Removable window cover system for recreational vehicles

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to recreational vehicles and more specifically to a removable window cover system for them.

Presently owners of recreational vehicles have several different options as to coverings for their windows when they desire complete privacy. Some owners have venetian blinds covering the windows, some have curtains that cover the windows, and some owners use an opaque cover that is attached to the outside of the vehicle around the perimeter of the windows.

An improvement to the outside opaque cover for the windows of a recreational vehicle is illustrated in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,918 of McNamee. He utilizes a sunscreen plastic material that allows the occupants of the vehicle to clearly look outwardly through the window while restricting the ability of someone outside the vehicle looking into the interior. McNamee uses snap or touch fastener material that is attached to the outside surface of the window and also to the inner surface of the sheet of privacy sunscreen material.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel removable window cover system for recreational vehicles that can be secured to the inside surface of the vehicle.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel removable window cover system for recreational vehicles that utilizes unique window cover clamps that are permanently secured to the inside surface of the window.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel window cover system for recreational vehicles that is economical to manufacture and market.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel removable window cover system for recreational vehicles that allows the owner to remove the sheet of opaque material from the window cover clamps while leaving the sheet of partial light transmitting screen secured thereto thus providing a major degree of privacy for the people in the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Applicant's novel removable window cover system for recreational vehicles has been designed to be easily installed. The system also allows for complete privacy by securing a sheet of opaque material over the window with it secured thereto by the novel window cover clamps. An option also exists to provide the occupants of the vehicle with the ability to look outwardly through the windows when they merely have a sheet of partial light transmitting screen secured over the window. In this last instance, people trying to look in through the window have restricted visibility.

The unique window cover clamps have a horizontal base portion whose bottom surface is secured to the inner surface of the vehicle window by a conventional type of adhesive. Extending outwardly from the rear edge of these window cover clamps and integrally formed therewith is an inverted U-shaped spring clamp portion that forms a cavity. The respective sheets of opaque material and sheet of partial light transmitting screen each have a trim strip around their perimeter and the combined thickness of the two trim strips when placed adjacent each other is less than the diameter of the opening of the cavity so they can be easily detachably secured therein. A toe portion on the front leg of the inverted U-shape spring clamp portion flares outwardly from the horizontal base portion in order to help guide the two trim strips into the cavity area. The material of the window cover clamps needs to be slightly resilient and is preferably formed of a plastic material or a spring metal material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the inside surface of a recreational vehicle window;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the unique window cover clamp;

FIG. 3 is side elevation view of the unique window cover clamp;

FIG. 4 is a partial front perspective view illustrating the window cover clamp secured to the inner surface of the window of the recreational vehicle and also having the combined sheets of opaque material and partial light transmitting screen detachably secured in the window cover clamp; and

FIG. 5 is side elevational view of an embodiment of the window cover clamp made of metal material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Applicant's novel removable window cover system for recreational vehicles will now be described by referring to FIGS. 1-5 of the drawing. The major components of the system are: a sheet 10 of opaque material, a sheet 12 of partial light transmitting screen, and a plurality of window cover clamps 14.

The window cover clamps 14 are secured by an adhesive 9 to the inside surface 16 of window 17. The window clamps have a horizontal base portion 20 having a front edge 21 and rear edge 22. The top surface of horizontal base portion 20 has its front edge tapered. An inverted U-shaped spring clamp portion 24 has a rear leg 25 and a front leg 26. Rear leg 25 is connected the rear edge 22 of horizontal base portion 20 and it extends outwardly therefrom at an obtuse angle of approximately 103 degrees. A toe portion 27 extends outwardly and upwardly from front leg 26 so that it makes an acute angle of approximately 70 degrees with horizontal base portion 20.

The inverted U-shaped spring clamp portion 24 has a cavity 28 in its interior that receives the respective trim strips 30 and 31 of the sheets of opaque material 10 and partial light transmitting screen 12. Their thicknesses respectively are T1 and T2 and the width of cavity 28 is greater than their combined thickness.

Window cover clamp 14 is preferably made of plastic material having a slight resiliency thereto. In FIG. 5 the window cover clamp 40 is formed of a spring steel and it has a uniform thickness.

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