Abstract:
A mirror trim panel including a cover portion, a primary attachment portion, and a hinge between the cover portion and the primary attachment portion. The hinge allows the mirror trim panel to be secured to the door trim panel and to be lowered into a transit position to improve packaging density and to reduce shipping costs of the door trim panel assembly.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention generally relates to a minor trim panel that secures to a door trim panel and, more particularly, to a mirror trim panel with a hinge that maintains a lowered position during transit and an upright position during use. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Mirror trim panels have been widely used for many years to improve the aesthetic appearance of the interior of a vehicle. Although often used successfully, there are several problems and disadvantages with conventional mirror trim panels. 
     One of the disadvantages is related to the transportation of door trim panel assemblies having mirror trim panels formed as a part of or attached to the door trim panel. Such door trim panel assemblies are packaged and shipped with the mirror trim panel projecting upward from the top forward comer of the door trim panel. This method of packaging and shipping causes the mirror trim panel to be susceptible to damage, as other boxes or loads are placed near the carton containing the mirror trim panel. Furthermore, the size of the carton containing the door trim panel assembly must be greatly increased to accommodate the upward-projecting mirror trim panel, therefor affecting packing density within the transporter. Thus, both packaging and shipping costs are increased significantly, since the number of door trim panel assemblies which are transported is quite substantial, and each of these assemblies requires a larger carton to accommodate the mirror trim panel. 
     Another disadvantage is the method used to hold mirror trim panels in place. If the door trim panel is not formed with an integral mirror trim panel, the mirror trim panel must be separately attached to the sheet metal of the vehicle door. The space available for separate attachment, and alignment features to improve quality, is limited in the mirror attachment area. As a result, the attachment or locating provisions are at times less adequate than desired. Further, a separate mirror trim panel requires additional components within the final assembly plant, and also requires added assembly labor at the final assembly plant. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, this invention provides for a mirror trim panel that overcomes the problems and disadvantages of the conventional techniques in the art. The present invention provides for a mirror trim panel that improves packaging density and reduces shipping cost of the door trim panel assembly. The present invention also provides for a mirror trim panel which attains a higher degree of quality and reliability. 
     Briefly, the mirror trim panel of the present invention includes a cover portion, a primary attachment portion, and a hinge between the cover portion and the primary attachment portion. The hinge allows the mirror trim panel to be secured to the door trim panel and to be lowered into a transit position to improve packaging density and to reduce shipping costs of the door trim panel assembly. 
     The present invention also utilizes two locating apertures which align the mirror trim panel to the door trim panel thereby improving fit and finish of the system. Further, the mirror trim panel is held in a fixed position relative to the door trim panel which is positively located relative to the vehicle door. Accordingly, the present invention attains a higher degree of quality and reliability than conventional separately attached mirror trim panels. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The various advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading the following specification and by reference to the drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle having a door trim panel incorporating a mirror trim panel, in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear surface of the mirror trim panel; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the front surface of the mirror trim panel of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along Line  4 - 4  in FIG. 2, showing the retaining clip structure of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the rear surface of the mirror trim panel in the use position and secured to a door trim panel; 
     FIG. 6 is a side view of the mirror trim panel of FIG. 5 in the transit position; and 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the mirror trim panel. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature, and is in no way intended to limit the invention, or its application, or uses. 
     The mirror trim panel  10  of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-3. The mirror trim panel  10  generally includes a cover portion  12 , a primary attachment portion  14 , and a reduced portion acting as a hinge  16 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the cover portion  12  is a generally triangular-shaped, three-dimensional structure, that includes an aesthetically pleasing front side  18  directed toward the interior of a vehicle  20 , and a rear side  22  directed toward the exterior of the vehicle  20 . The front side  18  of the cover portion  12  functions to cover, in an aesthetically pleasing manner, the corner of the door, that which is typically not covered by the glass window  24 , the door frame  26 , or the door trim panel  28 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a retention device  30  projects outward from the rear side  22  of the cover portion  12 . The retention device  30  functions to retain the cover portion  12  in an upright position. The retention device  30  includes a tab  32  extending from the rear side  22  to engage a clip  34  as shown in FIG.  4 . The clip  34  secures the tab  32  and engages an aperture  36  in the sheet metal  38  of the door. The retention device  30  has shoulders  40  which rest against the sheet metal  38  of the door to control the inboard/outboard location of the cover portion  12  and to provide resistance against the clip  34  to securely retain the cover portion  12 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 2,  3 ,  5 , and  6 , the primary attachment portion  14  includes two apertures  42  which are adapted to receive fasteners  44  used to secure a mirror trim panel  10  to the door trim panel  28 . The primary attachment portion  14  functions to provide a substantially flat surface to attach the mirror trim panel  10  to the door trim panel  28 . Fasteners  44  can include, but are not limited to, screws, rivets, bolts, and upstanding bosses for sonic welding or heat staking. The primary attachment portion  14  further includes a circular primary locating aperture  46  and an elongated secondary locating aperture  48  which are placed over a primary locating pin  50  and a secondary locating pin  52  projecting from the door trim panel  28 . The locating apertures  46  and  48 , together with the locating pins  50  and  52 , function to align the primary attachment portion  14  and the door trim panel  28 . Once the primary attachment portion  14  is aligned by the intersection of the locating apertures  46  and  48  with the locating pins  50  and  52 , respectively, the fasteners  44  attach the mirror trim panel  10  to the door trim panel  28 . In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the number and shape of the various apertures, as well as the number or type of fastening clips, may vary to conform to the requirements of the particular door trim panel. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a substantially flat secondary attachment portion  54  is located between the cover portion  12  and the primary attachment portion  14 . The hinge  16  divides the primary attachment portion  14  and the secondary attachment portion  54 . The secondary attachment portion  54  includes two vertically elongated slots  56  which are adapted to engage two clips  58 , fastened to ribs  59  projecting from the door trim panel  28 , when the mirror trim panel  10  is in the upright position. In the preferred embodiment, the clips  58  are identical to the clip  34 . Alternative embodiments of the present invention may vary the number and shape of the slots and clips to conform to the requirements of the particular door trim panel. The secondary attachment portion  54  further includes two elevated receiving apertures  60  which are adapted to engage fastening hooks  62  of the primary attachment portion  14  when the mirror trim panel is in the transit position, as shown in FIG.  6 . 
     When in the transit position, the fastening hooks  62  of the primary attachment portion  14  are temporarily fastened to the receiving apertures  60  of the secondary attachment portion  54 . This configuration leads to advantages during shipping of the door trim panel assembly. First, the cover portion  12  of the mirror trim panel  10  is held securely in place so that the possibility of damage to the mirror trim panel  10  during transit is reduced. Second, when fastened in this transit position, the cover portion  12  does not project above the top of the door trim panel  28 , thereby allowing the door trim panel assembly (with the mirror trim panel  10 ) to be packaged in a significantly smaller carton than door trim panels having integrally formed mirror trim panels. The ability to use a smaller carton significantly reduces both packaging and shipping costs, thus yielding a great advantage over previous methods of shipping door trim panel assemblies with the mirror trim panel projecting upward from the door trim panel. 
     Once the door trim panel incorporating the present invention is received at the assembly plant, the door trim panel is removed from the shipping carton and the cover portion  12  is rotated about the hinge  16  to the use position. When rotated to the use position, the slots  56  engage the two clips  58  that project from the door trim panel  28 , thereby securing the cover portion  12  in the upright use position. 
     As shown in FIG. 7, an alternate embodiment of the mirror trim panel  10  eliminates the secondary attachment portion  54  and locates the hinge  16  between the cover portion  12  and the primary attachment portion  14 . Effectively, in this embodiment, the cover portion  12  is secured to the sheet metal  38  of the door for an upper attachment of the system, and the primary attachment portion  14  is secured to the door trim panel  28 . While some degree of control is lost, particularly inboard/outboard relation between the mirror trim panel and the door trim panel, a reduced number of clip fasteners and material can be achieved. 
     For positioning the mirror trim panel  10  in the transit position, the clip  34  used to secure the cover portion  12  to the sheet metal  38  of the door can be temporarily used to secure the cover portion  12  to a receiving formation (not shown) on the primary attachment portion  14  or on the door trim panel  28 . While the alternate embodiment does not provide as robust a design as the preferred embodiment, the cost and weight reductions achieved may offset any deficiencies (either perceived or actual). 
     The foregoing discussion discloses and describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.