Sealing, trimming and finishing strips

Abstract: A sealing, trimming or finishing strip for mounting around the periphery of a door or similar opening on a motor vehicle body comprises a channel-shaped gripping or mounting portion (5) which embracingly grips a flange (6) running around the periphery of the opening. The mounting portion (5) supports a sealing portion (20) on the outside of the opening which is sealingly compressed by the closing door. A cosmetic lip (28) is positioned by the mounting portion (5) on the inside of the opening. Around some of the opening (e.g. the A pillar, the roof and the upper part of the "B" pillar in the case of a front door opening), the cosmetic lip (28) embraces the edge of the trim material. However, along another part of the opening (the lower part of the B pillar, for example) the cosmetic lip (28) is not appropriately positioned to embrace the edge of the trim material. Instead, the edge of the trim material is embraced by a flexible wall (34) which forms a wall of a hollow chamber (26) in the sealing portion (20). The flexible wall (34) thus embracingly receives the edge of the trim material (30A) along this part of the opening.

Description: The invention relates to sealing, trimming and finishing strips, according to the preambles of claims 1 and 10. Strips embodying the invention, and to be described in more detail below by way of example only, are for use in motor vehicle body construction. However, they may be used for many other purposes. EP-A-0794078 and US-A-5038522 disclose sealing strips for vehicles including a lip which covers over the edge of the trim material or panel in the vicinity of a door opening in order to hold the trim in position and cover its edge to provide a neat finish. The arrangements disclosed in these publications cannot cover trim edges of more than one orientation and are only suitable for covering trim edges that terminate at the same point around the opening. According to the invention, there is provided a sealing, trimming or finishing strip for mounting along the periphery of a closable opening in a vehicle body, comprising a mounting portion carrying a lip adapted to be positioned along the periphery by the mounting portion and to embracingly receive a first edge of trim material or the like on the inside of the vehicle, characterised in that the mounting portion also supports edge receiving means spaced more outwardly of the opening than the lip by the mounting portion for embracingly receiving a second edge of trim material or the like on the inside of the vehicle. According to the invention, there is further provided a sealing, trimming or finishing strip for mounting along the periphery of a closable opening in a vehicle body, comprising a mounting portion which supports a sealing portion adapted to be positioned by the mounting portion so as to be sealingly compressed by the closure of the opening and which also supports a lip for embracingly receiving a first edge of trim material or the like on the inside of the vehicle, characterised in that the sealing portion including edge receiving means for embracingly receiving a second edge of trim material on the inside of the vehicle. Sealing, trimming and finishing strips embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross-section on the line I-I of Figure 3 through one of the strips showing its configuration when mounted on the vehicle body around part of a door opening therein; Figure 2 corresponds to Figure 1 but shows the strip in the configuration which it has at a different part of the door opening; Figure 3 shows a vehicle body for illustrating the different parts of the door opening respectively relevant to Figures 1 and 2. The sealing, trimming and finishing strip shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a channel-shaped gripping portion 5 which is used to mount the strip on a flange 6 running around the door opening 8 of Figure 3. The flange 6 is formed where the inner and outer body panels 10,12 of the vehicle come together at the door opening and are welded to form the flange. The plane of the flange thus coincides with the plane of the door opening. The gripping portion 5 of the strip comprises a channel-shaped carrier 14 incorporated into plastics or rubber or similar material 16. The material 16 may be produced by an extrusion process, with the carrier 14 being incorporated into it during the extrusion process such as by using a cross-head extruder. The material 14 incorporates integral internal gripping lips 18. As shown in the Figure, the gripping portion 5 embracingly grips the mounting flange 6, and the lips 18 help to ensure that the gripping portion 5 firmly grips the flange. The lips 18 may be of varying sizes, different on each side for example, and there may be more or fewer than the numbers shown in the Figure. The carrier 14 may take any suitable form. It may be metallic or non-metallic but is advantageously resilient to assist in holding the gripping portion 5 firmly on the flange 6. The carrier may, for example, comprise an unapertured or apertured metal channel. Instead, it may comprise U-shaped elements arranged side-by-side to form the channel and connected together such as by flexible integral connecting links or entirely disconnected. Other forms of carrier are possible. The carrier may, for example, be made of wire looped to and fro to form the channel. The gripping portion 5 supports a sealing portion 20 which, in this example, is of bi-tubular form comprising a main tubular part 22 supporting an integral subsidiary tubular part 24. The sealing part 20 is advantageously made of soft flexible material such as foamed or cellular plastics or rubber material. It may be integrally extruded with the material 16 or may be produced separately and secured thereto such as by adhesive (as in the case illustrated in Figures 1 and 2). The gripping portion 5 together with the sealing portion 20 extend longitudinally around the periphery of the door opening 8. In this way, the gripping portion 5 supports the sealing portion 20 to run along the outside edge of the door opening so as to be partially compressed by the closing door 25, thus providing a weather seal. It will also be noted that the sealing portion 20 incorporates an additional longitudinally extending hollow chamber 26 for a purpose to be described. The material 16 of the gripping portion 5 is integrally extended, on the outside wall of the channel opposite to the sealing portion 20, to form a flexible lip 28, this lip 28 thus extending around the door opening on the inside of the vehicle. Figure 1 shows the configuration adopted where the strip shown runs along the A pillar of the vehicle (shown at "A" in Figure 3), along the roof part of the door opening (shown at "R" in Figure 3), and along the upper part,only, of the "B" pillar (that is, along the part "B1" in Figure 3). As shown somewhat diagrammatically in Figure 1, along these parts of the door opening 8 the lip 28 acts as a so-called "cosmetic" lip and covers over the edge of the trim material or panel 30 alongside these parts of the door opening. The cosmetic lip 28 thus helps to hold the trim 30 in position and covers over its edge to provide a neat finish. Figure 2 shows the configuration adopted over the part of "B" pillar below the waist line of the vehicle (that is, approximately the part "B2" in Figure 3). Here, the vehicle trim is differently oriented as shown at 30A in Figure 2, and the cosmetic lip 28 is no longer suitable for covering its edge 31. Instead, the trim 30A is attached to the B pillar so that its edge 31 presses into the outer wall 32 of the hollow chamber 26 of the sealing part 20. This outer wall 32 is thus pressed inwardly of the chamber 26 and thus neatly covers the edge 31. In this way, therefore, the same strip can be used around the entire periphery of the door opening but provides two different means (the cosmetic lip 28 and the flexible wall 32) for receiving and neatly covering the distal edge of the trim panel, these two different means being arranged to suit the different configurations of the trim panel at different parts of the door opening. Where the trim panel is embraced by the cosmetic lip 28 as shown in Figure 1, the outer wall 32 of the hollow chamber 26 remains in the position shown in Figure 1 and ensures that the strip has a smoothly continuous and coherent outward appearance. Although the hollow chamber 26 and its outer wall 32 have been shown as being part of the sealing portion 20, they could instead be incorporated in the gripping portion 5. Figures 1 and 2 show how the wall of the main sealing tube 22 may be provided with corrugations 34 to increase its flexibility, and how both this tube 22 and the subsidiary tube 24 may be provided with holes 36 at intervals along their lengths to prevent pressure build-up inside the tubes.

Claims: A sealing, trimming or finishing strip for mounting along the periphery of a closable opening in a vehicle body, comprising a mounting portion (5) carrying a lip (28) adapted to be positioned along the periphery by the mounting portion (5) and to embracingly receive a first edge of trim material (30) or the like on the inside of the vehicle, characterised in that the mounting portion (5) also supports edge receiving means (26,32) spaced more outwardly of the opening than the lip (28) by the mounting portion (5) for embracingly receiving a second edge of trim material (30A) or the like on the inside of the vehicle. A strip according to claim 1, characterised in that the edge receiving means comprises a flexible wall (32) against which the second edge of the trim material (30A) presses and which flexes to embrace that edge. A strip according to claim 2, characterised in that the flexible wall is a wall (32) of a hollow chamber (26) into which the flexible wall (32) is flexed by the second edge of the trim material (30A). A strip according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the mounting portion (5) supports a sealing portion (20) which is adapted to be positioned by the mounting portion (5) on the outside of the opening whereby to be sealingly compressed by the closure for the opening. A strip according to claim 4, characterised in that the edge receiving means (26,32) is carried by the sealing portion (20). A strip according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the mounting portion (5) is channel-shaped for embracingly gripping a flange (6) running along the periphery of the opening. A strip according to claim 6, characterised in that the lip (28) extends over the outside of one side wall of the channel. A strip according to claim 7, characterised in that the lip (28) extends substantially from the junction between the outside of the base of the channel and the said one side wall. A strip according to claim 8, characterised in that the edge receiving means (26,32) is located adjacent the junction between the outside of the base of the channel and the other side wall. A sealing, trimming or finishing strip for mounting along the periphery of a closable opening in a vehicle body, comprising a mounting portion (5) which supports a sealing portion (20) adapted to be positioned by the mounting portion (5) so as to be sealingly compressed by the closure of the opening and which also supports a lip (28) for embracingly receiving a first edge of trim material (30) or the like on the inside of the vehicle, characterised in that the sealing portion (20) includes edge receiving means (26,32) for embracingly receiving a second edge of trim material (30A) on the inside of the vehicle. A strip according to claim 10, characterised in that the edge receiving means comprises a flexible wall (32) which flexes around the second edge of the trim material (30A). A strip according to claim 11, characterised in that the flexible wall (32) is the outer wall of a hollow chamber (26) of the sealing portion. A strip according to claim 10, characterised in that the mounting portion (5) is channel-shaped for embracingly gripping a mounting flange (6) running around the opening, in that the sealing portion (20) is mounted on the outside of one side wall of the channel, and in that the lip (28) is mounted to extend over the outside of the opposite side wall of the channel. A strip according to claim 13, characterised in that the lip (28) extends from the outside of the base of the channel. A vehicle defining a closable opening along the periphery of which is mounted a sealing, trimming or finishing strip according to any preceding claim, characterised in that trim material (30) on the inside of the vehicle adjacent the opening has its edge embracingly received by the lip (28) around a first part, only, of the periphery of the opening and has its edge embracingly received by the edge receiving means (26,32) along a second part, only, of the periphery of the opening. A vehicle according to claim 15, characterised in that the closable opening is a door opening of the vehicle. A vehicle according to claim 16, characterised in that the first part of the periphery of the opening comprises the A pillar, the roof part and the upper part of the B pillar of the vehicle, and the second part of the opening comprises a lower part of the B pillar.

Inventors: MAASS KLAUS PETER, MAASS, KLAUS PETER
Applicants: GENCORP PROPERTY INC, GENCORP PROPERTY INC.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B60J10
IPC codes: B60J10