Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Including aperture
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-06
2001-03-06
Watkins, III, William P. (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Including aperture
C428S318400, C428S319300, C428S319700, C428S319900, C428S156000, C428S192000, C428S213000, C428S136000, C296S039100, C296S039300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06197403
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to devices for acoustic insulation or sound absorption which can also function as a moisture barrier and can be arranged within a hollow space created by an outer wall and an inner wall of the door of a motor vehicle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RELEVANT ART
Automotive vehicle doors generally comprise a pair of metal panels which form an exterior skin joined to a panel forming an inner wall along the respective panel edges. Together, the exterior panel and inner wall form a cavity within which the door window may be lowered. This cavity may also contain window regulating equipment, door locks, sound speakers and the like. The inner wall is covered with a rigid or semi-rigid trim panel formed of cloth-like or plastic trim material which serves as the passenger compartment door panel.
In such door constructions, water may enter the door cavity through the opening through which the door window slides. Holes are generally formed at the bottom of the door cavity for draining the water. However, when water enters the door cavity, the water may run down along the inner panel towards the drain holes but may seep into and through the trim panel unless something is done to deflect it. In order to protect the passenger door compartment panel, it is common to position a panel liner formed of a treated paper or thin plastic film over the interior surface of the door beneath the passenger compartment door panel. The panel liner functions to deflect the water entering the cavity so that the water runs down the liner to the bottom of the door without contacting the trim panel.
Various water shields or deflector panel designs have been proposed which are positioned in the vehicle door assembly to deflect water or prevent any water entering the door cavity from seeping through the passenger door compartment panel into the vehicle interior. The use of laminated layers of thin, film-like plastic sheets adhered on either side of a central layer formed of a thicker foamed plastic sheet is taught in references such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,513 to Schmidt. The Schmidt reference is directed to an essentially flat panel which has a speaker compartment and other recesses specifically molded in the body panel. The filled foamed plastic sheet and overlying plastic sheets are of essentially constant thickness. The panel is produced by coextrusion of filled plastic resin with the surrounding unfilled layers. The resulting laminate is mold formed to shape.
Water deflection and insulation panels constructed from a thin-wall composite lining are also discussed in Beaulat, U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,415. In Beaulat, a composite door lining has an inner water deflecting panel and a twin panel which acts in concert with the inner panel to define cavities in which an optional polymeric foam may be selectively applied. The optional polymeric foam can provide selective sound proofing characteristics. Like Schmidt, the panel taught in Beaulat is directed to liners in which the polymeric foam layer is encapsulated between two film layers. In Beaulat, the construction necessitates separate forming steps for each outer layer. Filling cavities with foam material occurs after the two outer layers have been molded.
Additional sound absorbing water deflectors have been proposed. Typically, these sound absorbing automotive water deflectors are composed of polymeric foam material which is interposed between layers of a polymeric film. Examples of these include U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,967 to Isaksen and U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,720 to Illbruck. In Isaksen '967, the urethane foam is interposed between two layers of high strength low density polyethylene film. Local regions of the deflector panel have mechanically produced pockets in which the polyethylene surface sheets are stretched and the corresponding urethane foam material ruptured. In Illbruck, a thin wall, profiled insulation part which amounts to {fraction (1/10)} to {fraction (1/20)} of the corresponding perpendicular distance between the door panels can consist of closed-cell foam such as polyethylene, backed by a corresponding layer of open-cell foam. Partial cavities formed in the part can be filled with polyurethane foam as required for sound insulation.
Various patents have addressed problems relating to fastening the insulation part in position in the door assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,627 to Isaksen is directed to the use of a suitable adhesive surrounding the outer flange of the deflector. U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,722 to Rozenberg teaches the use of an adhesive system positioned in a deflectable bead.
Specific modifications and improvements to eliminate paths permitting the ingress of water have also been pursued. U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,343 to Bradac is directed to a mechanism for permitting mounting of the water deflector in a manner which prevents the ingress of water at a mounting clips. U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,015 to Patterson is directed to a water seal liner having water deflector orifices.
The panel devices mentioned have various shortcomings. Laminate panels having dual layers of thin polymeric film with a layer of polymeric foam sandwiched between are generally of constant thickness. Such constructions make it difficult to provide an integrally formed unit with variations in layer thickness. Such panels are also susceptible to delamination and tearing during assembly and use.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an integral sound absorber and water deflector door panel with sound insulation and absorption capabilities which are improved over those already known in the art. It is also desirable that the device be easy to install during the vehicle assembly process. It is desirable that the resulting panel have layers which operate cooperatively to provide a sound barrier device which acts to absorb and/or dampen exterior sounds and road noise. It is also desirable to provide an integral sound absorber and water deflector door panel having a variable thickness at specified locations and that this variation in thickness be due to variations in thickness of the second layer.
It is also desirable to provide a process for producing an integral sound absorber and water deflector door panel which is vacuum formable to a contoured shape which conforms to the specific shape of the vehicle door in which it is to be assembled. It is also desirable to provide a process which produces an integral door panel which readily accommodates specific mechanical electrical and fastening components of the vehicle door.
Finally, it is desirable to provide an integral sound absorber and water deflector door panel which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install, increases installation ease and efficiency and is rugged and durable through the assembly process and vehicle life.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an integral sound absorber and water deflector door panel which is positionable in space defined between an inner wall and a passenger compartment door panel of an automobile vehicle door assembly. The device of the present invention is composed of a first polymeric layer made of a water impervious polymeric film having an essentially constant thickness. The first polymeric layer has a first face adapted to contact the interiorly oriented face on the inner wall of the vehicle door assembly and remain in overlying parallel orientation thereto. The integral door panel of the present invention also has a second polymeric layer composed of a polymeric foam integrally connected to the second face of the first polymeric layer in continuous overlying relationship thereto. The second polymeric layer has an outer face opposed to the first polymeric layer. The outer face of the second polymeric layer preferably has at least one region which is adapted to directly contact at least a portion of the exteriorly oriented face of the passenger compartment door panel. At least one contour may be defined in the first face of the first polymeric layer. The integral door panel of the present invention has at least one region in which the
Boitos Guy W.
Brown Steven G.
HP Pelzer (Automotive Systems), Inc.
Watkins III William P.
Young & Basile P.C.
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