Abstract:
The present invention is a step load bracket having a substantially horizontal portion and a substantially vertical portion connected to the substantially horizontal portion. The present invention also includes at least one support member connected to the substantially vertical portion and the substantially horizontal portion. The support member provides support for a body component of a vehicle having a step, such as a fascia, when a load is applied to the fascia in a vertical direction, but has pre-determined crush characteristics when the fascia suffers from an impact load in a horizontal direction, such as during a rear-end collision.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/967,893, filed Sep. 7, 2007. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to bracket used for providing support for a fascia used in a vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Fascias and other types of body panel components are commonly used to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance for a vehicle. These components are typically injection molded parts, and are most commonly used on the front or rear of the vehicle, and will have the appearance of a bumper and body panel formed as one component. These types of fascias are commonly used with sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), which commonly include a hatch for accessing or entering the rear of the vehicle. 
         [0004]    The fascia, having the appearance of a bumper, includes a step portion for aiding in accessing and entering the rear of the vehicle through the hatch. Because the fascia is made of a relatively thin plastic, the step portion is not strong enough to support the weight of a person when being stepped on. Prior solutions to this problem have included the fascia being supported by an Expanded Polypropylene Particle (EPP) foam insert. This provided support of the bumper fascia step and ease of repair in the event of a rear impact. The fascia is also attached to the frame of the vehicle using the common EPP foam insert and various fasteners, such as a push-pin. 
         [0005]    However, it is typically considered aesthetically unappealing if the fasteners which are used to attach the fascia to the foam insert are in view. Attempts have been made to attach the fascia to the foam insert in such a manner that the fasteners are no longer visible. However, this has resulted in reduced structural integrity of the foam insert and the fascia. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, there exists a need for a step, formed as a portion of a fascia, to have support when force is applied in a vertical direction, while having the aesthetically pleasing appearance such that the fasteners are removed from view. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is a step load bracket having a substantially horizontal portion and a substantially vertical portion connected to the substantially horizontal portion. The present invention also includes at least one support member connected to the substantially vertical portion and the substantially horizontal portion. The support member provides support for a body component of a vehicle having a step, such as a fascia, when a load is applied to the fascia in a vertical direction, but has pre-determined crush characteristics when the fascia suffers from an impact load in a horizontal direction, such as during a rear-end collision. 
         [0008]    Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a step load bracket, according to the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a sectional side view of a step load bracket connected to a cross-member, with the section of the step load bracket taken along lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 3 , according to the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2A  is an enlarged portion of the circled area of  FIG. 2 , with a fastener used to attach a step load bracket to a vehicle, according to the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of a vehicle having a step load bracket, according to the present invention; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a sectional side view of a portion of a step load bracket, taken along lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 , with a fastener inserted, according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]    The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
         [0016]    Referring to the Figures generally, a step load bracket according to the present invention is shown generally at  10 . The bracket  10  includes a substantially horizontal portion  12  and a substantially vertical portion  14 . Connected to both the horizontal portion  12  and vertical portion  14  are a series of support members  16 . In this embodiment, each support member  16  is generally triangular in shape, and has a first side  18  connected to the horizontal portion  12 , and a second side  20  connected to the vertical portion  14 . As best seen when looking upwardly or downwardly at the horizontal portion  12  in  FIG. 1 , the support members  16  are arranged diagonally with respect to one another and are spaced apart so as to provide support for the horizontal support member  12 . 
         [0017]    The vertical portion  14  includes a series of apertures  22  which allow the vertical portion  14  to be attached to the vehicle by way of a fastener, such as a screw or push-pin (not shown). The bracket  10  is attached to a rear trough cross-member  24 . The rear trough cross-member  24  is attached to the vehicle, and optionally forms part of the frame of the vehicle. 
         [0018]    Once the bracket  10  is attached to the rear trough cross-member  24 , a panel, which in this embodiment is a fascia  26 , is attached to the bracket  10 . The fascia  26  covers the bracket  10  and the rear trough cross-member  24 . The bracket  10  provides an attachment surface which allows the fascia  26  to be attached to the vehicle without the use of visible fasteners, such as conventional push-pins or the like. The fascia  26  includes a step-portion  28  and a vertical portion  30 , which has the general appearance of a bumper. The vertical portion  30  is adaptable such that the vehicle can include a trailer hitch, generally shown at  32 . 
         [0019]    The step load bracket  10  also includes an upper lip  34  having several slots  36 . The each slot  36  receives an angled tab, generally shown at  38 , which is connected to an extension  40 . The extension  40  is part of the fascia  26 . The angled tabs  38  include a flat surface  42  and an angled portion  44 . As the angled tabs  38  are inserted through the respective slots  36 , the angled tab  38  is slightly compressed until the tab  38  is completely through the slot  36 ; the tab  38  being extended through one of the slots is shown in  FIG. 2A . Once the tab  38  is through the slot  36 , the flat surface  42  will rest against a corresponding surface  46  which is part of the lip  34 , preventing the fascia  26  from becoming detached from the bracket  10 , shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0020]    Another embodiment showing how the bracket  10  of the present invention is attached to a vehicle using another type of fastener is shown in  FIGS. 2A and 4 . In this embodiment, a bolt  48  along with a washer  54  and clip, which in this embodiment is a molded in clip, generally shown at  50 , are used to attach the vertical portion  14  of the bracket  10  to the vehicle. Also included is a foam seal  52  which surrounds the clip  50 . The foam seal  52  is optional, and may be incorporated if it is necessary that moisture be prevented from entering the area behind the rear trough cross-member  24 . 
         [0021]    The molded in clip  50  includes a plurality of leg portions  56 , and is molded as part of the vertical portion  14  of the bracket  10 . The aperture  22  extends through the clip  50 , and there is a corresponding aperture  58  formed in the rear trough cross-member  24 . The foam seal  52  (if used) is slipped onto the clip  50  such that the plurality of leg portions  56  of each of the clips  50  extend through an aperture of a respective foam seal  52 . The rear trough cross-member  24  is then positioned so that the plurality of leg portions  56  of each of the clips  50  also extend through the apertures  58  in the rear trough cross-member  24  as shown in  FIG. 2A . The bolt  48  is screwed into the clip  50 . As the bolt  48  is screwed into the clip  50 , the leg portions  56  will spread apart, forcing the rear trough cross-member  24  and vertical portion  14  closer together, compressing the foam seal  52 , and preventing the bolt  48  from being pulled through the apertures  22 , 58 , securing the bracket  10  to the rear trough cross-member  24 . The compression of the seal  52  will prevent moisture from getting into the area behind the rear trough cross-member  24 . 
         [0022]    Another feature of the invention includes the ability for the bracket  10  to collapse if the rear of the vehicle is impacted, such as during an accident. This preserves the structural integrity of the rear trough cross-member  24 , which is costly to replace. During a collision, the support members  16  will collapse and fold, allowing the horizontal member  12  to collapse and fold as well. The support members  16  collapse prior to the other components because of their diagonal configuration relative to one another, best seen in  FIG. 1 . Having the support members  16  configured diagonally with respect to one another as shown in  FIG. 1  facilitates the support members  16  having the ability to collapse during a rear-impact collision of the vehicle, but still allows the support members  16  to support the horizontal portion  12 , allowing the step-portion  28  to be stepped on during ingress and egress of the rear of the vehicle. If the bracket  10  collapses during a collision, the structural integrity of the rear trough cross-member  24  is preserved, only necessitating the replacement of the bracket  10 , which is less costly compared to the rear trough cross-member  24 . 
         [0023]    Preferably, the bracket  10  is an injection molded structure with the support members  16  angled in alternating fashion at approximately forty-five degrees as shown in  FIG. 1  to provide the proper crush structure. Other crush structures can also be utilized, as long as the crush structure provides the proper step support while allowing rear impact crush characteristics. For instance, vertical support columns of honeycomb structures, egg crate-shaped structures, or accordion-shaped vertical column structures could be used along with other shapes with predetermined crush characteristics. 
         [0024]    The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.