Attachment for decorative objects for vehicles

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/392,596, filed Mar. 20, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a decorative attachment for vehicles; and more particularly to a system for attaching decorative or other items to the license plates or other metallic surfaces of vehicles.

2. Description of the Prior Art

For many years, people have searched and struggled for ways to decorate their automobiles; particularly for the Christmas holiday season and for other special events such as weddings and Easter. At Christmas, wreaths have been tied to front grills, and bows and garlands to antennas and roof racks. These decorations must be carefully attached to prevent damage to vehicle parts. Installation is time consuming, and oftentimes imperfect. The decorations tend to become separated and are lost or destroyed during movement of the vehicle at velocities required on interstate highways.

Prior art devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,754 to Freelander; U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,725 to Voges; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,244 to Edwards, have not disclosed or suggested the present invention as described and claimed herein. Namely, prior art devices have not disclosed or suggested an attachment means for attaching a decorative bow to a metallic surface of a vehicle, such as a license plate, or vertical rear side of a trunk or tailgate, wherein the attachment means comprises one or more magnets being positioned at specific locations on the bow for magnetically attaching the bow to the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an attachment means for quickly and securely associating a decorative item or attachment with a vehicle. Preferably, the decorative item is a bow having two horizontally disposed loops, namely a first loop and a second loop, and the decorative bow further having a center portion between the loops. A first magnet is attached to the rear surface of the first loop of the decorative bow. A second magnet is attached to the rear surface of the second loop of the decorative bow. A third magnet is attached to the rear surface of the center portion of the decorative bow. Alternatively, only the first and second magnets are used to attach the decorative bow to the vehicle. In another embodiment, only the third magnet is used to attach the decorative bow to the vehicle.

The magnets operate to magnetically attach the decorative bow to a metallic surface of a vehicle. The metallic surface can be (i) a license plate; (ii) the vertical rear side of the trunk; or (iii) the vertical rear side of the tailgate. Each of the magnets is attached to the decorative bow with glue, industrial tape, or the like. Alternatively, the first and second magnets reside in pockets on the bow, wherein the pockets are completely stitched, glued or heat sealed closed along the perimeter. Preferably, each of the first and second magnets is about three inches by one inch in size.

Alternatively, the attachment means includes a mounting member comprising a flexible strip, which supports the decorative item or attachment. A plug is attached to each end of the mounting member, and may be easily inserted into and removed from the bottom two holes of a license plate on a vehicle. Preferably the plugs are attached to the mounting member by extensions, and include slits.

A mounting bracket allows the device to be easily attached to automobiles and other road vehicles. The attachment is accomplished quickly and secures a decorative item to the vehicle in a unique and ideal manner. A one piece special mounting bracket simply plugs into the bottom two holes of the back of the license plate, positioning the bow below the licensed plate in order not to obstruct any of the license plate numbers or letters. In addition, the plastic special mounting bracket, also pushes the decoration back against the automobile, usually in front of the back bumper, away from the wind, allowing the bow's tails to hang below. Once attached, the bow remains securely associated with the vehicle; and will not become separated, damaged or lost during movement of the vehicle at velocities required on interstate highways. Other motorists on the road, seeing this from behind, are amazed at how the bow is so well positioned and secure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more fully understood and further advantages will become apparent when reference is had to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the mounting bracket;

FIG. 2 is a front pictorial view of a decorative bow according to an embodiment of the present invention, shown being mounted to the license plate of the vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a side elevated view of the built-in plug end according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is located on the sides of each end of the mounting bracket;

FIG. 4 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow, with a mounting bracket;

FIG. 5 is a front pictorial view of a decorative bow, showing being mounted to the license plate of the vehicle;

FIG. 6 is a side elevated view of a plug for a decorative bow;

FIG. 7 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to an embodiment of the present invention, with three magnets;

FIG. 8 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to an embodiment of the present invention, with two magnets; and

FIG. 9 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to an embodiment of the present invention, with one magnet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, various aspects of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the present invention.

Referring to the FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of the invention 10 comprising three separate components; the bow 12, the mounting bracket 14, and the plastic clip 16.

FIG. 1 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the mounting bracket. Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, preferably the bow 12 is made of five-inch wide, three-mil outdoor vinyl, in holiday colors, predominantly red. The classic bow 12 design consists of two loops 18 and two tails 20. Together, the two loops 18 across measure approximately twelve inches in total, or about the width of a license plate. Each of the two tails 20, which are cut at angles 22, measure approximately twelve inches long. In alternate embodiments other structures may be attached to the mounting member, for example, the mounting member may be used to support a cutout silhouette design, or a small stuffed animal. Furthermore, the mounting member may be of a different structure than the bracket shown; for example, a flexible rope or a solid rod.

FIG. 2 is a front pictorial view of a decorative bow according to an embodiment of the present invention, shown being mounted to the license plate of the vehicle. Referring to FIG. 2, the one-piece mounting bracket 14, is key to allowing the decorative bow invention 10 to be easily attached, without error, to the vehicle. The mounting bracket 14 is made of flexible, preferably white plastic 24, curved by design 34, with two built-in plugs 26 at each end, for insertion into the bottom two holes 28 of the back license plate 30 of the vehicle. The mounting bracket 14 has a center flat bridge 32, designed to allow the bow 12 to be properly positioned outwardly for display. The curved design 34 of the mounting bracket 14, also positions the bow 12 below the license plate 30, allowing clear visibility of the license plate numbers and letters. The flexible plastic 24 and the curved design 34 of the mounting bracket 14, is also designed to push the bow 12 back and flat against the vehicle, for proper display and protection from the wind. The mounting bracket 14 is attached to the bow 12 by a plastic clip 16.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the decorative bow 10 is attached to the vehicle by inserting the two plugs 26 at each end of the mounting bracket 14, into the bottom two holes 28 of the back license plate 30 of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting bracket 14, according to an embodiment of the present invention, has built-in plug ends 26, which preferably cannot be separated from the bracket 14 itself. The built-in plug ends 26 are preferably made of relatively soft plastic 24, as opposed to the plugs 46 as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 3 is a side elevated view of the built-in plug end according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is located on the sides of each end of the mounting bracket. Referring to FIG. 3, the built-in plug ends 26 are also designed with slit grooves 36, to allow for easy removal by hand, of the mounting bracket 14, as shown in FIG. 2, from the license plate 30; pliers are not required for removal. Preferably, the built-in plug ends 26, also have a plug end stem 38, which allows additional space for attachment to the license plate, when the license plate frames are in place.

While the decorative attachment of the present invention is described with respect to specific embodiments, it should be noted that the present invention may be implemented in different manners and used with different applications.

For example, the mounting bracket may have a construction, as depicted by FIGS. 4-6. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown the decorative assembly 40 including the mounting bracket 42. The mounting bracket 42 has a substantially straight design and, as shown in FIG. 5, is twisted 180 degrees 44 and bent in a downward position, before the two end plugs 46 are inserted into the bottom two holes 28 of the license plate 30.

Referring again to FIG. 5 of the drawings, the mounting bracket 42 has two plugs 46, which are separate from the bracket. These two plugs must be assembled to the mounting bracket 42 facing inward. Such assembly of the plugs facilitates twist 44 and bending of the mounting bracket 42 properly downward before insertion of the plugs 46 into the license plate 28 during installation of the bracket 42.

Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, the plugs 46 are composed of hard plastic 48. Removal of the bracket from the license plate is readily accomplished using pliers, or the like. A tight press-fit is achieved by plugs 46. When pulled out firmly while simultaneously applying proper pressure to the corners of the license plate, as shown in FIG. 5, the plugs 46 are readily removed without causing bending damage to the corners 50 of the license plate 30.

In cases where a vehicle's rear license plate is positioned below the back bumper and a result would position a decorative bow too close to the road surface, thus causing possible wind damage to the bow, implementation of the invention is accomplished with the use of one or more magnets, as described hereinbelow.

Referring to FIG. 7 of the drawings, the general construction of the decorative bow 12 is shown at 60. The bow 12 is attached to the rear of a vehicle in an area preferably large enough to accommodate the size of the bow 12, such as the vertical rear side of a trunk or tailgate. Alternatively, the bow 12 is attached to the license plate of the vehicle. The area of the vehicle for attaching the bow is metallic to allow for magnetic adhesion, but the surface may also be painted. Two flat magnets 62, 62 are positioned in each of the two loops 18, 18 of the bow 12 for attachment to a vehicle. Preferably the magnets 62, 62 are attached to the rear surface of the loops 18, 18 on the back of the bow. The two magnets 62, 62 preferably measure about three inches by one inch. The two magnets 62, 62 are glued on their non-magnetic sides to the outside of the loops 18, 18 on the back of the bow 12. Alternatively, the two magnets 62, 62 are attached to the inside of the loops 18, 18 on the back of the bow 12 by using a strong industrial tape, or the like on the two magnets 62, 62 on their non-magnetic sides, with the overlapping tape adhering to the inside vinyl loops 18, 18. In another embodiment, the two magnets 62, 62 are enclosed within first and second pockets, respectively, on the first and second loops of the bow, wherein the pocket is stitched, glued or heat sealed completely closed around its perimeter. Preferably, the fabric that comprises the pocket is the same type of fabric as the bow; and, preferably, the fabric is soft and/or padded as not to scratch the paintjob on the vehicle, while still permitting the magnetism to pass through the fabric. The fabric may consist of cotton. It is preferred that the size of the pockets approximate the size of the magnets to provide for a snug fit and to limit the movement of the magnets. By having the magnets residing within completely enclosed pockets, several advantages result: (i) the magnets are completely hidden from view, (ii) the magnets are securely attached to the bow, (iii) the fabric comprising the pocket can match with the first and second loops of the bow to provide for an aesthetically pleasing arrangement, and (iv) the fabric covering the magnet will protect the paint of the vehicle from scratching that may otherwise occur from the edges of the rigid magnet or other aspects of magnets. Preferably, a third magnet 64 is attached through the center plastic clip 16 in the center portion of the bow by means of a small bridge on the back of the non-magnetic side of the third magnet 64, for additional holding strength of the bow to the vehicle. The third magnet 64 may also be attached to the center portion of the bow with glue, industrial tape, or the like, or may reside within a pocket that is completely stitched, glued or sealed closed.

Referring to FIG. 8 of the drawings, the general construction of the decorative bow 12, according to an alternative embodiment, is shown at 60. The decorative bow 12 is attached to a vehicle with the use of only two magnets 62, 62. A first magnet 62 is attached to a first loop of the bow 12; and a second magnet 62 is attached to a second loop of the bow 12.

Referring to FIG. 9 of the drawings, the general construction of the decorative bow 12, according to an alternative embodiment, is shown at 60. The decorative bow 12 is attached to a vehicle with the use of only one magnet 64. The magnet 64 is attached to the center plastic clip of the bow 12. Alternatively, the magnet 64 is attached to the center portion of the bow with glue or industrial tape, or the like, or may reside within a pocket that is completely stitched, glued or heat sealed closed.

Having thus described the invention in rather full detail, it will be understood that such detail need not be strictly adhered to, but that additional changes and modifications may suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.