Method of making a vanishing warp carrier seal

Details Method of making a vanishing warp carrier seal Method of making a vanishing warp carrier seal

1999-08-26

2001-02-20

Echols, P. W. (Department: 3726)

Metal working

Method of mechanical manufacture

Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent...

C049S490100, C264S171160, C264S210200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06189198

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of the present invention is that of seals. More particularly, the field of the present invention is that of seals commonly utilized in sealing the edges of glass in vehicle windows having extendable glass.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR DEVELOPMENTS
Most automotive doors have a body envelope created by two generally parallel spaced-apart inner and outer door panels. An extendable pane of window glass is nested between the door panels. A window regulator is provided for selectively moving the glass pane in and out of the door envelope to open and close the window opening of the door. In many vehicles, the vehicle door has on top a door window frame for enclosing the window. The door window frame has a seal typically called weather stripping which is connected with the door window frame to seal the lateral and upper edges of the window glass when the window glass is in its uppermost position.
A typical glass sealing weatherstrip seal has a U-shaped retention portion that contains a carrier and is installed over an edge of the sheet metal of the door window frame which abuts the window opening. Connected with the retention portion is a portion of the weather stripping referred to as the sealing member or the glass seal. The glass seal is typically shaped as an inverted U with respect to the retention portion and is laterally joined thereto. The glass seal will typically have flocked wings which seal the side of the glass when the glass is inserted within the U shape of the glass seal.
The carrier is typically reinforced by a roll formed thin metal member. Typical materials utilized for the carrier reinforcement are cold rolled steel, stainless steel and aluminum. After the carrier is roll formed it is passed through an extruder and covered with a polymeric material, typically an elastomeric material such as rubber. The interior of the retention portion will have formed barbs to cause it to retain itself to the sheet metal of the door once it is pushed over the edge of the sheet metal.
In most vehicles the lateral edge of a front door window frame at the front end is inclined due to the inclination of the A pillar. The door window frame, generally rearward of the A pillar, curves into a second horizontal linear section called the header which usually runs longitudinal with the vehicle. A third linear section of the door window frame is oriented generally vertically and is usually conformed to the shape of the B pillar. Between the A pillar and the top of the door window frame is a first curved section. Between the top of the door window frame and the B pillar portion of the window opening is a second curved section. Most carrier materials, which are thin metals, are not flexible enough to corner through the small radiuses of the curves of the door window frame. Therefore, prior to the present invention, a first length of weather stripping was utilized to seal the first linear section of the window. A second length of weather stripping was used to seal the second linear section of the window, and a third length of weather stripping was utilized to seal the third linear section. Many prior door windows required a molded joint between two linear sections for the curved sections. The molded joint had a dissimilar cross-section with the adjoining linear sections. Another method was to notch the carrier to allow it to fold and then mold a polymeric patch into the notched area. The prior sealing systems either did not provide a constant sectioned extrusion through the corners and therefore lacked retention to a seal mounting flange of the door window frame, or were limited to relatively large radiuses which would otherwise cause seal wrinkling or buckling. Lack of retention to the mounting flange or wrinkling or buckling can possibly contribute to sealing deficiencies. Typically, the molded corner is the area of greatest sealing difficulty. Also, without additional operations many molded corners lack the low friction areas between the window glass and seal. The lack of low friction causes squeaks and mandates that higher window regulator forces be utilized to ensure closure of the window.
In most instances, the metal used as the carrier within the extruded seal is not flexible enough to corner through the small radius required. Most carrier material that is flexible enough to corner through the small radius does not have the tensile strength required to process the carrier material through the roll forming mill.
It is desirable to provide a process which provides weather stripping that can be formed as one continuous member having linear and curved portions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To meet the above-noted desire, the revelation of the present invention is brought forth. In a preferred embodiment, the present inventive process creates a seal having at least one linear portion connected with a second curved portion of weather stripping. The carrier section of the weather stripping includes a threaded metal wire having a warp fiber disposed thereon. The carrier section is formed into a predetermined cross-sectional shape using forming rollers. A polymeric material, typically an elastomeric substance such as rubber, is extruded around the carrier. Simultaneously, a contacting member is generated on the carrier to form a seal. The seal is heated within an oven to cure the polymeric material and to break down the fiber warp so that the seal is readily bendable. A predetermined second portion of the seal is heated in the forming device for a predetermined time at a predetermined temperature to cause the second portion of the seal to be formed in a curved manner.
Other features of the present inventive process can be discovered by a review of the accompanying drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiment.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4343845 (1982-08-01), Burden et al.

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