Movable or removable closures – Closure seal; e.g. – striker gasket or weatherstrip – U-shaped member or portion mounts seal
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-29
2004-02-03
Strimbu, Gregory J. (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Closure seal; e.g., striker gasket or weatherstrip
U-shaped member or portion mounts seal
C049S498100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06684574
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a weather strip for a vehicle, for example, a trim to be used for the weather strip or a decorative member and an insert for the trim embedded in a body made of polymer material such as rubber, elastomer and resin to retain the shape of the trim. The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-332857, which is incorporated herein by reference.
As a trim of this kind, there has been known a structure in which an insert formed of a metal plate for retaining the shape of a trim body made of polymer material such as rubber, elastomer and resin and maintaining the gripping force of gripping lips to grip a flange portion of a vehicle body is embedded in the trim body. The trim body is bent to have a substantially U-shaped cross-section and the gripping lips for gripping the flange portion around an opening of the vehicle are protruded from the internal surface of the trim body. A weather strip has the trim body attached to the flange portion around the opening of the vehicle body, and a hollow sealing portion being protruded from the outer surface of the trim body, for example, the outer surface of a side portion outwardly and serving to seal the inside and outside of the vehicle cabin.
As such an insert embedded in the trim, for example, there has been known a flat insert having a plurality of rectangular planar segments coupled through one coupling portion in central parts thereof (a first conventional structure). Moreover, there has also been known a flat insert having a plurality of rectangular planar segments coupled through two coupling portions separated from each other at a predetermined interval (a second conventional structure). As shown in
FIG. 6A
, furthermore, there has also been known an insert
53
in which a bent wire
51
is connected through two longitudinal members
52
in a predetermined position (a third conventional structure). FIG. shows a state in which the insert
53
having the third conventional structure is embedded in polymer material and is bent to have a U-shaped cross-section. Each of the inserts of first and second conventional structure is also bent to have a U-shaped cross-section and is embedded in polymer material.
In addition, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication Sho. 53-136225 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,546) has also disclosed an insert
60
(a fourth conventional structure). In the insert
60
, as shown in
FIG. 7A
, a metal plate
61
has a first series of slits
62
arranged in a central part thereof with a predetermined interval in a longitudinal direction of the metal plate
61
and a pair of second series of slits
64
also arranged in the longitudinal direction with a predetermined interval in the vicinity of both edge portions
63
. By press rolling both edge portions
63
of the metal plate
61
through a pair of rollers, as shown in
FIG. 7B
, there is formed the insert
60
in which segments
65
are separated from each other and are coupled through oblique coupling links
66
.
The trim is usually mounted with bending along the curvature of a flange portion of an opening of the vehicle in such a state that it is cut to have a predetermined length. Although the trim including the insert having the first conventional structure can be bent along the curvature of the flange portion, it has poor contracting and extending properties in the longitudinal direction thereof since one coupling portion located at the central part prevents contracting and extending of the insert. For this reason, it is necessary to strictly manage the length of the trim corresponding to the circumference of the flange portion in order not to generate a clearance between the ends of the mounted trim. Moreover, there has been a problem in that a countermeasure cannot be taken against the case in which the circumference of the flange portion is increased due to a set of tolerances.
Moreover, the trim including the insert having the second conventional structure is generally covered with polymer material and at least one of two coupling portions is cut for use. Consequently, as similar to the aforementioned first conventional structure, while the following property for the flange portion is maintained, the contracting property in the longitudinal direction of the trim is poor so that the length of the trim is to be managed strictly. On the other hand, in such a trim, some extending property is maintained in the longitudinal direction and a countermeasure can easily be taken against the case in which the circumference of the flange portion is increased by the set of tolerances.
However, when the trim is particularly mounted on the flange portion in a bending and an extension state in a position corresponding to the corner portion of the body opening, a residual stress is generated in the trim in some cases. If such a residual stress is present, the trim mounted on the flange portion is apt to be contracted and deformed to gradually restore to an original extrusion state (straight state) by the elastic force of the polymer material itself. Consequently, there has been a problem in that the trim is shifted carelessly from the flange portion at a predetermined position in a slip-off direction, resulting in poor appearance.
On the other hand, the trim including the insert
53
having the third conventional structure is controlled to be extended in the longitudinal direction thereof due to the presence of the longitudinal members
52
. In the trim, moreover, contraction in the longitudinal direction is permitted by the deflection of the bent wire
51
and the longitudinal members
52
. Consequently, the trim is cut to be slightly longer than the circumference of the flange portion and is mounted in a slight contraction state. Thus, the trim can easily be mounted on the flange portion without generating the residual stress and the clearance, and the appearance of the trim can be enhanced.
In the trim including the insert
53
having the third conventional structure, however, there has been a problem in that the structure of the insert
53
is complicated, a great deal of time and labor is required for forming and the manufacturing cost is greatly increased. Moreover, there has been a problem in that the rigidity is liable to be insufficient because the insert
53
is mainly constituted by the bent wire
51
.
Further, the trim including the insert
60
having the fourth conventional structure is covered with polymer material. And the insert
60
is made that portions of both edge portions
63
thinned by press rolling which correspond to the second slit
64
are cut for use. Also in such a trim, the coupling links
66
coupling the adjacent segments
65
are inclined in the same direction with respect to the segment
65
when the insert
60
is bent to have a U-shaped cross-section. For this reason, when the trim is contracted in a longitudinal direction, the coupling links
66
are slightly deformed in such a manner that the coupling links
66
tend to be parallel with the segments
65
. Consequently, the distance between the adjacent segments
65
is slightly reduced so that the whole trim is contracted.
In the insert
60
having the fourth conventional structure, however, the coupling links
66
are simply formed to be oblique to the segment
65
. For this reason, there has been a problem in that the deformation of the coupling links
66
is not stabilized when the trim is contracted in the longitudinal direction thereof, and the contracting property of the trim is easily varied.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the problems of the conventional insert, this invention has been made. The invention has an object to provide an insert for a trim which can easily be formed, can have a high tensile strength substantially with no elongation and can be contracted stably in the longitudinal direction of the trim, the trim and a weather strip with a trim body for a vehicle.
In order to achieve the object, a first aspect of the invention is an insert for a trim formed of a met
Posz & Bethards, PLC
Strimbu Gregory J.
Toyoda Gosei Co,., Ltd.
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