Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Door or window with specified vehicle feature
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-28
2001-09-11
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Door or window with specified vehicle feature
C296S146800, C296S056000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286889
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door of automobile, and more particularly to trim members for tailgate of automobile adapted to prevent an overlapped portion in a plurality of trim members mounted at a rear side of a tailgate from getting loose, thereby improving a mountability of the trim members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a tailgate
10
mounted at a rear end of an automobile body to be opened and closed for accommodation of various articles is hinged at an upper end thereof to a rear tip portion of a roof panel
2
of the automobile body
1
as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, where the tailgate
10
is so structured as to be opened and closed when pivoted relative to the roof panel
2
.
The tailgate
10
is also mounted at a rear periphery thereof with a plurality of trim members
12
as shown in FIG.
2
. The trim member
12
includes an upper trim member
12
a
assembled to an upper rear portion of the tailgate
10
, a lateral trim member
12
b
assembled to both rear lateral sides of the tailgate
10
and a lower trim member
12
c
assembled to rear lower portion of the tailgate
10
.
Meanwhile, the trim member comprising the upper trim member
12
, lateral trim member
12
b
and lower trim member
12
c
is secured to a rear surface of the tailgate
10
via a plurality of spring clips
14
as illustrated in
FIG. 3
where a coupling structure between the upper trim member
12
a
and the spring clips
14
is depicted in
FIG. 4
for illustrating a section taken along line A—A of FIG.
3
.
In other words, a protruder
17
is secured to a rear surface of inner panel
11
of the tailgate
10
via the spring clips
14
, where the protruder
17
is integrally formed on reinforcing ribs
16
integrally formed to provide a reinforced structural strength to a rear surface of the upper trim member
12
a.
The structure where the protruder
17
of the reinforcing ribs
16
integrally formed at the rear surface of the trim member
12
is secured at the rear surface of the inner panel
11
of the tailgate
10
via the spring clips applies to other members including the upper trim member
12
, lateral trim member
12
b
and the lower trim member
12
c
in the same coupling fashion.
The protroduer
17
formed on each rear surface of the upper trim of member
12
a
and the lateral trim member
12
b
is firmly secured to the inner panel of the tailgate
10
while adjacent portions are overlapped by the upper trim member
12
a
and the lateral trim member
12
b
with a predetermined length as show in
FIG. 5
for illustrating a section taken along line B-B of FIG.
3
.
However, there is a problem in the mounting structure of trim members for tailgate of automobile according to the prior art thus described in that an upper tip end portion of the lateral trim member
12
b
can hardly receive a supporting force in a structure where adjacent portions are overlapped by the upper trim member
12
a
and the lateral trim member
12
b
(in other words, in a case there both tip end portions of the upper trim member
12
a
are overlapped inwardly into a tip end portion of the lateral trim member
12
b
), such that the upper tip end portion of the lateral trim member
12
b
is drooped by its own weight to thereby be deformed (see dotted lines in FIG.
5
).
There is another problem in that, when the trim member
12
mounted into the tailgate
10
is drooped to be deformed, external appearance is deteriorated and noise called rattle noise is generated while an automobile is running.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is disclosed to solve the aforementioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide trim members for tailgate of automobile adapted to enable an overlapped portion among various trim members assembled to an inner panel of a tailgate to be integrally secured to an inner panel to thereby prevent the overlapped portion from being drooped or curled up.
In accordance with the object of the present invention, there is provided trim members for tailgate of automobile, the trim members comprising:
an upper trim member mounted at a door of the automobile and having a tip end;
a lateral trim member mounted at the door and having a tip end overlappingly arranged with the tip end; and
coupling means for coupling the overlapped tip ends to the door.
The coupling means comprises:
a flange unit having a through hole formed at any one tip end thereof;
a protruder formed at the other tip end so as to be inserted into the through hole; and
a spring clip for coupling the protruder to the door.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4433866 (1984-02-01), Hagiwara
patent: 5591078 (1997-01-01), Fillion et al.
patent: 5906409 (1999-05-01), DeRees et al.
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Hyundai Motor Company
Pape Joseph D.
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