Abstract:
A locking seam alignment guide may be utilized for attaching a fabric cover to a substrate to form an interior trim component in a vehicle passenger compartment. An elongate ribbon-like member has a longitudinal stitching flange and a longitudinal locking key depending from the stitching flange along a midline thereof. The longitudinal locking key has one of a cylindrical shape, and a triangular shape. The longitudinal stitching flange is one of a flange extending along one side of the midline, and a flange extending along both sides of the midline. The locking seam alignment guide can be stitched to a fabric cover and seated in a complementary keyway to hold the fabric cover to the substrate.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Applications No. 61/664,237, filed Jun. 26, 2012, and No. 61/701,925, filed Sep. 17, 2012, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates generally to interior trim components for a vehicle passenger compartment. More specifically, the invention relates to alignment of cover seams in cover fabric extending over cushioned or uncushioned trim components that have an attached alignment guide for locking the cover to an underlying substrate. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Vehicle trim components for passenger compartments, such as armrests, center consoles, dashboards, and the like, may have a leather or leather-like cover wrapped over and around a cushion layer, referred to as “soft-wrapped,” or attached directly to a rigid substrate, or support structure. The fabric cover may be shaped to match the shape of a cushion or support structure, thereby facilitating the cover attachment process and providing a neat appearance. The cover may include stitching, such as a French stitch or deck stitch, which may correspond to a change in a surface profile, such as a corner. 
     The cover may be wrapped relatively tightly around and attached to the cushion and substrate. Attachment may be by tacks, staples, adhesives, and the like, generally in areas of the cover that are hidden from view, such as along an inside edge of a substrate. This may result in large areas of the cover in contact with the cushion or substrate but not otherwise attached to the cushion or substrate. Consequently, movement of the cover relative to the cushion or substrate may occur during assembly and use. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A locking seam alignment guide may be utilized for attaching a fabric cover to a substrate to form an interior trim component in a vehicle passenger compartment. An elongate ribbon-like member has a longitudinal stitching flange and a longitudinal locking key depending from the stitching flange along a midline thereof. The longitudinal locking key has one of a cylindrical shape, and a triangular shape. The longitudinal stitching flange is one of a flange extending along one side of the midline, and a flange extending along both sides of the midline. The locking seam alignment guide can be stitched to a fabric cover and seated in a complementary keyway to hold the fabric cover to the substrate. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an interior trim component comprising a stitched fabric cover with a locking seam alignment guide according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along view line  2 - 2  of a portion of the interior trim component illustrated in  FIG. 1  disclosing an embodiment of the locking seam alignment guide. 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the interior trim component illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the interior trim component illustrated in  FIG. 1  disclosing a cushion with an incised keyway, and a correlative locking seam alignment guide partly installed in the keyway. 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged sectional view taken along view line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1  disclosing a second embodiment of the locking seam alignment guide. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged sectional view taken along view line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1  disclosing a third embodiment of the locking seam alignment guide. 
         FIG. 7  is a partially cutaway plan view of a portion of the interior trim component illustrated in  FIG. 1  disclosing a rigid substrate supporting an overlying stitched cover installed to the substrate with a locking seam alignment guide. 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view of a portion of the interior trim component illustrated in  FIG. 7  taken along view line  8 - 8 . 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view of a portion of the interior trim component illustrated in  FIG. 7  taken along view line  9 - 9 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention will be described and illustrated in terms of an exemplary embodiment comprising an interior trim component such as may be incorporated into a vehicle interior. The invention may be described and illustrated in terms of an embodiment comprising an exemplary leather-like flexible fabric cover having French seams. The invention may also be described in terms of alternate seams such as deck seams without limiting the scope of the claims. The invention may also be described in terms of alternate embodiments, and no description and/or illustration of the interior trim component or other aspect of an embodiment should in any way be inferred as limiting on the invention or the scope of the claims. 
     Referring now to the Figures, and to  FIG. 1  in particular, an exemplary interior trim component  10  is illustrated comprising a stitched cover  12  formed, in part, with French seams  14 . The French seams  14  may be manufactured in a generally known manner, and may comprise a center butt seam  16  and a pair of generally parallel side stitchings  18 . Referring also to  FIG. 2 , the stitched cover  12  may be wrapped around a cushion  20  supported by and attached to a rigid substrate  22 . 
     The rigid substrate  22  may be configured consistent with the purposes for which it may be intended, such as a vehicle center console, an arm rest, a dashboard, and the like (not shown). The rigid substrate  22  may also be configured to support the stitched cover  12  in a manner consistent with the aesthetics and functionality of the interior trim component  10 . The rigid substrate  22  may be fabricated of a material having properties, such as strength, rigidity, and the like, which are suitable for the purposes for which it may be intended. 
     The cushion  20  may be fabricated of a material having properties, such as stiffness, compressibility, resiliency, softness, and the like, which are suitable for use in the cushioned interior trim component  10 . Alternate materials may be utilized for the cushion  20 , such as foam, batting, and the like. The assembly may alternatively comprise a composite structure at least partially including a cushion (not shown) overlying a part of the rigid substrate  22  or a separate component. 
     The stitched cover  12  may be manufactured from several individual pieces of fabric, leather, or leather-like material, and stitched together with French seams  14 . Alternatively, the stitched cover  12  may be fabricated from a single piece of material that has been stitched along selected lines to mimic French seams  14 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , if a true French seam is utilized, a seam allowance  24  may be folded under and stitched against the underside of the cover  12 . This may result in a double thickness of cover material characterized by a width equal to the width of the two seam allowances  24 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 4 , a locking seam alignment guide  30  may be a ribbon-like somewhat T-shaped member comprising a double flange  36 , also referred to as a stitching flange, with a locking key  38  depending therefrom along a midline thereof. The locking key  38  may comprise a thin neck  40  transitioning from the double flange  36  to a rounded head  42  having a diameter greater than the width of the neck  40 . The locking seam alignment guide  30  may be fabricated of a material having properties, such as strength, flexibility, and the like, which are suitable for the purposes for which it may be intended. The locking seam alignment guide  30  may be attached to the cover  12  as disclosed in  FIG. 3  by the side stitching  18  penetrating through each side of the double flange  36  as the French seam  14  is stitched. 
     The cushion  20  may include an alignment guide recess  28  comprising an obverse keyway  32  configured for functionally cooperative disposition of the locking seam alignment guide  30  therein. The obverse keyway  32  may have a width generally equal to the width of the double flange  36 , and a depth generally equal to the thickness of the folded-under seam allowance  24  and double flange  36 . Extending along the center of the obverse keyway  32 , an incised groove  34  may be formed in the cushion  20  comprising a narrow slot  44  transitioning from the obverse keyway  32  to a reverse keyway  46 , having a configuration complementary with the configuration of the locking key  38 . Thus, the alignment guide recess  28  may have a somewhat T-shaped configuration defined by a shallow obverse keyway  32 , transitioning to a centrally disposed incised groove  34  for receiving the rounded head  42 . 
     The locking seam alignment guide  30  may be joined with the alignment guide recess  28 , thereby attaching the locking seam alignment guide  30  and stitched cover  12  to the cushion  20  over the alignment guide recess  28 . 
     The coupling of the locking key  38  with the reverse keyway  46 , including the disposition of the longitudinal edges of the double flange  36  against the side walls of the obverse keyway  32 , may tend to retain the double flange  36  against the bottom wall of the keyway  32 , thereby reducing the potential for lateral movement of the locking seam alignment guide  30  relative to the keyway  32 . The coupling of the locking key  38  with the incised groove  34  may further reduce the potential for lateral movement of the locking seam alignment guide  30 . Joining the locking seam alignment guide  30  and seam allowance  24  into an integrated structure having a stiffness somewhat greater than the stiffness developed by the French seam alone may “seat” the double flange  36  and seam allowance  24  into the obverse keyway  32  and further minimize lateral movement of the locking seam alignment guide  30  and attached cover  12 . 
     Alternatively, the cover  12  may be molded, followed by adding the side stitching  18  and the locking seam alignment guide  30 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a second embodiment of a locking seam alignment guide  50  which is generally identical to the locking seam alignment guide  30 , but substituting an arrow-shaped head  56  for the circular head  42 . The incised groove  52  may have a configuration of the reverse keyway  58  complementary to the configuration of the locking key  54 . The arrow-shaped locking key  54  may enhance the “pullout” resistance of the locking key  54  as compared with the rounded locking key  38 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a third embodiment of a locking seam alignment guide  60  which is generally identical to the first embodiment  30 , but comprises a single flange  64  extending along one side of the midline, rather than the double flange  36 . The keyway  62  may have a width generally one half the width of the keyway  32 . The elimination of half a flange may enhance the flexibility of the stitched cover  12  along the French seam  14 , while generally retaining the pullout resistance and lateral movement resistance equal to that of the double flange locking seam alignment guide  30 . 
       FIGS. 7-10  illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention that are generally identical to the aforementioned embodiments except that the stitched cover  12  is attached, at least in part, directly over the rigid substrate  22  without an intervening cushion  20 . The exemplary embodiments of  FIGS. 7-10  share many features of the embodiments of  FIGS. 1-6 , and retain common reference characters of  FIGS. 1-6  relative to such shared features. Thus, such shared features will not be described further unless necessary for a complete understanding of the invention. The interior trim component  10  may alternatively comprise a composite structure at least partially including a cushion (not shown), overlying a part of the rigid substrate  22  or a separate component. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates the stitched cover  12  overlying and attached to part of the rigid substrate  22 . The obverse keyway  32  in this embodiment differs from the alignment guide recess  28 . The obverse keyway  32  may have a pair of longitudinal flanges  134  that may define a planar bottom wall  154  of the keyway  32 . The longitudinal flanges  134  may extend toward, but not touch, one another to define a longitudinal slot  144 . The flanges  134  may also define a reverse keyway  146  set opposite the obverse keyway  32  into a reverse surface of the rigid substrate  22 . The reverse keyway  146  may have a width less than the width of the obverse keyway  32 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 8 , the longitudinal flanges  134  may be inwardly rounded along the edges of the slot  144  beginning along a pair of spaced-apart transition lines  158 . The flanges  134  may also be configured for controlled flexibility so that the locking key  38  may be snap-fit into the reverse keyway  146  by inserting the rounded head  42  through the longitudinal slot  144  so that the rounded head  42  may be held within the reverse keyway  146  with the neck  40  extending through the longitudinal slot  144 . The rounded edges of the longitudinal flanges  34  may facilitate the entry of the head  42  through the longitudinal slot  44  into the reverse keyway  46 . 
       FIG. 9  differs from  FIG. 8  in that the flanges  134 , the slot  144 , and the reverse keyway  146 , are replaced with a longitudinal groove  48  having a pair of sidewalls  150 ,  152 , and a bottom wall  154  extending therebetween. The sidewalls  150 ,  152  and bottom wall  154  may define a groove inner surface  156 . The longitudinal groove  48  may have a width somewhat greater than the diameter of the rounded head  42 , thereby enabling the rounded head  42  to be frictionally seated in the longitudinal groove  48  in contact with the groove inner surface  156 . 
     At selected locations, the configurations illustrated in  FIGS. 8 and 9  may alternate as illustrated in  FIG. 7  for engaging the rounded head  42  in differing ways. The rounded head  42  may engage the rigid substrate  22  through a friction fit with the groove inner surface  156  ( FIG. 9 ) and/or an interference connection with the longitudinal flanges  134  and longitudinal slot  144  ( FIG. 8 ). 
     While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.