(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for positioning vehicles, and more particularly to an improved apparatus which will indicate the location of the vehicle when it is parked in a predetermined position within a garage.
(2) Background of the Invention
Since the invention of the garage, it has been a problem to position a vehicle within the enclosure to provide adequate clearance in front, behind, and on the sides of the vehicle by positioning the vehicle properly within the structure. If the vehicle is located too far rearwardly, the garage door will not close. If the vehicle is located too close to a side of the enclosure, people will not be able to enter or exit the vehicle.
There have been many attempts to provide apparatus which will alert the driver to the appropriate location within the garage for the vehicle. One of the simplest and least expensive apparatus is the use of a ball suspended on a string from the ceiling of the garage. The driver enters the garage until a particular location on the windshield of the vehicle contacts the ball. The main problem with such a device is in the difficulty in positioning the device for a particular vehicle, as well as the difficulty in repositioning the device if a consumer replaces the vehicle. In addition, the suspension of objects from the ceiling can be unsitely in appearance, and can become entangled with structure on the vehicle.
Other attempts to provide apparatus for positioning a vehicle within a garage include U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,983 to Piper. This patent discloses an alarm device which will signal the desired parking position of a vehicle in a garage. The device utilizes a roof mounted antenna which contacts a depending arm when the vehicle reaches the desired position within a garage. Pivotal movement of the arm triggers an audio alarm to cause the driver to stop further movement of the vehicle. However, the Piper device suffers several problems. First, structure is required to project upwardly from the vehicle and downwardly from the garage ceiling. Such projecting structures may become entangled with projections on the vehicle, especially if a different vehicle is parked within the garage. In addition, the mechanical functioning of the apparatus includes many parts which may require repair or replacement, thereby increasing the cost of the apparatus.
Another apparatus known in the art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,378 to Heckethorn. The Heckethorn device eliminates much of the suspended structure disclosed in Piper, but becomes relatively expensive because of the required interconnection with an automatic garage door opener.