Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-05
2003-05-27
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S731000, C280S732000, C428S031000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568704
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bag cover for covering an air bag which has been folded to be contained, and more particularly to the air bag cover with ornament. Usually, air bag systems provided with the air bag covers are mounted on a steering wheel, in front of an assistant driver's seat, doors, seats, and so on of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there have been some cases in which an ornament (emblem) is attached to a door section of the air bag cover which is adapted to open when the air bag is inflated (See Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-10-273004).
This ornament has been formed of sheet metal material such as aluminum alloy, copper or the like by stamping with a press or so, and composed of an ornamental part, three leg portions arranged near a circumferential edge of the ornamental part, and through holes formed near tip ends of the respective leg portions. The ornament has been attached to the air bag cover by inserting the leg portions into three mounting holes formed in a covering part of the air bag cover, and by bending the leg portions along a back face of the covering part toward a center of the ornamental part. The through holes formed near the tip ends of the respective leg portions have been provided for the purpose of allowing welding bosses which have been integrally formed with the covering part and project toward the back face of the covering part to pass therethrough. After the welding bosses have been passed through the through holes and the leg portions have been bent, tip ends of the welding bosses have been heat caulked, thus enabling the leg portions to be connected to each other thereby fixing the ornament to the covering part.
However, the leg portions of the conventional ornament have been fixed by heat caulking the tip ends of the welding bosses, while the tip ends of the leg portions have been exposed. Because this ornament has been formed of the sheet metal material by stamping with the press, there has been a fear that the air bag may be damaged by corners at the tip ends of the leg portions when the expanding and inflating air bag interferes with the corners at the tip ends of the leg portions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide an air bag cover with ornament which is free from the fear that the expanding and inflating air bag may be damaged by the ornament.
The present invention is an air bag cover with ornament and covering a folded air bag, the air bag cover being formed of synthetic resin and having door sections which are adapted to open when the air bag is expanded and inflated,
the ornament including an ornamental part arranged on a front face of one of the door sections and a plurality of mounting legs extending downward from the ornamental part,
the ornament being constructed so as to be mounted to the door section by passing the mounting legs through mounting holes formed in the door section and bending them along a back face of the door section,
characterized in that tip ends of bent portions of the mounting legs which have been bent along the back face of the door section are covered with covering parts which are compatible with material forming the air bag cover so as to be melted and solidified.
Moreover, the bent portions of the mounting legs which have been bent along the back face of the door section are preferably bent at a bending angle of 90 degree or more with respect to penetrating portions of the mounting legs which pass through the mounting holes.
Further, it is desirable that on the back face of the door section near the tip ends of the bent portions of the mounting legs, there are formed insertion holes extending toward the front face of the door section, and
the ornament has, at the tip ends of the bent portions of the mounting legs, inserting portions which can be inserted into the insertion holes, whereby the ornament is mounted to the door section with the inserting portions inserted in the insertion holes.
Still further, it is desirable that on the back face of the door section, there are formed projections so as to surround the bent portions of the mounting legs which have been bent along the back face of the door section, and
the projections are provided with intended melting and solidifying parts capable of covering the tip ends of the bent portions when melted, thereby to form the covering parts.
According to the invention, the air bag cover is so constructed that the tip ends of the bent portions of the mounting legs which have been bent along the back face of the door section are covered with the covering parts which are compatible with the material forming the air bag cover so as to be melted and solidified. Therefore, there will be no fear that the air bag may be damaged by the ornament, because the corners of the tip ends of the mounting legs are not exposed on the back face of the door section, and accordingly, the expanding and inflating air bag will not interfere with the corners of the tip ends of the mounting legs of the ornament. Moreover, because the ornament is mounted to the door section of the air bag cover while the tip ends of the bent portions are covered with the covering parts, a spring up of the tip ends of the mounting legs (bent portions) away from the back face of the door section will be prevented by coverings of the covering parts. Thus, when the door section of the air bag cover opens along with the expansion and inflation of the air bag, the mounting legs of the ornament will not be detached from the mounting holes, and mounting strength of the ornament will be fully secured.
Therefore, the air bag cover provided with the ornament which is free from the fear that the expanding and inflating air bag may be damaged by the ornament and has sufficient mounting strength can be provided.
Moreover, by constructing the air bag cover in such a manner that the bent portions of the mounting legs which have been bent along the back face of the door section are bent at the bending angle of 90 degree or more with respect to the penetrating portions of the mounting legs which pass through the mounting holes, the bending angle of the bent portions with respect to the penetrating portions will be made larger, thus enabling the mounting strength of the ornament to be increased.
Further, by constructing the air bag cover in such a manner that on the back face of the door section near the tip ends of the bent portions of the mounting legs, there are formed the insertion holes extending toward the front face of the door section, and the ornament has, at the tip ends of the bent portions of the mounting legs, the inserting portions which can be inserted into the insertion holes, whereby the ornament is mounted to the door section with the inserting portions inserted in the insertion holes, the bending angle of the tip ends of the bent portions, that is, the inserting portions with respect to the penetrating portions will be made still larger, thus enabling the mounting strength of the ornament to be further increased.
Still further, by constructing the air bag cover in such a manner that on the back face of the door section, there are formed the projections so as to surround the bent portions of the mounting legs which have been bent along the back face of the door section, and the projections are provided with intended melting and solidifying parts capable of covering the tip ends of the bent portions when melted, thereby to form the covering parts, the bent portions can be easily set in position by engaging in areas surrounded by the projections, when the ornament is mounted. At the same time, the tip ends of the bent portions can be easily covered by melting and solidifying the intended melting and solidifying parts which have been arranged beforehand around the bent portions. In addition, there is no need of preparing material for the covering parts separately, and thus, covering workability will be enhanced.
REFERENCES:
patent
Hirose Osamu
Iida Hitoshi
Yamamoto Tadashi
Dickson Paul N.
Posz & Bethards, PLC
To Toan C
Toyoda Gosei Co,., Ltd.
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