Gimp with a concealed slip zone

A gimp made of flexible, compressible material attaches an edge of a trim piece to a panel. The gimp is bonded to the panel without visual gaps between the gimp and the panel. The gimp has a slip connection to the trim piece. The slip connection is provided by a slot in the gimp slidably receiving the edge of the trim piece.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to gimps for mounting trim pieces on panels, and more particularly to a gimp having a hidden slip connection to an edge of the trim piece.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Trim pieces are often employed to enhance the appearance of an automotive vehicle. For example, a trim piece may be used to cover an edge of a body panel, such as a wheel housing. In the past, a gimp has been secured to an edge of the trim piece to give it a finished appearance. The gimp is not secured to the body panel but merely presses against the body panel so that the gimp can shift slightly when the vehicle is moving. However, in many cases the gimp will not contact the body panel uniformly and continuously along its full length, so that gaps appear. In addition to being unsightly, gaps allow car wash brushes to get in behind the gimp and rip both the gimp and the trim piece off the vehicle. When gaps are discovered, the vehicle owner will usually bring the vehicle in for repair service. In most cases, the trim piece and gimp are thrown away and replaced, at considerable expense to the vehicle owner or to the manufacturer if the vehicle is under warranty.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, the gimp is secured to the body panel rather than to the trim piece, so that there are no visual gaps between the gimp and the panel. Preferably, the gimp has a slip connection to the trim piece enabling the trim piece to move relative to the gimp.

In the embodiment described herein, the slip connection is provided by a slot in the gimp which slidably receives and conceals the edge of the trim piece. The slot is formed in a U-shaped portion of the gimp with spaced-apart walls defining opposite sides of the slot.

The gimp is bonded to the body panel by an adhesive. Preferably a protective strip initially covers the adhesive. The strip can be peeled away to expose the adhesive so that it can be bonded to the body panel. Preferably, a light adhesive film is provided between the edge of the trim piece and the walls of the slot. This film holds the gimp on the edge of the trim piece prior to installation, but readily breaks away after installation to free the edge and enable it to float in the slot.

It is an object of this invention to provide a gimp for mounting a trim piece on a body panel having the foregoing features and capabilities.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a trim piece10is shown attached to a body panel12of an automotive vehicle14. The trim piece may, for example, be made of a suitable plastic, such as ABS or polypropylene. The body panel12has a wheel housing16defined by an arcuate edge18of the body panel. The trim piece10is arcuate and follows the contour of the edge18. The trim piece10has a flange20along its inner edge. Fasteners21secure the flange20to the body panel near the edge18. The flange20is turned inward and is out of sight to the casual observer. A gimp22is attached to the outer edge24of the trim piece10. The gimp22is made of a flexible, compressible material, preferably a thermoplastic or elastomeric material such as natural or synthetic rubber or a suitable olefin.

The gimp22is an elongated member having the cross-section shown inFIGS. 2 and 3throughout its entire length. In the exemplary embodiment, the gimp22has a body portion26and a generally U-shaped portion28. A continuous layer of adhesive30is applied to the body portion26along its entire length. An elongated protective strip32(FIG. 5) covers the outer surface34of the layer of adhesive30. The strip32can be peeled away to expose the outer surface34of the layer of adhesive30so that the adhesive can be bonded to the body panel, as explained more fully hereinafter.

The U-shaped portion28of the gimp has spaced-apart walls36and38defining a slot40between the walls. The outer edge24of the trim piece10is adapted to be slidably received and to fit within the slot and to be concealed by the slot walls36and38. A light adhesive film44can be applied to the edge24of the trim piece and the walls of the slot40. The adhesive film44holds the gimp on the trim piece prior to installation on the vehicle, but readily breaks away after installation so that the edge24can float in the slot.

In use, the cover strip32is peeled away to expose the outer surface34of the layer of adhesive30. The outer edge24of the trim piece10is fitted into the slot40of the gimp22and a light adhesive film44is applied to the edge24and the walls36and38of the slot. The gimp22is pressed against the body panel12so that the outer surface34of the layer of adhesive30permanently bonds to the surface of the body panel, thereby affixing the gimp to the body panel. There are no gaps between the gimp22and the body panel12because of the continuous adhesively sealed contact between the two along the full length of the gimp.

The adhesive film44has only minimal holding power to temporarily hold the gimp to the trim piece. It will break away as soon as the vehicle is driven a short distance. The outer edge24of the trim piece10is capable of sliding in and out slightly while in the slot40as the vehicle moves along the highway. However, the outer edge24of the trim strip is completely concealed in the slot40so that there is a hidden slip zone between the outer edge of the trim strip and the gimp.

It will be appreciated that while the exemplary embodiment is described as using an adhesive layer30to attach the gimp to the vehicle, other alternative fastening arrangements, such as mechanical type fasteners, could be used as well. The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.