Trim panel mounting assembly

A trim mounting assembly for automotive vehicles including a trim panel bracket mounted on one side of the trim panel opposite the interior of the vehicle and a support bracket mounted to an inner door panel opposite the trim panel bracket. The trim panel bracket includes a clip and a leg with the leg disposed spaced from the clip on the trim panel bracket. The support bracket includes a clip and leg with the leg disposed spaced from the clip on the support bracket. The clip and the leg on the support bracket are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the clip and the leg on the trim panel bracket such that the leg on a trim panel bracket is received in the clip of the support and the leg of the support bracket is received in the clip on the trim panel bracket to provide a direct load path for the trim panel to the inner door panel of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to a trim panel mounting assembly 
and, more specifically, to a door trim panel mounting assembly for 
providing a direct load path in the area of the door handle mounted to the 
trim panel. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Trim panels are employed as interior components on automotive vehicles. One 
of the purposes of such interior trim panels is to present an 
anesthetically pleasing appearance. Interior trim panels are typically 
mounted to structural support members on the frame or other structural 
components of the automotive vehicle. For example, trim panels are mounted 
to an inner door sheet metal panel of an automotive vehicle. 
While they are not usually employed as structural components, there are 
times when door trim panels must support a load. One instance when this 
can occur involves loads placed on the door during opening or closing 
thereof via activation of a door pull handle. Door pull handles are 
typically mounted to the trim panels and are employed not only to pull the 
door shut once the occupant has entered the vehicle but can also sometimes 
be used as a support for the occupant as he/she enters the vehicle. This 
situation can occur during the egress/ingress of a truck or van where the 
occupant compartment is disposed relatively above the waist of the 
occupant. Depending on the reliance of the occupant on the support of the 
door pull handle, as well as the occupant's weight and manner of pulling 
the door shut, it is possible that substantial loads can be generated at 
the pull handle on the trim panel. In fact, it is possible for the trim 
panel to undergo substantial deflection at the location when the loads 
become excessive. Thus, there is a need in the art for securely mounting 
the door pull handle to the interior trim panel of a door so as to sustain 
such loads. 
At the same time, there are strict aesthetic requirements for the interior 
of most automotive vehicles which prohibit the use of exposed fasteners 
which might otherwise be used to strengthened the door pull handle/trim 
panel interface so as to support increased loads. As such, the problem 
inherent with increased loads in door pull handles and objectionable 
deflection cannot merely be solved by providing more bolts or other 
fasteners in the area of the trim panel. 
Thus, there is need in the art for a fastening device which can provide a 
direct load path from the pull handle to the inner door sheet metal via 
the door trim panel so as to sustain substantial, however infrequent, 
loads at the door pull handle on the interior door trim panel without any 
additional exposed fasteners or plug buttons. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, the present invention is a trim panel mounting assembly for an 
automotive vehicle including a trim panel bracket mounted to one side of 
the trim panel opposite the interior of the vehicle and a support bracket 
mounted to vehicle structure opposite the trim panel bracket. The trim 
panel bracket includes a clip and leg with the leg disposed spaced from 
the clip on the opposite side of the trim panel bracket. Similarly, the 
support bracket includes a clip and a leg with its leg disposed spaced 
from the clip on the opposite side of the support bracket. The clip and 
leg on the support bracket are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the 
clip and leg on the trim panel bracket such that the leg of trim panel 
bracket is received in the clip of the support bracket and the leg of the 
support bracket is received in the clip of the trim panel bracket to 
provide a load path from the trim panel through the vehicle structure. 
One advantage of the present advantage is that a trim panel mounting 
assembly is provided having a direct load path in the area of the door 
pull handle mounted to the trim panel. Mother advantage of the present 
invention is that a trim panel mounting assembly is provided having 
asymmetrically disposed trim panel and support brackets which cooperate to 
mount the trim panel to the inner door sheet metal without exposing 
fasteners or plug buttons on the interior of the vehicle. Still another 
advantage of the present invention is that a trim panel mounting assembly 
for an automotive vehicle is provided which is inexpensive, easy to 
assemble and which provides a direct load path from the door pull handle 
mounted to the trim panel through the vehicle door sheet metal. 
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily 
appreciated as the same becomes better understood after reading the 
subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings 
.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
Referring now to the drawings, one embodiment of a trim panel mounting 
assembly for an automotive vehicle is generally shown at 10 in the 
exploded view of FIG. 2. The trim panel mounting assembly 10 is adapted to 
mount a trim panel 12 to a door 14 of an automotive vehicle 16 as best 
shown in FIG. 1. While the trim panel mounting assembly 10 is shown in 
connection with a rear door 14, it should be appreciated that the present 
invention can be employed to mount any trim panel at a number of places on 
an automotive vehicle, including the front or rear doors or any other 
place, to provide a load path to a structural load bearing member of the 
vehicle. To that end, the specific trim panel shown in FIG. 1 is for 
purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation. 
Automotive vehicles include occupant compartments which define the interior 
18 of the automotive vehicle 16. Trim components, such as the trim panel 
12, help to define the interior 18 of the occupant compartment and are 
often referred to as class A surfaces. Class A surfaces must meet strict 
aesthetic requirements, including requirements which limit and even 
eliminate fasteners and plug buttons exposed to the interior 18 of the 
automotive vehicle 16. Thus, in the environment depicted in the drawings, 
the trim panel 12 is mounted to an inner door panel 20 as shown in FIG. 2. 
The inner door panel 20 is typically manufactured of sheet metal and forms 
a part of the load bearing structure of the door 14. 
The trim panel 12 may also include non-load bearing sub-components such as 
a center arm rest and audio speaker panel 22 and a lower kick panel 24. 
These non-load bearing trim components can be mounted to the trim panel 12 
using clips as shown at 26 in FIG. 2 or any other fasteners suitable for 
the application. 
The trim panel 12 also includes an integral trim panel bracket, generally 
indicated at 28, mounted on one side of the trim panel 12 opposite the 
interior 18. A door pull handle 30 is mounted to the trim panel 12 through 
the trim panel bracket 28 on the opposite side of the door panel 12 from 
the bracket 28 and facing the interior 18 of the automotive vehicle 16. 
The door pull handle 30 is adapted to be grasped by an occupant in the 
automotive vehicle 16 to facilitate the opening and closing of the door 
14. To this end, and referring to FIG. 4, the door pull handle 30 includes 
a mounting structure, generally indicated at 32, molded at both ends of 
the door pull handle 30. A threaded stud 34 protrudes from the mounting 
structure 32 and extends through an aperture 36 provided in the trim panel 
12 for that purpose. The threaded stud 34 is also received through an 
aperture in the trim panel bracket 28 and retained therein by a nut 38. 
The door pull handle 30 further includes a boss 40, as shown in FIG. 5, 
which is also molded at both ends of the door pull handle 30. The boss 40 
includes a blind hole or aperture 42 which is adapted to receive a 
threaded machine screw 44 extending through the trim panel bracket 28 as 
well as the trim panel 12 itself. The door pull handle 30 is thus firmly 
mounted to the trim panel bracket 28 via the trim panel 12 without any 
fastener exposed to the interior 18 of the automotive vehicle 16. 
As mentioned earlier, the structural inner door panel 20 supports the trim 
panel 12 and includes an integral support bracket, generally indicated at 
46, mounted to the inner door panel 20 via fasteners 48. The support 
bracket 46 is located opposite the trim panel bracket 28 as can best be 
seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
The trim panel bracket 28 includes at least one, but preferably a pair of 
clips, generally indicated at 50, and a leg 52. The leg 542 is disposed 
spaced from the clips 50 on the trim panel bracket 28. A body portion 54 
extends between the clips 50 and the leg 52 on the trim panel bracket 28. 
Similarly, the support bracket 46 includes at least one, but preferably a 
pair of clips generally indicated at 56, and a leg 58. The leg 58 is 
spaced from the clips 56 on the support bracket 46. A body portion 60 
extends between the clips 56 and the leg 58 on the support bracket 46. 
Further, the body portion 60 on the support bracket 46 is disposed 
opposite and spaced from the body portion 54 on the trim panel bracket 28. 
The clips 56 and leg 58 on the support bracket 46 are arranged 
asymmetrically with respect to the clips 50 and leg 52 on the trim panel 
bracket 28. Further, the leg 52 of the trim panel bracket 28 is received 
in the clips 56 of the support bracket 46. Similarly, the leg 58 of the 
support bracket 46 is received in the clips 50 on the trim panel bracket 
28. 
More specifically, each of the clips 50 of the trim panel bracket 28 
include an integral C-shaped portion 62 located at one end of the trim 
panel 28 and a finger 64 biased into adjacent disposition with the body 
portion 54 on the trim panel bracket 28. The leg 58 of the support bracket 
46 is received in the C-shaped portions 62 and engaged by the fingers 64 
of the clips 50 of trim panel bracket 28. Similarly, each of the clips 56 
on the support bracket 46 include an integral C-shaped portion 66 located 
at one end a support bracket 46 and a finger 68 which is biased into 
adjacent disposition with the body portion 60 of the support bracket 46. 
The leg 52 of the trim panel bracket 28 is received in the C-shaped 
portions 66 and engaged by the fingers 68 of the clips 56 of the support 
bracket 46. 
Thus, the trim panel mounting assembly 10 of the present invention, through 
the cooperation of the interlocking trim panel and support brackets 28, 
46, provides a direct load path from the pull handle 30 to the inner door 
sheet panel 20 via the door trim panel 12. In this way, the present 
invention allows the trim panel to sustain substantial loads at the door 
pull handle 30 on the interior door trim panel 12 without any addition 
exposed fasteners or plug buttons. 
The present invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is 
to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to 
be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. 
Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in 
light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended 
claims, the present invention may be practiced other than as specifically 
described.