Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02641007 2008-10-02
WO 2007/103810 PCT/US2007/063210
PATENT COOPERATION TREATY APPLICATION
SPECIFICATION
CHECK-POINT VEHICLE TIRE PUNCTURING
AND DEFLATING ASSEMBLY
INVENTOR: Toranj A. Marphetia
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.
60/662,529, filed
March 3, 2006.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to devices that are used by law enforcement
agencies and
others for intentionally puncturing the rubber tires of a motor vehicle. More
particularly, this
invention relates to an assembly that can be placed in front of or in back of
one or more tires of a
stationary vehicle for the purpose of deploying one or more spikes from the
assembly in the
event the vehicle is moved. It also relates to a vehicle tire puncturing and
deflating spike
assembly that is compact, that protects the spikes and the person carrying
them during storage
and otherwise, and that is quickly and easily used in the field.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known that it is occasionally necessary for law enforcement
agencies to impede
and stop the movement of a speeding motor vehicle. One method of accomplishing
this is by the
strategic placement of one or more tire-deflating mechanisms in the path, or
the anticipated path,
-1-
CA 02641007 2008-10-02
WO 2007/103810 PCT/US2007/063210
of the moving vehicle to impede and stop its movement. Such portable tire-
deflating
mechanisms often take the form of strips of material that can be set down on a
roadway, the
strips including some sort of puncturing device attached to it. One such
mechanism, invented by
this inventor, is formed with a "scissors-like" base having a plurality of
tire-puncturing spikes,
each of which is removably held within the base. That mechanism, including the
detail of the
tire-deflating spikes that are used with it, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
6,357,961 and U.S. Pat.
No. 6,312,189 issued to this inventor, respectively.
In the experience of this inventor, there is another scenario where a tire-
puncturing spike
and retainer assembly can be effectively used as a deterrent against movement
of a motor
0 vehicle. That is where a motor vehicle must remain at rest for a sufficient
time for authorities to
check the motor vehicle, or its passengers or cargo, for one reason or
another. In such a scenario,
it would be desirable for the user to have an ability to temporarily place an
array of spikes
between the front wheel and the rear wheel at one side or the other of a motor
vehicle such that
movement of the vehicle in either a forward or rearward direction would result
in a deployment
5 of one or more spikes into the tire of the motor vehicle. It would also be
desirable to make the
placement of the array between the tires, as well as removal of the array from
between the tires, a
rather simple and effective process, a preferably one which can be
accomplished in a single step.
Such an application may be where a check-point attendant is performing some
sort of security
check of the vehicle or of its driver, although there are many other
applications for such an
;0 assembly and the list provided here is not intended to be all inclusive or
limiting in any way.
Although the tire-puncturing spike and retainer assembly described in the
patents referred
to above could, at least in theory, be used for such check-point applications,
such use would be
cumbersome and inconvenient at best. Deployment of the assembly as described
in the patents is
-2-
CA 02641007 2008-10-02
WO 2007/103810 PCT/US2007/063210
really intended for situations where a motor vehicle is approaching, but has
yet to arrive. Where
a motor vehicle is already in place and clearance between the lowermost
portion of the motor
vehicle and the roadway surface is relatively small, prior assemblies would
require the user to
position himself or herself as close to the ground as possible so as to insure
proper positioning of
the assembly and without causing damage to the lower body portions of the
motor vehicle by
inadvertent contact with the spikes of the assembly. The same concern would
exist when
removing the assembly from underneath the motor vehicle. Accordingly, repeated
placement
and removal of such an assembly would be very impractical and time-consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide a new,
useful, and
uncomplicated stationary tire-puncturing spike and retainer assembly that can
be placed from one
side of a stationary vehicle and at a point that is behind the front tire and
in front of the rear tire
of that vehicle to prevent movement of that vehicle. It is another object of
this invention to make
the assembly a portable one when such is desired or required. It is still
another object of this
invention to provide such a tire-puncturing spike and retainer assembly that
can be mountable
into a first position where the spike array extends from the first position to
a second position, the
second position being as described by the principal object of this invention.
It is yet another
object of this invention to provide such a tire-puncturing spike and retainer
assembly that
requires only a minimal number of elements of construction, that is easy to
use and that allows
for ease in placement and in removal when compared to assemblies of current
availability used
in similar application.
The present invention has obtained these objects. It provides for a
longitudinally-
extending slide base and a spike holder that is longitudinally-movable along
the slide base to
-3-
CA 02641007 2008-10-02
WO 2007/103810 PCT/US2007/063210
thereby extend the spike holder and spikes beneath a stationary vehicle. The
slide base includes
a foot or anchor plate from which one or more slide base plates extend. The
anchor plate can be
placed in a fixed position. Alternatively, the assembly may be used as a
portable one where the
user stands on the foot plate to immobilize it.
The spike holder includes a longitudinally-extending aperture defined in it
for receiving a
portion of the slide base plate, thereby allowing the spike holder to be
slidable along the slide
base plate. The spike holder includes a "kick" plate that can be used to urge
the spike holder
under the vehicle by foot. As the spike holder glides into position, a stop
member is provided to
prevent disengagement of the spike holder from the slide base plates. The kick
plate also
0 includes means for quickly retracting the spike holder from beneath the
vehicle when its intended
usage is completed and such is desired.
The foregoing and other features of the check-point tire-puncturing spike and
retainer
assembly constructed in accordance with this invention will be apparent from
the detailed
description that follows.
.5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a front, top and left side perspective view of a check-point tire-
puncturing spike and retainer assembly constructed in accordance with the
present invention and
showing the assembly and its elements in an exploded view.
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the check-point tire-puncturing spike and
retainer
!0 assembly of the present invention and showing the spike holder in its
"retracted" position.
Fig. 3 is a left side elevational view of the check-point tire-puncturing
spike and
retainer assembly of the present invention and showing the spike holder in its
"retracted"
position.
-4-
CA 02641007 2008-10-02
WO 2007/103810 PCT/US2007/063210
Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the assembly shown in the same position as in
Figs. 3 and 4.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged and sectioned left side elevational view of the foot or
anchor
plate portion of the tire-puncturing spike and retainer assembly of the
present invention.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged and sectioned front elevational view of the assembly of
the
present invention.
Fig. 7A is a top plan view of the check-point tire-puncturing spike and
retainer
assembly of the present invention and showing the spike holder in its
"retracted" position.
Fig. 7B is a top plan view of the check-point tire-puncturing spike and
retainer
assembly of the present invention and showing the spike holder in its
"extended" position.
Fig. 8 is a left side elevational view of the check-point tire-puncturing
spike and
retainer assembly of the present invention and showing the spike holder in its
"extended"
position.
Fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectioned view illustrating the stop element of the
assembly of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like numbered elements refer
to like
elements as well, Fig. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the check-point
tire-puncturing and
deflating spike retaining assembly, generally identified 10, that is
constructed in accordance with
the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the assembly 10 includes a
longitudinally-extending
slide base, generally identified 20, and a spike holder, generally identified
30, that is
longitudinally-movable along the slide base 20 to thereby extend the spike
holder 30 and spikes
12 beneath a stationary vehicle (not shown). In detail, the slide base 20
includes a foot or anchor
-5-
CA 02641007 2008-10-02
WO 2007/103810 PCT/US2007/063210
plate 22 from which one or more longitudinally-extending slide base plates 24
extend. In the
preferred embodiment, two base plates 24 are provided. However, such is not a
limitation of the
present invention. A single base plate 24 could be used as could more than
two. As shown, the
base plates 24 are longitudinally parallel to one another and each includes a
proximal end 25 and
a distal end 27, each proximal end 25 being fastened to the foot or anchor
plate 22 by means of a
plurality of fasteners 21. As previously alluded to, the anchor plate 22 can
be placed in a fixed
position as shown. Alternatively, the assembly 10 may be used as a portable
one where the user
stands on the foot plate 22 to immobilize it. When used in a fixed fashion,
however, the distal
end 27 of each base plate 24 may be secured to a surface by using additional
fasteners (not
0 shown) there. See Fig. 2 also.
As shown in Fig. 6, it will be seen that each base plate 24 is configured in a
dovetail
fashion to allow for slidable movement of the spike holder 30 along the base
plates 24, but
allowing for no transverse movement between those elements. In the preferred
embodiment, the
base plates 24 and the spike holder 30 are made of a self-lubricating nylon
material or other like
5 material. Such is not, however, a limitation of the present invention. The
advantage of using
like materials for both the base plates 24 and the spike holder 30 is that the
rate of expansion of
each element relative to the other will be the same, regardless of
environmental factors such as
extremely hot or extremely cold conditions exist and where different materials
could create
"pinching" of the elements and render the assembly 10 marginally operational
or even
!0 completely inoperable.
In greater detail, Fig. 1 illustrates that the longitudinally-extending spike
holder 30
includes a top surface 32 having opposing ramp portions 31, 33 that extend
downwardly from the
top surface 32. The ramp portions 31, 33 are provided so as to allow a motor
vehicle tire (not
-6-
CA 02641007 2008-10-02
WO 2007/103810 PCT/US2007/063210
shown) to more easily run atop the spike holder 30 without tending to push it
away from the tire.
The longitudinally-extending spike holder 30 also includes a bottom surface
34, the bottom
surface having a pair of longitudinally-extending apertures 46 defined in it
for receiving a
portion of the slide base plate 24 within each aperture 46, thereby allowing
the spike holder 30 to
be slidable along the slide base plate 24. See Figs. 2 through 4, and also
Figs. 7A, 7B and 8. An
additional slot 48 is defined within each aperture 46, the purpose of which
will be further
apparent in this detailed description.
The spike holder 30 of the assembly 10 includes a proximal end 36 and a distal
end 37.
The proximal end 36 of the spike holder 30 includes a transversely-disposed
and slightly
upwardly-extending "kick" plate 38 with which the user can slidably urge the
spike holder 30
under a vehicle (not shown) by his or her foot. As the spike holder 30 glides
into position, a stop
member 28 is provided and which is attached to the distal end 27 of each slide
base plate 24 by
means of fasteners 29 to prevent disengagement of the spike holder 30 from the
slide base plates
24. See Fig. 9. That is, the additional slot 48 runs along the aperture 46 of
each slide base plate
24, but stops short of the entire length of the plate 24. In this fashion, the
uppermost portion of
the stop member 28 engages the slot 48 and prevents the spike holder 30 from
disengaging the
base plates 24.
As shown in Fig. 5, the kick plate 38 also includes an eye-hook 39 or similar
connector
for attaching one end of a string or rope (not shown) to it. The user may pull
on the string (not
shown) and quickly retract the spike holder 30 from beneath the vehicle (also
not shown) when
its intended usage is completed.
Referring again to Figs. 1 through 3 and Fig. 6, it will be seen that the top
surface 32 of
the spike holder 30 includes a plurality of circular spike apertures 42. Each
spike aperture 42
-7-
CA 02641007 2008-10-02
WO 2007/103810 PCT/US2007/063210
includes a spike retaining device 14 of the type known in the art. It is to be
understood that the
precise kind or type of spike retaining device 14 used is not a limitation of
the present invention.
To one side of each spike aperture 42 is a transverse slot 44. The slot 44 is
provided to allow the
spike 12 to lay down and for slight rotation of the spike 12 as the spike 12
is deployed from the
assembly 10.
In application, the assembly 10 would be mounted in a fixed position relative
to a secure
check-point. Alternatively, it could be portable as desired or required by the
particular
application. If the assembly 10 is used in a fixed position setting, the
anchor plate 22 of the base
20 would be secured to a flat horizontal surface as would each of the slide
base plates 24. The
0 assembly 10 would be secured in such a way that the movement of the spike
holder 30 relative to
the base plates 24 would be generally transverse to the path of movement of
the motor vehicles
with which the assembly 10 would be used. As a motor vehicle approaches the
assembly at this
point, the spike holder 30 would be in a fully retracted position as is shown
in Figs. 2 through 4.
As the motor vehicle (not shown) moves towards the assembly 10, and into the
anticipated path
.5 of the assembly 10 when fully extended, the motor vehicle should be stopped
at a point where
extension of the assembly 10 effects placement of the spike holder 30
preferably between the
front vehicle tire and the rear tire. The user then uses the kick-plate of the
spike holder 30 to
urge the spike holder 30 along the base plates 24 and under the motor vehicle.
At this point, the
spike holder 30 is in its fully extended position as shown in Figs. 7B and 8.
With the spike
',0 holder 30 in this position, it is not possible to move the motor vehicle
without deploying one or
more of the spikes 12 as the tire, front or rear, moves up and over one or the
other of the ramped
surfaces 31, 33 and the upper surface 32 of the spike holder 30. When the
purpose of the check-
point has been completed, the user simply pulls on a rope or string (not
shown) that is attached to
-8-
CA 02641007 2008-10-02
WO 2007/103810 PCT/US2007/063210
the eyehook 39 of the spike holder 30 to retract the spike holder 30 to its
initial position, thus
allowing the motor vehicle to continue on its way without harm to its tires.
Accordingly, it will be seen that there has been provided a new, useful and
non-obvious
tire-puncturing spike and retainer assembly that is preferably placed between
the front and rear
wheels of a vehicle, that can, for example, be moved underneath a vehicle when
the vehicle is
stationary so as to prevent the vehicle from moving without puncturing one
more tires, and that
can be just as easily removed from underneath a vehicle.
-9-
N:\DOCS\12482\34334\ 10035849. DOC
