Vehicle spoiler with stop lamp

• US 7,220,032 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mori, Tatsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cariaso; Alan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lovell; Leah S
• Application Number:
  US11/077,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 362/541, 362/546, 362/549, 362/548, 362/496, 362/503, 296/180.1, 411/389, 411/403, 411/537, 411/538
• US Class Current: 362/541
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2615 mounted on the vehicle body, e.g. with magnets
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2626 Screw-nut fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/302 mounted in the vicinity, e.g. in the middle, of a rear window
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/007 Rear spoilers B62D35/001 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle spoiler is provided that has a stop lamp removably disposed in the lamp receiving aperture of the vehicle spoiler. The vehicle spoiler is coupled to a vehicle body panel (e.g., the trunk) such that the stop lamp can be easily removed without detaching the vehicle spoiler from the vehicle body panel. Preferably, the stop lamp is attached to the vehicle spoiler by a stop lamp mounting fastener that is also used to attach the vehicle to the vehicle body panel.

Claims

1. A vehicle spoiler assembly comprising:

a vehicle spoiler including an upwardly facing spoiler surface, a vehicle body facing spoiler surface and a rear facing spoiler surface with the rear facing spoiler surface having a lamp receiving aperture;

a stop lamp housing removably disposed in the lamp receiving aperture with a mounting portion of the stop lamp housing disposed between the upwardly facing spoiler surface and the vehicle body facing spoiler surface, the stop lamp housing having a lamp mounted to the stop lamp housing as a removable unit; and

a stop lamp mounting fastener including a lamp securing portion and a vehicle body securing portion formed together as a single member configured to move together to reattachably and detachably connect the vehicle spoiler and the stop lamp housing to a vehicle body panel, the lamp securing portion being configured and arranged to selectively engage the mounting portion of the stop lamp housing to removably secure the stop lamp housing to the vehicle spoiler, and the vehicle body securing portion being configured and arranged to removably secure the vehicle spoiler to the vehicle body panel.

2. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 1, wherein

the stop lamp mounting fastener further includes a stop portion disposed between the lamp securing portion and the vehicle body securing portion to limit movement of the stop lamp mounting fastener relative to the vehicle spoiler.

3. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 2, wherein

the lamp securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener includes a first set of threads and the vehicle body securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener includes a second set of threads.

4. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 3, wherein

the vehicle body securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener has a maximum outer diameter equal to an outer pitch diameter of the second set of threads and a free end with a tool engaging recess.

5. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle body facing spoiler surface includes a fastener recess with a fastener opening.

6. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 5, wherein

the vehicle body facing spoiler surface includes a body panel contacting portion that surrounds the fastener recess of the vehicle body facing spoiler surface and that is configured to contact a vehicle body.

7. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle spoiler includes an upper wall and a lower wall that are spaced apart to form a mounting slot that is sized to be slightly larger than the mounting portion of the stop lamp housing.

8. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 7, wherein

at least one of the upper and lower walls of the vehicle spoiler includes a threaded bore that threadedly receives the lamp securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener.

9. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 7, wherein

the lower wall of the vehicle spoiler includes a threaded bore that threadedly receives the lamp securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener.

10. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 9, wherein

the lower wall of the vehicle spoiler includes the vehicle body facing spoiler surface with a fastener recess formed in the vehicle body facing spoiler surface.

11. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 1, wherein

the stop lamp mounting fastener is configured for movement between a plurality of orientations, such that in a first orientation the stop lamp mounting fastener secures the stop lamp housing and the vehicle spoiler to the vehicle body panel and in a second orientation releases the stop lamp housing from the vehicle spoiler with the vehicle spoiler in place relative to the vehicle body panel.

12. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 11, wherein

the stop lamp mounting fastener is movable to a third orientation in which the stop lamp mounting fastener releases the vehicle spoiler from the vehicle body panel and secures the stop lamp housing to the vehicle spoiler.

13. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 12, wherein

the stop lamp mounting fastener is movable to a fourth orientation in which the stop lamp mounting fastener releases the vehicle spoiler from the vehicle body panel and releases the stop lamp housing from the vehicle spoiler.

14. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle spoiler includes a threaded bore that threadedly receives the lamp securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener.

15. A vehicle body structure comprising:

a vehicle body panel with an access opening;

a vehicle spoiler mounted to the vehicle body panel, the vehicle spoiler including an upwardly facing spoiler surface, a vehicle body facing spoiler surface contacting the vehicle body panel and a rear facing spoiler surface with the rear facing spoiler surface having a lamp receiving aperture;

a stop lamp housing removably disposed in the lamp receiving aperture with a mounting portion of the stop lamp housing disposed between the upwardly facing spoiler surface and the vehicle body facing spoiler surface; and

a stop lamp mounting fastener accessible through the access opening in the vehicle body panel, the stop lamp mounting fastener including a lamp securing portion and a vehicle body securing portion that are formed together as a single member and configured to move together to reattachably and detachably connect the vehicle spoiler and the stop lamp housing to the vehicle body panel, the lamp securing portion being configured and arranged to selectively engage the mounting portion of the stop lamp housing when in a stop lamp securing position and to selectively disengage the mounting portion of the stop lamp housing when in a stop lamp releasing position,

at least one of the vehicle body panel and the vehicle spoiler being configured and arranged relative to the stop lamp mounting fastener to maintain a securing orientation of the stop lamp mounting fastener when in the stop lamp securing and releasing positions with the stop lamp housing removed and the vehicle spoiler mounted to the vehicle body panel.

16. The vehicle body structure according to claim 15, wherein

the stop lamp mounting fastener further includes a vehicle body securing portion configured and arranged to selectively engage the vehicle body panel to removably secure the vehicle spoiler to the vehicle body panel.

17. The vehicle body structure according to claim 16, wherein

the lamp securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener includes a first set of threads and the vehicle body securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener includes a second set of threads with a nut selectively threaded onto the second set of threads.

18. The vehicle body structure according to claim 17, wherein

the access opening of the vehicle body panel is slightly larger than an outer pitch diameter of the second set of threads and a free end with a tool engaging recess.

19. The vehicle body structure according to claim 18, wherein

the stop lamp mounting fastener further includes a stop portion disposed between the lamp securing portion and the vehicle body securing portion with the stop portion being configured with a maximum width that is larger than the access opening of the vehicle body panel.

20. The vehicle body structure according to claim 17, wherein

the vehicle body securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener has a maximum outer diameter equal to an outer pitch diameter of the second set of threads and a free end with a tool engaging recess.

21. The vehicle body structure according to claim 15, wherein

the vehicle spoiler includes an upper wall and a lower wall that are spaced apart to form a mounting slot that is sized to be slightly larger than the mounting portion of the stop lamp housing.

22. The vehicle body structure according to claim 21, wherein

the lower wall of the vehicle spoiler includes a threaded bore that threadedly receives the lamp securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener.

23. The vehicle body structure according to claim 21, wherein

the lower wall of the vehicle spoiler includes a fastener opening that receives the lamp securing portion of the stop lamp mounting fastener, and

the fastener opening of the lower wall is spaced from the access opening of the vehicle body panel by a distance less than an axial length of the stop lamp mounting fastener such that the stop lamp mounting fastener is disposed in both the fastener opening of the lower wall and the access opening of the vehicle body panel when the stop lamp mounting fastener is in the stop lamp releasing position.

24. A vehicle spoiler assembly comprising:

a vehicle body panel having a support surface with an aperture extending therethrough

a vehicle spoiler having a lamp receiving aperture and a mounting surface engaged with the support surface of the vehicle body panel;

a stop lamp housing removably disposed in the lamp receiving aperture and having a lamp mounted to the stop lamp housing as a removable unit; and

a stop lamp mounting fastener movably coupled to the vehicle spoiler by manipulating the stop lamp mounting fastener via the aperture in the support surface of the vehicle body panel to move between a first orientation in which the stop lamp mounting fastener secures the stop lamp housing to the vehicle spoiler and a second orientation in which the stop lamp mounting fastener releases the stop lamp housing from the vehicle spoiler with the vehicle spoiler in place relative to the vehicle body panel.

25. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 24, wherein

the stop lamp mounting fastener is movable to a third orientation in which the stop lamp mounting fastener releases the vehicle spoiler from the vehicle body panel and secures the stop lamp housing to the vehicle spoiler.

26. The vehicle spoiler assembly according to claim 25, wherein

the stop lamp mounting fastener is movable to a fourth orientation in which the stop lamp mounting fastener releases the vehicle spoiler from the vehicle body panel and releases the stop lamp housing from the vehicle spoiler.