Movable or removable closures – Closure seal; e.g. – striker gasket or weatherstrip – Tubular or tubular portion
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-12
2002-03-19
Cohen, Curtis A. (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Closure seal; e.g., striker gasket or weatherstrip
Tubular or tubular portion
C049S489100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06357182
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for attaching a door weather strip to a periphery of a door frame of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
In a motor vehicle having door frames, as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a door weather strip is attached to a periphery of a door frame
10
for creating a seal between the door frame
10
and a door opening portion
12
of a vehicle body. Generally, upon attachment, the door weather strip is fitted to a retainer provided along the periphery of the door frame
10
or is secured to the periphery of the door frame
10
with clips.
FIG. 2
illustrates one example of the door weather strip (hereinafter referred to as “weather strip”). A weather strip W is attached to a periphery of a door frame
10
, which faces the door opening portion
12
extending along a roof side
13
and center pillar
14
(FIG.
1
). The door frame
10
is composed of an outer panel
10
A and inner panel
10
B. The inner panel
10
B has a weather strip attaching surface
15
extending downwardly of a projecting edge
16
of the door frame. The weather strip W is an extruded body of sponge rubber and has a base portion
18
and a tubular seal portion
20
. The weather strip W further includes a lip-shaped sub-seal portion
22
. The base portion
18
is secured to the weather strip attaching surface
15
with clips
30
at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction thereof. The projecting edge
16
of the door frame
10
covers the outside surface of the weather strip W. When a door is closed, the tubular seal portion
20
contacts and presses the door opening portion
12
, and the sub-seal portion
22
contacts and presses against an outer part
24
of the door opening portion
12
to effect a double seal between the door frame
10
and door opening portion
12
.
On the other hand, to create a seal between the projecting edge
16
and weather strip W, a protrusion
26
is formed in the inner panel
10
B so as to protrude inwardly from the projecting edge
16
, and the outside surface
28
of the weather strip W is positioned in close proximity to the protrusion
26
so as to contact the protrusion
26
.
However, some gaps may exist between the protrusion
26
and outside surface
28
of the weather strip W due to variations in the attached positions thereof relative to the door frame
10
. If gaps exist, rain water and washing water, which have entered between a tip end of the projecting edge
16
and the outer part
24
of the door opening portion
12
, may leak inwardly of the protrusion
26
via the gaps. Then, after passing under the base portion
18
of the weather strip W, the water leaked inwardly of the protrusion
26
may intrude into the vehicle compartment by way of the roof side portion of the door frame
12
.
Especially, in the case where the weather strip W are attached with clips, the bottom surface of the base portion
18
of the weather strip W does not closely contact the weather strip attaching surface
15
between adjacent clips
30
. Therefore, the water may intrude into the compartment of the motor vehicle. In addition, water leaked inwardly of the protrusion
26
may enter the inside of the door frame
10
by way of clip holes
32
formed in the weather strip attaching surface
15
. Likewise, this leaking water may flow along an outer surface of a glass run (not shown), which is fitted in an opening of the door frame
10
, to reach the inside surface of a door glass (not shown) after passing between the outer surface of the glass run and facing inner panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure for attaching a door weather strip, which prevents intrusion of water leaked between a door frame and the weather strip into a vehicle compartment.
With the weather strip attaching structure of the present invention, the door frame includes a protrusion, which protrudes inwardly from an inside surface of the projecting edge of the door frame. The door weather strip also has a base portion for attachment to the weather strip attaching surface of the door frame and a seal portion for contacting a door opening portion of a vehicle body. The structure in accordance with the present invention further includes a concave surface which is formed in an outside surface of the weather strip so as to face the protrusion of the door frame with a space, a channel-shaped groove having one of a U-shaped cross-section and V-shaped cross-section, which is formed in a lower part of the concave surface so as to open upwardly. A first seal lip is formed along an upper part of the concave surface such that a tip end thereof abuts the inside surface of the projecting edge, and a second seal lip is formed along an outside part of the channel-shaped groove so as to stand upright on the base portion. A tip end of the second seal lip abuts an under surface of the protrusion.
If water leaks between the projecting edge of the door frame and the first seal lip of the weather strip, the water is received within the channel-shaped groove formed in the lower part of the concave surface of the weather strip. Then, the water flows along the channel-shaped groove of the weather strip attached to the door frame and is discharged outside the vehicle's body from the front and rear lower ends of the weather strip.
Other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which forms a part of this specification.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4381115 (1983-04-01), Ko
patent: 4872288 (1989-10-01), Nozaki
patent: 4945681 (1990-08-01), Nozaki et al.
patent: 5304409 (1994-04-01), Nozaki
patent: 5389409 (1995-02-01), Iwasa et al.
patent: 5715632 (1998-02-01), Nozaki
patent: 5918421 (1999-07-01), Nozaki
patent: 6131342 (2000-10-01), Miyamoto et al.
Cohen Curtis A.
Toyoda Gosei Co,., Ltd.
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