Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-08
2001-02-20
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S097220, C016S08600R, C411S539000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189959
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention.
This invention concerns a readily adjustable device for establishing a closed positioning of a pivoted door with respect to adjacent surfaces so that the outer surfaces thereof arc aligned with respect to one another. More particularly this invention is drawn to an improved adjustable bumper and stop member for a vehicle door such as used to cover a fuel opening and which member can be rotated manually to a precise indexed position so that on closure the outer surface of the fuel door is flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body panel to optimize vehicle appearance and streamlining.
2. Description of Related Art.
Previously, vehicles have been utilized housings recessed in the bodywork for providing a hidden fuel inlet. The housing typically provides a pivotal door to conceal the fuel filler opening and the filler cap to improve vehicle appearance and to augment streamlining of the vehicle. Various door mounting constructions have also been devised to permit adjustment of such an access door so that upon closure the outer surface of the door is flush with the surrounding surface of the vehicle body and creates a constant narrow gap therebetween to enhance vehicle appearance and streamlining. For example the U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,984 to Hempel, issued Mar. 14,1989 for a “Lid For Closing An Automobile Body Recess” discloses a housing having a vehicle fuel door with threaded adjustment for locating the door hinge and with a threaded stop for adjustably supporting the free edge of the fuel door when closed for establishing a desired gap uniformity. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,749 to Sheppard, issued Nov. 24, 1992 for a “Gas Cap Cover Adjustment Device” discloses a recessed housing with a plural threaded adjustment construction so that the fuel door can be centered with respect to the accommodating opening in the body work of the vehicle and so that the upper surface thereof is aligned with the show surface of the vehicle side panel.
While the prior constructions identified above offer various fuel door adjustments, the remotely located threaded devices which are provided for the adjustment do not accommodate production line standards and requirements to permit an assembler to manually make a quick and precise adjustment for the desired door alignment of the fuel door with the show surface of the surrounding associated vehicle panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a universal adjustable stop member for a vehicle fuel door that allows an assembler or a service person to easily grasp and manually rotate the stop member for adjusting its stop position and therefore establish a flush alignment of the surfaces of the fuel door and the surrounding vehicle panel. The stop component of this invention resultantly provides for the optimized appearance of the fuel door to meet customer requirements for close fits and part alignment.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a bumper and stop device for the free edge of the fuel door is installed directly to the fuel filler housing which is recess mounted within a quarter panel or other body structure of the vehicle. The bumper and door stop member has an attachment construction to the housing which permits rotation about a first axis and an annular door contact and stop surface centered about a second axis which is offset from the first axis. When the bumper and stop member is rotated about the first axis, the offset annular surface provides an adjustable positive stop for the free edge of the fuel door. Upon rotation of the bumper and stop member about the first axis, its annular contact surface adjusts inwardly and outwardly relative to a free edge portion of the fuel door and thus adjusts the door's exterior show surface flush with the exterior show surface of the surrounding vehicle panel and thereby provides a desirable manual adjustability in positioning the fuel door.
In this invention, an improved fuel inlet and closure cap housing assembly is provided for mounting behind an opening in an exterior body panel of a vehicle. The assembly includes a fuel fill cover or door which is pivotally mounted to move between opened and closed operative positions for alternatively accessing and concealing the fuel fill tube. The construction features a manually adjustable door positioning bumper and stop member that cushions the door closure and also positions the free swing edge of the door so that the door's exterior surface lie flush to the body panel's exterior surface. The bumper and stop member is mold formed as a unitary member from resilient elastomer or other suitable material and is mounted directly in a wall of the fuel inlet housing assembly. When the fuel fill door is in its opened position, the bumper and stop member can be readily gripped and manually rotated to a variety of positions to establish a selected positioning which when the door is closed establishes alignment of the door's outer show surface with the show surfaces of the surrounding vehicle body's exterior panel.
The bumper may carry anti-rotation ribs that inhibit unwanted rotation of the bumper and door stop member after adjustment to a desired alignment which unwanted rotation might otherwise be caused by vibrations and cycling of the fuel door open and closed. The bumper and door stop member is engineered to readily accommodate use in many vehicles by its elongated construction so as to provide a relatively wide range of adjustment available in the radial direction as produced by the distance established between the member's two offset axes or distance between the two centerlines. In practice, a preferred bumper and stop member design can be standardized with built-in adjustment ranges to establish desired alignment requirements for many fuel doors in cars and trucks produced on a given assembly line.
The improved fuel door positioning bumper and stop member in a unitary or one piece molded unit from elastomer or other suitable resilient material. The member mounts directly to the recessed mounting assembly and is readily accessible when the fuel door is opened for manual turning by an assembler or technician to establish different positions of the fuel fill door's free edge for thus establishing a desired flush condition with respect to the surrounding body work panel.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4782978 (1988-11-01), Appleby et al.
patent: 4811984 (1989-03-01), Hempel
patent: 5044678 (1991-09-01), Detweiler
patent: 5165749 (1992-11-01), Sheppard
patent: 5421124 (1995-06-01), Zuccaro
patent: 5520431 (1996-05-01), Kapes et al.
patent: 5836638 (1998-11-01), Slocum
patent: 5906406 (1999-05-01), Pajakowski
patent: 6088878 (2000-07-01), Antonucci et al.
patent: 6119306 (2000-09-01), Antonucci et al.
Galasso Mark A.
Smith Douglas P.
Swartz Mark A.
VanAssche Raymond J.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation
Dayoan D. Glenn
Engle Patricia
MacLean Kenneth H.
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