Vehicle grille including adjustable louvers, and/or method of making the same
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A grille for a vehicle, comprising:
- at least one decorative opening; and
at least one adjustable louver integrated into the grille on an interior side thereof, the at least one adjustable louver being configured to rotate and/or slide between at least first and second positions when a predetermined condition is met or not met,wherein the first position is an open position, andwherein the second position is a closed position that at least partially closes the at least one decorative opening.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In certain example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a grille for a vehicle (e.g., a car, truck, SUV, or the like). In certain example embodiments, the vehicle grille includes adjustable louvers. In certain example embodiments, the louvers are configured to change position relative to the grille (e.g., to rotate, slide, or otherwise move) when a predetermined condition is met (e.g., vehicle speed above/below a predefined threshold, wind speed above/below a predefined threshold, etc.). This configuration advantageously may result in better vehicle performance (such as, for example, better fuel efficiency), e.g., related to less drag and/or improved aerodynamics.
93 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A grille for a vehicle, comprising:
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at least one decorative opening; and at least one adjustable louver integrated into the grille on an interior side thereof, the at least one adjustable louver being configured to rotate and/or slide between at least first and second positions when a predetermined condition is met or not met, wherein the first position is an open position, and wherein the second position is a closed position that at least partially closes the at least one decorative opening. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11)
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8. The grille of claim 8, wherein the pivot location is located in the approximate center of the height of the at least one decorative opening.
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12. A vehicle including a grille, the grille comprising:
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at least one decorative opening; and at least one adjustable louver integrated into the grille on an interior side thereof, the at least one adjustable louver being configured to rotate and/or slide between a plurality of discrete positions when predetermined conditions are met or not met, wherein a first position in the plurality of discrete positions is an open position, and wherein a second position in the plurality of discrete positions is a closed position that at least partially closes the at least one decorative opening. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of making a grille for a vehicle, the method comprising:
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providing the grille; and integrating at least one adjustable louver into the grille on an interior side thereof, the at least one adjustable louver being configured to rotate and/or slide between at least first and second positions when a predetermined condition is met or not met, wherein the first position is an open position, and wherein the second position is a closed position that at least partially closes the at least one decorative opening. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification