Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Coated or structually defined flake – particle – cell – strand,... – Channel shape
Patent
1996-11-12
1998-10-06
Hess, Bruce H.
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand,...
Channel shape
428 31, 428 99, 428 361, 428122, 428188, 428358, 296 93, 2961469, 264167, 264277, 156245, 527161, 527165, 52204591, B32B 300
Patent
active
058174141
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a weather-strip for an automobile, and more particularly, to a glass run or channeled weather-strip and a belt weather-strip which are mounted on an automobile door.
BACKGROUND ART
Generally, an automobile door includes a door frame, a door panel and a movable door glass movably received therein. The automobile door is provided with a weather-strip which contacts the movable door glass, that is, a glass run which is mounted on the door frame or a belt weather-strip which is mounted on the door panel. As will be appreciated, the weather-strip has a contact area to contact the movable door glass. The contact area of the weather-strip has to exhibit desired wear resistance since the movable door glass is frequently operated to close and open the same. Further, the contact area of the weather-strip is required to exhibit sufficient sealing performance with respect to the movable door glass. To increase the wear resistance and the sealing performance, the contact area of the weather-strip is provided with shaggy fabric such as nylon pile fabric, or coating of urethane, nylon and the like.
A conventional weather-strip for an automobile is shown, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications Nos. 5-4308 and 6-190895. The weather-strip is mainly constituted of a main body and lips which are formed of synthetic resin or thermoplastic elastomer having elasticity and shock absorbability. Each lip of the weather-strip includes a contact area to contact a movable door glass. The contact area is provided with a contact layer formed of wear resistive and lubricative synthetic resin such as polyolefine resin, so as to increase wear resistance thereof, slidability with respect to the movable door glass, and contact properties with respect to the movable door glass.
However, in the conventional weather-strip thus constructed, each contact layer is considerably worn with repeated operations of the movable door glass. As a result, the contact layer is thinned with time, thereby reducing sealing performance of the contact area. This may cause entry of rain water into a cab of the automobile. Moreover, when the contact layer is completely worn out, the contact area substantially loses its lubricative properties, thereby exhibiting reduced slidability with respect to the movable door glass. This may prevent smooth operations of the movable door glass.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a weather-strip for an automobile which may withstand very frequent operations of a movable door glass, that is, to provide a weather-strip of which a contact area may keep its sealing performance and slidability with respect to a movable door glass for a long period of time even if a contact layer provided on the contact area is progressively worn with repeated operations of the movable door glass.
In order to attain the object, the present invention provides a weather-strip to be mounted on an automobile door having a movable door glass. The weather-strip includes an elongated main body, and at least one lip provided on the main body and having a contact layer provided thereon. The contact layer has a thickened portion which may act as an practical contact part to contact a side surface of the movable door glass.
With this weather-strip, the contact area of the weather-strip may keep its sealing performance and slidability with respect to the movable door glass for a long period of time, since the contact layer provided on the contact area has the thickened portion which may withstand many times of operations of the movable door glass.
The present invention will become more fully apparent from the claims and the description as it proceeds in connection with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a weather-strip for an automobile according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-sectional illustration of a contact area of the weather-strip shown in FIG. 1;
FI
REFERENCES:
patent: 4969293 (1990-11-01), Guillon
patent: 5072546 (1991-12-01), Ogawa
patent: 5463831 (1995-11-01), Shinagawa et al.
Bahta Abraham
Hess Bruce H.
Takai Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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