Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6039340?ie=ISO-8859-1
Timestamp: 2015-07-29 16:39:45
Document Index: 712567554

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n1', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 21']

Patent US6039340 - Gas bag cover - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA gas bag cover of pliant material which is attachable to a vehicle by a fastener, includes at least one molded, protruding fastener web having at least one recess in which the fastener engages, and a reinforcement part encasing the recess at least in part....http://www.google.com/patents/US6039340?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6039340 - Gas bag coverAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6039340 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 08/926,961Publication dateMar 21, 2000Filing dateSep 10, 1997Priority dateSep 26, 1996Fee statusLapsedAlso published asDE29616823U1, EP0832792A2, EP0832792A3, EP0832792B1Publication number08926961, 926961, US 6039340 A, US 6039340A, US-A-6039340, US6039340 A, US6039340AInventorsAnton FischerOriginal AssigneeTrw Occupant Restraint Systems GmbhExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (11), Referenced by (1), Classifications (8), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetGas bag cover
US 6039340 AAbstract
A gas bag cover of pliant material which is attachable to a vehicle by a fastener, includes at least one molded, protruding fastener web having at least one recess in which the fastener engages, and a reinforcement part encasing the recess at least in part.
1. Apparatus attachable to a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:a gas bag cover of pliant material having an outside wall and at least one molded fastener web protruding from said outside wall, said fastener web having outer opposite surfaces and through-holes spaced from each other extending through said fastener web; a reinforcement part embedded in said fastener web, said reinforcement part having a double-layer plate with first and second layers spaced from each other and arranged on said outer opposite surfaces of said fastener web, said reinforcement part covering only a part of each of said outer opposite surfaces, said first and second layers being connected by integrally molded sleeves having through-bores, each of said sleeves completely lining an inside of one of said through-holes; and fastener means for attaching said gas bag cover and said reinforcement part to the vehicle, said fastener means being extendable through said through-bores in said sleeves. 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said cover is of injection-molded synthetic material.
3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said cover is of foamed synthetic material.
4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said cover is of cast synthetic material.
The invention relates to a gas bag cover.
Gas bag covers usual hitherto consist of a single or two-component injection-molded plastics part featuring integrally molded fastener webs on its inner side. The cover is secured to the steering wheel hub or dashboard by means of studs or bolts engaging recesses in the fastener webs. Due to vibrations in the vehicle during its operation the recesses in the pliant plastic material may, however, become permanently widened. To prevent this, numerous recesses and fastener means have been provided to reduce the forces acting on the individual recess.
The invention provides a gas bag cover in which widening of the recess can be practically excluded. In addition to this the forces receivable by a single recess are substantially higher than in the case of existing gas bag covers. The cover according to the invention is of pliant material and is attachable to a vehicle by a fastener means. The cover includes at least one molded, protruding fastener web having at least one recess in which the fastener means engages, and a reinforcement part encasing the recess at least in part. As a result of the invention, fewer fastener means need to be provided so that the time needed to fit the cover is reduced.
The gas bag cover according to the invention is of molded, foamed or cast synthetic material.
Preferably, the reinforcement part is embedded in the fastener web to define an interlocking connection and configured as a molding which completely encases the recess.
When a through-hole is provided in the fastener web the reinforcement part is preferably a hollow rivet which completely lines the recess on the inside. If, however, several through-holes are provided it may be simpler to configure the reinforcement as a double-layer plate, the layers of which are spaced and connected to each other by sleeves, each sleeve lining the corresponding recess on the inside. The force exterted by the fastener means on the fastener web is thus introduced therein over a large surface area.
FIG. 1 shows a partial section through the gas bag cover according to a first embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 2 shows a partial section through the gas bag cover according to a second embodiment of the invention.
In FIG. 1 a gas bag cover 1 is shown which closes off an opening in a dashboard in which a gas bag module is incorporated. The cover 1 is an injection-molded plastic part and features an outside wall 3 corresponding in color and surface texture to that of the dashboard. Protruding from the inner side of the wall 3, integrally molded thereto, is a fastener web 5. This serves to arrest the cover 1 to the vehicle. For this purpose fastener means 7 in the form of studs or bolts need to be inserted and axially locked or screwed into through-holes 9 provided in the fastener web 5 and into openings (not shown) in a vehicle-integral part. A reinforcement part 11 in the form of a molding serves to reinforce the through-holes 9 against tearing the edge of the holes or widening them due to vibrations when the vehicle is in operation.
The reinforcement part 11 is configured in accordance with FIG. 1 as a double-layer plate of metal, the layers 13, 15 of which are spaced away from each other and connected to each other by intermediate parts in the form of sleeves 17. The reinforcement part 11 is embedded in a form-fitting manner in the fastener web 5 so that the sleeves 17 are surrounded on the outside by plastic material and the layers 13, 15 are arranged on the outside on the fastener web 5. Introducing tensile forces into the cover 1 occurs over a large surface area via the reinforcement part 11 so that fewer through-holes 9 and fastener means 7 can be provided than in the case of a cover having no reinforcement part 11. Since the reinforcement part 11 completely lines the through-holes 9 on the inside, the through-holes 9 are also not widened by vibration which may lead to a loosening of the cover 1.
The embodiment of the cover 1 depicted in FIG. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in that each through-hole 9 features its own reinforcement part 21 in the form of a hollow rivet which can be arrested following injection-molding of the cover 1 on the fastener web 5 or is embedded in the fastener web 5 on injection-molding of the cover 1.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS3687496 *May 26, 1971Aug 29, 1972Hindin EugeneRivet panel fastenerUS4424968 *Nov 5, 1981Jan 10, 1984Indian Industries, Inc.Basketball backboard apparatusUS5118132 *Nov 7, 1990Jun 2, 1992Takata CorporationCover of an air bag deviceUS5121942 *Jan 22, 1991Jun 16, 1992Davidson Textron Inc.Airbag cover assembly and method of forming sameUS5217254 *Jun 21, 1991Jun 8, 1993Takata CorporationAir bag system for assistant driverUS5320380 *Sep 25, 1991Jun 14, 1994Ikeda Bussan Co., Ltd.Cover for an airbag assemblyUS5335939 *Nov 13, 1992Aug 9, 1994Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.Air bag deviceUS5427407 *Sep 26, 1994Jun 27, 1995Nsk Ltd.Air bag systemUS5427408 *Jul 28, 1993Jun 27, 1995Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.Air bag device and method of molding a pad portion thereofUS5499842 *Feb 16, 1995Mar 19, 1996Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.Pad for air bag deviceEP0523882A1 *Jul 1, 1992Jan 20, 1993United Technologies Automotive Clifford LimitedCrash protection device* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7370878 *Jul 22, 2002May 13, 2008Takata CorporationStructure for attaching a fabric sheet to a vehicle body* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification280/728.2, 280/728.3International ClassificationB29L31/30, B29C45/14, B60R21/20, B60R21/217Cooperative ClassificationB60R21/217European ClassificationB60R21/217Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionSep 10, 1997ASAssignmentOwner name: TRW OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS GMBH, GERMANYFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:FISCHER, ANTON;REEL/FRAME:008806/0001Effective date: 19970902Aug 28, 2003FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Oct 1, 2007REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedMar 21, 2008LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesMay 13, 2008FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 20080321RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services