Mounting means for headlight-protective screens

A unitary grommet, adapted to securely mount therein a headlight-protecting screens and further adapted to enable secure mounting thereof in a headlight-opening-defining portion of a vehicle bumper or the like, for protecting the vehicle headlight, is described. The unitary grommet is comprised of flexibly-resilient material, and includes a common wall, separating a peripheral screen-mounting section. The screen-mounting section extends behind the vehicle bumper headlight-opening, for preventing access thereto, and to enable secure and efficient mounting of the screen in the grommet. The bumper-mounting section is adapted to extend peripherally about the bumper headlight opening, when the grommet is properly mounted, and provides a molded channel for securely mounting the grommet in the vehicle bumper headlight opening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to articles for mounting protective 
devices in vehicles, and relates specifically to a unitary grommet for 
enabling a headlight protecting screen to be securely and efficiently 
mounted therein and mounted to a headlight-opening-defining portion of a 
vehicle bumper, for protecting a vehicle headlight. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Devices in the prior art, known to the applicant, for mounting protective 
coverings in vehicles, include pivoted metal headlight screen mounting 
assemblies, and a complex molding strip for mounting a windshield pane. 
Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,771,542 for "Headlamp and 
Door Assembly", U.S. Pat. No. 2,254,137 for "Automotive Protective 
Screen", U.S. Pat. No. 1,923,970 for "Automobile Headlight Protector", 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,187,968 for "Combined Headlight Guard and Dimmer", and 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,303 for "Profile Strip for the Mounting Support of 
Fixedly Installed Panes". 
Such devices, however, are generally complex, expensive, and inefficient. 
Further, some of such devices are subject to tampering, removal, and 
damage, while others are generally difficult and expensive to install. 
Those mounting devices comprised of a metallic material are subject to 
damage, rust, and corrosion. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed generally to an article for mounting a 
headlight-protecting screen in a vehicle bumper, such that the screen 
extends in front of and protects the vehicle headlight from road debris 
and other potentially dangerous conditions. 
Specifically, the present invention is directed to a unitary grommet, 
comprised of resiliently flexible material, for enabling secure mounting 
thereof in a headlight-opening-defining portion of the vehicle bumper, and 
for securely mounting therein a headlight-protecting cover or screen. 
The headlight protective device comprises, in combination with the 
headlight protective screen or guard, a unitary, flexibly resilient, 
ring-like or annular grommet member, preferably made of a natural rubber 
or synthetic rubbery material. The unitary grommet is provided with a 
generally flat annular, wall member, the wall having an interior surface 
and an exterior surface.sup.1 (when normally mounted to the vehicle bumper 
and the like), the wall member having integrally affixed thereto a first 
rim member extending radially inwardly from the outer periphery of the 
annular wall member and spaced from, and adjacent to, the interior surface 
thereof to define, with said wall member, an inwardly opening, annular, 
interior channel of substantial depth; the wall member also has a second, 
integrally formed, rim member extending from the inner periphery of the 
wall member and speced from, and adjacent to the exterior surface to 
define, with said wall member, a second outwardly-opening annular exterior 
channel which is axially offset from the said first inwardly-opening 
interior channel. Both the channels are thus formed with flexibly 
resilient wall and rim members. 
FNT .sup.1 The terms "interior" and "exterior" are defined, for purpose of this 
specification and claims herein appended, in relation to their proximity 
to the vehicle body, the "interior" surface being closest to the vehicle 
body and the "exterior" surface being furthest from the vehicle body. 
These terms are used also, in this same sense, to locate other parts of 
the mounted grommet. 
The headlight screen or cover is usually made of substantially rigid 
material, e.g. stainless steel. The outer peripheral edge of the screen is 
then mounted within the inwardly-facing interior channel and this assembly 
is next mounted to the usually circular vehicle headlight opening, the 
outwardly opening annular, exterior, channel being adapted to interfit 
along the peripheral edge of the vehicle headlight opening, in tongue and 
groove fashion. 
The inwardly-opening channel, within which the headlight screen is mounted, 
lies behind the vehicle bumper, in normal mounting of the grommet, thereby 
preventing access to, and protecting, the screen. 
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent 
from the drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiment 
herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, unitary grommet 10 of the present invention is 
adapted to securely mount therein a wire-mesh screen 12 for protecting a 
vehicle headlight from debris and other dangerous conditions, and is 
further adapted to enable grommet 10, with wire-mesh screen 12 mounted 
therein, to be securely mounted in a headlight-opening-defining portion A 
of a vehicle-bumper B. Bumper B may be mounted to the vehicle spaced 
forwardly of the vehicle body, with the headlight-opening in bumper B 
extending in front of the vehicle headlight. 
The unitary grommet 10 is preferably made of a flexibly resilient material 
such as natural or synthetic rubber. The grommet 10 comprises, 
structurally, a generally flat annular wall member having opposed wall 
surfaces, which for convenience will be designated as having an interior 
surface 18, an opposed exterior surface 16, a radially outer portion 20 
and a radially inner portion 22. The interior wall surface 18 is that 
surface which is closest to the vehicle body while the exterior surface 16 
is the furthest from the vehicle body when the grommet 10 is properly 
mounted within the headlight opening. 
Integrally formed with the wall member 14 is a first or interior rim member 
28. Rim member 28 extends radially inwardly from the radially outer 
portion 20 of wall member 14 and is spaced from, and adjacent to interior 
wall surface 18 to define, with wall surface 18 an annular inwardly 
opening interior channel 30. Annular, interior, channel 30 has, of course, 
flexibly resilient side walls so that the peripheral edge portion 32 of 
the headlight screen 12 can be readily inserted within the channel 30. 
Channel 30 is of substantial depth, the depth of channel 30 being only 
slightly less than the width (measured radially) of the wall member 14 
itself. The substantial depth of channel 30 provides a more secure 
mounting for the headlight screen. 
A second rim member 24 is integrally formed with said wall member 14. Rim 
member 24 extends radically outwardly from the radially inner portion 22 
of wall member 14 and is spaced from, and adjacent to exterior wall 
surface 16 to define, with wall surface 16, an outwardly opening annular, 
exterior channel 26. Exterior channel 26 has, of course, flexible side 
walls so that the grommet 10 can readily be mounted by interfit of channel 
26 to the peripheral edge A of the vehicle light opening. The 
outwardly-opening exterior channel 26 is offset, in an axial direction, 
from inwardly opening, interior channel 30. (The axial direction is 
defined, for purposes of this specification and claims, as a direction 
taken along the central axis of the grommet 10). 
The peripheral outer rim 32 of wire-mesh screen 12 enables the efficient 
and secure mounting of screen 12 in interior channel 30 of grommet 10, and 
further includes a generally convexly shaped central section 34, for 
protecting the vehicle headlight. 
In use, as shown in FIG. 2, screen 12 may be mounted in grommet 10 by 
flexing resilient ring member 28 and inserting peripheral outer rim 32 of 
screen 12 in interior channel 30 of grommet 10. The substantial extent of 
interior rim 28 provides secure and efficient mounting of screen 12 in 
grommet 10. 
Grommet 10 with screen 12 mounted therein may then be mounted in the 
headlight opening in bumper B, by inserting grommet 10 in the space 
between the vehicle body and bumper B such that rim member 24 extends 
towards the headlight opening in bumper B. Exterior rim member 24 of 
grommet 10 may then be flexed permitting channel 26 to interfit with the 
headlight-opening-defining portion of bumper B, providing secure and 
efficient mounting of grommet 10 in bumper B. 
In such normally installed position, the peripheral radially outer rim 32 
of screen 12 extends behind bumper B, preventing access thereto for 
tampering therewith, and thereby securely mounts screen 12 in bumper B to 
protect the vehicle headlight. 
While grommet 10 has been described as preferably generally ring-shaped, 
and comprised of resiliently flexible material, the invention includes 
grommets of other shapes usable for mounting protective covers or screens 
in vehicle-headlight-protecting openings or the like. Further, screens or 
protective covers other than wire-mesh, and having shapes other than the 
shape described above, are included in the invention. 
The unitary grommet, herein described, can be utilized, without the 
protective screen, as a trim member or molding for a light opening. 
The present invention provides secure, efficient, and effective mounting of 
a headlight-protecting screen therein, and of the grommet to a vehicle 
bumper. These and other advantages will be appreciated by those skilled in 
the art, from the present specification. 
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been set forth in 
the above description for the purpose of explaining the invention, it is 
to be understood that variations and changes may be made in such 
embodiments which are nevertheless within the scope and spirit of the 
invention.