A belt weatherstrip adapted to engage an end flange of a vehicle for operative sealing between a glass window and a vehicle surface. The flange of the vehicle has an inner surface and an outer surface. The belt weatherstrip is expandable to accommodate adaptability to various vehicle surface contours by allowing expandability of the width of the weatherstrip. The belt weatherstrip includes an elongated core substrate which has an inner flange portion for abutting the inner surface of the flange and includes an outer flange portion and intermediate portion connecting the inner flange portion with the outer flange portion and a plurality of clips for securing the elongated core substrate to the end flange. An elastomeric sealing lip member is attached to the flange portion for allowing slideable sealing engagement between the flange and a glass pane. The intermediate portion includes a bend therein in its normal position wherein the bend may be selectively straightened to expand the width of the weatherstrip for accommodating varying final applications in a vehicle. A glass run weatherstrip having a bend in its intermediate leg is also provided for traversing corners of a door window aperture.

BACKGROUND 
The present invention relates to a belt weatherstrip and a glass run 
weatherstrip for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention 
relates to a belt weatherstrip or the like which seals the portion of a 
vehicle between the sliding glass window and the show surface of a vehicle 
door, for instance. 
Belt weatherstrips of the past have generally been utilized to 
weather-strip sheet metal flange areas of a vehicle, such as found in a 
vehicle door, for instance, which has a spot welded end flange connecting 
the outer show surface portion with the inner frame portion of the door. 
Such weatherstrips commonly include a sealing lip for sealing and 
stripping water off the glass window and an overhanging elastomeric strip 
portion which engages the outer show surface of the car door in order to 
prevent water from entering the flange area. 
It is desired in such constructions to provide a strip show surface of the 
weatherstrip which may include either a colored elastomer strip or chrome 
strip or the like which aesthetically matches the finishing contours of 
the vehicle surface, in order to produce a matched fit. In may vehicle 
designs a transition edge is formed near the flange which becomes a 
transition point from the weatherstrip show surface to the vehicle door 
show surface. Such edges generally are not parallel to the flange portion 
but have certain contours or may taper depending on the design of the 
vehicle body and doors. Thus, in the past it was necessary to provide 
separate constructions which would exactly match the particular 
application depending on the width of the necessary overlying surface. 
It is desired that such a belt weatherstrip will blend in with the design 
of the vehicle body and form a generally continous surface at the 
transition edge into the vehicle door or the like. This was accomplished, 
in past constructions, by manufacturing a belt weatherstrip in accordance 
with the particular tolerances of the particular application. For 
instance, in prior construction a belt weatherstrip core and show surface 
were manufactured to a particular specification. After the manufacture of 
this portion a separately manufactured glass sealing lip member was 
attached by staples or the like to the first portion and the belt 
weatherstrip was then assembled onto the vehicle end flange. 
Thus, thses prior belt weatherstrips were relatively expensive to 
manufacture since the tooling and manufacturing equipment used must be 
changed for each particular vehicle model design. Additionally, such prior 
belt weatherstrip constructions required a two-step process for attaching 
the sealing lip portion to the belt weatherstrip core portion thus, adding 
to the cost of labor involved in assembling the belt weatherstrip. 
Therefore, it has been a goal in the art to provide a one-piece belt 
weatherstrip which would be suitable in such applications, thereby saving 
the costs of separate operations during manufacture thereof. It has also 
been a goal in the art to provide a belt weatherstrip which can be adapted 
to varying contours or transition tapers of the show surface of a vehicle 
without requiring separate tooling or manufacture thereof. Such a 
construction would provide for reduced costs in toolin and manufacture of 
the part resulting in more efficient utilization of resources and costs 
savings in both manufacture and sales of the part. 
It has been an additional problem in the art that when providing a glass 
run weatherstrip for a window aperture of a vehicle it is sometimes 
necessary to traverse a corner of the window aperture. In the past this 
was accomplished by angular bending of a weatherstrip. It was sometimes 
necessary to thereafter re-strike the glass run weatherstrip in order to 
provide proper clearance for the vehicle window at the bend in the 
weatherstrip. 
Thus, it has been a goal in the art to provide a glass run weatherstrip 
which can be formed with a suitable angular bend to traverse a corner of a 
vehicle window aperture without the necessity of re-striking the glass run 
weatherstrip. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the present invention there is provided a weatherstrip adapted 
to engage an end flange of a vehicle for operative sealing between a glass 
window and a vehicle surface. The flange of the vehicle has an inner 
surface and an outer surface. The belt weatherstrip of the present 
invention is adjustable to accommodate adaptability to various vehicle 
surface contours by allowing adjustability of the width of the 
weatherstrip. 
The belt weatherstrip includes an elongated core substrate which has an 
inner flange portion for abutting the inner surface of the flange and 
includes an outer flange portion and intermediate portion connecting the 
inner flange poriton with the outer flange portion and a means for 
securing the elongated core substrate to the end flange. An elastomeric 
sealing lip member is attached to the flange portion for allowing 
slideable sealing engagement between the flange and a glass pane. The 
intermediate portion includes a bend formed therein in its normal position 
wherein the bend may be selectively straightened to expand the width of 
the weatherstrip for accomodating varying final applications in a vehicle. 
In the process of the present invention the bend may be formed in an 
intermediate leg of the weatherstrip to adjust the width of the 
weatherstrip along its length for accomodating a particular application. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a one-piece 
belt weatherstrip for an end flange of a vehicle. 
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide a 
one-piece belt weatherstrip which may be adjustable in its width to 
accomodate for various contours of a vehicle depending on a particular 
application. 
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as 
same becomes better understood by reference to the following description 
when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
referring now to the drawings and more specifically to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, in 
accordance with the present invention there is provided a belt 
weatherstrip generally shown at 10. The weatherstrip 10 is adapted to 
engage an end flange 12 of a vehicle for sealing between a glass window 14 
and a vehicle surface 16. The end flange 12 is generally made up of an 
inner sheet metal member 18 and an outer sheet metal member 20 which are 
welded together at flange 12. The outer sheet metal member 20 is 
configured as part of the outer body shape of the vehicle, such as a door, 
and includes an outer show surface 22 which is the finished exterior of 
the vehicle. The flange 12 includes an inner surface 24 and an outer 
surface 26. The inner surface 24 faces toward the glass channel of window 
14 and the outer surface 26 is adjacent the show surface 22. 
It is typical in the vehicle construction to have a transition portion 28 
which connects the show surface of the vehicle body with the portions 
forming the flange 12. Such a transition portion may be a bend of varying 
taper or contour with respect to the flange 12. A shown in FIG. 1, the 
transition portion 28 is tapered such that it is narrower at a first end 
30 and widens out such that it is tapered to the second end 32. 
Weatherstrip 10 of the present invention is expandable to accommodate and 
adapt to various transition areas or contours of the door without 
requiring special tooling and the like. 
The weatherstrip of the present invention includes an elongated core 
substrate 34. The elongated core substrate 34 includes a flange portion 
36, a show surface attachment portion 38 and in intermediate portion 40. 
The flange portion 36 is configured for placement adjacent the inner 
surface 24 of the flange 12. The intermediate portion 40 connects the show 
surface portion 38 with the flange portion 36. 
The weatherstrip of the present invention also includes a means 42 for 
securing the elongated core substrate to the end flange 12. As shown in 
FIG. 2, this means for securing is accomplished by a spring clip which 
includes a spring loaded biting portion 44, a generally "U" shaped spring 
portion 46 and a main leg 48. The spring clip is attached to the core 
substrate 34 by way of grooves formed therein wherein the securement 
portion 50 interfits and locks by way of the springed leg member 51, as is 
commonly known is the art. Of course, other types of spring clips and/or 
rubber or plastic retention lips or clips with various types of securement 
methods may be utilized without deviating from the scope of the present 
invention. 
A sealing lip member 52 is attached to the flange portion 36 of the core 
substrate 34. The sealing lip member 52 includes sealing lip portions 54 
and 56 which have a flocking or slip coating 58 on their outer surface for 
engaging the glass surface of a vehicle door window, for instance, to 
provide for water sealing and stripping action as is commonly know in the 
art. It is preferred to have a pair of sealing lip portions, as shown in 
the Figures, however, one sealing lip member may be sufficient depending 
upon the application. The sealing lip member 52 includes a transversely 
extending tongue member 60. The tongue member 60 extends over and covers a 
portion of the intermediate portion 40 of the core substrate 44. 
The sealing lip member 52 is attached to the flange portion 36 mechanically 
at its lower end by the generally "U"shaped configuration 62. Preferably, 
the lip member 52 is also extruded onto the core substrate for attachment 
thereto, however, other methods of attaching it may be utilized, such as 
adhesives and the like, which are readily known to those skilled in the 
art. The sealing lip member 52 is preferably made of an elastomeric 
material, such as an EPDM rubber or the like, which are commonly used in 
the art for this purpose. 
A show surface member 64 is attached to the show surface portion 38 of the 
core 34. The show surface member 64 includes a lower end with a sealing 
lip 66 extending in a direction toward the end flange 12. The sealing lip 
66 sealingly engages the surface 16 and provides an aesthetically pleasing 
transition from the show surface member 64 of the weatherstrip 10 onto the 
show surface of the vehicle 22 at the transition portion 28. The show 
surface member 64 of the weatherstrip is similarly mechanically attached 
by the overlapping end 68 and preferably is also extruded onto the show 
surface attachment portion 38 of the core substrate 34. The show surface 
member 64 includes extending portion 70 which overlaps and contacts the 
tongue 60 to sealingly engage therewith. The extending portion 70 of the 
show surface member 64 is unsecured to the core substrate and is slideable 
along the tongue 60, as will be described more particularly below. 
The intermediate portion 40 of the core substrate 34 includes a bend 42 of 
a predetermined configuration formed along its longitudinal length 
thereof. The bend 42 of the intermediate portion 40 is preferably of an 
inward nature (i.e., away from the show surface portion) such that it does 
not interfere with the aesthetic appeal of the show surface member 64. 
However, the weatherstrip of the present invention would also function if 
the bend 42 is formed in an upward direction. Other configurations of the 
bend 42 may be utilized without deviating from the scope of the present 
invention provided there is an excess of material which can be utilized 
for adjusting the width of the weatherstrip. In operation, the bend 42 is 
arcuate in nature and may be selectively straightened to extend the show 
surface portion 38 of the core 36 in a direction away from the outer 
surface 26 of the flange 12 to accommodate varying contours of the vehicle 
show surface or the transition portion 28 of a vehicle door, for instance. 
Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, if a tapered transition surface is to be adapted 
to, the bend 42 of the weatherstrip 10 may be left in its normally 
retracted position on the first end 30 and may be straightened in order to 
extend the weatherstrip to the expanded position, at the end 32. This is 
more particularly shown in FIG.3 wherein the bend 42 is shown in phantom 
and may be straightened to provide the extended position shown in solid 
lines in FIG. 3. Thus, in operation, the portion 70 of the show surface 
will slide along the tongue portion 60 in order to provide for an extended 
continuous surface along the length of the belt weatherstip regardless of 
whether the weatherstrip is in the retracted or extended position. 
The weatherstrip also is adaptable to varying contours or curves of the 
transition portion by selectively adjusting the width of the weatherstrip 
along various portions of its length in order to follow a curvature in the 
transition portion 28. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is provided an alternate embodiment of the 
present invention which may be advantageously used to provide a contoured 
show surface on the weatherstrip as may be desirable in some applications. 
The operative portions of the weatherstrip 110 in this embodiment are 
similar to the prior embodiment and thus includes a sealing lip member 152 
having sealing lip 154 which member includes a transversely extending 
tongue portion 160. The core substrate 134 includes an inner flange 136 
and a show surface flange portion 138 connected by an intermediate portion 
140. As shown in phantom the intermediate leg 140 includes a bend portion 
142 along its length which may be extended if necessary to accommodate a 
transition surface of a vehicle. 
The primary difference between this and the prior embodiment is that a 
contoured core substrate portion 138a is provided for forming a contoured 
show surface. In the embodiment shown the contoured show surface may 
include elastomeric portions 164a and 164b which are attached to the core 
substrate by adhesives or extrusion thereto and the like. The upper 
elastomeric portion 164b includes a sealing lip member 170 which overlaps 
the transversely extending tongue member 160. The contoured show surface 
136a may also be provided with a chrome trim strip 164c which may be 
attached to the contoured core substrate at its bulbous portion 138b, as 
is commonly known to those skilled in the art. Thus, such a construction 
may be utilized when a chrome trim strip or other contoured surface may be 
desired in a final construction. 
To further illustrate the advantages and features of the present invention, 
a view of the prior art method of producing a weatherstrip is shown in 
FIG. 5. In the prior art construction a separate lip member 180 was formed 
to be connected to a core flange 181 of a show surface member 182 by 
staple 183. The lip member 180 included a core substrate 184 which had an 
overturned flange 185 and an outer elastomeric portion 186. The show 
surface core portion included the flange portion 181 which was 
manufactured to include the show surface elements 185 such as the 
contoured show surface shown. The core flange 181 during manufacturing was 
left straight as shown at 181a and was bent at the portion 186 to 
accomodate the varying contours or tapers which were necessary in a 
particular application. 
Thus, if it was necessary to have an extended flange, the portion 181a 
would be bent to allow a longer intermediate leg 187 to accommodate a 
wider taper or the portion 181a could be bent to leave a shorter 
intermediate portion providing for a shorter taper or narrower 
weatherstrip, as shown in phantom in FIG. 5. Therefore, in the prior art 
in each particular application, the leg 181A would have to be bent 
individually to accommodate that application. Thereafter the lip member 
180, which was already formed, would be attached to the show surface core 
by the staple 183. Not only was this a two-step process it also required 
separate machining and manufacturing for each particular application. 
In contradistinction, the subject invention is a one-piece construction 
which is adjustable in its width to accommodate varying surface countours 
or transition tapers of a vehicle or to otherwise provide varying 
weatherstrip widths without a two-step assembly process and without any 
special machining of the leg 181a as required in the prior art. This 
reduces the cost of the part and also the cost of labor involved since the 
part may be manufactured to the same specification regardless of the final 
applications and thereafter adapted depending on the particular 
application. 
Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is provided an inner belt 
weatherstrip of the like to be attached to the end flange 212 of the 
interior door of a vehicle. Generally, in the interior of a vehicle, a 
door panel 200 is provided which includes an overturned lip portion 202 
which extends generally over the end flange area of the inner door. In the 
belt weatherstrip 210 of this alternate embodiment an elongated core 234 
is provided which includes a securement flange portion 235 an intermediate 
leg portion 240 and an outermost flange 241. A sealing lip member 252 is 
attached to the outermost flange 241. In this embodiment of the present 
invention the securement flange is formed in a generally "U" shaped 
configuration with leg portions 235a and 235b. The core substrate is a 
one-piece construction and the securement leg 235b formed by folding the 
sheet metal onto itself and then into the "U" shaped portion. The legs 
235a and 235b are tapered away from one another at their lower ends to 
accomodate ease of insertion over the end flange 212. An integrally formed 
clip 244A is formed which engages the end flange 212 to secure the 
weatherstrip 210 to the end flange 212. 
The sealing lips 254 and 256 are preferably integrally molded onto the core 
substrate along with the sealing tongue 260. Additionally, in the 
preferred embodiment of the invention the core substrate 234 is embedded 
in an elastomeric coating which also forms the attachment clip 244a. 
In this embodiment of the present invention the intermediate leg 240 
includes a bend portion 242 formed therein which allows the weatherstrip 
to accommodate for various contours of the door panel 200 or alternatively 
to allow varying spaces between the glass 214 and the flange portion 212 
to be accommodated. Thus, the intermediate leg 240 may be expanded, to any 
necessary extend, at bend 242, as shown in phantom, to the expanded 
position (or any position therebetween) as shown in solid lines, to 
accommodate for varying gaps or necessary contours in a particular 
application. This allows the tongue portion to be properly positioned for 
engaging the door panel 200. 
In th alternative, according to the process of the present invention, if 
the particular final application required, the intermediate leg 140 or 240 
could be substantially straight in its manufactured condition and 
thereafter the bent portion 142 or 242 could be formed therein through 
suitable tooling to adjust the width of the weatherstrip along the length 
of the intermediate leg for a particular use. 
Referring now to FIGS. 8-10, there is shown an alternate embodiment of the 
present invention which is incorporated in a glass run weatherstrip 310. 
Referring to FIG. 8, glass run weatherstrip 310 is adapted for 
advantageously being stretch benable for conforming to a corner bend 
generally indicated at 312 of a window aperture 314 of a vehicle door 316. 
The door 316 includes a window aperture 314 formed therein and includes a 
peripheral flange portion 318 which is formed by flanges 318a and 318b, 
which are commmonly spot welded together. Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, 
as the belt shelf 315 progresses around the corner portion 312 the rabbit 
angle a gets greater progressing to angle a' at the corner 312 as shown in 
FIG. 10. Because of this increased angle at the corner, it is necessary to 
provide a glass run weatherstrip that compensates for the increased 
distance to reach the bend 315a at the corner portion 312 during bending 
of the weatherstrip. 
In the past, when providing such a bend in a glass run weatherstrip, it was 
necessary to provide special tooling to bend the weatherstrip at the 
appropriate angle and thereafter use a suitable tooling to re-strike the 
glass run weatherstrip in order to re-form the strip at the corner 
location to provide proper clearance for the window at the corner thereof. 
Thus, the prior process required special tooling to re-form the 
weatherstrip at the corner and the final product, at times, included 
cosmetic ripples or blemishes at the corner which were not entirely 
removeable by the re-striking process. Additionally, becaus there was no 
provisions for adjusting the width of the weatherstrip it was generally 
necessary to provide a prohibitive amount of material at the corner to 
fill in uncovered gaps such as corner shelf 313 at the corner portion 312. 
Thus, the final fit of the weatherstrip left some room for improvement. 
The present invention solves this problem and allows forming of the glass 
run weatherstrip with reduced deformities at the corner portion of the 
bend in the glass run strip. 
Glass run weatherstrip 310 includs a core substrate generally indicated at 
320. Core 320 has a"U" shaped portion 322 at a first end of its width, an 
overturned flange 326 at the second end of its width and an intermediate 
leg 324 interposed therebetween. A channel 328 is generally formed by the 
"U" shaped end of the intermediate leg 324 and the overturned flange 326. 
An extruded outer covering generally indicated at 330 is extruded onto the 
core 320 and is made of an elastomeric material as is known in the art. 
Outer covering 330 includes formed appendages as follows. A securement 
structure generally indicated at 332 is provided for securing of the glass 
run strip 310 to the vehicle door flange 318. The securement structure 332 
includes a first tongue member 334 which extends into the channel formed 
by the "U" shaped end. A pair of lips 336 and 338 on the tongue member 334 
act in cooperation with opposed lips 340 to frictionally engage the flange 
318. The covering 330 also includes sealing protrusions 344, 346, 348 and 
350 which provide sealing between the glass run strip and the surface 
portions of the door 316. Sealing lips 352 and 354 are provided which 
extend into channel 328 from opposite sides thereof. The sealing lips are 
deflectable as shown in phantom to allow passage of a glass window pane 
356 therethrough during opening and closing of the window. 
Referring in particular to FIG. 9, the intermediate leg 324 is provided 
with a bend 358 formed therein which can be straightened to provide extra 
width at the intermediate leg 324 where necessary. This is particularly 
useful in a glass run strip application wherein it is necessary to provide 
angles in the glass run for traversing corners of a door. The glass run 
construction of the present invention allows the normal position of the 
intermediate leg, such as shown in FIG. 8, to be expanded to the position 
shown in FIG. 9, to traverse the corner of the vehicle door where extra 
material is needed while providing the proper clearance for the window 356 
in the corner portion 357 of the glass run channel 328. Thus, in the 
present invention, only a relatively small mold corner 355 must be added 
to the glass run strip 310 for filling in the distance C to cover the 
corner shelf 313. This provides for a lower cost in materials used and 
increases the aesthetic appearance at the corner 312 over the prior art 
weatherstrips. In an alternate embodiment a rubber or plastic web 360 may 
be provided to seal off the area encompassed by the bend 358, prior to 
lengthening the intermediate leg 324 by unbending or forming of the 
arcuate portion 358. 
In the construction of the present invention a corner can be traversed with 
normal bend tooling to bend the strip and adjust the width of the strip 
without the necessity of use of special tooling after bending to provide 
clearance at the corner 312 in the corner portion 357 of the glass run 
channel 328. 
Thus, the non-constant distance A which must be compensated for from the 
"U" shaped portion 322 to the lip 354 is a non-constant distance which may 
be adjusted to the distance A' in the present invention while the constant 
distance B below the lip 359 and the corner 357 remains the same to 
provide proper clearance for the window 356 at the corner 312 portion and 
to create an improved final fit for the weatherstrip. 
As set forth above, the corner could also be traversed, in accordance with 
the process of the present invention, by providing an initially 
substantially straight intermediate leg 324 and providing the bend 358 at 
the appropriate preselected portions along its length, thereby adjusting 
the width, to provide the proper clearance at the corner portion. Thus, in 
accordance with the present invention, the weatherstrip 310 having an 
angular bend at the corner 312 would be formed with bend 358 on either 
side of the corner 312 to allow a wider width at the corner where it is 
needed and a narrower width as required for fitting on the belt shelf of 
the window aperture. 
While the above description constitutes the preferred embodiments of the 
present invention, it is to be appreciated that the invention is 
susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from 
the proper scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims.