Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Special application – Actuated concurrently with operation or use of art device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-25
2001-03-27
Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Special application
Actuated concurrently with operation or use of art device
C200S061410, C200S061440, C200S061730, C200S302200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06207911
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to door-activated switches and to doorstop assemblies for vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a door-activated electrical switch and a door stop or motion damper for a vehicle door, combined into a single assembly.
2. Description of the Background Art
Door-activated switches, for activating an interior light, a dashboard or console indicator light, and/or an audible buzzer, are well-known and are used in substantially all vehicles. Typically, the switches are secured along a side portion of a vehicle door frame, adjacent a door hinge, and are operated by the opening and closing action of the vehicle door, alternately releasing and depressing a pushbutton activator as the vehicle door is opened and closed.
Many vehicles also conventionally use a door stop or damper, for damping or preventing further inward movement of a closing vehicle door, when it approaches or reaches a fully closed orientation thereof. Typically, such stop members are constructed of semi-rigid rubber or the like, and are either secured to the door frame, or to a free edge of a vehicle door, in a location remote from the hinge, where an edge of the door contacts the frame.
When using the previously known components, a complication could arise if an adjustment was made to set the proper extension of a stop member from a vehicle body panel, that might require separate adjustment of a door-activated switch, to compensate for the first adjustment made to the stop member.
One type of known door bumper, specifically designed for use with a sliding door on a vehicle such as a van or the like, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,723 to Bell et al.
Additionally, there are known devices for providing a weather-resistant seal around a conventional door-activated switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,285 to Shiraishi, issued May 12, 1987, discloses a rubber bumper device which attaches on to an edge portion of a vehicle door, using specially designed mounting pins. The rubber bumper device of Shiraishi is adapted to be placed on an edge of a vehicle door, in a location which lines up adjacent to a conventional door switch on a vehicle body panel when the door is fully closed.
The bumper device of Shiraishi does not include a switch, but instead, pushes against a push rod of the conventional door-activated switch, when the door is closed, to switch off an interior light in the vehicle. The conventional switch, which is activated by the device of Shiraishi, is located on the vehicle body such that the switch push rod is operatively engaged by a central portion of the bumper.
A peripheral wall of the bumper which extends around an outer edge thereof, is formed of soft rubber or the like, and surrounds the conventional switch as a weather seal, when the vehicle door is closed thereagainst.
Although the known devices are effective for their intended uses, a need still exists in the art to simplify and reduce costs by combining functions of several components into fewer components, and where possible, to combine the functions of multiple components into a single assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a combined doorstop and switch assembly for a vehicle, which may be attached to the vehicle as a single integral unit, and which may advantageously be adjusted in a single operation. In the preferred design of the assembly hereof, the switch is continuously protected against the entry of water, dirt, and other foreign matter thereinto, regardless of whether the door is open or closed.
The primary components of the combined doorstop and switch assembly, in accordance with the present invention, are a bumper body for attachment to a vehicle body panel, a switch assembly which is housed inside and secured to the bumper body for being supported thereby, and optionally, a weather-resistant cap for sealingly and protectively covering the switch.
Preferably, the bumper body is formed of a flexibly resilient and semi-rigid material appropriate for the door-stopping function thereof, such as, e.g., rubber or a suitable elastomer. A preferred material for the bumper body is an EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) elastomer.
The bumper body has a hollow chamber or recess formed centrally therein, for receiving and securely holding the switch.
In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the bumper body is formed in a barrel shape, and has a helical, external groove formed around the exterior surface thereof, for positioning the assembly in a vehicle body panel. Also in the first preferred embodiment, the bumper body has an annular interior groove formed in the interior surface thereof in communication with the hollow chamber, for retentively receiving a portion of the switch, and a peripheral external edge of the cap therein, with the cap disposed in covering relation to the switch.
In a second, alternate embodiment of the invention, the bumper body and cap are formed as an integral unit, and the switch is slidably placed thereinto from an end opposite the cap.
The switch is preferably housed within the hollow chamber of the bumper body and includes multiple components, including a case and an actuator portion housed in the case and being extensible and retractable therein. The actuator portion is preferably provided by a push rod member slidably disposed in the case for movement therein, with a spring, or other means for biasing an outer end of the push rod member outwardly from the case, also making up part of the switch. The switch also includes a first contact disposed in the case, a second contact disposed in the case and spaced apart from the first contact, means for electrically connecting the first and second contacts, and an electrical coupling in electrical communication with the first and second contacts.
As previously noted, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the assembly includes a flexibly resilient weather-resistant cap or cover means for protectively covering the switch. The cap is provided for resisting the entry of water, dirt and other impurities into the switch. The outer peripheral edge of the cap may fit sealingly into the interior annular groove of the bumper body. Alternatively, the cap and bumper body may be made as a single integral switch housing member.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for attaching to a vehicle body to provide both a doorstop and a switch in a single assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a combined switch and door stop which is protected from water, dirt and other foreign matter.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a combined switch and door stop which is adjustably attachable to a vehicle body panel.
It is an advantage of the present invention that during the process of assembling a vehicle, the single component accessory hereof can be installed more quickly, and less expensively, than the two components which it replaces.
It is another advantage of the present invention that the depth of the door stopper, and the operative position of the door-activated switch, may be adjusted together in a single operation, and when the door stopper is set to the correct depth with respect to the body, the switch is also automatically placed at the correct extension thereof.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the reader is referred to the following detailed description section, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description and in the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3244829 (1966-04-01), Webb
patent: 4603363 (1986-07-01), Rickert et al.
patent: 4665285 (1987-05-01), Shiraishi
patent: 4739133 (1988-04-01), Nation et al
patent: 4788517 (1988-11-01), Meister
patent: 5167432 (1992-12-01), Buttner et al.
patent: 5382767 (1995-01-01), Takano et al.
patent: 5791723 (1998-08-01), Bell et al.
patent: 5836442 (1998-11-01), Hirano
patent: 5959
Hirsch David W.
Meredith Emily
Blackman William D.
Carrier Joseph P.
Carrier Blackman & Associates P.C.
Friedhofer Michael
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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