Vacuum formed vehicle carpet module
First Claim
1. A modular carpet for a motor vehicle comprising:
- a thermoplastic backing material that is vacuum molded to correspond to the shape of a floor in a particular motor vehicle; and
a piece of tufted carpet attached to said backing material to form a molded vehicle carpet.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle carpet module consisting of a piece of tufted carpet that is attached to a piece of thermoplastic material, the module being contoured to the shape of a motor vehicle floor. The carpet module being vacuum formed over a single hollow mold element. The mold element having a molding surface shaped to correspond to the shape of the vehicle floor and having a plurality of vacuum ports formed through the contoured surface. A vacuum pulling the air from the interior of the mold element and causes the vacuum ports to draw a heated carpet segment against the contoured surface and thereby shape the segment into a carpet module. The carpet segment is heated sufficiently soften the thermoplastic material which, upon subsequent cooling, hardens to retain the shape of the molding surface.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A modular carpet for a motor vehicle comprising:
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a thermoplastic backing material that is vacuum molded to correspond to the shape of a floor in a particular motor vehicle; and
a piece of tufted carpet attached to said backing material to form a molded vehicle carpet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A process for vacuum forming a vehicle carpet module comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a carpet segment that includes a piece of tufted carpet attached directly to a piece of thermoplastic backing material;
(b) heating the carpet segment sufficiently to soften the thermoplastic backing material;
(c) placing the heated carpet segment over a vacuum forming mold, the forming mold having a surface contoured to correspond to the shape of a vehicle floor, said mold also having a plurality of suction ports extending transversely through the contoured surface of the mold;
(d) drawing a vacuum from within the mold, the vacuum causing the carpet segment to conform to the shape of the contoured surface of the forming mold;
(e) allowing the carpet segment to cool sufficiently for the thermoplastic backing material to retain the shape of the mold whereby the carpet segment is molded into a carpet module; and
(f) removing the carpet module from the mold. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vacuum forming mold for vehicle carpet modules, the mold comprising:
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a hollow mold element having a surface contoured to correspond to the floor shape of a motor vehicle, said hollow mold element defining an internal chamber;
a plurality of vacuum ports extending through said contoured surface and communicating with said internal chamber; and
a vacuum generating device communicating with said internal chamber and operable to draw a vacuum from said internal chamber. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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Specification