Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-13
2001-02-27
Camby, Richard M. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S851000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193278
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to automotive splash guards and more particularly to splash guards and a method of making them. Such a splash guard may be (a) a custom splash guard designed to precisely fit a specific vehicle or family of vehicles or, alternately (b) a splash guard which will fit a number of different automobiles forming a set having similar configurations with the fit being in a manner which gives the appearance of a custom molded splash guard designed to fit any automobile of the set.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For a number of years, some automotive manufactures have provided custom molded splash guards for vehicles of their manufacture. Some manufacturers provide them as standard equipment to be attached to vehicles by a dealer or customer at or subsequent to the time of purchase. Other manufacturers make custom molded splash guards available as an optional accessory or after market product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,938 issued Dec. 1, 1987 to Douglas K. Ward et al. entitled Splash Guard (the '938 patent) discloses splash guards each of which was adapted to fit a number of vehicles of a set while giving the appearance of being a custom molded splash guard. The ability of a splash guard to appear to be custom molded for a number of vehicles of similar but differing contours was accomplished through the provision of a flexible flange which overlaid and engaged the face of a panel adjacent to a wheel well.
By the mid 90's a problem had developed, in that many models had projections which interfered with the flanges of the splash guards made in accordance with the '938 patent. On Mar. 3, 1998 U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,690 was issued to Douglas K. Ward et al. under the title Splash Guard on an improvement over the '938 patent. The improvement utilized a flange which included a deformable pleated section allowing further flange deformation to accommodate such projections as welded together flanges, relatively large swoop and cladings. While the splash guards of the Ward et al. patents have enjoyed significant commercial success as have custom molded splash guards designed to fit specific vehicles, the cost of development and manufacture remains relatively high capital costs are high because of the need to develop and produce relatively complex and expensive molds. Manufacturing costs are high if frequent mold changes are required because a splash guard manufacturer's volume does not justify essentially full time utilization of a given mold.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide low cost custom molded splash guards and splash guards which give the appearance of being custom molded. It would also be desirable to provide a simplified splash guard and a process of making splash guards which would enable the inexpensive development, tooling and manufacture of a greater variety of custom molded splash guards and splash guards which, at a minimum of inventory expense and complexity, can be color matched with the vehicles on which they are to be mounted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With a splash guard of the present invention, standard mounting portions are provided. These mounting portions are relatively flat, flexible members which are adapted to be fit within fender wells of a wide variety of vehicles. Relatively small flange engaging members of a range of contours are provided. The flange engaging members may be custom molded to a variety of contours each to fit a specific and associated vehicle of a group of vehicles.
Each of the flange engaging members has a standardized mounting portion, such that while portions of the members are custom molded to fit specific vehicles, the mounting portions are identical to one another. The standard components include mounting portions which are configured to complementally fit the mounting portions of the custom molded members to locate the member and the component relatively and, once connected together, give the appearance of a unitary custom molded splash guard.
The custom molded members may be molded of pigmented material to match the color of a vehicle on which such custom molded member is to be mounted. Alternatively and preferably, at least for the after market, the custom molded members are made of a material which will accept and retain a finish coating to match the color of a vehicle to which it is to be mounted.
Where splash guards of the present invention are manufactured to be sold to an automobile manufacture, normally each custom molded member will be fixed to one of the standard mounting components. For the after market, the components and members will normally not be fixed together to allow the purchasers to color match the contoured body flange engaging member to the color of the body flange it is to engage and thereafter secure the colored contoured member and a standard component together as they are mounted on the vehicle.
Whether secured together by the splash guard manufacturer or a purchaser, the finished splash guard gives the appearance of being a unitary custom molded splash guard. Costs of development of the novel splash guard are greatly reduced because one need only develop a small contoured molded member. Since a set of small and simple molds for the custom molded members enables production of as many different splash guards as there are molds in a set, there is a substantial cost saving in tooling. There is a saving because with prior custom molded splash guards and splash guards made in accordance with the Ward et al patents each mold was far larger and more complex to produce complete unitary splash guards.
Accordingly, the objects of the invention are to provided novel and improved splash guards and a method of producing such novel and improved splash guards.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3953053 (1976-04-01), Arenhold
patent: 4268052 (1981-05-01), Sullivan
patent: 4315634 (1982-02-01), Arenhold
patent: 4323262 (1982-04-01), Arenhold
patent: 4524986 (1985-06-01), Ward
patent: 4629204 (1986-12-01), Arenhold
patent: 4709938 (1987-12-01), Ward et al.
patent: 4877268 (1989-10-01), Price
patent: 4927177 (1990-05-01), Price
patent: 5048868 (1991-09-01), Arenhold
patent: 5120082 (1992-06-01), Ito
patent: 5407229 (1995-04-01), Garrett
patent: 5722690 (1998-03-01), Ward et al.
Mopar Accessories' “Molded Splash Guard Installation Instructions” for P/N 82401047 & 82401047, Mar., 1995.
Altec Products Inc.'s “Products Designed to Protect Enhance & Complement” brochure.
Lott Kenneth J.
Ward Douglas K.
Camby Richard M.
Watts Hoffman Fisher Heinke Co LPA
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