locatable in the frame (1) to provide a see-through cover over the hole (7). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Temporary part-windscreen device for a vehicle This invention relates to a temporary partwindscreen device for a vehicle.

Vehicles such as, for example, motor cars, lorries, buses, motor boats, or electric or diesel railway engines usually have a front windscreen made of toughened or laminated glass.

Toughened glass in particular when impacted such as by a stone, will shatter into a multitude of tiny fragments which remain held together in a windscreen shape but which prevent vision through the windscreen. This lack of vision creates considerable danger for the vehicle driver and it is customary to knock a hole in the shattered windscreen to permit the driver to see through the hole.

Unfortunately this allows air to enter the vehicle and can cause considerable discomfort to the driver both from the wind and from fragments of glass which are dislodged by the wind. Attempts have been made to overcome these problems by knocking out all the broken windscreen glass and by fitting a sheet of transparent roilable material such as polythene over the whole screen area.

However, this proposal has been less than satisfactory in that, for example, it is difficult to provide one size of temporary windscreen to fit all vehicles and many glass fragments may enter the vehicle and cause damage to the occupants or to the vehicle itself such as by entering the vehicle heating system.

There is thus a need for an improved temporary part-windscreen device which can be used with most vehicles and which does not require all the broken windscreen glass to be removed before use.

According to the present invention there is provided a temporary part-windscreen device for a vehicle, including a flexible frame attachable to the outer surface of a damaged windscreen of a vehicle to surround a hole through the windscreen and a sheet of flexible transparent material located or locatable in the frame to provide a see-through cover over the hole.

Whilst the temporary part-windscreen device of the invention is intended primarily for use with a tough glass windscreen, it may, of course, be used with a laminated glass windscreen although in the latter case the problem of impeded vision is less evident than with a toughened glass windscreen due to differences in manufacture of the different types of windscreen.

Conveniently the flexible frame is rectangular in plan and has two opposed spaced channel sides whose open mouths are directed towards one another with the flexible transparent material sheet being slidably locatable in said channels.

Inner surfaces of the channels are attachable to the outer surface of the windscreen so that the flexible transparent sheet is located between the frame and the windscreen.

Advantageously the frame is attached to the windscreen by means of double-sided adhesive tape one side of which is attached to inner surfaces of the frame, preferably to inner surfaces of the channels, and the other side of which is attachable to the windscreen outer surface.

Conveniently edge margins of the flexible transparent sheet are provided with locating means for cooperation with corresponding means provided on the frame for ensuring correct alignment of the flexible transparent sheet and frame and adequate retention of the flexible transparent sheet in the frame. Preferably the locating means is in the form of protrusions or dimples provided in the flexible transparent sheet for cooperation with corresponding recesses or apertures provided in the frame.

Advantageously the temporary part-windscreen device includes an inner flexible frame attachable to the inner surface of the damaged windscreen of a vehicle to surround a hole therethrough.

Cqnveniently the inner flexible frame has a shape corresponding in plan to that of the outer flexible frame and conveniently is adhered to the windscreen by double-sided adhesive tape, one side of which is attached to inner surfaces of the inner frame and the other side of which is attached to the inner surface of the damaged windscreen. Alternatively the outer frame and inner frame may be provided with cooperating magnetic means for attaching the inner and outer frames to the damaged windscreen.

Conveniently the inner and outer frames are made of plastics material such as polystyrene and the flexible transparent sheet is made from plastics material such as clear acrylic sheeting.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a damaged windscreen of a vehicle and a temporary part-windscreen device according to one embodiment of the invention fitted thereto, Figure 2 is a plan view of an assembled outer frame and flexible transparent sheet of a temporary part-windscreen device of the invention seen in the direction Il-Il of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a.plan view of an inner frame of a temporary part-windscreen device of the invention taken in the direction II I-Ill of Figure 1.

As shown in the accompanying drawings a temporary-part windscreen device of the present invention basically includes an outer flexible frame 1 and a sheet of flexible transparent material 2. The outer frame 1 conveniently is made from plastics material such as polystyrene, preferably by moulding, and the flexible transparent sheet 2 conveniently is made from plastics material such as clear acrylic material.

The outer frame 1 is attachable to the outer surface of a damaged windscreen of a vehicle, such as damaged toughened glass windscreen, to surround a hole made through the windscreen.

The flexible transparent sheet 2 is located in the outer frame 1 to provide a see-through cover over the hole through the windscreen. The flexible nature of the outer frame 1 and transparent sheet 2 is intended to allow the outer frame 1 and flexible sheet 2 to conform closely to the contours of the outer surface of the windscreen.

The outer frame 2 may have any desired shape such as the rectangular plan shape shown in the accompanying drawings. In the illustrated embodiment the outer frame 1 has two opposed space channel sides 3 whose open mouths 4 are directed towards one another and the flexible transparent sheet 2 is slidably locatable in the channels 3. If desired the channels 3 may have interrupted side walls so that the two side walls defining a channel need not overlie one another but may be longitudinally staggered with respect to each other.

Conveniently the channel sides 3 form the sides of the outer frame 1 which are upper and lowermost when the device is attached to a vehicle windscreen. The remaining two sides 5 of the outer frame 1 are not channeled and enable the transparent sheet 2 to be slidably introduced therebehind into the channel sides 3 of the outer frame 1.

Inner surfaces 3a of the channel sides 3 are attachable to the outer surface of the windscreen 6 to surround a hole 7 therethrough with the transparent sheet 2 being located in the channel sides 3 of the outer frame 1 to provide a seethrough cover over the hole 7. Conveniently the outer frame 1 is attached to the outer surface of the damaged windscreen 6 before the hole 7 is knocked therethrough but this is not essential and alternatively the outer frame 1 can be attached to the outer surface of the windscreen 6 after the hole 7 has been knocked therethrough.The flexible sheet 2 may be entered into the outer frame 1 before it is attached to the windscreen 6 if the hole 7 has previously been made in the windscreen, but if the hole 7 is made in the windscreen 6 after the outer frame 1 has been attached thereto, then the transparent sheet 2 is entered into the outer frame 1 after it has been attached to the windscreen 6 and the hole 7 has been made in the windscreen 6 through the outer frame 1.

Conveniently locating means are provided on edge margins of the transparent sheet 2 for cooperation with corresponding means on the outer frame 1. As shown in the drawings the locating means conveniently is of the form of protrusions or dimples 8 provided on the transparent sheet 2 for cooperation with correspondingly shaped recesses or holes 9 provided in the inside surface of the sides 5 of the outer frame 1. The locating means provided by the dimples 8 and recesses 9 serve both to locate the transparent sheet 2 in the outer frame 1 and to releasably retain the transparent sheet 2 in the outer frame 1.

Conveniently the temporary part-windscreen device of the invention also includes an inner flexible frame 10 preferably also made of plastics material such as polystyrene and preferably having a shape corresponding in plan to that of the outer frame 1. This inner frame 10 conveniently is attached to the inner surface of a damaged windscreen 6 to surround the hole 7 therethrough and to act as a support for the windscreen 6 and outer frame 1 in the vicinity of the hole 7.

Conveniently both the inner and outer frames 1 and 1 0 are attached to respective surfaces of the windscreen 6 by double-sided adhesive tape 11 one side of which is attached to the respective frame and the other side of which is attached to the respective surface of the windscreen.

Alternatively the outer and inner frames 1 and 10 may be attached to the windscreen 6 by magnetic means such as magnets incorporated in the outer frame 1 cooperating with corresponding keepers incorporated in the inner frame 10.

When the damaged windscreen is removed for replacement the temporary part-windscreen device of the invention can also be removed for reuse. If double-sided adhesive tape is used it may not be possible adequately to remove all fragments of glass therefrom and it is merely necessary to remove the double-sided adhesive tape 11 from the frame 1 and/or 10 and attach fresh strips of double-sided adhesive tape 1 This problem of glass adherence does not arise if the frame or frames is/are attached by magnetic means.

Claims

1. A temporary part-windscreen device for a vehicle, including a flexible frame attachable to the outer surface of a damaged windscreen of a vehicle to surround a hole through the windscreen and a sheet of flexible transparent material located or locatable in the frame to provide a see-through cover over the hole.

2. A device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible frame is rectangular in plan and has two opposed spaced channel sides whose open mouths are directed towards one another with the flexible transparent material sheet being slidably locatable in said channels.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein inner surfaces of the channels are attachable to the outer surface of the windscreen so that the flexible transparent sheet is located between the frame and the windscreen.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the frame is attached to the windscreen by means of double-sided adhesive tape one side of which is attached to inner surfaces of the frame and the other side of which is attachable to the windscreen outer surface.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein one side of the tape is attachable to inner surfaces of the channels with respect to the windscreen.

6. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein edge margins of the flexible transparent sheet are provided with locating means for cooperation with corresponding means provided on the frame for ensuring correct alignment of the flexible transparent sheet and frame and adequate retention of the flexible transparent sheet in the frame.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the locating means is in the form of protrusions or dimples provided in the flexible transparent sheet for cooperation with corresponding recesses or apertures provided in the frame.

8. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, including an inner flexible frame attachable to the inner surface of the damaged windscreen of a vehicle to surround a hole therethrough.

9. A device according to claim 8; wherein the inner flexible frame has a shape corresponding in plan to that of the outer flexible frame and is adhered to the windscreen by double-sided adhesive tape, one side of which is attached to inner surfaces of the inner frame and the other side of which is attached to the inner surface of the damaged windscreen.

10. A device according to claim 8, wherein the outer frame and inner frame are provided with cooperating magnetic means for attaching the inner-and outer frames to the damaged windscreen.

11. A device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the inner and outer frames are made of plastics material such as polystyrene and the flexible transparent sheet is made from plastics material such as clear acrylic sheeting.

12. A temporary part-windscreen device for a vehicle, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.