Covered welt for vehicle

• US 5,123,693 A
• Filed: 12/02/1991
• Issued: 06/23/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kinugawa Rubber Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Kinugawa Rubber Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Karashima, Hiroki, Yamaguchi, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Focarino, Margaret A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAPE, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US07/799,870
• Time in Patent Office: 204 Days
• Field of Search: 296/135, 296/146, 49/490, 49/491, 49/500, 49/475
• US Class Current: 296/135
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/17 provided with a low-friction material on the surface
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/32 using integral U-shaped retainers
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/34 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/04 External Ornamental or guard strips; Ornamental inscriptive devices thereon fastening strips or bars to sheets or plates by means of clips F16B5/12

Abstract

A welt with a fabric covering for a vehicle is disclosed. This welt includes a U-shaped portion for covering an edge of an opening of the vehicle, a rubber seal elastically deformable against shock caused by closing doors, and a fabric sheet wrapping about an area ranging from the U-shaped portion to the rubber seal. Both sides of the fabric are bonded tightly by one adhesive while another area is bonded by a different, pressure sensitive adhesive so as to allow the fabric to be deformed flexibly when the welt is bent.

Claims

1. A welt for a vehicle comprising:

a strip portion contoured for covering an edge of an opening of the vehicle, said strip portion including a U-shaped portion in cross-section for wrapping about the edge of the vehicle opening, said U-shaped portion having spaced apart side walls, said strip portion also including side areas and side surfaces;

a fabric wrapping around the side surfaces of said strip portion, said fabric having spaced apart edges;

an adhesive layer interfacing between each edge of said fabric and respective side areas of said strip portion to bond fixedly therebetween;

a pressure sensitive adhesive layer provided between said strip portion and said fabric to hold therebetween so as to maintain an interfacing condition to allow said fabric to move relatively to said strip portion when the strip portion is bent;

an elastically deformable seal attached to a first one of said side surfaces of said strip portion, said fabric covering an area ranging from said seal to said strip portion;

a plurality of lips formed on the side walls of the U-shaped portion, said lips being spaced from the elastically deformable seal;

said strip portion including a curved cover lip extending outwardly from said U-shaped portion from a side of said U-shaped portion opposite to said seal, said cover lip forming a second one of said side surfaces and one of said side areas of said strip portion; and

said fabric being attached to the one side area and second side surface of the strip portion formed by the curved cover lip.

2. A welt according to claim 1 wherein said lips engage a end of the vehicle opening.

3. A welt according to claim 1 wherein a side wall of the U-shaped portion forms one of said side surfaces of the strip portion.

4. A welt as set forth in claim 1, wherein said adhesive layer is selected from the group consisting of a two-part adhesive and a hot melt adhesive and said pressure sensitive adhesive layer is selected from the group consisting of an acrylic ether, a copolymer and a polyvinyl ether adhesive.

5. A welt as set forth in claim 1, wherein said strip portion is made of rubber.

6. A welt as set forth in claim 1, wherein said strip portion is made of synthetic resin.

7. A welt for a vehicle comprising:

a strip portion made of resilient material and contoured for covering an edge of an opening of the vehicle, said strip portion including first and second sections, the first section elastically engaging with the edge of the opening, the second section facing in a direction opposite the edge of the opening, said second section having side areas and side surfaces;

fabric wrapping about the second section of said strip portion, said fabric having spaced-apart edges;

first adhesive layers interfacing between the side areas of the second section of the strip portion and the edges of said fabric in a direction to bond fixedly therebetween;

a second flexibly deformable pressure sensitive adhesive layer provided between the side surfaces of said strip portion and the fabric to hold therebetween so as to maintain an interfacing condition which allows said fabric to move relatively to the second section of the strip portion when the strip portion is bent.

8. A welt as set forth in claim 7 further including an elastically deformable seal attached to a portion of the second section of the strip portion, said fabric covering the second section of the strip portion over the seal.

9. A welt as set forth in claim 8 wherein said seal is attached to a side surface.

10. A welt as set forth in claim 8 wherein said strip portion includes a U-shaped portion in cross-section having inside walls, outside walls and a plurality of lips formed on the inside walls and spaced from the seal, said first section including said inside walls of said U-shaped portion and said plurality of lips and said second section including said outside walls of said U-shaped portion, and said strip portion further comprising a curved cover lip extending outwardly from a portion of the U-shaped portion opposite to said seal, wherein the seal, the U-shaped portion and the curved cover lip define a common outer surface wrapped by the fabric.