초록 ▼

An air deflector for trailers having a forwardly facing front wall. The air deflector includes a body adapted to extend between the side edges of the trailer front wall and from the top edge thereof to a selected location on the front wall remote from the top edge. The body projects forwardly from t

An air deflector for trailers having a forwardly facing front wall. The air deflector includes a body adapted to extend between the side edges of the trailer front wall and from the top edge thereof to a selected location on the front wall remote from the top edge. The body projects forwardly from the front wall with the forwardly facing surface of the body being generally convex. At least one air vent is located at the bottom margin of the body and is adapted to admit air between the body and the front wall of the trailer. In certain embodiments a resilient recoil rib is attached to the body, extending generally parallel and adjacent to the rearwardly facing surface of the body and between the top and bottom margins of the body. The recoil rib is adapted to increase the body's ability to resist deformation from force applied to the forwardly facing surface of the body and, upon release of such force, to aid the body to resume its original shape.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An air deflector for trailers having a forwardly facing front wall with a top edge and opposed side edges, the air deflector comprising: (a) a body of resilient, flexible, semi-rigid thermoplastic material molded to a desired set shape and having opposed top and bottom margins and opposed side

1. An air deflector for trailers having a forwardly facing front wall with a top edge and opposed side edges, the air deflector comprising: (a) a body of resilient, flexible, semi-rigid thermoplastic material molded to a desired set shape and having opposed top and bottom margins and opposed side margins and forwardly and rearwardly facing surfaces extending to the margins of the body, the body being adapted to extend generally between the side edges of the trailer front wall and from the top edge thereof to a selected location on the front wall remote from the top edge, the body projecting forwardly from the margins with the forwardly facing surface being generally convex; and (b) at least one air vent alcove located at the bottom margin of the body having a downwardly facing and substantially horizontal ceiling portion extending rearwardly beneath the overhanging body, and an air vent located in the ceiling portion of the air vent alcove for freely admitting ambient air to the space between the body and the trailer front wall and thereby preventing formation of a vacuum therein which might tend to cause collapse of the body, and (c) a recoil rib attached to the body at least at each end of the recoil rib and extending generally parallel and adjacent to the shaped rearwardly facing body surface from a selected margin of the body to the margin opposed thereto, the recoil rib being formed of resilient, semi-rigid material to thereby increase the body's ability to resist deformation from force applied to the forwardly facing surface of the body and, upon the release of such force, to aid the body to resume its original shape. 2. The air deflector specified in claim 1 wherein the recoil rib extends between the top and bottom margins of the body. 3. The air deflector specified in claim 1 wherein the recoil rib is unitarily molded as part of the body. 4. The air deflector specified in claim 1 wherein the recoil rib is molded separately from the body and has a flattened, forward-most portion, and the forward-most portion of the rearwardly facing surface is flat and adapted to receive the flattened portion of the recoil rib in abutting relation, whereby pressure from the recoil rib may be distributed over a large area of the body without the recoil rib having to be precisely molded to the exact curve of the inwardly facing surface. 5. An air deflector for trailers having a forwardly facing front wall with a top edge and opposed side edges, the air deflector comprising: (a) a body having opposed top and bottom margins and opposed side margins and forwardly and rearwardly facing surfaces extending to the margins of the body, the body being adapted to extend generally between the side edges of the trailer front wall and from the top edge thereof to a selected location on the front wall remote from the top edge, the body projecting forwardly from the margins with the forwardly facing surface being generally convex; and (b) at least one air vent located at the bottom margin of the body having a downwardly facing and substantially horizontal ceiling portion extending rearwardly beneath the overhanging body, and an air vent located in the ceiling portion of the air vent alcove to admit air between the body and the front wall of the trailer, whereby rainwater running over the body will not tend to enter the air vent; and (c) a resilient recoil rib attached to the body at least at each end of the recoil rib and extending generally parallel and adjacent to the rearwardly facing surface from a selected margin of the body to the margin opposed thereto to increase the body's ability to resist deformation from force applied to the forwardly facing surface of the body and, upon the release of such force, to aid the body to resume its original shape, the recoil rib having a base extending the length of the recoil rib and a plurality of longitudinally extending stiffener ribs projecting above the base and extending for a selected portion of the length of the recoil rib to resiliently increase the resistance of the recoil rib to being flexed. 6. An air deflector for trailers having a forwardly facing front wall with a top edge and opposed side edges, the air deflector comprising: (a) a body made of a resilient, flexible sheet material, the body having opposed top and bottom and opposed side margins and substantially parallel forward and rearwardly facing surfaces extending to the margins of the body, the body being adapted to extend generally between the side edges of the trailer front wall and from the top edge thereof to a selected location on the front wall remote from the top edge, the body projecting forwardly from the margins with the forwardly facing surface being generally convex; (b) at least one air vent located generally at the bottom margin of the body and adapted to admit air between the body and the front wall of the trailer; and (c) a resilient recoil rib formed from a layer of resilient sheet material extending generally parallel and adjacent to the rearwardly facing surface from the top margin of the body to the bottom margin thereof, the recoil rib being attached to the body at least at each end of the recoil rib, the recoil rib having a plurality of longitudinally extending stiffener ribs formed as alternating ridges extending upwardly from a base portion, the front surfaces of the stiffener ribs extending generally parallel and adjacent to the rearwardly facing surface of the body. 7. The air deflector specified in claim 6 wherein the body includes an air vent alcove located at the bottom margin thereof having a downwardly facing and substantially horizontal ceiling portion extending rearwardly beneath the overhanging body, and wherein the air vent is located in the substantially horizontal ceiling portion of the air vent alcove and opens downwardly. 8. The air deflector specified in claim 6 wherein the recoil rib has a flattened, forward-most portion, and the forward-most portion of the rearwardly facing surface is flat and adapted to engage the flattened portion of the recoil rib in abutting relation, whereby pressure from the recoil rib may be distributed over a large area of the body without the recoil rib having to be precisely molded to the exact curve of the rearwardly facing surface. 9. An air deflector for trailers having a forwardly facing front wall with a top edge and opposed side edges, the air deflector comprising: (a) a body made of resilient, flexible sheet material having opposed top and bottom margins and opposed side margins and forwardly and rearwardly facing surfaces extending to the margins of the body, the body being adapted to extend generally between the side edges of the trailer front wall and from the top edge thereof to a selected location on the front wall remote from the top edge, the body projecting forwardly from the margins with the forwardly facing surface being generally convex; and (b) a resilient recoil rib formed from a layer of resilient sheet material attached to the body at least at each end of the recoil rib and extending generally parallel and adjacent to the rearwardly facing surface from a selected margin of the body to the margin opposed thereto to increase the body's ability to resist deformation from force applied to the forwardly facing surface of the body and, upon release of such force, to aid the body to resume its original shape, the recoil rib having a plurality of longitudinally extending stiffener ribs formed as alternating ridges extending upwardly from a base portion, the front surfaces of the stiffener ribs extending generally parallel and adjacent to the rearwardly facing surface of the body. 10. The air deflector specified in claim 9 wherein the recoil rib extends between the top and bottom margins of the body. 11. The air deflector specified in claim 9 wherein the recoil rib has a flattened, forward-most portion, and the forward-most portion of the rearwardly facing surface is flat and adapted to engage the flattened portion of the recoil rib in abutting relation, whereby pressure from the recoil rib may be distributed over a large area of the body without the recoil rib having to be precisely molded to the exact curve of the inwardly facing surface. 12. An air deflector for trailers having a forwardly facing front wall with a top edge and opposed side edges, the air deflector comprising: (a) a body of resilient, flexible, semi-rigid thermoplastic material molded to a desired set shape and having opposed top and bottom margins and opposed side margins and forwardly and rearwardly facing surfaces extending to the margins of the body, the body being adapted to extend generally between the side edges of the trailer front wall and from the top edge thereof to a selected location on the front wall remote from the top edge, the body projecting forwardly from the margins with the forwardly facing surface being generally convex; and (b) a recoil rib extending generally parallel and adjacent to the rearwardly facing surface of the body from a selected margin of the body to the margin opposed thereto, the recoil rib being formed as an elongated strip of resilient, semi-rigid material to thereby increase the body's ability to resist deformation from force applied to the forwardly facing surface of the body and, upon the release of such force, to aid the body to resume its original shape, the forward-most portion of the recoil rib substantially closely engaging the most forwardly projecting portion of the body, whereby the pressure of support provided by the recoil rib to the body will tend to be distributed over the recoil rib and body. 13. An air deflector for trailers having a forwardly facing front wall with a top edge and opposed side edges, the air deflector comprising: (a) a body having opposed top and bottom margins and opposed side margins and forwardly and rearwardly facing surfaces extending to the margins of the body, the body being adapted to extend generally between the side edges of the trailer front wall and from the top edge thereof to a selected location on the front wall remote from the top edge, the body projecting forwardly from the margins with the forwardly facing surface being generally convex; and (b) a resilient recoil rib extending generally parallel and adjacent to the rearwardly facing surface of the body from a selected margin of the body to the margin opposed thereto to increase the body's ability to resist deformation from force applied to the forwardly facing surface of the body and, upon the release of such force, to aid the body to resume its original shape, the forward-most portion of the recoil rib substantially closely engaging the most forwardly projecting portion of the body, whereby the pressure of support provided by the recoil rib to the body will tend to be distributed over the recoil rib and body, the recoil rib being formed from a layer of resilient sheet material and having a plurality of longitudinally extending stiffener ribs formed as alternating ridges extending upwardly from a base portion, the front portion of the stiffener ribs extending generally parallel and adjacent to the rearwardly facing surface of the body.