Abstract:
An assembly for attaching a side-visor to a frame of a vehicle comprises a retainer that includes a mounting portion and a clip portion connected to the mounting portion by flexible straps that can be bent for alignment of the clip portion with a hole in the visor, through which a flanged pin is inserted into and coupled with the clip portion. Adjustability of the retainer, by virtue of the flexible straps, permits the same retainer to accommodate different visor inclinations and different visor hole positions.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-140444, filed May 15, 2002, incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a retainer and to an assembly including the retainer for supporting a body on a frame, and is more particularly concerned with an assembly for supporting a side-visor on a frame such as a doorframe of a vehicle body.  
           [0003]    An existing technique for attaching a side-visor will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1, a side-visor  1  or  1 A is bonded onto a doorframe  3  on the upper side of a window glass  2  or  2 A with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like. In order to maintain the bonded condition of the side-visor or allow the side-visor to be held in its supported condition even if the adhesive tape peels off from the doorframe, the side-visor is fixed to the doorframe at two positions through a clip or the like. FIG. 2 shows a conventional side-visor support assembly  5  for maintaining the bonded condition of the side-visor  1  to the frame  3 . FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1, and the side-visor  1  is illustrated therein in the condition after it is supported on the frame  3 .  
           [0004]    In FIG. 2, the frame  3  includes a holding portion (channel)  7  for allowing a sealing rubber (seal)  6  for receiving the window glass to be fitted therein, and a bonding portion  9  for allowing the upper portion of the side-visor  1  to be adhesively bonded thereonto. Part of the holding portion  7  located on the lower side of the bonding portion  9  also serves as a mounting portion  11  for allowing a retainer  10  of the side-visor support assembly  5  to be attached thereto. The retainer  10  is made of a metal plate member. To attach the side-visor  1  to the frame  3 , the upper portion of the side-visor  1  is first fixed to the boding portion  9  of the doorframe  3  with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like. Then, a curved fitting portion  13  of the retainer  10  is pushed into a protuberance of the mounting portion of the frame  3  to attach the retainer  10  to the frame. The retainer  10  has an extended portion  14  extending toward the rear surface of the side-visor  1 , and the extended portion  14  is formed with a mounting hole conformable to a fastening hole formed in the side-visor  1 . The sealing rubber  6  is then pushed into the holding portion  7  of the frame  3 , and held therein. Under this condition, the extended portion  14  of the retainer  14  and a side-visor-function portion of the side-visor  1  are fastened together between an engagement pin  15  and a clip  17  as shown by phantom lines (two-dot chain lines) to support the side-visor  1  on the frame  3  through the retainer  10  attached the frame  3 . Thus, even if the side-visor  1  bonded to the frame  3  with an adhesive tape or the like peels off from the adhesive tape due to deterioration in its adhesive force, the clip  17  and the engagement pin  15  keep fastening the side-visor  1  and the retainer  10  to allow the side-visor  1  to be supported on the frame  3  through the retainer  10 .  
           [0005]    The above conventional side-visor support assembly is composed of the retainer fixed to the mounting portion of the frame, the clip placed on the rear surface of the side-visor, and the engagement pin inserted into the side-visor from the front surface of the side-visor and engaged with the clip. This side-visor support assembly provides a simplified structure for facilitating the side-visor attaching operation. However, it is not adjustable, so that a large number of different retainers are required for attaching side visors to various types of vehicles.  
           [0006]    Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-124022 discloses a clip comprising a female member and a male member, wherein a component such as an assist grip is attached to a first panel such as a roof lining with the female member, and then, the female member is pushed into a second panel such as an automobile body panel while aligning the first panel with the second panel to temporarily attach the component to the second panel with a leg portion of the female member, and then the male member is inserted into the female member to fixedly attach the component to the second panel without wobbling movement. This clip is not suited for attaching a side-visor to a doorframe of a vehicle, particularly where accommodation to attachment of side-visors to different types of vehicle is required.  
         BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved retainer and an improved assembly including such a retainer, particularly a versatile side-visor support assembly capable of dealing with change in the attaching angle of a side-visor to a frame while maintaining structural simplicity and operational facility.  
           [0008]    In one of its broader aspects, the invention involves a retainer having a support portion, a clip portion, and a connecting portion that connects the mounting portion and the clip portion and that is constructed to permit adjustment of the clip portion relative to the mounting portion. The connecting portion may comprise a flexible strap that can be bent to adjust the position and the orientation of the clip portion to accommodate the position and orientation of a hole in a side-visor, for example. More particularly, the strap may form a loop that can be expanded, contracted, and twisted. The loop may have branches that are connected to opposite sides of the clip portion or that converge to a side of the clip portion that faces the mounting portion.  
           [0009]    The following non-limiting brief description of the invention specifically addresses the application of the invention to attachment of a side-visor to a doorframe of an automobile.  
           [0010]    According to this application of the present invention, there is provided a side-visor support assembly for supporting a side-visor-function portion of a side-visor extending from a side-visor root portion attached to a frame of an automobile body comprising: a retainer fixed to a mounting portion of the frame, a clip connected to the side-visor-function portion; and an engagement pin adapted to be inserted from the front surface of the side-visor and engaged with the clip, so as to fasten the side-visor between the clip and the engagement pin to support the side-visor on the frame through the retainer. In the present invention, the retainer is preferably made as a one-piece component of plastic material and includes a frame-fitting mounting portion adapted to be fixed to the mounting portion of the frame, the clip, and an elongated connection portion for connecting the clip to the frame-fitting mounting portion. The connection portion is formed as an elongated connection strap having a flexibility capable of pivoting and moving the clip relative to the frame-fitting mounting portion so that the clip can be disposed at a predetermined position of the side-visor-function portion when the frame-fitting mounting portion is attached to the frame.  
           [0011]    According to this side-visor support assembly, when the retainer is attached to the frame, the connection strap allows the clip to be pivoted and moved rotatably depending on the inclination of the side-visor to the frame, to accommodate both changes in the bend angle of the side-visor to the frame and changes in the distance between the frame-fitting mounting portion and a fastening hole of the side-visor. Thus, even if the bend angle and/or the position of the fastening hole in the side-visor are changed, the same engagement pin and retainer including the clip can be used, eliminating the need for providing different retainers and avoiding the risk of misattachment of an improper retainer.  
           [0012]    In the above side-visor assembly, a single connection strap may be used. The connection portion may more preferably include a pair of connection straps connecting respective side edges of the frame-fitting mounting portion and the clip. In the latter case, even if one of the connection straps is broken, the connection of the frame-fitting mounting portion and the clip can be maintained by the other connection strap. Each of the connection straps may be formed in a semicircular shape curved at sides of the frame-fitting mounting portion and the clip. This configuration facilitates to-and-fro and crosswise movements of the clip relative to the frame-fitting mounting portion, and pivotal movement of the clip in twisting directions relative to the frame-fitting mounting portion. The connection strap may have a cross-section of a circular shape, a semicircular shape or a polygonal shape to obtain a desirable flexibility.  
           [0013]    The connection portion may be formed as a pair of connection straps which extend from respective side edges of the frame-fitting mounting portion and converge to a position at an edge of the clip. With this configuration, the distance between the frame-fitting mounting portion and the convergence position may be arranged to fall within a dark region of the side-visor.  
           [0014]    The convergence portion of the connection straps may have a structure allowing the frame-fitting mounting portion of the retainer to be pressed to the mounting portion of the frame to retain the frame-fitting mounting portion in the attached condition when the clip is attached to the side-visor. The pressing force can prevent the frame-fitting mounting portion from being unfolded, keeping the sealing rubber from being deformed. The connection strap may be configured to allow an operator to readily grip the frame-fitting mounting portion even if the retainer is attached to the side-visor in advance of mounting on the frame.  
           [0015]    The engagement pin may include a shank adapted to be engaged with an engagement pawl provided in the clip, and a flange at one end of the shank extending radially from the shank to be brought into sealing contact with the front surface of the side-visor-function portion. This structure of the engagement pin provides enhanced sealing performance against rainwater falling on the side-visor. For providing more enhanced sealing performance of the flange, the flange may be made of soft plastic material in the area of the front surface of the flange and the peripheral portion of the flange, both of which are to be brought into surface contact and with the side-visor, and the remaining portion of the engagement pin including the shank may be made of hard plastic material.  
           [0016]    Where a doorframe for receiving a window glass is formed with a seal-holding portion for allowing a sealing rubber for receiving the window glass to be fitted thereinto, the frame-fitting mounting portion of the retainer may include an insertion section extending to the seal-holding portion so as to be pressingly held in the seal-holding portion by the sealing rubber when the frame-fitting mounting portion is attached to the frame. The insertion section may be tapered widthwise to its end. The insertion section may be formed with a protrusion for preventing the insertion section from being pulled out of the sealing rubber. The end of the insertion section may be increased in thickness to provide enhanced rigidity therein, which more reliably prevents the insertion section from being pulled out of the sealing rubber. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    The invention will be more fully described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred (best mode) embodiments, and wherein:  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automobile having a side-visor attached to a frame.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1 showing the condition after a side-visor is attached using a conventional side-visor support assembly.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a retainer with clip of a side-visor support assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 is a front view of the retainer with clip in FIG. 3.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the retainer taken along the line B-B in FIG. 3.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a clip and connection straps of the retainer in FIG. 3.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7 is a partial front view showing one modification of an insertion section of a frame-fitting mounting portion of the retainer in FIG. 3.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the clip in FIG. 3 showing its action.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 9 is a top plan view of an engagement pin according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 10 is a front view of the engagement pin in FIG. 9.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the engagement pin taken along the line C-C in FIG. 9.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1 showing the condition before a side-visor is attached using the side-visor support assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1 showing the condition after the side-visor is attached using the side-visor support assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIGS. 14A and 14B are sectional views showing how various side-visors are supported with the side-visor support assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 14A shows a supporting condition where the side-visor has a large downward inclination, and a fastening hole is located at a position far from a frame, and FIG. 14B shows another supporting condition where the side-visor has a small downward inclination, and a fastening hole is located at a position close to the frame  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 15A is a top plan view showing the retainer of the side-visor support assembly according to the first embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 14A, and FIG. 15B is a top plan view showing adjustment of the retainer of the side-visor support assembly according to the first embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 14B.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing an action of preventing leakage of water, such as rainwater, by means of a flange of the engagement pin.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 17 is a front view of an engagement pin of a side-visor support assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 18 is a sectional view of an engagement pin taken along the line D-D in FIG. 17.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 19 is a top plan view of a retainer of a side-visor support assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 20 is a front view of the retainer in FIG. 19.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 21 is a sectional view of the retainer in FIG. 19 taken along the line E-E in FIG. 19.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIGS. 22A and 22B are top plan views showing the relationship between retainers and a side-visor, wherein FIG. 22A shows the relationship between the retainer and the side-visor in the third embodiment, and FIG. 22B shows the relationship between the retainer and the side-visor in the first embodiment.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 23 is a sectional view showing a retainer which is previously attached to the side-visor in a third embodiment.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 24 is a sectional view showing that a fitting portion is not unfolded when the retainer according to the third embodiment is attached to the frame and the side-visor. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0042]    The invention will be described in its application to attachment of a side-visor to a doorframe of an automobile body, but it will be appreciated that certain aspects of the invention have broader utility.  
         [0043]    A side-visor support assembly  21  in a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a retainer  22  including a clip  23  as shown in FIGS.  3  to  8 , and an engagement pin  25  as shown in FIGS.  9  to  11 . As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, in order to support a side-visor-function portion  26  extending from a portion of the side-visor  1  attached to the frame  3  of an automobile body, the retainer  22  is fixed to a mounting portion  11  of the frame, and connection straps  24  extend along the side-visor-function portion  26  to dispose the clip  23  connected thereto on the rear surface of the side-visor. Then, the engagement pin  25  is inserted into a fastening hole formed in the side-visor  1  from the front surface of the side-visor  1 , and then, the pin is engaged with the clip  23 . Thus, the side-visor-function portion  26  of the side-visor  1  is fastened between the clip  23  and the engagement pin  25  to be supported on the frame  3  through the retainer  22 . The retainer  22  including the connection straps  24  and the clip  23  is preferably integrally formed in a one-piece molding of a plastic material. The engagement pin  25  may also be integrally formed of a plastic material.  
         [0044]    With reference to FIGS.  3  to  8 , the retainer  22 , and the clip  23  and the connection straps  24  for connecting the clip  23  to the remaining portion of the retainer  22  will be described in detail. In the present invention, the retainer  22  includes the clip  23  integrally connected with the connection straps  24 , which in the preferred form are branches of a loop. More specifically, the retainer  22  includes a frame-fitting mounting portion  27  to be fixed to the mounting portion  11  (see FIGS. 12 and 14) of the frame  3 , the elongated connection straps  24  for connecting the clip  23  with the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  to extend the clip  23  to the side-visor-function portion  26 , and the clip  23  connected with and supported by the connection straps  24 . In the form shown, the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  is formed as a flat plate of a predetermined width and is curved in a certain contour so as to be fitted to the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3 .  
         [0045]    The frame-fitting mounting portion  27  includes a fitting section  30  adapted to be fitted to a thick bead region (protuberance)  29  (FIG. 12) at the edge of the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3  while sandwiching the bead region  29  therein, and an insertion section  31  extending from the fitting section  30  to a seal-holding portion (channel)  7 , which is formed in the frame  3  to allow a sealing rubber (seal)  6  to be fitted thereinto, and adapted to be pressingly held by the sealing rubber  6 . In the frame-fitting mounting portion  27 , the fitting section  31  is fixed to the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3 , and the insertion section  31  is inserted between the holding portion  7  of the frame  3  and the sealing rubber  6  disposed along the holding portion  7 . Thus, a retainer made of plastic material can maintain a high attaching strength to the mounting portion. Although the length “a” of the insertion section  31  in FIG. 5 is shown as being shorter than the width of the holding portion  7 , the length may be increased to provide an enhanced attaching strength of the retainer  22 , so long as an operation of inserting the insertion section is not disturbed.  
         [0046]    As shown in FIG. 3, the end of the insertion section  31  has a tapered width to facilitate the insertion operation. As shown in FIG. 7, the end of the insertion section  31  may also be formed with an anti-pull-out protrusion  33 . The shape of the anti-pull-out protrusion  33  is designed to facilitate the operation of inserting the insertion section  31  to the sealing rubber  6 , and prevent the insertion section  31  from being pulling out of the sealing rubber after the insertion operation. In addition to or in place of the protrusion  33 , the end of the insertion section  31  may be increased in thickness to provide an enhanced rigidity therein. The enhanced rigidity more reliably prevents the insertion section  31  from being pulled out of the sealing rubber. The increased thickness should be decided in consideration of the relation with the sealing rubber. In a trial product, the increased thickness was provided in a portion of the insertion section  31  which is located at a space defined between the sealing rubber  6  and the holding portion  7  of the frame.  
         [0047]    The connection straps  24  are preferably made of plastic material and formed as an elongated string-shaped member having a predetermined diameter. The connection straps  24  extend from the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  attached to the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3 , and have one end connected with the clip  23 . The connection straps  24  have a flexibility capable of allowing the clip  23  to be pivoted and moved relative to the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  so that the clip  23  is seated at a predetermined position (the position of the fastening hole) of the side-visor-function portion when the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  is attached to the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3 . Although a single connection strap  24  may be used in this embodiment, the retainer preferably includes a pair of connection straps for connecting respective side edges of the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  of a certain width to respective side edges of the clip  23  of a certain width, as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0048]    The pair of connection straps allows the clip  23  to be reliably positioned along the side-visor-function portion  26 , and facilitates the handling of the retainer  22  and the operation of attaching the clip  23  to the side-visor. Further, by virtue of the pair of connection straps, even if one of the connection straps is broken, the connection of the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  and the clip  23  can be maintained by the other connection strap. Each of the connection straps  24  may be formed in an approximately semicircular curved portion at a corresponding side of the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  and the clip  23 . This configuration facilitates to-and-fro and crosswise movements of the clip  23  relative to the frame-fitting mounting portion  27 , and pivotal movement of the clip  23  in twisting directions relative to the frame-fitting mounting portion  27 . The connection straps  24  may have a cross-section of a circular shape, a semicircular shape or a polygonal shape to obtain a desirable flexibility. In a trial product, each connection strap was formed in a semicircular cross-sectional shape having a linear bottom side and a semi-oval upper portion, in conformity with the configuration of a molding die. Each connection strap  24  may also have a boss  34  at an intermediate position to allow an ejector pin for ejecting the connection strap from a molding die to be set thereto during a molding process.  
         [0049]    The clip  23  is connected to the frame-fitting mounting-portion  27  through the connection straps  24 . In the form shown, the clip  23  includes a tubular portion  35  with an opening for receiving therein a shank of the engagement pin  25 , and a pair of engagement pawls  37  formed in the inside of the tubular portion  35 . The side surface of the tubular portion  35  is formed with a pair of spring pieces  38 , opposed to one another in the diametrical direction of the tubular portion  35 . Each of the spring pieces  38  is designed to extend obliquely toward the side-visor  1  so as to be brought into spring contact with the side-visor in such manner that the spring pieces can be adequately bent depending on the thickness of the side-visor as shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0050]    With reference to FIGS.  9  to  11 , a preferred engagement pin  25  will be described in more detail. The engagement pin  25  is preferably integrally formed of a plastic material. The engagement pin  25  includes a large flange  39  to be seated on the front surface of the side-visor  1 , and a shank  41  extending downward from the flange  39 . The end (lower end) of the shank  41  is formed as a large engagement portion  42 . When the shank  41  is inserted into the tubular portion  35  of the clip  23 , the engagement portion  42  is engaged with the engagement pawls  37  to couple the engagement pin  25  to the clip  23 . Preferably, the flange  39  is made of soft plastic material to allow the flange to be brought into sealing contact with the surface of the side-visor-function portion  26 . The flange  39  of soft plastic material provides an enhanced sealing performance against rainwater falling on the side-visor. A plurality of ribs  43  may also be formed between the shank  41  and the flange  39  to assure the above sealing contact. Further, in order to prevent “sink mark” during a molding process from occurring on the front or ornamental surface of the flange  39 , notches  45  as shown in FIG. 11 may be provided at the junction between the shank  41  and the flange  39  to reduce the area of the junction. As shown in FIG. 16, the flange  39  of the engagement pin  25  has an edge portion in sealing contact with the side-visor-function portion  26 . Thus, if water  46 , such as rainwater, falls on the side-visor  1 , the flange  39  prevents the water from intruding toward the rear surface of the side-visor  26 . Even if a window is opened, any water, e.g., rainwater droplets  46 , does not drop toward an automobile cabin.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIGS. 12 and 13 show an operation of supporting the side-visor  1  on a frame such as a doorframe by use of the side-visor support assembly  21  comprising the retainer  22  with the clip  23  and the engagement pin  25 . In FIG. 12, for attaching the side-visor  1  to the frame  3 , the upper portion of the side-visor  1  has been fixed to a bonding surface  9  of the doorframe  3  with a double-sided adhesive tape  47  or the like. The sealing rubber  6  has been pushed into and held by the holding portion  7  of the frame  3 . An operator picks up the retainer  22 , and inserts (arrow  49 ) the insertion section  31  of the retainer  22  between the sealing rubber  6  and the bead region (protuberance)  29  of the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3 . By continuing this insertion, the insertion section  31  is inserted under the sealing rubber  6 , and is pressedly held between the sealing rubber  6  and the holding portion of the frame  3 . Simultaneously, the curved fitting section  30  of the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  is fitted to the bead region  29  of the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3 . Thus, the retainer  22  is fixed to the frame  3 . The insertion portion  31  pressedly held by the sealing rubber  6  can maintain a high attaching strength to provide an enhanced anti-pullout effect. If the anti-pull-out protrusion  33  is provided in the insertion section  31  as shown in FIG. 7, the anti-pull-out effect will be more enhanced.  
         [0052]    The retainer  22  includes the clip  23  connected with the connection straps  24 . Thus, the clip  23  is disposed close to or brought into surface contact with the side-visor-function portion  26  only by attaching the retainer  22  to the frame  3 . The pair of flexible connection straps  24  between the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  and the clip  23  allow the clip  23  to be moved along the rear surface of the side-visor-function portion  26 . Even if the inclination of the side-visor-function portion  26  varies and/or the position of the fastening hole  50  varies, the connection straps  24  allow the clip  23  to be easily pivoted and moved relative to the frame-fitting mounting portion  27 , so that the upper surface of the clip  23  can be stably brought into contact with the rear surface of the side-visor  1 . Through the above attaching operation, the engagement pawls  37  formed in the hollow portion of the clip  23  can be aligned with the fastening hole  50  of the side-visor  1 .  
         [0053]    With reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B and FIGS. 15A and 15B, an explanation will be given as to how the clip  23  can be brought into proper surface contact with the side-visor, and the engagement pawls  37  of the clip  23  can be properly positioned to the fastening hole  50  even if the bend angle of the side-visor-function portion  26  of the side-visor  1  or the position of the fastening hole  50  of the side-visor  1  is changed. When the fitting section  30  of the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  is attached to the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3 , the clip  23  connected with the connection straps  24  is placed on or near the rear surface of the side-visor. Assume that the retainer  22  is formed such that the clip  23  is disposed at a proper position of the side-visor-function portion  26  without any deformation of the connection straps  24 , in the condition as shown in FIG. 14A. In this condition, the shape of the retainer  22  is identical with that shown in FIG. 15A because the connection straps  24  are not deformed. When the retainer  22  is attached to a side-visor-function portion  26  different in the bend angle and/or the position of the fastening hole  50 , the clip  23  can still be disposed on the rear surface of the side-visor at a position aligned with the fastening hole  50  of the clip  23 , because the connection straps  24  can be deformed as shown in FIG. 15B. Specifically, even if the side-visor-function portion  26  has a relatively large bend angle α 1  as shown in FIG. 14A or a relatively small bend angle α 2  as shown in FIG. 14B, the clip can be properly brought into surface contact with the rear surface of the side-visor in the same manner. Further, even if the position of the fastening hole  50  in the side-visor-function portion  26  is changed to locate at a distance P 1  as shown in FIG. 14A or a distance P 2  as shown in FIG. 14B, the connection straps  24  allow the clip to be pivoted and moved relative to the frame-fitting mounting portion  27 , so that the engagement pawls  37  of the clip  23  are located at a position aligned with the fastening hole  50 .  
         [0054]    After the clip  23  is properly disposed on the rear surface of the side-visor, the operator picks up the engagement pin  25 , and inserts the shank  41  of the engagement pin  25  into the tubular portion  35  of the clip  23  through the fastening hole  50  of the side-visor  1 . Through this operation, the engagement portion of the shank of the engagement pin is engaged with the engagement pawls  37  of the clip  23  to sandwich the side-visor  1  between the flange  39  of the engagement pin  25  and the clip  23 . The spring pieces  38  press the rear surface of the side-visor (FIG. 13) to maintain an adequate engagement force of the engagement pin  25  with the clip  23 . Since the clip is connected to the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  of the retainer  22  through the connection straps  24 , and the frame-fitting mounting portion  27  is fixed to the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3 , the side-visor  1  is fixed to the frame  3  through retainer  22  including the clip  23 . After the above attaching operation, the edge of the flange  39  of the engagement pin  25  is in close contact with the side-visor function portion  26  as shown in FIG. 16 to prevent water  46  such as rainwater from intruding toward the rear surface of the side-visor-function portion  26  even if the water  46  falls on the side-visor.  
         [0055]    [0055]FIGS. 17 and 18 show an engagement pin  51  of a side-visor support assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As with the engagement pin  25  of the first embodiment, the engagement pin  51  is preferably integrally formed of plastic material, and comprised of a large flange  52  to be seated on the front surface of the side-visor  1 , and a shank  53  extending downward from the flange  52 . The end of the shank  53  is formed with a large engagement portion  54 . When the shank  53  is inserted into the tubular portion  35  of the clip  23 , the engagement portion  54  can be engaged with the engagement pawls  37 . The front surface of the flange  52  and the peripheral edge of the flange  52  to be brought into surface contact with the side-visor may be formed as a soft portion made of a soft plastic material, and the remaining portion of the engagement pin including the shank  53  may be formed as a hard portion  55  made of a hard plastic material (by so-called two-color molding). This structure provides an enhanced sealing performance of the flange  52 . In the same condition as shown in FIG. 16 for the engagement pin  25 , the engagement pin  51  is in sealing contact with the side-visor function portion  26  through the edge of the flange  52  formed as the soft portion  55  to provide enhanced sealing against water  46  such as rainwater.  
         [0056]    FIGS.  19  to  22  show a retainer  58  of a side-visor support assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The retainer  58  comprises a frame-fitting mounting portion  59  adapted to be fitted to the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3 , a clip  61 , and flexible connection straps  62  for connecting the frame-fitting mounting portion  59  to the clip  61 . The frame-fitting mounting portion  59  is formed as a flat plate of a certain width (in the vertical length in FIG. 19). The frame-fitting mounting portion  59  includes a fitting section  63  adapted to be fitted to the thick bead region  29  (FIG. 12) at the edge of the mounting portion  11  of the frame  3  while sandwiching the bead region  29  therein, and an insertion section  65  adapted to extend from the fitting section  63  to the seal-holding portion  7 , allowing the insertion section  65  to be inserted into the seal-holding portion  7  and to be pressingly held by the sealing rubber  6 . An end region  66  of the insertion section  65  may be increased in thickness to provide enhanced rigidity therein (see FIG. 21).  
         [0057]    The connection straps  62  are formed as elongated string-shaped members. There are preferably a pair of connection straps  62  which extend from opposite side edges of the frame-fitting mounting portion  59  (upper and lower edges in FIG. 19) and converge to one position at the edge of the clip  61  facing the frame-fitting mounting portion. In the pair of connection straps  62 , the distance  69  between the frame-fitting mounting portion  59  and the convergence portion  67  is arranged to fall within a dark region of the side-visor.  
         [0058]    [0058]FIGS. 22A and 22B show the relationship between the connection straps  62  of the retainer  58  in the third embodiment and the connection straps  24  of the retainer  22  in the first embodiment. In FIG. 22B, the connection straps  24  of the retainer  22  of the first embodiment do not converge to a side edge of the clip  23 . Thus, a large area of the connection straps  24  is exposed outside a dark region  70 , allowing the connection straps  24  to be viewed from a transparent region  71  of the side-visor and resulting in deteriorated appearance. To improve appearance, the connection straps  62  of the retainer  58  are converged to one edge position of the clip to provide a reduced distance  69  (FIG. 19). Thus, most of the connection straps  62  are covered by the dark region  70  of the side-visor  1 , as shown in FIG. 22A and are not apparent. The clip  61  includes a pair of spring pieces  73 ,  73  extending in an up-down direction in FIG. 19 so as not to interfere with the pair of connection straps  62  which are converged to an edge position of the clip  61 .  
         [0059]    The retainer may be attached to the side-visor in advance of attaching the side-visor to the frame. In this case, it is desired to allow an operator to easily handle the retainer attached to the side-visor. To this end, a portion  62 A of the retainer  58  on the side of the frame-fitting mounting portion  59  is bent toward the rear surface of the clip  61  with respect to the remaining portion  62 B of the clip  61 , as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21. When the clip  61  is attached to the side-visor  1  with the engagement pin  25  (or  51 ) as shown in FIG. 23, the portion  62 A bent from the portion  62 B is spaced apart from the side-visor to assure a clearance  74  between the frame-fitting mounting portion  59  and the side-visor  1 . The clearance  74  allows the operator to readily grip the insertion section  65  and the fitting section  63  of the frame-fitting mounting portion  59 .  
         [0060]    As stated earlier, in the retainer  58  the connection straps  62  are converged and connected to one edge of the clip  61 . FIG. 19 shows a convergence portion  67  of the connection straps  62 . In FIG. 19, the convergence portion  67  extends a predetermined distance  75  to an edge of the clip  61 . This convergence portion  67 , which is composed of converged and joined connection straps  62 , has a certain rigidity. In this condition, after the clip  61  is attached to the side-visor  1  and the frame-fitting mounting portion  59  is attached to the mounting portion  11  of the frame, the convergence portion  67  acts to prevent the fitting section  63  from being unfolded. This action will be described with reference to FIG. 24.  
         [0061]    In FIG. 24, after the fitting section  63  of the retainer  58  is fitted and attached to the bead region  29  of the mounting portion  11  of the frame, when the clip  61  is moved from a position shown by the phantom line to a position shown by the solid line, and attached to the side-visor  1  with the pin  25 , the convergence portion  67  pushes the end of the fitting section  63  of the frame-fitting mounting portion  59  by virtue of the rigidity of the convergence portion  67 . The arrow  77  shows the direction of a force of the convergence portion  67  pressing the fitting section  63  when the clip  61  is attached to the side-visor  1 . The pressing force acts to allow the fitting section  63  to be kept in the position where it is fitted to the bead region  29  of the frame so as to prevent the fitting section  63  from being unfolded. If the fitting section  63  were unfolded, the sealing rubber  6  would be deformed in the unfolded direction of the fitting section  63 . The resulting displacement of the sealing rubber  6  from its normal position would undesirably cause a risk in that the window glass could bite into the sealing rubber when the window glass is closed.  
         [0062]    According to the present invention, when the retainer is attached to the frame, the connection strap allows the clip to be pivoted and moved rotatably to accommodate changes in the bend angle of the side-visor to the frame and in the distance between the frame-fitting mounting portion and a fastening hole of the side-visor. Thus, even if the bend angle and/or the position of the fastening hole in the side-visor are changed, the same assembly of engagement pin and retainer including the clip can be used, eliminating the need for providing different assemblies and avoiding the risk of misattachment of a retainer during an operation of attaching the retainer to the frame. By integrally forming the clip as part of the retainer, advantages of structural simplicity and ease of manufacture and use can be attained.  
         [0063]    While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes can be made without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.