Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – End gates
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-30
2004-05-11
Thomas, Alexander S. (Department: 1772)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
End gates
Reexamination Certificate
active
06733063
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to closure panels used to close an opening defined in the rear portion of a vehicle body, as is often found in minivans, sport-utility vehicles, and hatchbacks.
2. Background of the Invention
Minivans, sport-utility vehicles, hatchbacks, and other similar vehicles typically feature a rearward opening defined in the rear portion of the vehicle's body. The prior art generally teaches the use of one or more movable “closure panels” with which to close such openings while otherwise permitting access through the opening to an interior space defined within the vehicle body, such as the interior of the vehicle or a cargo space situated in the rear of the vehicle.
When a single closure panel is used, the single closure panel is typically pivotally mounted to the vehicle body at the panel's upper edge, such that the panel is pivoted upwards to reveal the rear body opening. Such single closure panels are often called “liftgate assemblies” and are often used in conjunction with a continuous weatherstrip secured around the periphery of the rear body opening to thereby obtain a superior weatherseal when the liftgate assembly is in its “closed” position. Because the entire liftgate assembly is pivoted upwards as a single unit to reveal the rear body opening, such liftgate assemblies advantageously provide maximum access to the rear body opening while further featuring a relatively-low “liftover” height, thereby facilitating the ingress and egress, for example, of large or heavy items into the vehicle through the rear body opening. However, such known liftgate assemblies generally require a substantial clearance behind and, perhaps, above the rear of the vehicle in order to be fully deployed to the “open” position, thereby possibly limiting the circumstances under which such maximum access to the rear body opening may be obtained. Moreover, such known liftgate assemblies tend to have greater weight, making such assemblies more difficult to open and, hence, of reduced convenience to a person seeking to gain either quick or a relatively-more-limited degree of access to the rear body opening.
Such known liftgate assemblies usually include a window positioned in the upper portion of the closure panel to improve driver visibility. Typically, the lowermost edge of the window is generally aligned with the vehicle's “beltline,” as defined by the lowermost edges of the windows on either side of the vehicle proximate to the liftgate assembly. The alignment of the liftgate assembly's window with the vehicle beltline is generally considered to provide an aesthetically-desirable visual continuation of the beltline across the rear of the vehicle.
The window of such known liftgate assemblies is either fixed or is pivotally mounted at its upper edge to the upper portion of the liftgate assembly. Such a pivotally-mounted window, also known in the art as a “flipglass” or a “liftglass,” advantageously provides the liftgate assembly with a relatively quick but relatively-more-limited access to the rear body opening. It will be appreciated, however, that the access provided by the liftglass is characterized by an increased “liftover” height, relative to the lower periphery of the rear body opening, due to the alignment of the lowermost edge of the liftglass with the vehicle beltline.
The prior art alternatively teaches use of plural closure panels. For example, the combination of either a lower, downwardly-pivoting, full-width closure panel (often called a “tailgate assembly”) or a pair of lower, laterally-pivoting half-width closure panels (often called “dutch doors”), and a relatively smaller, upwardly-pivoting, full-width closure panel that, in its most simple configuration, is a liftglass. Because each of the plural closure panels is substantially smaller than the single closure panel of an analogous liftgate assembly, each closure panel is likely to be lighter, and less clearance is likely to be required in order to fully deploy a given panel to its open position. However, the lower edge of the liftglass in these oppositely-pivoting multiple-panel embodiments nonetheless remains generally aligned with the vehicle beltline for aesthetic reasons, again providing a relatively increased liftover height when the liftglass alone is pivoted upwards to permit access to the rear body opening.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a liftglass assembly, and a method of making such a liftglass assembly, for closing a rear body opening of a motor vehicle, wherein the liftglass assembly includes a lowermost edge that extends below a vehicle “beltline” as defined by a side feature of the vehicle, and wherein the liftglass assembly includes a raised feature that is offset from the lowermost edge and, preferably, substantially aligned with the vehicle beltline to thereby aesthetically substantially continue the vehicle beltline across the rear of the vehicle.
It is also object of the invention to provide a liftglass assembly, and a method of making such a liftglass assembly, for a motor vehicle whose body is painted with a selected body color, wherein the liftglass includes a raised surface having a color that is coordinated with the selected body color.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a liftglass assembly, and a method of making such a liftglass assembly, for a motor vehicle whose body includes a selected surface finish, wherein the liftglass includes a raised surface having a surface finish that is substantially the same as the selected surface finish.
Another object of the invention is to provide a liftgate assembly for closing a rear body opening of a motor vehicle, wherein the liftgate assembly features a liftglass that provides access into an adjacent interior space of the vehicle characterized by a liftover height that is less than that of known liftgate/liftglass assemblies.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a liftgate assembly for closing a rear body opening of a motor vehicle that features a liftglass whose lowermost edge extends below the vehicle beltline as defined by a side body feature, but which nominally preserves the desirable aesthetic feature of substantially continuing the vehicle beltline across the rear of the vehicle.
Under the invention, a liftglass assembly is provided for closing an opening defined in a body of a motor vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes features defining a vehicle beltline that intersects the opening. The liftglass assembly includes a glass panel adapted to be pivotally mounted on the vehicle body such that the glass panel is movable between a closed position overlying the opening and an open position allowing access to the opening. The liftglass assembly further includes an appliqué permanently secured to a lower portion of the glass panel, the appliqué defining at least a portion of a surface feature that substantially traverses the lower portion of the glass panel in substantial alignment with the vehicle beltline when the glass panel is in the closed position. In a preferred embodiment, wherein the glass panel includes a lowermost edge when in the closed position, the surface feature is a surface contour discontinuity or “step” that is defined, in part, by an edge of the appliqué that is vertically offset from the glass panel's lowermost edge.
By way of example only, in the preferred embodiment, the appliqué is formed of a TPO material whose exterior surface is provided with a “Class 1” finish to generally match that of the vehicle's painted body and, most preferably, has a color that is coordinated with a selected body color of the vehicle. In the preferred embodiment, the appliqué is permanently secured, for example, by a suitable urethane adhesive to an intermediate substrate material that is itself permanently secured to the lowermost portion of the glass panel. The use of the intermediate substrate material and, particularly, the forming of such an intermediate substrate material about or
DaDeppo Lynn David
Linson Phillip Joseph
Paiva A. Michael
Sehgal Rakesh
Bejin Gigette
Ford Global Technologies LLC
Thomas Alexander S.
LandOfFree
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