Movable or removable closures – With means mounting closure for swinging – With latch or lock
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-18
2001-01-23
Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
With means mounting closure for swinging
With latch or lock
C016S08600R, C292SDIG001
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176040
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive door-open stopper device used for a door rotatably attached to a vehicle body with hinges or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7
is an exploded perspective view of a conventional automotive door-open stopper device, which has been disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-23501 (No. 23501/1991). This automotive door-open stopper device has a guide arm
1
pivotally carried on a back door, not shown, and an engagement pin
2
which is supported at the edge portion of door opening on the vehicle body side and engages with the guide arm
1
. The guide arm
1
is formed by lapping opposite end portions
4
of an elastic band-shaped member
3
, which is formed by bending with a plate face facing sideward, and by connecting an annular support plate
5
to the opposite end portions with rivets
6
. The support plate
5
is pivotally supported on the back door via a rotating shaft
7
, and a bent portion
8
of the band-shaped member
3
serves as a rotating end of the guide arm
1
.
The engagement pin
2
is inserted between opposing faces of the band-shaped member
3
. The band-shaped member
3
has first protrusions
11
in the vicinity of the bent portion
8
and second protrusions
12
at a halfway position in the lengthwise direction, which are formed so as to project inward. The band-shaped member
3
is slidable with respect to the engagement pin
2
at a parallel portion
9
between the rotating shaft
7
and the second protrusions
12
, and the sliding motion with respect to the engagement pin
2
is elastically regulated by these protrusions
11
and
12
.
Here, the case where the back door is opened will be explained by way of example. As the back door is opened, the guide arm
1
slides with respect to the engagement pin
2
. When the second protrusions
12
comes into contact with the engagement pin
2
as the result of this sliding motion, the second protrusions
12
once regulate the opening operation of back door elastically. When the opening operation of back door is further carried on, the second protrusions
12
are pushed wide, and they get over the engagement pin
2
. Thereby, the engagement pin
2
is held elastically between the first protrusions
11
and the second protrusions
12
, and the back door is kept in a half-opened state.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, in the aforementioned conventional door-open stopper device, since the band-shaped member
3
is used as an element of the guide arm in which the plate face thereof faces sideward, there is a limit to the decrease in the vertical dimension, which makes the layout difficult. Also, since the whole structure of the engagement pin
2
, the guide arm
1
, and the like is exposed, there arises a problem in that foreign matters may enter or dirt and dust may accumulate.
The present invention solves the above problems with the conventional stopper device, and accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide an automotive door-open stopper device capable of decreasing the vertical dimension to facilitate the layout and preventing the entrance of foreign matters and the accumulation of dirt and dust.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automotive door-open stopper device comprising a movable member whose base end portion is rotatably attached to the door side, an engagement pin, which is fixed to the vehicle body side, for guiding the movable member, and a braking mechanism for restraining the movement of the movable member, all of which are disposed under a door, the engagement pin guiding the movable member, and the door being stopped at a halfway position between the open and closed positions by using the braking mechanism, characterized in that a case is provided which contains the braking mechanism and is also used as a cover for covering the movable member, and the case is mounted on the vehicle body side by the engagement of the engagement pin.
Since a case is provided which contains the braking mechanism and is also used as a cover for covering the movable member, and the case is mounted on the vehicle body side by the engagement of the engagement pin, the present invention achieves an effect that the saving of the installation manpower and the decreased cost can be achieved. Also, since the movable member is a plate-shaped lever in which a plate face faces in the vertical direction, the present invention has advantages that the vertical dimension of part can be decreased, a notch need not be provided at the lower end etc. of the door to avoid the interference with the lever, the stopper device can be mounted in a limited space, the deformation strength in the transverse direction can easily be increased, and the entrance of foreign matters and the accumulation of dirt and dust can securely prevented by providing an extending portion extending in the lengthwise direction of the movable member on the case.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1120169 (1914-12-01), Tabor
patent: 1547674 (1925-07-01), Nelson
patent: 3254452 (1966-06-01), Costantini et al.
patent: 3337253 (1967-08-01), Laukzemis
patent: 4692960 (1987-09-01), Jozefczak
patent: 4751766 (1988-06-01), Fahs et al.
patent: 5002320 (1991-03-01), Richardson
patent: 5173991 (1992-12-01), Carswell
patent: 5727287 (1998-03-01), Hosken et al.
patent: 5765268 (1998-06-01), MacKirdy
patent: 5862570 (1999-01-01), Lezuch et al.
patent: 383818 (1965-01-01), None
patent: 190576 (1907-10-01), None
patent: 3-23501 (1991-05-01), None
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Stodola Daniel P.
Strimbu Gregory J.
Suzuki Motor Corporation
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