Vehicle door assembly having an easily removable outside panel

• US 5,446,999 A
• Filed: 06/28/1993
• Issued: 09/05/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sabic Innovative Plastics IP BV (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Uchida, Kensuke, Inaba, Koichi, Kolberg, Raymond F.
• Primary Examiner(s): REDMAN, JERRY E
• Application Number:
  US08/084,038
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 49/502, 49/501, 49/DIG. 1, 49/DIG. 2, 296/146 B, 296/146.5, 403/294, 52/802, 52/805
• US Class Current: 49/502
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/0415 Outer panel
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/0469 for door panels, e.g. hemming hemming equipment B21D39/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/169 Sections connected flexibly with external fastener

Abstract

A vehicle door assembly with a removable outside panel, including a flange on the outside panel bottom edge. The flange is folded towards the inside panel, and forms a V-shaped groove opening which opens in an upward direction. The inside panel bottom edge engages within this groove in a releasable manner, distributing the weight of the outside panel across the length of the bottom edge, eliminating the need for a cover member to attach the outside panel to.

Claims

1. A vehicle door assembly comprising:

an inside panel having a bottom edge and an outside panel releasably connected to said inside panel, wherein said inside panel has a flange extending along said inside panel bottom edge and being folded away from said outside panel to form an inside panel bottom edge region having a J-shaped cross-section with a free end and a bottom, said outside panel has a bottom edge and a flange extending at least along said outside panel bottom edge and being folded toward said inside panel to form an upwardly opening generally V-shaped groove within which said inside panel bottom edge is releasably engaged such that the free end of said J-shaped cross-section and the bottom of said J-shaped cross-section resiliently engage opposite surfaces, respectively, of the V-shaped groove at said outside panel bottom edge and one of said panel flanges is provided with at least one tab, and said other panel is provided with at least one corresponding opening for receiving said tab, said tab and said corresponding opening for guiding, positioning, and releasably fixing said panels together.

2. A vehicle door assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said panels are formed from synthetic resin.

3. A vehicle door assembly as defined in claim 1, further including removable mechanical fasteners for rigidly connecting said outside panel to said inside panel.

4. A vehicle door assembly comprising an inside panel, and a removable outside panel, each said panel being of discrete and one-piece construction, wherein each said panel has corresponding lateral edges and a corresponding base edge, one of said panels has a flange extending along said edges and forming a V-shaped groove projecting towards said other panel such that corresponding edges of said other panel slidingly engage within the V-shaped groove formed by the flange extending along the lateral edges and base edge of said one panel.

5. A vehicle door assembly comprising:

(a) an inside panel having a bottom edge;

(b) an outside panel releasably connected to said inside panel, said outside panel having a bottom edge and a flange extending at least along said outside panel bottom edge and being folded toward said inside panel, to form an upwardly opening generally V-shaped groove within which said inside panel bottom edge is releasably engaged wherein said panels have corresponding lateral edges and one of said panels has an edge flange forming a J-shaped groove extending along the lateral edge of said panel and projecting towards other panel; and

(c) a fastener for connecting said edge flange of said one panel with said lateral edge of the other panel, said fastener being an H-shaped spline comprising an elastomeric material and a reinforced core and said assembly further including a first and second channel extending along said edge flange of one panel and said lateral edge of said other panel, respectively, said H-shaped spline being engaged with each said channel such that said inner and outer panels are sealingly engaged and structurally supported together.

6. A vehicle door assembly as defined in claim 5, wherein said reinforced core is made of metal.

7. A vehicle door assembly consisting essentially of an inside panel having a bottom edge and a flange extending at least along an outside panel bottom edge and being folded toward said inside panel to form an upwardly opening generally V-shaped groove, wherein said inside panel includes a flange extending along said inside panel bottom edge and being folded away from an outside panel to form an inside panel bottom edge region having a J-shaped cross-section with a free end and a bottom such that the free end of said J-shaped cross-section and the bottom of said J-shaped cross-section and the bottom of said J-shaped cross-section resiliently engage opposite surfaces, respectively, of the V-shaped groove at said outside panel bottom edge, one of said panel flanges is provided with at least one tab, and said other panel is provided with at least one corresponding opening for receiving said tab, said tab and said corresponding opening for guiding, positioning, and releasably fixing said panels together and each said panel being of discrete and one-piece construction, said outside panel being removably connected to said inside panel.

8. A vehicle door assembly consisting essentially of an inside panel, a removable outside panel, each said panel being of discrete and one-piece construction, said outside panel being removably connected to said inside panel by a connecting means wherein said panels have corresponding lateral edges and one of said panels has an edge flange forming a J-shaped groove extending along the lateral edge of said panel and projecting inwardly and towards said other panel and connecting means comprising an H-shaped spline for connecting said lateral edge flange of the one panel with said lateral edge of the other panel, said spline sealingly engaging and structurally supporting said inner and said outer panels together.

9. A vehicle door assembly as defined in claim 8, wherein said panels are formed from synthetic resin.

10. A vehicle door assembly consisting essentially of an inside panel, and a removable outside panel, each said panel being of discrete and one-piece construction, wherein each said panel has corresponding lateral edges and a corresponding base edge, one of said, panels has a flange extending along said edges and forming a V-shaped groove projecting towards said other panel such that corresponding edges of said other panel slidingly engage within the V-shaped groove formed by the flange extending along the lateral edges and base edge of said one panel.