Abstract:
Rocker moldings are molded of polymer material and include a front section and a rear section joined by bridge arrangements. A preferred embodiments includes two bridge elements connected to a rear edge of the front section and to a front edge of the rear section. The bridge elements span a gap between the front and rear edges and allow for longitudinal expansion of the rocker panel moldings to accommodate thermal expansion in the underlying rocker panels and to provide for slight longitudinal adjustment in the rocker panel moldings while fitting the moldings to rocker panels.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to rocker panel moldings. More particularly, the present invention is directed to rocker panel moldings that are adjustable during mounting. 
     BACKGROUND OF ART 
     Rocker panels are automobile body structures that cover side members of a vehicle&#39;s frame that are located beneath the vehicle&#39;s doors and extend along opposite sides of the vehicle between lower portions of the vehicle&#39;s fenders. Rocker panels are frequently covered with rocker panel moldings generally made of rubber or rubber-like resinous materials and are attached to rocker panels by clips. In accordance with a first prior art approach, rocker panel moldings are configured either as straight, unitary moldings as seen in FIG. 1, or as unitary moldings with lateral portions that extend upwardly at vehicle wheel wells as is seen in FIG.  2 . In accordance with a second prior art approach shown in FIG. 3, prior art rocker panel moldings are separated into two independent parts with a gap there between. A tab projecting longitudinally from one part creates an overlap to visually close the gap. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to rocker panel moldings for attachment to rocker panels on automotive vehicles, wherein the rocker panel moldings are configured as units each having a front section and a rear section, each section having an exterior surface adapted to face outwardly with respect to an automotive vehicle and an interior surface adapted to face inwardly toward the automotive vehicle. The front and rear sections further have upper edge portions and lower edge portions with the front section having a rear edge and the rear section having a front edge. The rear edge and the front edge are separated by a gap that is bridged by at least one flexible bridge element. The bridge element has a front end and a rear end, the front end being in cooperative relationship with the rear edge of the front section and the rear end being in cooperative relationship with the front edge of the rear section. 
     In a further aspect of the invention, the bridge element is unitary with the front and rear sections of the rocker panel molding, and in still another aspect of the invention there are two bridge elements spanning the gap between the front and rear sections, one bridge element being positioned proximate the upper edge portion of the rocker panel molding and the other bridge element being positioned proximate the lower edge portion of the rocker panel. 
     In still a further aspect of the invention, a tab extends from the end edge of one section into the gap between the sections and toward the end edge of the other section to slide behind, or into, the end edge of the other section in order to visually close the gap upon moving the end edges toward one another. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the first prior art rocker panel molding; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a second prior art rocker panel molding; 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a third prior art rocker panel molding, wherein the rocker panel is in two sections: 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a rocker panel molding configured in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective front view of portions of a rocker panel molding according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective rear view of the portions of the rocker panel molding of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective top view of the portions of the rocker panel molding shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and 
     FIGS. 8-14 are top views of various embodiments of bridge elements connecting front and rear sections of rocker panel moldings in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIGS. 1-3 are side views of prior art rocker panel molding configurations, wherein rocker panel moldings  20  and  21  of FIGS. 1 and 2 are configured as unitary pieces and wherein the rocker panel molding  22  of FIG. 3 is comprised of two completely separate sections  22   a  and  22   b.    
     FIG. 4 illustrates generally a rocker panel molding  24  configured in accordance with the principles of the present invention, wherein the rocker panel molding includes a front section  26  and a rear section  28 , the front and rear sections being joined by a bridge arrangement  30  spanning a gap  32  between the sections. The rocker panel moldings  24  configured in accordance with the principles of the present invention are assembled on the automotive vehicle as one piece with the front and rear sections  26  and  28  preferably unitary with the bridge arrangement  30 . Alternatively, the front and rear sections  26  and  28  may be integral with the bridge arrangement  30 , the bridge arrangement being a separate piece which is attached to the front and rear sections of the rocker panel. In either arrangement, the bridge arrangement  30  is flexible so that the gap  32  between the front and rear sections  26  and  28  can be narrowed or widened to accommodate variations in the relatively long rocker panel lengths due to thermal expansion of rocker panels or due to other situations. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 are front and rear views of a first embodiment of the rocker panel  24  showing the bridge arrangement  30  comprised of an upper bridge element  40  and a lower bridge element  42 . The bridge elements  40  and  42  are generally V-shaped and are unitarily molded with the front and rear sections  26  and  28  of the rocker panel molding  24 , thereby connecting the rear edge  44  of the front section  26  to the front edge  46  of the rear section  28 . 
     Considering the bridge elements  40  and  42  in more detail, it is seen that the upper bridge element  40  has front and rear spans  50  and  51  which are connected to one another by an arcuate bight  52 , the front span  50  having a front end  50   a  unitary with the rear edge  44  of the front section  26 , and the rear span  51  having a rear end  51  a unitary with the front edge  46  of the rear section  28 . Bridge element  42  has a front span  56  and a rear span  57  which are connected by a bight  58  with the front span  56  having a front end  56   a  unitary with the rear edge  44  of the front section and rear span  57  having a rear end  57   a  unitary with the front edge  46  of the rear section  28 . As is seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, spans  50  and  51  are displaced downwardly from upper edge portions  61  and  62  defined by upper side plates  63  and  64 , respectively, on the front and rear sections  26  and  28 , respectively, while the spans  56  and  57  of the lower bridge element  42  are unitary with the rear and front edges  46  and  48  of the front and rear sections at locations displaced upwardly from the lower edge plates  64  and  65 , defined by stepped lower side plates  66  ad  67  on the front and rear sections. Consequently, the bights  52  and  58  are disposed inboard of the front and rear ends  50   a  and  51  a of legs  50  and  51  and inboard of the front and rear ends  56   a  and  57   a  of the legs  56  and  57 . 
     The bridge elements  40  and  42  flex so that the gap  32  can be widened or narrowed in order to slightly adjust the longitudinal length of the single rocker panel molding  24 . As is seen in FIG. 7, the widths of bridge elements  40  and  42  are no greater than the depth of the upper panel molding  24 . 
     As is seen in the rear view of FIG. 6, legs  50  and  51  of the V-shaped bridge element  40  are supported by flanges  53  and  54  which extend downwardly from upper side plates  63  and  64  on the front and rear sections  26  and  28 , respectively. The lower V-shaped bridge element  42  projects upwardly from a vertical flange  59  connecting leg  56  thereof to stepped side plate  64 , while flange  60  connects leg  57  to stepped lower side plates  66  and  67  on the front and rear sections  26  and  28 . 
     As is further evident from FIGS. 5-7, the rocker panel molding  24  is convex when viewed from the exterior in FIG.  5  and is concave when viewed from the interior in FIG.  6 . These contours are the result of the upper edge plates  61  and  62  and lower stepped side plates  64  and  65  projecting laterally with respect to the longitudinal axes of the front and rear sections  26  and  28 . The upper side plates  63  and  64  are joined by contoured front plate sections  76  and  78  having sections which slope away from the upper plates  61  and  62  and toward the lower stepped side plates  66  and  67  to provide a selected configuration for the rocker panel molding  24 , so that the rocker panel molding  24  has a concave interior surface which accommodates the width of the bridge arrangement  30  comprised of the bridge elements  40  and  42 . 
     Optionally, a tab  70  projects from one of the end edges  44  or  46  and fits behind front surfaces  71  and  72  of the sections  26  and  28  to span the gap  32  so as to make the gap less visually noticeable. Since the gap  32  is in the range of ⅛″ to ⅜″, the tab  70  combined with the presence of the bridging elements  44  and  42  substantially closes the gap visually. Tab  70  preferably projects from back surface  73  of the section  28  so that it is stepped from behind the end edge  46  by the thickness of the panel molding  24  to readily slide behind the front section  26 . 
     While the V-shaped bridge elements  40  and  42  with legs shown in FIGS. 5-7 disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bridge arrangement  30  may assume various shapes as is indicated in FIG. 8-14 which are schematic views of rocker panel moldings  24 . In each case the front and rear edges  44  and  46  of the sections  26  and  28  are connected by spans, such as the spans  50 ,  51 ,  56  and  57  of FIGS. 5-7 which are joined by bights  52  and  58 . In FIG. 8, the bridge element  80  is completely V-shaped as opposed to being V-shaped with flanges, as is the case in FIGS. 5-7. In FIG. 9, the bridge element  82  is polygonal, rectangular or square shaped, and in FIG. 10, the bridge element  84  is U-shaped with an arcuate bight portion. In FIGS. 11 and 12 the bridge elements  86  and  88  are arcuate or oval and M-shaped, respectively, while in FIGS. 13 and 14, bridge elements  90  and  92  have irregular shapes and are attached either to the end edges  44  and  46  of the rocker panel molding section  26  or  28  or inboard of one of the edges  46 . With respect to any of the various shapes of FIGS. 8-14, the bridge elements may be attached to the sections either at the edges thereof or inboard of the edges. 
     Preferably, bridge elements  42  and  80 - 92  are unitarity molded with the front and rear sections  26  and  28  of the rocker panel molding  24 , however the bridge elements may be of a different material, such as but not limited to, metal or resinous materials different from that of the rocker panel molding so as to make an integral rather than a unitary structure. Preferably, the rocker panel molding  24  is made out of a material such as, but not limited to, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic olefins (TPO), ethylene-propylene terpolymer rubber. 
     From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention, and without departing from the sprit thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.