Source: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/96958966/Method-For-Assembling-Flexible-Molding-Main-Body-Part-And-Cover-Part-As-Molding---Patent-7979972
Timestamp: 2014-10-01 05:33:00
Document Index: 790293190

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n5', 'art.\n7', 'art.\n8', 'art.\n9', 'art.\n10', 'art.\n11', 'art.\n14', 'art 300', 'art 400', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 400', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 400', 'art 300', 'art 300']

United States Patent: 7979972
7,979,972
Method for assembling flexible molding main body part and cover part as
A method for assembling a molding, including pre-assembling a molding by
placing one of two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of a cover in a
groove in a flexible main body, the groove receiving one of the two
edges; placing the molding in a fixture so that the cover cannot be
substantially flexed when a pushing force is applied to the molding;
applying a pushing force to the main body of the molding, causing the
main body to flex or compress under the pushing force; sliding the main
body past the other of the two edges of the cover; seating the other of
the two edges of the cover in another groove by releasing the pushing
force allowing the main body to return toward an unflexed and
uncompressed state inside the channel of the cover so the two parts form
an assembled molding; and removing the assembled molding from the
12/318,215
10937349Sep., 20047484287
29/449,450,451,527.1,527.2 246/177.1,177.17,177.19,285,339
3110938
4291076
Reymann et al.
Capriotti et al.
5561003
Nowosiadly
5993713
de la Puerta et al.
Malcherczyk et al.
Weatherall et al.
This is a Division of application Ser. No. 10/937,349 filed Sep. 10,
2004. The disclosure of the prior application is hereby incorporated by
1.  A method for assembling a molding, comprising: pre-assembling the molding by placing one of two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of a cover part, which has a channel
configuration and a substantially C-shaped cross-section, in a groove in a flexible main body part, the groove being designed to receive the one of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of the cover part;  placing the pre-assembled molding in a
molding receiving fixture usable to hold the cover part in such a manner that the cover part cannot be substantially flexed when a pushing force is applied to the pre-assembled molding;  applying the pushing force to the flexible main body part of the
pre-assembled molding, causing the flexible main body part to at least one of flex and compress under the pressure of the pushing force;  sliding the flexible main body part past the other of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of the cover part;
seating the other of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of the cover part in a groove in the flexible main body part designed to receive the other of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of the cover part, by releasing the pushing force
allowing the flexible main body part to return toward an unflexed and uncompressed state inside the channel of the cover part such that the two parts form an assembled molding;  and removing the assembled molding from the molding receiving fixture.
2.  The method of claim 1, wherein the pushing force is applied to an entire longitudinal length of the flexible main body part of the pre-assembled molding at a same time.
3.  The method of claim 1, wherein the pushing force is applied incrementally at least one of (a) discrete parts and (b) continuous points, along a longitudinal length of the flexible main body part of the pre-assembled window molding.
4.  The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of flexing and compressing of the flexible main body part is substantially isolated to a thinner flexing portion of an exterior portion of the flexible main body part.
5.  The method of claim 4, wherein the thinner flexing portion gradually decreases in thickness from the rest of the exterior portion of the flexible main body part, and when the pushing force is applied, the thinner flexing portion is flexed at
different rates along the length of the thinner flexing portion, depending on the thickness.
6.  The method of claim 1, further comprising, applying a pulling force along a longitudinal length of the flexible main body part of the pre-assembled window molding on an opposite side of the flexible main body part from the groove in the
flexible main body part designed to receive the other of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of the cover part while the pushing force is applied to the flexible main body part to aid in sliding the flexible main body part past the other of the two
inwardly bent longitudinal edges into the channel in the cover part and seating the other of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges in the groove in the flexible main body part.
7.  The method of claim 1, wherein, once the flexible main body part returns toward an unflexed and uncompressed state inside the channel of the cover part, a slight gap remains between each of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of the
cover part and the grooves in the flexible main body part designed to receive the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of the cover part.
8.  The method of claim 1, further comprising pushing the cover part away from an exterior portion of the flexible body part in the assembled window molding by an elastic deflection force exerted by a flexible spring lip on the exterior portion
of the flexible main body part.
9.  The method of claim 1, wherein the cover part is a substantially non-flexible cover part.
10.  The method of claim 1, wherein the cover part is a metal cover part.
11.  The method of claim 10, wherein the metal cover part has an exterior face, and a finish is applied to the exterior face.
12.  The method of claim 11, wherein the finish applied to the exterior face of the cover part is at least one of anodized, chromium-plated, polished and painted.
13.  The method of claim 1, wherein the cover part is pre-bent at least one longitudinal end, and in the pre-assembled window molding the flexible main body is placed such that a longitudinal end of the flexible main body part is inside the
pre-bent at least one end of the cover part.
14.  The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible main body part is usable to provide a sealing engagement with the periphery of a movable window glass to restrict at least one of environmental elements, debris and other matter from entering an
area between the movable window glass and a body structure within which the movable window glass can be extended and retracted.
15.  The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible main body part is constructed of a plurality of rubber-like elastic materials of varying hardness.
16.  The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of rubber-like elastic materials of varying hardness include at least one of a thermoplastic elastomer, a thermoplastic resin, a nylon resin, a polypropylene resin, a semi-hard rubber, an
elastic elastomer and soft rubber.
17.  The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible main body part includes a projecting ridge portion formed adjacent to the groove in the flexible main body part designed to receive the other of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of the
cover part, the projecting ridge portion riding over the other of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges of the cover part facilitating additional flexing and compressing of a thinner flexing portion of an exterior portion of the flexible main body
part and providing additional surface area to improve seating of the other of the two inwardly bent longitudinal edges in the groove.
18.  The method of claim 1, wherein an exterior face of the cover part is covered with a removable protective cover.
19.  The method of claim 18, wherein the removable protective cover is at least one of an adhesive tape and a film.
20.  The method of claim 19, further comprising removing the removable protective cover from the exterior face of the cover part when the removable protective cover is no longer required.
21.  The method of claim 1, wherein the assembled molding is a belt-line window molding for a motor vehicle.
22.  A method for assembling a flexible molding main body part and a cover part as a molding, comprising: providing a molding receiving fixture having a molding accommodating channel, an inner cross-section contour of the molding accommodating
channel having a shape substantially identical to an outer cross-section contour of the cover part, the molding accommodating channel being formed in a channel configuration and having a substantially C-shaped cross-section;  and moving one of the
molding receiving fixture and a pushing force exerting unit opposing the molding receiving fixture toward another of the molding receiving fixture and the pushing force exerting unit to assemble the molding, wherein, the cover part and the flexible
molding main body part are mounted in the molding receiving fixture, a pushing force is exerted against the cover part and the flexible molding main body part when at least one of the molding receiving fixture and the pushing force exerting unit is moved
toward the other, and the molding accommodating channel does not allow the cover part to bend or excessively deform while the flexible main body part is forced to at least one of flex and compress under a pressure of the pushing force such that the cover
part and the flexible molding main body part are assembled as the molding.  Description
Conventionally, such metal cover members are secured to functional main body parts of motor vehicle belt-line window moldings in widely varied ways.  The Mueller et al. patents catalog a number of these conventional methods for mating,
assembling and/or otherwise securing a metal cover member of such a molding to a functional main body part of the molding.  Disadvantages associated with each method are noted.  The Mueller et al. patents propose to overcome enumerated shortfalls in
previous methods by providing a method of assembling a belt-line window molding for a motor vehicle door, wherein the belt-line molding includes a main body part with a rigid internal construction of aluminum, steel, hardened plastic, PVC or other rigid
material, and a metal cover part having a channel configuration of a C-shaped profile intended to cover an exposed portion of the main body part.  The disclosed method includes placing one edge of the metal cover part into an edge receiving groove of the
main body part, pivoting the metal cover part generally about that edge such that the opposite edge of the metal cover part engages a rigid portion of the main body part, outwardly flexing the channel configuration of the metal cover part in order to
slide the edge across the rigid portion of the main body part, and inwardly flexing the metal cover part to complete the assembly of the metal cover part onto the rigid portion of the main body part.  The result is an assembled belt-line window molding
for a motor vehicle.
FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along a line 12-12 in FIG. 11 of the second exemplary embodiment of an apparatus, in operation, for facilitating assembly of two-piece belt-line window moldings for motor vehicles according to
Belt-line window moldings 130, 160 are generally designed and constructed in such a manner to allow the movable window panels 120, 150 to be extended and retracted freely into door panels 10, 140, while maintaining a substantial seal against
The exterior portion 350 of the exemplary flexible main body part 300 further includes a spring lip 360 which is usable to help ensure that an installed cover part 400, as shown in FIG. 2, is firmly held in place and will not, for example,
rattle loosely when the two-piece belt-line window molding 200 is installed on a motor vehicle as shown in FIG. 2.  The exterior portion 350 of the exemplary flexible main body part 300 also includes at least one door panel holding lip 365 (two shown), a
lower cushion lip 370 and a projecting upper ridge 375.  Further, the exterior portion 350 of the exemplary flexible main body part 300 includes an upper groove 380 and a lower groove 385 to accommodate upper and lower inwardly bent longitudinal edges of
a non-flexible cover part 400, as shown in FIG. 2.
Additionally, the exterior of at least one of the concealing lip 315, the upper seal lip 320 and the lower seal lip 325 can be covered in a different material, such as nylon pile flock material 327 (shown here in exemplary manner on the upper
and lower seal lips 320, 325), in order to better allow these lips to slide along the surface of the window glass 600 depicted in FIG. 2 as the window glass 600 is extended or retracted in directions A.
FIG. 8 illustrates a general configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 800 for facilitating assembly of two-piece belt-line window moldings for motor vehicles according to this invention.  As shown in FIG. 8, the apparatus
800 includes a pushing force device interface 810, an upper support member 820, a pusher face 830, a base member 850, and a base frame 860.
FIG. 11 illustrates a second view of the general configuration of the second exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 900, in operation, for facilitating assembly of two-piece belt-line window moldings for motor vehicles according to this invention. As shown in FIG. 11, a pushing force has been exerted from a pushing force device (not shown) translated through the pushing force device interface 910 to an upper support member 920 which has been displaced from its upper or at rest position vertically
The actual assembly process occurs in essentially the same manner as was described in paragraphs [0052]-[0055] above except that the pushing force is incrementally applied to the flexible main body part 300 of the two-piece belt line molding in
In this exemplary apparatus, a cam 1025 vertically protrudes from the upper support member 1020.  As the upper support member 1020 is translated vertically downward under an exerted pusher force, the pusher face 1030 pushes the flexible main
body 300 downward, flexing, compressing or otherwise elastically inwardly deforming the flexible main body part 300 as noted in the foregoing descriptions of other embodiments.  Simultaneously, the cam 1025 moves vertically downward and a hook point 1045
of a hook-like catcher 1040 connected by an integrating member 1035 to a cam follower 1031 pulls the lower projecting portion 335 of the interior portion 310 of the flexible main body part 300 such that the thinner flexing portion 355 of the exterior
portion 350 of the flexible main body part 300 flexes inwardly in a direction depicted as H. This movement allows the inwardly bent longitudinal upper edge 410 of the cover part 400 to more easily slide over the projecting upper ridge 375 of the exterior
portion 350 of the flexible main body part 300 before coming to rest and substantially seating itself in the upper groove 380 of the exterior portion 350 of the flexible main body part 300.  As an alternative to the cam driven portion of the exemplary
apparatus shown, a separate pulling force device (not shown) attached by the same or a separate integrating member to the hook-like catcher 1040 could be employed to exert the pulling force described above.
Method for assembling flexible molding main body part and cover part as molding, Tamura, Tatsuya Tamura, Application number 12 318-215, Metal Working
1. Field of Invention This invention is directed to systems and methods for assembling moldings, such as belt-line window moldings for motor vehicles. 2. Description of Related Art A variety of systems and methods are conventionally used to fabricate and/or assemble window moldings such as, for example, window moldings for motor vehicles which are designed to seal the opening between the body of the motor vehicle and amovable motor vehicle window glass such as, for example, the movable window glass located in the door of an automobile. These window moldings are commonly referred to as belt-line window moldings. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,141,854 to Mueller et al. and 6,742,304 to Mueller et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, teach that a belt-line window molding is fixed to a vehicle body and provides asealing engagement with the periphery of the window glass to prevent environmental elements or other obstructions from entering the area between the body structure and the movable window glass of a motor vehicle. The Mueller et al. patents teach atypical window molding of a two-part construction including a main body part which, although functional, may not be aesthetically pleasing, and a decorative or ornamental metal cover member designed to hide the functional main body part behind a painted,anodized, chrome-plated or otherwise decoratively treated ornamental cover. Conventionally, such metal cover members are secured to functional main body parts of motor vehicle belt-line window moldings in widely varied ways. The Mueller et al. patents catalog a number of these conventional methods for mating,assembling and/or otherwise securing a metal cover member of such a molding to a functional main body part of the molding. Disadvantages associated with each method are noted. The Mueller et al. patents propose to overcome enumerated shortfalls inprevious methods by providing a method of assembling a belt-line window mold
Assembling The Gauntlet