Weatherstrip sealing arrangement

• US 4,143,497 A
• Filed: 07/29/1977
• Issued: 03/13/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Offenbacher, Lon A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Purser, Ernest R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Friedman, Carl D.
• Application Number:
  US05/820,141
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 52/716, 52/717, 52/718, 52/400, 49/490, 49/491, 49/498, 49/499, 49/489
• US Class Current: 52/204.597
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/18 provided with reinforcements or inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/24 having tubular parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/277 for facilitating specific deformation of sealing parts, e.g. for ensuring proper folding
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/33 characterised by the configuration of the retaining lips
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/80 specially adapted for opening panels, e.g. doors for non-fixed roofs B60J10/90

Abstract

The arrangement shown and described herein is used to seal a closure structure of a vehicle body. A weatherstrip including metal strip inserts is extruded to include not only the usual hollow deflection bulb, but also a hollow flange sealing bulb, formed in a predetermined shape on the center portion of the side surface opposite the deflection bulb. When the retention portion of the weatherstrip around the metal strip inserts is crimped to form its operational "U" shaped recess, the flange sealing bulb is located at the bottom of the recess, substantially uniformly filling the space heretofor selectively filled with a bead of butyl mastic sealant. Once the thus formed weatherstrip is installed on a body closure flange or ledge, the edge of the flange or ledge depresses the hollow sealing bulb such that the latter effectively and uniformly seals off the inside of the flange or ledge from the outside thereof.

Claims

1. In a vehicular closure opening and a cooperating body flange, a weatherstrip comprising an extruded retention member adapted to being mounted on the body flange and including equally spaced laterally extending metal strips formed therein and crimped into a U-shaped configuration to form a recess having an end wall and a pair of oppositely disposed side walls, and having a predetermined width for receiving the body flange, a pair of retention lips formed on each side wall of the recess and extending toward the center of the recess to exert a pressure on the body flange to retain the weatherstrip in place thereon, and a hollow, flexible flange sealing bulb integral with and extending from the end wall of the recess, with a width greater than the thickness of the body flange and spaced inwardly from the retention lips, said sealing blub adapted to being substantially uniformly depressed toward the end wall of the recess along its entire length by the abutment of the body flange against the center of the sealing bulb to thereby prevent leakage past the flange.