Abstract:
A garnish cooperates with weather strip material to seal an opening in a vehicle body portion. The garnish has a plurality of slots formed in selected portions thereof. In one illustrative embodiment, the garnish is attachable to a door sash frame. The door sash frame is provided with a outer weather strip seal and a plurality of seal clips which are inserted through selected slots in the garnish, thereby concurrently affixing both the garnish and outer weather strip seal to the door sash frame, to contribute to a secure, efficient, and quiet seal for the vehicle opening.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a molding garnish and to a garnish and seal assembly, for cooperating with weather strip elements to seal vehicle openings from noise, water, and external temperatures, and for providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance to a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a garnish and to a garnish and seal assembly for attachment to a vehicle body component, such as a door, adjacent an opening in the vehicle body, to help seal the passenger compartment from the exterior of the vehicle. The invention also relates to a method of attaching a garnish and weather strip seal to a vehicle body portion. 
     2. Description of the Background Art 
     Vehicles have many openings such as doors, trunks and hatchbacks. Historically, these openings have been difficult to seal effectively, such that the noise levels are acceptable to the occupants. Another concern is the way in which the component closes in the opening. Some users may prefer a firm close and seal of the door. Users do not want to have to slam a door when closing, to obtain a good seal from wind noise and from the elements, such as rain and dust. 
     In addition, the sealing elements of the opening must have good durability, such that the opening can be opened and closed repeatedly, without losing the sealing ability thereof. The elements used in sealing the openings must also be securely attached to the vehicle body, to prevent them from separating therefrom, with resulting poor performance. 
     The edge of the vehicle opening and/or the corresponding edge of the closure member have weather strip seals attached thereto, to aid in forming a good seal. 
     A number of different seal and weather strip devices are known for sealing the interior of vehicles from the exterior, providing impact resistance and enhancing the appearance of the opening. 
     It has been known to contact a weather strip seal with a sealing surface of a pillar garnish or molding, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,247 to Yamamoto. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,011 to Matsuyama et al. discloses a garnish to cover a front pillar between the windshield and side door in an automotive vehicle. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,506 to Patel et al. discloses an Energy Absorbing Vehicle Trim with Airbag. Patel discloses a side airbag system for the mounting on the interior of the vehicle such as the A-pillar or roof rail. The system includes the inflatable restraint, energy absorbing means and a trim piece assembly. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,924 Noritake et al., discloses an impact energy-absorbing structure having flange joint portions and a pillar garnish, the energy absorber attached with conventional methods, such as screws. The garnish of Noritake et al. is attached to the energy absorber via clips. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,532 Karuppaswamy et al. discloses a molding with blades on the interior thereof. The blades are inserted into clips mounted to the body panel. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,730 to Welch discloses a pillar with a molding and an energy absorbing bracket therebetween. The bracket has a base mounted to the surface of the pillar and support portion bonded to the molding. The foot of the bracket engages the pillar and a buckling portion connects the foot to the mounting portion. 
     Much of the known art uses a friction fit of the garnish to the vehicle body structural components. While this may be adequate in some instances, a more secure attachment of the garnish to the vehicle is needed, to supplement the friction fit thereof. 
     Vehicle occupants appreciate and expect continuous improvements in vehicle seals to minimize external noise, and to provide attractive elements that aid in sealing the vehicle opening. 
     Although the known devices have some utility for their intended purposes, a need still exists in the art for an improved garnish, and for an improved garnish and seal assembly. In particular, there is a need for a garnish which will enable a manufacturer to securely affix the garnish to the opening of the vehicle in an improved manner that will seal effectively, decrease manufacturing complexity and cost, and will still provide an aesthetic appearance for the vehicle owner. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a garnish for use in conjunction with vehicle weather stripping to seal a vehicle opening. The present application also provides a combined garnish and seal apparatus, and a method of attaching same to a vehicle body structure. 
     In a first embodiment hereof, the present invention provides a molding garnish for use with a vehicle door sash. The garnish is attachable to the door sash frame. The garnish has a first end with at least one fore slot formed therein, and a second end having at least one aft slot formed therein. A weather strip seal and a plurality of seal clips are used in conjunction with the garnish, to provide a seal for a vehicle opening such as a door opening. 
     The garnish is alignable in registry with a weather strip seal and with the vehicle body portion. A first end of a seal clip can be attached to the weather strip seal, and a projecting portion of the seal clip can be inserted through a slot in the garnish, and into an aperture formed in the sash frame, to operatively attach both the garnish and the weather strip seal to the door sash frame. 
     The present invention also encompasses a kit of components for attaching to a vehicle body portion, including the garnish, a weather strip seal, and a plurality of seal clips. 
     The present invention also encompasses a method of attaching a garnish and a weather strip seal to a vehicle body panel, where the garnish has a first end and a second end. 
     The method involves a step of placing the garnish in contact with the vehicle body panel with slots in the garnish aligned with apertures in the vehicle body panel. 
     The method also involves a step of operatively attaching first and second seal clips to a weather strip seal. This seal clip attachment step may include substeps of stretchably deforming an opening in a weather strip seal, inserting an anchor portion of the seal clip into the opening in the seal, and allowing the seal to return to its normal configuration with the seal clip installed thereon. 
     The seal clips are attached to the weather strip seal with projecting portions of the seal clips extending outwardly away from the seal. 
     The method also includes a step of aligning the weather strip seal with the garnish. 
     The method further involves a step of inserting the projecting portions of respective seal clips through respective slots in the garnish and into respective apertures of the vehicle body portion, whereby the seal clips operatively attach and secure both the garnish and outer weather strip seal to the door sash frame. 
     Accordingly, it will be seen that the present invention provides a method and apparatus for use in sealing an opening in a vehicle, whether for a door, hatch back, hood opening, or trunk opening. The seal should be both water-resistant and dust-resistant, and minimize wind noise within the vehicle. 
     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the reader is referred to the following detailed description section, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description and in the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle, having a garnish installed therein. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a garnish for a vehicle door sash according to a first illustrative embodiment of the invention, primarily showing an inward-facing surface thereof. 
     FIG. 3 is a side plan view of the outward-facing surface of the garnish of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4A is a front plan view, partially cut away, of the garnish of FIGS. 2-3. 
     FIG. 4B is an enlarged detail view of part of the garnish end of FIG. 4A, taken in the circled area designated  4 B in FIG. 4A, and also showing selected mounting hardware and a cut away portion of the vehicle door structure. 
     FIG. 5A is a rear plan view, partially cut away, of the garnish of FIGS. 2-3. 
     FIG. 5B is an enlarged detail view of part of the garnish end of FIG. 5A, taken in the circled area designated  5 B in FIG. 5A, and also showing selected mounting hardware and a cut away portion of the vehicle door structure. 
     FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional detail view, taken along the line  6 A— 6 A in FIG. 3, and showing the mounting interface between the inner weather strip seal, the garnish, and the door sash frame at a central portion of the door sash 
     FIG. 6B is a detail side plan view of an attachment clip of the assembly of FIG.  6 A. 
     FIG. 6C is a detail bottom plan view of the clip of FIG.  6 B. 
     FIG. 7 is another cross-sectional detail view, taken along the line  7 — 7  in FIG. 3, and showing the mounting interface between the inner weather strip seal, the garnish and the door sash frame at an upper rear portion of the door sash; and 
     FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram showing a sequence of steps in a method according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to FIGS. 2-5 of the drawings, a garnish, according to a first illustrative embodiment of the present invention, is shown generally at  20 . The garnish  20  of FIGS. 2-5 is provided for covering an inner portion of a front door sash  15  in a vehicle  10  (FIG.  1 ). The garnish  20  is mounted on the door sash  15 , facing inwardly towards the passenger compartment, in the area where the door sash meets the door opening in the vehicle body when the door  16  is closed. 
     Throughout the present specification, relative positional terms like ‘upper’, ‘lower’, ‘front’, ‘rear’, ‘top’, ‘bottom’, ‘horizontal’, ‘vertical’, and the like are used to refer to the installed orientation of the garnish  20 , as shown in the drawings. These terms are used in an illustrative sense to describe the depicted embodiments, and are not meant to be limitative. It will be understood that the depicted garnish  20  may be placed at an orientation different from that shown in the drawings, such as rotated through 90 or 180 degrees, and in such a case, the above-identified relative positional terms will no longer be accurate. 
     It will further be understood that another corresponding garnish (not shown) will be used for the opposite side of the vehicle  10 , and that the corresponding garnish will have a substantially mirror-image structure to that of the depicted garnish  20 . 
     The garnish  20  cooperates with respective inner and outer weather strip seals  50 ,  56  (FIG. 6A) to help seal off the interior of the passenger compartment from external noise, dampness, and dust. 
     As seen best in FIGS. 2-3, the garnish  20  includes a first end  30  and a second end  32  opposite the first end. 
     The garnish  20  is formed of a flexible, resilient yet semi-rigid plastic or polymeric resin material, which has been fed into a mold and cured. The material selected should be stable at external temperatures throughout the normal range in which the vehicle is expected to operate. 
     The shape of the garnish  20  conforms to the shape of the component on which it fits, which in this case, is the sash  15  of the vehicle&#39;s front door  16 . The garnish  20 , in this first embodiment, has a non-linear shape, and it is to be understood that this particular shape shown is meant as an example only, and is not meant to limit the scope of this disclosure. A similar, although not identical garnish could be made in the shape of the sash  17  of the vehicle&#39;s rear door. 
     In the depicted embodiment, the garnish  20  includes a first substantially vertical front edge segment  24  at the front end  30 , a curved sloping segment  25  extending upwardly from the top of the front edge segment, a top segment  26  extending substantially horizontally back from the end of the sloping segment, and a substantially vertical rear segment  27 . All of the aforementioned garnish segments  24 ,  25 ,  26  and  27  are integrally formed as seamlessly interconnected sections of the garnish  20 , and are sequentially coextensive. 
     Although the cross-sectional shape and configuration thereof varies at different points thereon, to conform to the shape of the sash frame  44  (FIG.  6 A), the garnish  20  is generally made with a roughly C-shaped cross-section, to substantially surround and cover an interior-facing portion of the sash frame. 
     As seen best in FIG. 4A, the front end  30  of the garnish  20  has at least one fore slot  34  formed therein, for use in securely mounting the garnish to the sash frame  44 . The front end  30  of the garnish  20 , according to the depicted embodiment, has two spaced-apart fore slots  34  formed therein. Other embodiments could have more or fewer fore slots  34 , depending on the profile of the garnish  20 , and the shape of the vehicle opening. 
     The back end  32  of the garnish  20  is also provided with at least one aft slot  36  (FIG. 2) formed in the rear segment  27  thereof. The rear segment  27  of the garnish, in the embodiment of FIGS. 2-5, has four spaced-apart aft slots  36  formed therein. More or fewer aft slots  36  could be used, depending on the profile of the garnish  20 , and the shape of the vehicle opening. 
     The garnish  20  also includes a first integral tab  22  extending downwardly from the lower tip end of the front edge segment  24 . The first tab  22  has an eyelet  23  formed therein for receiving a first attachment stud  40  (FIG.  4 B). 
     In similar fashion, the garnish  20  also includes a second integral tab  28  extending downwardly from the lower tip end of the rear edge segment  27 . The second tab  28  also has an eyelet  29  formed therein for receiving a second attachment stud  41 (FIG.  5 B). 
     As seen best in FIGS. 4A and 5A, the garnish  20  may include respective front and rear integral attachment flanges  31 ,  33  thereon. The respective fore and aft slots  34 ,  36  are formed in the respective attachment flanges  31 ,  33 . 
     Where the tabs  22 ,  28  are used as part of the garnish structure, the end portions  30 ,  32  of the garnish  20  may, optionally, be attached to the sash frame  44  in the following manner. The first, or front end  30  of the garnish  20  is attached to the door sash frame  44  (FIG. 4B) by a stud  40  placed through the eyelet  23  on the first tab  22 , and then inserted into a first hollow, cup-shaped clip  38  embedded in the sash frame  44 . Similarly, the second end  32  of the garnish  20  is attached to the door sash frame  44  using another stud  41  which passes through the eyelet  29  of the second tab  28 , as shown in FIG. 5B, and is then inserted into a second hollow, cup-shaped clip  39  which has been embedded in the sash frame  44 . 
     FIG. 6A shows how a central part of the garnish  20  is affixed to the door sash frame  44 , by pinching the garnish upper edge beneath the outer weather strip seal  56 , which is held on to the door sash frame  44  by a series of clips, such as the seal clip  60  shown. The seal clip  60  includes a projecting portion  66 , which fits into a corresponding opening formed in the door sash frame  44 . 
     The detailed structure of the seal clip  60  will now be described in reference to FIGS. 6B-6C. The seal clip  60  includes an anchor portion  62  at a first end thereof, for placement in a stretchable aperture formed in the base of the outer weather strip seal  56 , and for maintaining a connection between the clip  60  and the seal  56  over time. The seal clip  60  narrows after the anchor  62  to form a reduced-diameter neck  64 . A stop flange  65  extends outwardly on the clip  60  just beyond the neck  64 . The stop flange  65  defines a wide part of the clip  60 , and is provided for abutting against the side edges of the sash frame  44  adjacent a mounting aperture, and for limiting the extent to which the clip can pass into the hole in the frame, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 7. 
     The clip  60  also includes a projecting portion  66  consisting of a fir tree fastener projecting outwardly from the center of the stop flange  65 , in a direction opposite from the anchor  62 . The projecting portion  66  of the clip  60  is provided for inserting into an aperture in the sash frame  44 . The fir tree fastener includes a central core portion  67 , and a retainer cap  68  attached to the end of the core portion. The retainer cap  68  can be a single deformable piece, similar in shape to a mushroom cap, or alternatively, may take the form of two or more arms extending outwardly from the central core portion  67 . 
     FIG. 4A shows the arrangement of the fore slots  34  in relation to the first end  30  of the garnish  20 , while FIGS. 2 and 5A show the relationship of the aft slots  36  in relation to the second end  32 . FIG. 5A shows a more detailed view of the arrangement and placement of two aft slots  36  in the lower portion of the rear segment  27 . 
     FIG. 6A, taken along the line  6 A— 6 A in FIG. 3, shows the intersection of the outer weather strip seal  56 , the garnish  20  and the door sash frame  44 , in an upper part of the door sash  15 , where the outer weather strip seal  56  completely covers the edge portion of the garnish  20 , and “pinches” the edge thereof. As shown in this figure, the garnish  20  is retained against the door sash frame  44  with a seal clip  60  attached both to the outer weather strip seal  56 , and to the door sash frame  44 , with the edge of the garnish  20  trapped therebetween. Optionally, the garnish  20  may include ribs  52  formed integrally on the interior thereof, as desired for reinforcement or spacing. 
     A seal clip  60  penetrates both the outer weather strip seal  56  and the door sash frame  44 , and keeps tension thereon, to keep the edge of the garnish  20  trapped therebetween. Manufacturability is aided in that the garnish  20  is more securely attached to the door sash frame  44  and the seal clip  60  can fulfill two functions, that of attaching the garnish  20  and that of operatively attaching the outer weather strip seal  56  to the door sash frame. 
     Similarly, FIG. 7 shows the attachment of a seal clip  60  to the outer weather strip seal  56  and also to the door sash frame  44 , with the garnish  20  trapped therebetween. However, in contrast to the arrangement shown in FIG. 6A, here, the garnish includes the rear attachment flange  33  with the aft slots  36  formed therein. Therefore, the projecting portion  66  of the seal clip  60  can pass through an aft slot  36  and then be inserted into the opening of the door frame  44 , creating a more secure connection than that shown in FIG.  6 A. One seal clip  60  of the outer weather strip seal  56  penetrates each of the aft slots  36 , and secures both the garnish  20  and the outer weather strip seal  56  to the door sash frame  44 . 
     Method of Attaching a Garnish 
     The present invention also relates to a method of attaching a garnish  30  to a vehicle body frame panel, such as the door sash frame  44  shown in the drawings. 
     A simplified block diagram showing selected steps in one embodiment of a method according to the invention is illustrated in FIG.  8 . 
     The method involves a step  70  of placing the garnish  20  on the door sash frame  44 . The garnish  20  may snap on to the sash frame  44  with a friction fit. It will be understood that the garnish  20  is placed on to the sash frame  44  with the fore and aft slots  34 ,  36  aligned with corresponding apertures in the sash frame  44 . 
     Optionally, the method may also include a step  72  of attaching end tabs  22 ,  28 , disposed on opposite ends of the garnish  20 , to the door sash frame  44 . This step may be omitted, if desired. 
     The method also includes a step  74  of operatively attaching first and second seal clips  60  to a weather strip seal  56 . This first attachment step may include substeps of stretchably deforming an opening in a weather strip seal  56 , inserting an anchor portion  62  of the seal clip  60  into the opening in the seal, and allowing the seal to return to its normal configuration with the seal clip installed thereon. 
     The method also involves a step  76  of aligning the weather strip seal  56  with the garnish  20 , so that the seal clips  60  line up with the respective slots  34 ,  36  formed in the garnish. 
     The method also involves a step  78  of inserting projecting portions  66  of the first and second seal clips  60  through respective slots  34 ,  36  formed in the ends  30 ,  32  of the garnish  20 , and into apertures in the door sash frame  44 , to attach both the garnish and the weather strip seal  56  to the door sash frame. 
     Although the present invention has been described herein with respect to a limited number of presently preferred embodiments, the foregoing description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art will realize that many modifications of the preferred embodiment could be made, which would be operable. All such modifications, which are within the scope of the following claims, are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The claims hereof should be construed in accordance with the patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.