Universal edge guard

A universal edge guard comprises a generally U-shaped metal channel having inner and outer legs with the cross section of the channel being formed into a generally semi-circular base with beads at the ends of the inner and outer legs being inwardly offset. A pattern of notches is formed in the inner leg with the notches extending from the bead along the inner leg and into the semi-circular base terminating just slightly beyond the mid-point of the base. The pattern of notches has uniformly sized notches with the notches being equally spaced apart. The preferred pattern has the notches at about one-half inch spacing and the notches about three-sixteenths inch in width. The construction allows the edge guard to be contoured to the contour of an edge without the use of additional manufacturing procedures to conform the edge guard to the desired cross section. The edge guard may also be readily cut to length by severing at one of the notches. The preferred embodiment incorporates a vinyl insulating liner lining the interior of the channel and extending around the outside of the beads.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to ornamental and protective edge guards such as 
applied to the edges of sheet metal members of automotive vehicles, for 
example swinging closures such as doors, trunk lids, hoods, gasoline fill 
doors, and other members such as drip rails, bumper edges, etc. 
In the case of the vehicle's doors, door edge guards are applied to the 
trailing edges to protect them from damage which might be caused by 
striking an object which may be present in a door's path when the door is 
opened. It is also desirable for such door edge guards to be made of 
bright metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, or a bimetal due to the 
excellent protective and ornamental character of such materials. 
Furthermore the inherent strength and resiliency of metallic edge guards 
enable them to be self-retaining on the doors. Correspondingly it is 
generally undesirable to use separate fasteners or adhesives in securing 
door edge guards to doors since they involve extra cost in labor and 
materials. It is also generally undesirable to use strictly non-metallic 
edge guards such as plastic edge guards since they do not possess the 
excellent protective ornamental and self-retention characteristics of 
bright metallic edge guards. In connection with the usage of 
self-retaining edge guards, it has heretofore been recognized that the 
potential for paint scratching and marring exists when the metal edge 
guards are applied to the vehicle door edges. Such paint scratching can 
lead to premature corrosion of the door edge metal. Some of applicant's 
own inventions have addressed this matter of possible paint scratching and 
corrosion and have provided solutions. Some of applicant's prior 
inventions are represented by issued U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,704,687 and 
4,259,812 as well as pending patent applications Ser. Nos. 118,475; 
132,525; 194,747; 194,748; 194,749; 216,483 and 216,860. Certain of these 
disclose the use of plastic liners to insulate the metal edge guard from 
the vehicle door. The liners may be extruded plastic, plastic 
encapsulation, foam plastic or plastic film by way of example. 
In particular, reference is made to pending application Ser. No. 216,860 
which contains an example of an edge guard having a laminated plastic 
lining with the legs of the edge guard having insulated metal beads 
running along the free ends of the legs and by which the retention force 
is applied to the door. Metal beads are particularly useful for they can 
provide a stiffening of the legs at the point of force application to the 
door while also providing a decorative feature in the case of the 
insulated metal construction wherein the beads are formed by outwardly 
reversing the ends of the legs so as to yield a band or narrow strip of 
the insulating liner exposed to view. The liner can be a dark plastic so 
that the narrow strip appears as a colored band which contrasts with the 
bright metal of the remaining exposed portion of the edge guard so that 
the overall appearance of the edge guard is particularly pleasing and/or 
decorative. The present invention however may be practiced with or without 
such liners although usage of liners is definitely preferred. 
One of the important advantages of metal door edge guards of the type which 
applicant has invented and successfully developed is that the metal edge 
guards are self-retaining. This means that no separate fasteners, 
adhesives or extra procedures are required in order to install the edge 
guards on the doors. This further means that there is less possibility for 
corrosive action to be initiated and it means that the installation 
procedure is less complicated. In many instances the edge to which the 
edge guard is applied will have a particular contour conforming to the 
desired styling of the vehicle. In most instances this is other than a 
straight shape and the contour will have peaks and recesses at selected 
locations. Applicant has also heretofore invented constructions and 
procedures for applying self-retaining edge guards to contoured door edges 
which have other than a straight shape. For example notches and overbends 
are procedures which have been applied in order to conform the edge guard 
to the contour of the door edge and enhance the effectiveness of the legs 
of the edge guard in retaining the edge guard on the door. Attention is 
directed to applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,338. 
The invention disclosed in applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 
323,513, filed Nov. 23, 1981, is directed to a new and improved edge guard 
having a new and unique cross sectional shape which provides advantages 
which have heretofore not been obtained with prior edge guards. Never 
before in applicant's thirty years of edge guard manufacture has there 
been an edge guard of such retention quality which can self-retain on 
edges of far greater irregularity. In particular that invention has 
resulted in improved tolerance control of the door edge guard cross 
section and this in turn can minimize the amount of additional procedures 
such as notching and overbending which otherwise might have to be applied 
to a door edge guard. It provides a stronger edge guard cross section with 
improved retention capability yet there are no extra complications of the 
manufacturing procedure or the installation procedure. While that 
invention is preferably utilized with insulated metal edge guards, it is 
possible for the invention to be practiced without the use of insulation 
if that is what is desired. The edge guard of that invention has what may 
be considered as basically a U-shaped cross section but there are 
particular details of the cross section which constitute new and unique 
features providing heretofore unobtained advantages. 
In accordance with the principles of the invention disclosed in Ser. No. 
323,513 the edge guard is provided with beads at the distal ends of the 
legs which are formed by outwardly reversing the metal strip of the edge 
guard back onto itself. The legs further include an offset whereby the 
point at which the beads bear against the door edge is inwardly offset. 
The beads themselves may be either open or closed and they may be either 
inwardly or outwardly reversed. In the preferred embodiment the edge guard 
has an insulating liner through which the force is applied to opposite 
sides of the edge of the object on which the edge guard is installed and 
the beads are turned outwardly. The base of the U-shaped cross section is 
basically of a semi-circular shape which merges into the offsets on 
opposite sides of the cross section. One advantage is that the dimension 
across the throat of the edge guard (i.e. the opening between the beads) 
can be much better controlled dimensionally from the manufacturing 
standpoint and yet a very strong but resiliently expansible edge guard 
results. By the two sides of the edge guard being symmetrical and by the 
bearing portions of the beads facing each other and being generally flat, 
but with the leading edge of each bead being rounded, installation of the 
edge guard on a door edge is particularly convenient, yet when installed 
the edge guard is very securely self-retained. A further advantage, 
particularly in the case of an insulated metal edge guard where the 
installation is applied to the full width of the metal strip from which 
the edge guard is formed, is that a thin band of insulation material is 
exposed to view where the distal end of each leg has the bead formed by 
turning the end of the leg outwardly. This, coupled with the offset, 
renders the exposed decorative band generally flush with a tangent to the 
region where the offset merges with the generally semi-cylindrical base of 
the edge guard. In this way the improved edge guard possesses various 
functional and decorative aspects. While the disclosed usage is as vehicle 
door edge guard, other usages are contemplated. 
The invention of the present application is directed to an improvement upon 
the edge guard disclosed in applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 
323,573. The present invention possesses the attributes of that edge guard 
and additional ones as well. The present invention provides what may be 
considered as a basically universal edge guard which is readily adaptable 
to a range of concave and convex edge curvatures without the need to use 
expensive forming tools, dies and fixtures to adapt the edge guard channel 
to the contour of the edge. Reference is once again made to applicant's 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,338. That patent discloses a metal edge guard 
construction in which notches are provided in the inner leg of the metal 
channel at break points or sharp bends in the contour of the edge on which 
the edge guard is installed. While that procedure is well suited to 
adapting an edge guard to a particular edge, the inclusion of such notches 
detracts from rigidity of the edge guard in the vicinity of each notch. 
Hence care must be taken in handling of the edge guards to avoid bending 
at the notches which might render the edge guards unsuitable for use or 
non-compliant with an automobile manufacturer's specifications. 
Another invention of applicant which is utilized to improve the retention 
of an edge guard on a curved edge is disclosed in his U.S. Pat. No. 
2,856,229. In that patent the edge guard contour is formed to a curvature 
which differs somewhat from the actual curvature of the edge on which the 
edge guard is to be installed. In other words a certain amount of what is 
referred to as "overbend" is incorporated into the edge guard at the time 
of fabrication so that when the edge guard is installed, the overbend in 
conjunction with the retention force of the inner and outer legs will 
cooperate to retain the edge guard on the door edge. 
In another respect the present invention constitutes an improvement whereby 
the overbending and the prior notching techniques can be dispensed with. 
Consequently, the invention of this application contemplates the 
manufacture of an edge guard to a generally U-shaped roll-formed cross 
section which requires no additional manufacturing processing such as 
notching or overbending to conform the edge guard to a particular 
contoured edge. Heretofore the manufacture of metal door edge guards 
required additional notching and/or overbending operations after roll 
forming in order to conform the edge guard to the desired contour of an 
edge on which the edge guard was to be installed. These contributed to 
additional expense in the manufacturing process, and as explained above in 
the case of notching, impaired the rigidity of the edge guard at the 
notches. Furthermore, once an edge guard had been manufactured to its 
intended contour, it was essentially impossible to readapt the edge guard 
to a different contour. 
The present invention constitutes a major development in this field because 
it allows the production of edge guard material to be sold without any 
further manufacturing operations after roll forming yet with the ability 
to be conveniently installed by an automobile owner on his own car, or by 
automobile assembly line worker on a new car. 
The invention contemplates a basic cross section as described in the 
aforementioned co-pending application Ser. No. 323,513 but with the 
inclusion of a predetermined pattern of notches extending along the full 
length of the inner leg of the edge guard. Because of the strength of the 
basic edge guard cross section, a multitude of notches may be made in the 
inner leg of the edge guard in a predetermined pattern without seriously 
impairing the retention capabilities of the edge guard. Yet at the same 
time the inclusion of this pattern of notches allows the edge guard to be 
contoured to a variety of edge contours, both concave and convex, larger 
radius or smaller radius, thereby making the edge guard what may be 
considered a basically universal edge guard. Furthermore the spacing 
between notches allows the basic edge guard to be sold as a length of 
strip which can be readily adapted to a desired length by the installer 
simply by breaking the edge guard at one of the notches. This can be done 
manually by bending the edge guard a repeated number of times to fatigue 
the metal or it may be done by means of a suitable tool. 
It is also preferred that the edge guard incorporate a insulating liner 
formed as a lamination on the interior of the metal edge guard channel. 
The method for accomplishing this is disclosed in applicant's co-pending 
application Ser. No. 323,510, filing date Nov. 23, 1981. When the notches 
are formed in the metal the die squeezes the laminate over the edges of 
the notches to break the raw edges of the metal which would otherwise be 
left. If the edge guard is used without a laminated insulation layer then 
the corners of the notches should be radiused in order to eliminate 
sharpness in the edges. By making the spacing between the notches less 
than the usual width of a person's thumb or finger, risk of scratching or 
knicking on a notch is minimized. 
The foregoing features, advantages, and benefits of the invention, along 
with additional ones, will be seen in the ensuing description and claims 
which should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
The drawings disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention according to 
the best mode contemplated at the present time for carrying out the 
invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The drawings illustrate an edge guard 10 embodying principles of the 
present invention. The illustrated embodiment of edge guard comprises a 
metal channel 12 and an insulating liner 14. The insulating liner 14 is a 
plastic such as vinyl which is applied in surface-to-surface contact with 
the full surface of one side of the metal strip from which the channel 12 
is formed. Details of this fabrication procedure are disclosed in certain 
of applicant's pending applications referred to above. The resultant 
construction has insulated metal beads 16 and 18 respectively at the 
distal ends of the outer and inner legs. The edge guard cross section may 
be basically considered as a U-shape having inner and outer legs with a 
common base; however as explained in the aforementioned patent application 
Ser. No. 323,513 the particular details of the edge guard cross section 
provide new and unique structural features obtaining heretofore 
unavailable benefits in an edge guard. 
The edge guard is formed into the illustrated cross sectional shape through 
roll forming procedures and this shape may be considered as constituting a 
generally semi-circular segment 20 constituting the base of the U. In 
using this as well as the ensuing terminology, it will be appreciated that 
such terminology is intended to be construed by way of illustration and 
not by way of limitation. The cross section continues from the 
diametrically opposite ends of the semi-circular base section 20 as 
contoured inward offset segments 22 for the inner leg and 24 for the outer 
leg. Alternatively the segments 20, 22 and 24 could be considered as a 
segment by itself having an extent of somewhat more than a semi-circle. 
While these segments 22 and 24 are of an approximately circular contour, 
it is not absolutely essential that they have such circular contour and 
hence the contour could be more straight than is shown, or sharper than is 
shown. Viewed another way the legs of the cross section could be 
considered as extending part way into opposite sides of the base 20. 
The cross section continues further from the two offset segments 22, 24 as 
segments 26 for the inner leg and 28 for the outer leg. The segments 26, 
28 are also essentially curved with their centers of curvature being 
exterior of the cross section. These segments in turn merge into generally 
straight segments 30 for the inner leg and 32 for the outer leg. These 
segments 30 and 32 also constitute a part of the respective beads 18 and 
16. In use, the self-retention force of the edge guard on the edge of an 
object is applied through these segments 30 and 32 via the insulating 
liner which overlies these segments bearing against the edge on opposite 
sides. 
The beads 16 and 18 are formed by outwardly reversing the extreme distal 
margins of the legs 180.degree.. Of course other reversal procedures may 
be employed and the beads may be open rather than closed, as illustrated 
in the drawing figure. 
One of the advantages of this cross section is that it has substantial 
strength yet can be readily applied to the edge of an object and when 
installed will exert a substantial retention force. The exact reason for 
this unique attribute is not known; however, it is believed to be 
developed through the inclusion of the offsets, the beaded legs and the 
semi-circumferential span at the base of the U. A still further attribute 
is that in actual manufacture the dimension across the throat, or opening, 
of the edge guard, indicated by the reference numeral 34, can be more 
precisely controlled. Because of the strength of the cross section and its 
resistance to collapse the opening should remain at the desired dimension 
when it comes time to install the edge guard on the door even though the 
edge guard has been subjected to handling procedures in shipment. The 
invention permits the use of lighter and cheaper metal with lighter gage 
increasing the yield per pound of metal and saving the consumer money. 
The resistance of the cross section to collapse is dramatically 
demonstrated if one were to attempt to apply a force to the beads urging 
the beads together. The dimension 34 is set to accommodate the minimum 
thickness of door edge which would be anticipated, yet in the other 
direction where larger door thicknesses are involved, the cross section 
can readily expand to accommodate those increased edge thicknesses. 
Irrespective of the thickness of a particular edge within the specified 
tolerance, excellent retention characteristics are obtained yet the edge 
guard possesses surprisingly remarkable attributes. 
A further attribute of the illustrated cross section is that the outwardly 
turned bead 16 on the outer leg has exposed insulation visible to an 
observer as indicated by the reference numeral 36. The outside of the edge 
guard bead is approximately flush with a tangent line to the semi-circular 
segment 20 as indicated by the broken line designated by the reference 
numeral 38. Thus the outer bead may be considered as being offset inwardly 
along the leg of the edge guard so that the visible exposed portion of the 
bead is generally flush with a tangent line to a more proximal portion 
such as at a point indicated by the reference numeral 40. Where the bead 
includes insulation as in this example, a particularly attractive 
appearance results with the insulation being substantially flush with the 
remainder of the outer leg. The insulation, by way of example, may be a 
vinyl plastic which has been laminated to the metal strip before roll 
forming and may be of a dark color such as black, brown or navy. The 
advantage of using a dark vinyl material is that discoloration due to 
aging does not pose a problem as it does with a transparent or other types 
of plastic which might be subject to such undesirable features as 
yellowing and the like due to ultra-violet light and/or ozone. 
The basic cross section as shown in FIG. 3 has one half of the edge guard 
essentially symmetric with respect to the other half of the edge guard. 
However, in accordance with the improvement afforded by the invention of 
this application, the inner leg of the edge guard is provided with a 
pattern of individual notches 42. The notches 42 are essentially identical 
and each notch extends from the distal end of and along the inner leg and 
toward and into the base of the U. Specifically, the example shown in 
FIGS. 4 and 5 has the notches extending just slightly beyond the mid-point 
of the semi-circular segment 20 at which location the notches terminate in 
a rounded edge identified by the reference numeral 44. Although such is 
the preferred termination, it will be appreciated that the invention 
contemplates that the termination of the notches may be at other locations 
relative to the edge guard cross section. The shape of each notch is such 
that it extends as spaced parallel side edges 46 from the rounded terminal 
edge 44. As can perhaps be best seen in FIG. 5 the notches are such that 
the beads and the inner legs are interrupted at each notch location. 
However the width of each notch as indicated by the reference numeral 48 
in FIG. 4 is relatively small. Furthermore the notches are established at 
uniform spacing intervals which by way of example are on the order of 
perhaps 3 to 5 times the width of an individual notch. Accordingly for a 
notch having a width of say three-sixteenths inch, the spacing between 
notches may be approximately one half inch. The widths of the notches, as 
well as the particular shapes of the notches, are subject to some 
variation if desired. Where the width of the notches decreases the spacing 
between notches may also decrease. Correspondingly where the width of the 
notches increases so can the spacing between the notches. For a 
one-quarter inch width, the spacing may be five-eighths inch. However, 
these are simply indicated by way of example and should not be construed 
as imposing a limitation on the scope of the invention. 
The notches are preferrably formed in the laminated strip of metal and 
insulation prior to roll forming, for example by punching. The punching 
die serves to compress the vinyl insulation around the edge of the notch 
during cutting thereby tending to break the otherwise sharp raw edge of 
each notch. 
By restricting the overall size of the notches the strength of the basic 
cross sectional shape of FIG. 3 is not impaired insofar as its retention 
force and installability on an edge are concerned. To the contrary the 
inclusion of the notch pattern imparts a versatility to the edge guard 
which can eliminate certain procedures heretofore required in the 
manufacture of edge guards so as to render the edge guard, as roll-formed, 
suitable for use with variously contoured edges without subsequent steps 
in the manufacturing process. Looking for the moment at FIG. 2 the reader 
will perceive that the edge guard 10 has been formed into a contoured 
shape having when viewed from the left in FIG. 2 a convex contoured 
portion 50 toward the top of the edge guard and a concave contoured 
portion 52 near the bottom of the edge guard. In the convex contour 
portion 50 the edges 46 of the notches 42 are displaced more closely 
together whereas in the concave contoured portion 52 the edges 46 are 
moved further apart. The provision of the notches readily allows the edge 
guard to be conformed to various convex and and concave contoured edges 
which are disposed in basically a common plane such as in the plane of the 
paper for FIG. 2. There is a certain limited amount of curvature 
capability in the transverse plane (i.e. in the plane of FIG. 1). Where an 
edge has a compound contour in two planes, the edge guard can be made into 
a number of individual separate segments, each approximating a curvature 
in a single plane. 
A still further advantage of the invention, in addition to the capability 
of matching the edge guard to the contour of an edge, is that the edge 
guard can be readily cut to any desired length simply by breaking the edge 
guard at one of the notches. This can be done by simply grasping the edge 
guard and bending it back and forth several times at a notch; 
alternatively the cutting may be done by a suitable tool. When the edge 
guard is contoured to a curved edge, there may be some distortion in the 
basic cross sectional shape of FIG. 3 although such distortion will be 
small and will not impair the effectiveness of installation and retention 
of the edge guard on the curved edge. 
In an example of preferred use of the invention, the edge guard is 
installed on a door edge with the outer leg on the outside. Consequently 
it is the outer leg which is exposed to view and the inner leg will not be 
seen while the door is closed. 
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will 
be appreciated that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of 
the following claims.