US4313987A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Polystyrene vehicle body protector system
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1980-02-28
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Granted: 1982-02-02
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Expires: 2000-02-28
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to the packaging and/or protecting consumer products such as automobiles during shipping thereof with polystyrene panels.
Inventors
- 👤 James L. McCormick
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 14:34
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D81/00; B65D81/02; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1052; Y10T156/1062; Y10T156/1075; Y10T156/1077; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/14; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24479; Y10T428/24496; Y10T428/24504; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249953; Y10T428/249982
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
97 words
A protective automobile shipping apparatus comprising: a. a sheet of foam material having an interior and exterior surface, each terminating at a common edge portion; b. an adhesive layer formed on at least a portion of said interior surface, said adhesive layer adhering into the inter-body crevices along the shallow surface area at said critical points along said sheet of foam material; c. temporary peel-off non-adhering backing means removably affixed to said adhesive layer and covering said foam sheet interior surface; and d. cutting means for precutting said sheet of foam material to a desired sculptured shape.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
97 words
A protective automobile shipping apparatus comprising: a. a sheet of foam material having an interior and exterior surface, each terminating at a common edge portion; b. an adhesive layer formed on at least a portion of said interior surface, said adhesive layer adhering into the inter-body crevices along the shallow surface area at said critical points along said sheet of foam material; c. temporary peel-off non-adhering backing means removably affixed to said adhesive layer and covering said foam sheet interior surface; and d. cutting means for precutting said sheet of foam material to a desired sculptured shape.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said foam material is expanded bead polystyrene.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cutting means is a heated member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said heated member is a hot wire knife.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said adhesive layer is a non-hydrocarbon base adhesive layer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said adhesive layer is a water-base adhesive layer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of said sheets of foam materials, each being precut to conform to a desired preselected exposed vehicle surface portion.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said foam sheet has a density of between one and ten pounds per cubic foot.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said foam sheet is polystyrene foam.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
126 words
A method of protectively packaging automobilies for shipment comprising the steps of: a. selecting a number of exposed vehicle surface portions to be protected; b. providing a sheet of foam material for each preselected exposed vehicle surface portion; c. sculpturing each sheet of foam material to generally fit its corresponding preselected exposed vehicle surface portion; d. applying an adhesion means onto selected critical portions of said sheet of foam material, said adhesion means adhering into the inter body crevices along the shallow surface area of said sheet of foam material; e. adhering each sculptured panel to its corresponding preselected exposed vehicle surface portion, said sculptured panel adhering to said exposed vehicle surface at those sections of the sculptured panel wherein the adhesion means has been applied.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
126 words
A method of protectively packaging automobilies for shipment comprising the steps of: a. selecting a number of exposed vehicle surface portions to be protected; b. providing a sheet of foam material for each preselected exposed vehicle surface portion; c. sculpturing each sheet of foam material to generally fit its corresponding preselected exposed vehicle surface portion; d. applying an adhesion means onto selected critical portions of said sheet of foam material, said adhesion means adhering into the inter body crevices along the shallow surface area of said sheet of foam material; e. adhering each sculptured panel to its corresponding preselected exposed vehicle surface portion, said sculptured panel adhering to said exposed vehicle surface at those sections of the sculptured panel wherein the adhesion means has been applied.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of applying an adhesive backing to each sheet of foam material prior to its application to the desired exposed vehicle surface portion.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of applying a non-hydrocarbon-base adhesive backing to each sheet of foam material prior to its application to the desired exposed vehicle surface portion.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of applying a water-base adhesive backing to each sheet of foam material prior to its application to the desired exposed vehicle surface portion.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 10 wherein in step "a" the selected exposed vehicle surface portions include at least in part some of the vehicle windows.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 10 wherein in step "b", the provided sheets of foam material have a density of from one to ten pounds per cubic foot.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 10 wherein in step "b" the provided sheets of foam material are polystyrene foam.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
88 words
A foam panel vehicle body protector system comprising: a. a series of polystyrene foam panels each sculptured to fit various areas of the exterior surface; b. adhesive backing means formed on at least a portion of said interior surface for adhering each of said foam panels to preselected exposed portions of the vehicle body; c. a protective layer secured temporarily to the adhesive means of the aid polystyrene panels which can be easily removed so that the panel may be secured to the exterior surface of a vehicle.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
88 words
A foam panel vehicle body protector system comprising: a. a series of polystyrene foam panels each sculptured to fit various areas of the exterior surface; b. adhesive backing means formed on at least a portion of said interior surface for adhering each of said foam panels to preselected exposed portions of the vehicle body; c. a protective layer secured temporarily to the adhesive means of the aid polystyrene panels which can be easily removed so that the panel may be secured to the exterior surface of a vehicle.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
34 words
The adhesive means in claim 17 wherein the adhesive material is of non-hydrocarbon base, and of such consistency to seep into and adhere to the loose molecular body structure of said polystyrene panel material.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
The adhesive means in claim 1, wherein the adhesive material is of non-hydrocarbon base and adheres temporarily to the protective layer and hydrocarbon-base lacquer-type paint finish of said vehicle.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
38 words
The polystyrene panels in claim 1, wherein the panels would be so sculptured to mirror in design the vehicle top panel, trunk panel, front fender panels, door panels, window panels, wheel-well panels rear quarter panels and bumper panels.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of protecting the exterior of a vehicle during shipment comprising: a. pre-cutting a series of polystyrene panels to mirror in design the critical impact areas of a vehicle exterior; b. adapting said polystyrene panels with areas of adhesive material so that the panel may be adhered to the vehicle during shipment; c. adapting said adhesive material with a protective backing so that the panels may be stored in a series and not adhere to one another during shipment.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of protecting the exterior of a vehicle during shipment comprising: a. pre-cutting a series of polystyrene panels to mirror in design the critical impact areas of a vehicle exterior; b. adapting said polystyrene panels with areas of adhesive material so that the panel may be adhered to the vehicle during shipment; c. adapting said adhesive material with a protective backing so that the panels may be stored in a series and not adhere to one another during shipment.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the panels are precut with the use of a hot saw to mirror the vehicle top panel, trunk panel, front fender panels, door panels, window panels, wheel well panels, rear quarter panels and bumper panels.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 5, wherein the adhesive material adapted to said panel is of such consistency so as to adhere permanently to the intermolecular spaces of said polystyrene panel.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 6, wherein the adhesive material of said panel is of such consistency to adhere temporarily to the protective strip and surface of said vehicle.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 6, wherein the adhesive material is adhered to the polystyrene panel in selected areas of the panels for firm adhesion to the vehicle exterior surface.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-02-01 | 1985-08-03 | 1986-02-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-02-01 | 1989-08-03 | 1990-02-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-02-01 | 1993-08-03 | 1994-02-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |