Portable, reusable, and rapidly deployable protective cover

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to a portable, reusable, and rapidly deployable protective cover configured to be worn over a person's clothing and to protect portions of the person's torso and lap from liquid and solid spills, particularly while in a seated position, such as when sitting in a vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A rapidly deployable protective cover configured to be worn over a portion of a user's body to protect from liquid or solid spills, the cover comprising:
 an upper member;   a lower member materially coupled to the upper member;   first and second side members materially coupled to and extending from opposing sides of at least one of the upper member and the lower member; and   at least one bi-stable member configured to transition the cover between a compact state and an expanded state.   
     
     
         2 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one bi-stable member is coupled to at least one of the upper member, the lower member, and the first and second side members and wherein the at least one bi-stable member comprises at least two stable configurations and is elastically deformable between the first and second stable configurations. 
     
     
         3 . The cover of  claim 2 , wherein, when in the first stable configuration, the bi-stable member has a compact shape and thereby results in the cover having a compact state and wherein the compact shape is a rolled configuration such that at least one of the upper member, the lower member, and the first and second side members coupled to the bi-stable member has a corresponding rolled configuration. 
     
     
         4 . The cover of  claim 2 , wherein, when in the second stable configuration, the bi-stable member has an expanded, substantially planar shape along a length thereof, thereby resulting in the cover having an expanded state and wherein at least one of the upper member, the lower member, and the first and second side members coupled to the bi-stable member has a corresponding expanded configuration when the bi-stable member is in the second stable configuration. 
     
     
         5 . The cover of  claim 5 , wherein, when the bi-stable member is in the second stable configuration and the cover is in the expanded state, the upper member is configured to cover at least a portion of a user's torso, the lower member is configured to cover at least a portion of the user's lap, and the first and second side members are configured to cover side portions of at least one of the user's torso or user's lap. 
     
     
         6 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein, when the cover is in the compact state, the overall area of the cover is smaller than the overall area of the cover when the cover is in the expanded state. 
     
     
         7 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein, when the cover is in the compact state, at least two of the upper member, the lower member, and the first and second side members are releasably coupled to one another via one or more releasable fastening members and wherein one or more releasable fastening members are selected from the group consisting of: one or more magnets, hook and loop fasteners, snap-fit fasteners, adhesive, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The cover of  claim 1 , further comprising a pair of opposing ties materially coupled to the upper member and configured to be releasably coupled to one another around the user's neck. 
     
     
         9 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the upper member, the lower member, and the first and second side members further comprises a fastener mechanism for releasably coupling the cover to a portion of a vehicular seat belt system and wherein the fastener mechanism comprises a pair of opposing ties configured to be releasably coupled to one another around a shoulder harness portion or a lap portion of the seat belt system. 
     
     
         10 . The cover of  claim 1 , further comprising an insertable member configured to provide a substantially planar surface on the lower member thereby providing a user with a stable surface for food or beverages when in a seated position. 
     
     
         11 . A rapidly deployable protective cover configured to protect at least a portion of a user's body from liquid or solid spills, the cover comprising:
 an upper member;   a lower member coupled to the upper member; and   first and second side members coupled to and extending from opposing sides of the lower member;   wherein the upper, lower, and first and second side members are configured to move relative to one another to transition the cover between a compact state and an expanded state;   wherein, when in a compact state, the first and second side members are positioned between the upper and lower members and the upper and lower members are folded inwardly towards one another and the cover resembles a wedge-like configuration.   
     
     
         12 . The cover of  claim 11 , further comprising a spine portion between the upper and lower members, the spine portion having a first hinge on an upper side of the spine portion and adjacent to the upper member and a second hinge on a lower side of the spine portion and adjacent to the lower member and wherein the first and second hinges are living hinges. 
     
     
         13 . The cover of  claim 12 , wherein the upper member is configured to move relative to the spine portion by way of the first hinge and the lower member is configured to move relative to the spine portion by way of the second hinge. 
     
     
         14 . The cover of  claim 12 , wherein, when in the compact state, the spine portion prevents ends of the upper and lower members from contacting one another and maintains spacing between the ends of the upper and lower members. 
     
     
         15 . The cover of  claim 11 , wherein, when the cover is in the compact state, the overall area of the cover is smaller than the overall area of the cover when the cover is in the expanded state. 
     
     
         16 . The cover of  claim 11 , wherein, when the cover is in the compact state, at least two of the upper member, the lower member, and the first and second side members are releasably coupled to one another via one or more releasable fastening members and wherein the one or more releasable fastening members are selected from the group consisting of: one or more magnets, hook and loop fasteners, snap-fit fasteners, adhesive, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The cover of  claim 11 , further comprising a pair of opposing ties coupled to the upper member and configured to be releasably coupled to one another around the user's neck. 
     
     
         18 . The cover of  claim 11 , wherein, when in the compact state, the cover is configured to be received within a gap between a seat and a console of a vehicle and wherein the wedge-like configuration of the cover is adequate to prevent the cover from being entirely received within the gap. 
     
     
         19 . A system configured to protect a user from liquid or solid spills, the system comprising:
 a rapidly deployable protective cover configured to be worn over a portion of a user's body, the cover comprising:   an upper member;   a lower member materially coupled to the upper member;   first and second side members materially coupled to and extending from opposing sides of at least one of the upper member and the lower member; and   at least one bi-stable member coupled to at least one of the upper member, the lower member, and the first and second side members, and configured to elastically deform between a stable compact configuration and a stable expanded configuration to thereby transition the cover between a compact state and an expanded state, respectively; and   a receptacle configured to receive and house the cover when the cover is in the compact state, the receptacle comprising a fastener mechanism for releasably coupling the receptacle to a portion of a vehicular seat belt system.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the compact configuration is a rolled configuration such that at least one of the upper member, the lower member, and the first and second side members coupled to the bi-stable member has a corresponding rolled configuration.