Auto hood ornaments were widely used in a previous time, frequently to display auto manufacturers' emblems. Their use has declined in recent decades. Hood ornaments that are applied in the original manufacture of vehicles have been secured by a type of assembly that penetrates the hood and is often characterized by having a number of parts and structure that incurs relatively large manufacturing cost. Kanamori patent 4,349,591, Sep. 14, 1982, shows some examples of ornament assemblies, some of which use an elastically deformable synthetic resin for some elements to make them yieldable. Such assemblies still rely on parts penetrating the hood to secure them.
Examples of other prior art showing the relative complexity of prior assemblies are Leban et al. patent 4,988,065, Jan. 29, 1991, and Stone patent 5,178,920, Jan. 12, 1993. It is clearly not favorable to wide use by consumers for complex assemblies or any assemblies requiring new hood apertures to be provided in the vehicle parts aftermarket.
More simple assemblies have been proposed but are not believed to achieve satisfactory durability, security, and other desired qualities. Sanders patent 2,632,269, Mar. 24, 1953, discloses a stick-on advertising device of a semi-rigid sheet material such as relatively thin cardboard. Such a structure would, at best, have very temporary utility.
Kaiser patent 4,783,352, Nov. 8, 1988, discloses a thermometer for mounting on a vehicle. The base of the mounting assembly is glued and/or bolted to the hood. The base is a synthetic material, such as PVC, which is intended to be rigid but with enough elasticity for placing a metal ball, supporting the thermometer, into a socket of the base. It is apparent the base is not intended to have appreciable elasticity in use, e.g. to absorb external deflection forces: if a glue alone were relied on to mount the base, without a through-bolt, it is believed the glue would bear all the stress except to the extent the ball rotates in the socket.
The Kaiser patent, and also the above-mentioned patent of Leban et al., have assemblies with ball and socket joints to allow pivoting of the thermometer, or ornamental object, to a desired position to accommodate a variety of hood slope angles. Leban et al. mentions various elastomeric materials for a bushing in which the socket for the ball or the joint is located. However, like Kaiser, that is to enable getting the ball into the socket.
A ball and socket joint is convenient for position adjustment but carries with it various drawbacks. The ball and socket depends on static friction to maintain the position set by the user. A blow that causes deflection necessitates resetting the position. Furthermore, the ball and socket is subject to separation by fairly easy reversal of the assembly process. Also, the joint is believed likely to suffer due to weather, such as by ice interfering with adjustability.
The prior art also includes recognition of the potential for mounting a "hood" ornament in some locations other than a vehicle hood and, also, a desirability for emblems other than manufacturers' emblems, represented for example by Noone patent 5,549,940, Aug. 27, 1996, showing vehicle ornamentation with sports team emblems. However, the prior art, individually and collectively, does not appear to achieve sufficient desirable qualities for an assembly that is economical and easily usable by consumers. At present, no aftermarket hood ornament assembly is known to have achieved wide application.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds