Self-Coiling Dent Guard
A self-coiling dent guard for protecting vehicles and other objects from damage caused by unwanted collisions is disclosed. The guard is comprised of a main body adapted to absorb the impact of colliding objects. A bistable spring strip is integrated within the main body of the guard, thus giving the guard its self-coiling properties. When not in use, a user may cause the guard to coil so as to be easily stored. A magnetic strip is attached to the length of the main body such that the guard may be removably attached to a vehicle or other object. A layer of felt covering the bottom of the guard protects the vehicle from being scratched when the guard is applied or removed.
1 . A self-coiling removable guard comprising:
a flexible main body strip;
a bistable spring strip embedded within the main body strip; and
a flexible magnetic strip attached to said main body strip.
2 . The self-coiling removable guard of claim 1 wherein said flexible magnetic strip is composed of a composite of magnetic materials imbedded in a flexible polymer material.
3 . The self-coiling removable guard of claim 1 wherein said bistable spring strip has a first stable linear state and a second stable coiled state, wherein said spring strip may be induced to transition from said first stable linear state to said second stable coiled state upon a force being applied by a user to said spring strip so as to bend said spring strip.
4 . The self-coiling removable guard of claim 3 wherein said bistable spring strip, when induced by a user to transition from said first stable linear state to said second stable coiled state, produces a coiling force applied to said main body strip, causing said main body strip to coil.
5 . The self-coiling removable guard of claim 3 wherein said bistable spring strip, when in its first stable linear state, supports said main body strip in a substantially straight position for attaching to another object.
6 . The self-coiling removable guard of claim 1 , further comprising a transparent sleeve attached to a top side of said main body strip, said sleeve being adapted to receive printed materials.
7 . The self-coiling removable guard of claim 1 wherein said main body strip is composed of high-density polyethylene foam.
8 . The self-coiling removable guard of claim 1 further comprising a soft bottom layer that is attached to a bottom side of said guard.