Weather strip

• US 5,307,591 A
• Filed: 10/25/1991
• Issued: 05/03/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kinugawa Rubber Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Kinugawa Rubber Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Urume, Hiroshi, Usuta, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REDMAN, JERRY E
• Application Number:
  US07/783,568
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 49/476, 49/485, 49/488, 49/493, 49/498, 49/497, 47/475.1
• US Class Current: 49/476.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/16 consisting of two or more plastic materials having different physical or chemical properties B60J10/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/24 having tubular parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/25 characterised by water drainage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/30 characterised by the fastening means
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/86 arranged on the opening panel

Abstract

A weather strip for an automotive back door includes a seal lip having a hollow therein. An appropriate portion of the outer side of the seal lip is projected toward a direction outward from a vertical direction relative to a seal plane of a vehicle body where the seal lip elastically contacts thereto. The projected portion is wedge-shaped to function as a drain lip.

Claims

1. A weather strip for providing a seal between a movable door and the body of an automotive vehicle, said weather strip comprising:

a hollow seal portion having a coplanar surface with an exposed surface of the door extending downwardly therefrom for sealing a gap formed between the movable door and a seal plane of the automotive vehicle body when said door is in a closed position; and

a drain lip portion extending from said hollow seal portion toward said seal plane of the vehicle body, said drain lip portion including guide means for directing water away from the gap and the seal plane extending along the coplanar surface of said hollow portion toward the downward and outward direction relative to the perpendicular direction of the vehicle body thereby preventing water from entering the vehicle when the door is opened and wherein the guide means rests on a surface of the vehicle body adjacent the seal plane when the door is in the closed position.

4. A weather strip according to claim 1, wherein said drain lip portion is formed integrally with said hollow seal portion.

5. A weather strip according to claim 1, wherein said hollow seal portion is in the form of a triangle and said drain lip extends from and is defined in part by the vertex of two sides of the triangle.

6. A weather strip according to claim 5, wherein one side of the triangle of said hollow seal portion which forms the vertex seals on the seal plane of the automotive vehicle body when said door is in a closed position.

7. A weather strip according to claim 6, wherein said one side of said triangle is formed with a notch which assists the guide means to rest on the adjacent surface of the vehicle body.

8. A weather strip for providing a seal between a movable door and the body of an automotive vehicle, said weather strip comprising:

a base portion having a coplanar surface with an exposed surface of the door and means for securing the base portion to the door;

a hollow seal portion extending downwardly from said base portion along said coplanar surface for sealing a gap formed between the movable door and a seal plane of the automotive vehicle body when said door is in a closed position; and

a drain lip portion extending from said hollow seal portion toward said seal plane of the vehicle body, said drain lip portion including guide means for directing water away from the gap and the seal plane extending along the coplanar surface toward the downward and outward direction relative to the perpendicular direction of the vehicle body thereby preventing water from entering the vehicle when the door is opened and wherein the guide means rests on a surface of the vehicle body adjacent the seal plane when the door is in the closed position.

2. A weather strip according to claim 11, wherein said hollow seal portion and said drain lip portion are formed of a sponge rubber material.

3. A weather strip according to claim 2, wherein said hollow seal portion and said drain lip portion are coated with silicon material.

9. A weather strip according to claim 8, wherein said base portion is formed of solid rubber.

10. A weather strip according to claim 8, wherein said hollow seal portion and said drain lip portion are formed of a sponge rubber material.

11. A weather strip according to claim 8, wherein said base portion and said drain lip portion are formed of solid rubber.

12. A weather strip according to claim 8, wherein said base portion and said hollow seal portion and said drain lip portion are formed of an integral extruded molding.

13. A weather strip for providing a seal between a movable door and the body of an automotive vehicle, said weather strip comprising:

a base portion having a coplanar surface with the door and means for securing the base portion to the door;

a hollow seal portion extending downwardly from said base portion along said coplanar surface for sealing a gap formed between the movable door and a seal plane of the automotive vehicle body when said door is in a closed position, said hollow seal portion being in the form of a triangle having a first side and a second side intersecting at a vertex wherein the second side of the triangle seals on the seal plane of the automotive vehicle body when said door is in the closed position; and

a drain lip portion extending from said hollow seal portion toward said seal plane of the vehicle body, said drain lip portion including guide means extending from and defined in part by the vertex of the triangle for directing water away from the gap and the seal plane extending along said coplanar surface toward the downward and outward direction relative to the perpendicular direction of the vehicle body thereby preventing water from entering the vehicle when the door is opened and wherein the guide means rests on a surface of the vehicle body adjacent the seal plane when the door is in the closed position.

14. A weather strip according to claim 13 wherein said second side of the triangle is formed with a notch which assists the guide means to rest on the adjacent surface of the vehicle body while the second side seals on the seal plane.

15. A weather strip according to claim 14, wherein said drain lip portion is formed integrally with said hollow seal portion.

16. A weather strip according to claim 14, wherein said hollow seal portion and said drain lip portion are formed of a sponge rubber material.