Sealing, trimming or guiding strips

• US 20070101656A1
• Filed: 10/03/2003
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Henniges Automotive Sealing Systems North America Incorporated (Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: GenCorp Property, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stipp, Janice
• Granted Patent: US 8,479,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 49/490.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/30 characterised by the fastening means
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/40 characterised by contact between two or more cooperating sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/78 adjacent to corner pieces, mirror supports or quarter windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/88 mounted on, or integral with, the glass-run seals

Abstract

A sealing, trimming or guiding strip 15 for windows of a motor vehicle comprises a loop formed around the fixed quarter light 11 of the vehicle and a further loop formed around the sliding main window 9 of the rear door of the vehicle. This seal comprises an extruded part 19 extending along both loops to provide a pleasing continuous appearance for the exterior of the vehicle: A portion of the extruded material 19 is cut away and replaced by moulded material moulded onto the extruded part 19 for the portion of the strip into which the quarter light 11 is mounted.

Claims

1. A sealing, trimming or guiding strip for a window frame of a vehicle, said strip being disposed to selectively contact a window pane having an interior side and an exterior side, said strip comprising.

a length of extruded material extending along and forming part of the strip,

a portion of the extruded material along part only of the length thereof having been removed and replaced with molded material which is molded onto and thereby connected to the extruded material.

the extruded material includes including a channel for receiving a flange of the window frame and a rigid reinforcing carrier embedded within the extruded material in a region corresponding to the channel,

the channel remaining as part of the strip after removal of said portion of the extruded material,

the molded material forming a first window pane receiving surface at the interior side of the window pane,

the extruded material extending from the channel and having a second window pane receiving surface at the exterior side of the window pane and a generally oppositely facing surface directly visible from the exterior of the vehicle, this extended extruded material also remaining as part of the strip after removal of said portion of the extruded material.

2. The strip according to claim 1, wherein the molded material is extended to form a closed loop.

3. The strip according to claim 2, wherein the length of extruded material beyond the said portion thereof extends from the closed loop.

4. The strip according to claim 1, in which the molded material includes at least one integral formation for securing the molded part to the window frame.

5. The strip according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the integral formations comprises an aperture in the molded part through which a clamping member passes.

6. The strip according to claim 5, wherein the clamping member is attached to a the window pane and the window pane is secured to the window frame by the of the clamping member passing through the aperture in the molded part and through a further aperture in the window frame.

7. The strip according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the formations comprises a clamping member integrally formed with the molded material for cooperating with corresponding formations in the window frame.

8. The strip according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the formations comprises a clamping member embedded in the molded material for cooperating with corresponding formations in the window frame.

9. The strip according to claims 5, further comprising a rigid member embedded in the molded material and having an aperture therein through which the clamping member passes.

10. The strip according to claim 1, wherein the extruded material includes a plurality of integral formations for securing the extruded part to the window frame.

11. The strip according to claim 1, further comprising an elongate rigid member into which a portion of the strip is fitted.

12. The strip according to claim 11, wherein the molded material is fitted into the rigid member so as to clamp the window pane fitted in said molded material.

13. The strip according to claim 11, wherein the rigid member also accommodates a further length of extruded material having a window pane receiving channel.

14. The strip according to claim 11, wherein the rigid member is of substantially H shape.

15. The strip according to claim 8, wherein the embedded clamping member includes a rigid base portion extending towards the channel so as to increase the force required to remove the strip from the window frame.

16. The strip according to claim 9, wherein the embedded rigid member extends towards the channel so as to increase the force required to remove the strip from the window frame.

17. The strip according to claims 1, wherein the extruded material includes a limb forming at least a part of a window pane receiving channel, a portion of the window pane receiving channel being removed by removal of said portion of the extruded material.

36. The strip according to claim 17, wherein the limb has an embedded rigid member therein for reducing the tendency for the limb to bend as it emerges from an extruder device used to form the strip.

18. A method of forming a sealing, trimming or guiding strip for a window frame comprising a flange and a window pane having an interior side and an exterior side, the method including:

extruding a length of material to form part of the strip,

removing a portion of the extruded material along part only of the length thereof, and

replacing the said portion with molded material which is molded onto and thereby connected to the extruded material;

wherein;

the extruded material includes a channel for receiving a the flange of the window frame and a rigid reinforcing carrier embedded within the extruded material in a-region corresponding to the channel,

the channel remains as part of the strip after removal of said portion of the extruded material,

the molded material forms a first window pane receiving surface at the interior side of the window pane,

the extruded material extends from the channel and has a second window pane receiving surface at the exterior side of the window pane and a generally oppositely facing surface directly visible from the exterior of the vehicle, this extended extruded material also remaining as part of the strip after removal of said portion of the extruded material.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the molded material is extended to form a closed loop.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the length of extruded material beyond the said portion thereof is extends from the closed loop.

21. The method according to claims 18, wherein the molded material includes at least one integral formation for securing the molded part to the window frame.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the integral formations comprises an aperture in the molded part through which a clamping member passes.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the clamping member is attached to the window pane and the window pane is secured to the window frame by the passage of the clamping member through the aperture in the molded part and through a further aperture in the window frame.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the formations comprise-s a clamping member integrally formed with the moulded molded material for cooperating with corresponding formations in the window frame.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the formations comprises a clamping member embedded in the material for cooperating with corresponding formations in the window frame.

26. The method according to claims 22, wherein a rigid member is embedded in the moulded molded material and has an aperture therein through which the clamping member passes.

27. The method according to claims 18, wherein the extruded material includes a plurality of integral formations for securing the extruded part to the window frame.

28. The method according to claim 18, including a step of providing an elongate rigid member into which a portion of the strip is fitted.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the molded material is fitted into the rigid member so as to clamp a the window pane fitted in said moulded molded material.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the rigid member also accommodates a further length of extruded material having a third window pane receiving channel.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein the rigid member is of substantially H shape.

32. The method according to claim 25, wherein the embedded clamping member includes a rigid base portion extending towards the channel so as to increase the force required to remove the strip from the window frame.

33. The method according to claim 26, wherein the embedded rigid member extends towards the channel so as to increase the force required to remove the strip from the window frame.

34. The method according to claims 18, in which the extruded material is provided with a limb forming at least a part of a window pane receiving channel, a portion of the window pane receiving channel being removed by removal of said portion of the extruded material.

35. The method according to claim 34, in which the limb has an embedded rigid member therein for reducing the tendency for the limb to bend as it emerges from an extruder device used to form the strip.

37. A sealing, trimming or guiding strip for a window frame of a vehicle, comprising a length of extruded material extending along and forming part of the strip, wherein the extruded material comprises a limb forming at least part of a glass pane receiving channel, and which limb has an embedded rigid member therein for reducing the tendency of the limb to bend as it emerges from an extruder device used to form the strip.