Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Lining
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-09
2001-03-06
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Lining
C296S901010, C296S146700, C293S115000, C052S511000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196607
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to trim panel assemblies and plastic interior trim panels for use therein and, in particular, to automotive trim panel assemblies and plastic interior trim panels.
BACKGROUND ART
When plastic parts need to be secured together, especially in automotive applications, it is often times desirable to use pin fasteners such as push pins rather than screws to make the assembly easier, simpler, less costly and more cosmetically pleasing to the OEM design studio and consumer. A typical push pin is illustrated at reference numeral
10
in
FIGS. 3 and 4
.
Such a push pin
10
is typically used with a hollow connector portion
12
, commonly called a “dog house”, which is integrally formed on an inner surface of one of the plastic parts such as a plastic interior trim panel, generally indicated at
14
. The trim panel
14
includes a plastic main section generally indicated at
16
, and a plastic auxiliary or “flag” section, generally indicated at
18
. Use of such “dog houses”
12
and associated push pins
10
produce hidden attachment mechanisms for the plastic parts.
It is generally not difficult to form the connector portions
12
on an inner surface
20
of the main section
16
. However, for tooling reasons, such a “dog house” or connector portion typically cannot be formed on an inner surface
22
of the flag section
18
. Specifically, the tooling problem is a “locked” lifter or “die lock” condition. Such lifters, which are located within the mold, are used to form the connector portions
12
.
Because of this tooling problem, a screw is inserted through an outer surface
24
(
FIGS. 3 and 4
) of the flag section
18
to fasten the flag section
18
to a corresponding portion
26
of a metallic door inner panel, generally indicated at
28
in
FIGS. 3 and 4
. However, the outer surface
24
of the flag section
18
is a “Class A” surface. Consequently, the screw mars the outer surface
24
.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,829 discloses a method of manufacturing trim panels for vehicle doors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,191 discloses a structural inner-door panel for a vehicle that is monolithic and molded as a single piece of polymeric material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,548 discloses an automobile door having an interior trim panel that is connected to a rigid inner structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,144 discloses a motor vehicle door having an inner panel including an integral mounting base for fastening the bottom of a door pocket to the panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,370 discloses a trim panel mounting assembly including a trim panel bracket and a support bracket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,606 discloses a trim panel having pins for attaching it to a door panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,508 discloses a door assembly having a trim panel that is secured by pins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,894 discloses a method for mounting an outer skin to an inner panel of a vehicle door.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a trim panel assembly and a plastic interior trim panel for use therein wherein a conventional pin fastener in combination with a raised hidden connector portion rather than a “surface marring” screw are used to fasten a plastic flag section of the interior trim panel to a corresponding portion of a door inner panel, thereby making the assembly easier, simpler and less costly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a trim panel assembly and a plastic interior trim panel for use therein wherein substantially identical pin fasteners having central axes can be used to fasten inner and outer panels of the assembly even at a “flag” section of the outer panel and wherein the central axes of all of the pin fasteners are substantially parallel to make the assembly easier, simpler, less costly and esthetically pleasing.
In carrying out the above objects and other objects of the present invention, an automotive trim panel assembly is provided. The assembly includes an inner panel having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough and an interior trim panel including a plastic main section having inner and outer surfaces. The interior trim panel includes a plastic auxiliary section having inner and outer surfaces, a plurality of hollow main connector portions formed about the periphery of the main section on its inner surface thereof, a hollow base section formed on the inner surface of the auxiliary section and a hollow auxiliary connector portion formed on the base section and supported above the inner surface of the auxiliary section. The assembly further includes a plurality of substantially identical pin fasteners having central axes and received and retained within the main and auxiliary connector portions and the plurality of apertures to fasten the inner and interior trim panels together wherein the central axes of the pin fasteners are all substantially parallel to each other.
Preferably, the auxiliary section includes a front wall portion and a side wall portion which extends rearwardly from the front wall section. The side wall portion has a back edge surface interconnecting the inner and outer surfaces of the auxiliary section. The base section includes an upper support surface for supporting the auxiliary connector portion thereon. The back edge surface is substantially coplanar with the upper support surface.
Also, preferably, the base section includes a base portion having the upper support surface and an inner wall portion connected to the front wall portion and supporting the base portion above the inner surface of the auxiliary section.
The inner wall portion is preferably a single inner wall portion connected to the side wall portion.
The outer surface of the auxiliary section is preferably a Class A surface.
The auxiliary section is a flag-shaped section of the interior trim panel and the assembly is a door trim panel assembly.
Further, in carrying out the above object and other objects of the present invention, a plastic automotive interior trim panel for fastening an inner panel thereto is provided. The interior trim panel includes a plastic main section having inner and outer surfaces, a plastic auxiliary section having inner and outer surfaces and a plurality of hollow main connector portions formed about the periphery of the main section on its inner surface thereof. The interior trim panel also includes a hollow base section formed on the inner surface of the auxiliary section and a hollow auxiliary connector portion formed on the base section and supported above the inner surface of the auxiliary section. Each of the main and auxiliary connector portions has a central axis substantially parallel to each of the other central axes.
Preferably, the auxiliary section includes a front wall portion and a side wall portion which extends rearwardly from the front wall section. The side wall portion has a back edge surface interconnecting the inner and outer surfaces of the auxiliary section. The base section includes an upper support surface for supporting the auxiliary connector portion thereon. The back edge surface is substantially coplanar with the upper support surface.
Also, preferably, the base section includes a base portion having the upper support surface and an inner wall portion connected to the front wall portion and supporting the base portion above the inner surface of the auxiliary section.
The inner wall portion is preferably a single inner wall portion connected to the side wall portion.
The outer surface of the auxiliary section is preferably a Class A surface.
The auxiliary section is preferably a flag-shaped section of the interior trim panel and the interior trim panel is a door interior trim panel.
The above objects and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4214788 (1980-07-01), Srock
patent: 4270328 (1981-06-01), Page et al.
patent: 4472918 (1984-09-01), Mach
patent: 4505611 (1985-03-01), Na
Brooks & Kushman P.C.
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran B.
Patent Holding Company
LandOfFree
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