Apparatus for protecting automobile bumpers
View Patent ↗A bumper protecting apparatus for a vehicle includes a front panel, a rear panel, and a plurality of slidable panels. The front panel comprises a plurality of apparatus license plate mounting holes adapted to support a license plate. The rear panel is coupled to the front panel such that the front panel and the rear panel define a volume therebetween. Lastly, the plurality of slidable panels are adapted to slide into and out of the volume between the front and rear panels. In use, the bumper protecting apparatus may be configured to span the length of an automobile's bumper so as to protect that bumper from collision damage.
1. An apparatus for protecting a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
a front panel, the front panel comprising a plurality of apparatus license plate mounting holes adapted to support a license plate;
a rear panel, the rear panel coupled to the front panel such that the front panel and the rear panel define a volume therebetween;
a plurality of slidable panels, each of the plurality of slidable panels adapted to slide into and out of the volume;
a mounting panel; and
a swinging panel, the swinging panel hingedly coupled to the mounting panel and to the rear panel.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of slidable panels consists of four panels, and two of the four panels are adapted to emerge from a side of the apparatus, and two of the four panels are adapted to emerge from an opposite side of the apparatus.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle comprises a plurality of automobile license plate mounting holes; and
the mounting panel is adapted to be mounted to the vehicle via the plurality of automobile license plate mounting holes.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configurable such that the swinging panel spans between the mounting panel and the rear panel.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mounting panel defines a tab and the rear panel defines a recess, and the apparatus is configurable such that the tab engages the recess so as to releasably hold the rear panel so that the rear panel overlies the mounting panel.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle comprises a bumper; and
the apparatus is configurable to span a majority of a length of the bumper.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an exposed edge of the rear panel, an exposed edge of the front panel, and an exposed edge of one of the plurality of slidable panels can be arranged to lie in a single plane.
8. An apparatus for protecting a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
a front panel, the front panel comprising a plurality of apparatus license plate mounting holes adapted to support a license plate;
a rear panel, the rear panel coupled to the front panel such that the front panel and the rear panel define a volume therebetween; and
a plurality of slidable panels, each of the plurality of slidable panels adapted to slide into and out of the volume;
wherein the plurality of slidable panels comprises:
a first rear slidable panel;
a second rear slidable panel;
a first front slidable panel; and
a second front slidable panel;
wherein:
the first rear slidable panel is slidably coupled to the rear panel; and
the second rear slidable panel is hingedly coupled to the first rear slidable panel.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the first front slidable panel is slidably coupled to the front panel; and
the second front slidable panel is hingedly coupled to the first front slidable panel.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the rear panel defines a rear upper rail and a rear lower rail; and
the first rear slidable panel defines a rear raised landing slidably captured by the rear upper rail and the rear lower rail.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the front panel defines a front upper rail and a front lower rail; and
the first front slidable panel defines a front raised landing slidably captured by the front upper rail and the front lower rail.