Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-01
2003-01-28
Vidovich, Gregory M. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent...
C029S557000, C156S211000, C296S210000, C428S031000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06510602
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a roof molding for an automobile and a method of terminating the roof molding.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 9
illustrating a roof and
FIG. 10
enlargedly illustrating a part of the roof, a roof molding
60
is often attached to the roof
51
of an automobile
50
. As seen from
FIG. 11
illustrating a part of the roof from which the roof molding
60
is removed away, in order to hide a join line along which a roof panel
52
and an outer side panel
53
are integrally joined together, the roof molding
60
is fitted into a groove
54
formed in the joint of the panels
52
and
53
.
As seen from FIG.
12
and
FIG. 13
which is a side view of
FIG. 12
, the roof molding
60
comprises a leg portion
61
and a decorative portion
65
which is formed on the upper end of the leg portion
61
. The roof molding is attached to the groove
54
of the joint so that the leg portion
61
is inserted into the groove
54
and the decorative portion
65
closes the groove
54
. In order to correctly attach and hold the roof molding
60
to and by the groove
54
of the joint, a metal core member
63
is often longitudinally embedded in the leg portion
61
. The reference numeral
66
designates a lip (fin) which is formed longitudinally on each of the side faces of the lower part of the leg portion
61
so as to ensure the fixation of the leg portion to the groove
54
.
Concerning with the groove joining the roof, if the groove is press-molded in the same depth as all length, the groove is broken at upper corners
55
. Therefore, the depth of the groove
54
is gradually reduced as moving toward each of the ends of the groove
54
. When a molding obtained by simply cutting a long extruded mold product into a predetermined length is used as the roof molding
60
, therefore, the lower end of the leg portion
61
interferes with the automobile body, so that the roof molding
60
cannot be correctly attached. As a countermeasure, recently, a technique has been proposed in which, as shown in
FIGS. 12 and 13
, terminal portions
62
conforming to the depth of the ends of the groove
54
are formed by injection molding integrally with a long extruded mold product
60
a that has been cut into a predetermined length.
However, the technique in which the terminal portions
62
are injection-molded has a problem in that join lines
67
are formed in the surface of the end parts of the roof molding or between the extruded mold product
60
a and the terminal portions
62
, thereby impairing the appearance of the roof molding. Furthermore, the resin of the extruded mold product
60
a is different in shrinkage percentage from that of the terminal portions
62
which are injection-molded, and hence the part in the vicinity of each of the join lines
67
may be caused to crack by a difference in amount of thermal contraction, deterioration, or another phenomenon. According to circumstances, the terminal portions
62
are separated from the extruded mold product
60
a.
In some cases, the roof
51
is largely curved in the vicinities of the front and rear ends toward the inside of the automobile. In such a case, also the groove
54
of the roof has a largely curved shape at the ends. Therefore, there arises a problem in that the roof molding
60
which is originally linear hardly elongates so as to conform to the shape of the groove. To comply with this, the following method may be employed. Notches are formed in the back side of each terminal portion
62
which is injection-molded, so that the terminal portion is easily bent. While the terminal portion
62
is bent so as to conform to the shape of the groove
54
of the roof, the terminal portion
62
is bonded and fixed to the bottom face of the groove
54
of the roof by a double-coated adhesive tape or an adhesive agent.
In this method, however, the terminal portion
62
which is originally linear is bent in a slightly forced manner and then bonded and fixed to the groove
54
. Therefore, the method has problems in that the bent shape may be varied depending on the temperature of the automobile body during the attaching work, and that the bent shape may be returned to the original shape as a result of a temperature change after attachment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been conducted in view of these problems. It is an object of the invention to provide a roof molding for an automobile in which a terminal portion is excellent in appearance and which has superior durability, and a method of trimming the roof molding.
The invention proposed herein include that relating to a roof molding for an automobile and that relating to a method of trimming the roof molding. The invention relates to a roof molding for an automobile, consisting of an extruded mold product in which a leg portion and a decorative portion formed on an upper end of the leg portion are integrally formed, a metal core member being embedded in the leg portion, the leg portion being fitted into a groove of an outer face of a roof of an automobile, the decorative portion closing the groove, wherein the leg portion is partially cut away in a range of a predetermined length from an end of the extruded mold product, in accordance with a depth of an end part of the groove of the roof, the metal core member in the vicinity of an end part of the extruded mold product is cut away, and the end part from which the metal core member has been cut away is rearward bent by a bending process.
The invention relates to a roof molding for an automobile, consisting of an extruded mold product in which a leg portion and a decorative portion formed on an upper end of the leg portion are integrally formed, a metal core member being embedded in the leg portion, the leg portion being fitted into a groove of an outer face of a roof of an automobile, the decorative portion closing the groove, wherein the leg portion is partially cut away in a range of a predetermined length from an end of the extruded mold product, in accordance with a depth of an end part of the groove of the roof, slits are formed in a back face of the cutaway part, the metal core member in the vicinity of an end part of the extruded mold product is cut away, the part in which the slits are formed is bent into a shape corresponding to the end part of the groove of the roof by a bending process, and the end part from which the metal core member has been cut away is rearward bent.
The invention relates to a roof molding for an automobile, wherein an open end of the slits is closed and fixed.
The invention relates to a method of trimming a roof molding for an automobile, consisting of an extruded mold product in which a leg portion and a decorative portion formed on an upper end of the leg portion are integrally formed, a metal core member being embedded in the leg portion, the leg portion being fitted into a groove of an outer face of a roof of an automobile, the decorative portion closing the groove, the method comprising: a cutting step of partially cutting away the leg portion in a range of a predetermined length from an end of the extruded mold product, in accordance with a depth of an end part of the groove of the roof, and cutting away the metal core member in the vicinity of an end part of the extruded mold product; and a bending step of rearward bending the end part from which the metal core member has been cut away, and heat is applied thereon.
The invention relates to a method of trimming a roof molding for an automobile, consisting of an extruded mold product in which a leg portion and a decorative portion formed on an upper end of the leg portion are integrally formed, a metal core member being embedded in the leg portion, the leg portion being fitted into a groove of an outer face of a roof of an automobile, the decorative portion filling the groove, the method comprising: a cutting step of partially cutting away the leg portion in a range of a predetermined length from an end of the extruded mold product, in accordance wi
Inoac Corporation
Jimenez Marc
Vidovich Gregory M.
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