Source: http://www.freshpatents.com/Integral-skin-interior-trim-dt20061026ptan20060237988.php
Timestamp: 2013-05-19 18:09:10
Document Index: 777039592

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 35', 'art 29', 'art 35', 'art 35', 'art 29', 'application No. 2005', 'art 3', 'art 5', 'art 3', 'art 13', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 13', 'art 5', 'art 3', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'arts 29', 'arts 29', 'art 13', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 29', 'arts 35', 'arts 29', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 29', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 29', 'arts 35', 'arts 29', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 29', 'arts 29', 'arts 29', 'arts 29', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 35', 'arts 29', 'arts 29', 'arts 29', 'arts 35']

Integral Skin Interior Trim Inventor Store
Patents sorted by company.	10/26/06 | Class 296 Monitor | RSS | Browse: Prev - Next Integral skin interior trim Abstract: While a corner part 35 of a skin 7 formed between side covers 30 and 31 has a sector shape, a corner part 29 of a base material 9 also has a sector shape. When resin is charged between the skin 7 and the base material 9, the sector-shaped corner part 35 is bent under a pressure at which the resin is charged to stretch outward, thereby bringing the sector-shaped corner part 35 into absolute contact with the sector-shaped corner part 29 of the base material 9. This prevents resin leakage from between the skin 7 and the base material 9. ...
Agent: Nixon Peabody, LLP - Washington, DC, USInventor: Shingo NiimiUSPTO Applicaton #: #20060237988 - Class: 296070000 (USPTO) - 10/26/06 - Class 296 Related Patent Categories: Land Vehicles: Bodies And Tops, Bodies, DashboardsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060237988, Integral skin interior trim.
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 on
patent application No. 2005-124082, the entire contents of which are
[0003] The present invention relates to improvement of integral skin
interior trims, and more particularly relates to countermeasures against
resin leakage from the comers of integral skin interior trims.
[0005] Disclosed in Page 4 and FIG. 1 of Japanese Unexamined Patent
Publication No. 9-76256 is an integral skin interior trim in which a
resin interlayer is formed between and integrally with a skin and a base
material. In this Patent Document, the end parts of the skin are bent
downwardly to cover the sides of the resin interlayer and make tight
contact at their outer faces with the vertical walls of the base
material. Furthermore, the rigidities of the skin end parts are enhanced
by increasing the thicknesses thereof. This secures contact between the
outer faces of the skin end parts and the vertical walls of the base
material, resulting in improved sealing function therebetween. This
prevents resin leakage in the charging of the resin for the formation of
the resin interlayer between the skin and the base material.
[0006] In the case where the skin end parts of the integral skin interior
trim have corners, the increase in the rigidities of the skin end parts
as disclosed in the Patent Document makes it difficult that the outer
faces of the skin end parts extend along the vertical walls of the base
material. As a result, clearances are produced therebetween. This causes
the resin leakage from between the outer faces of the skin end parts and
the vertical walls of the base material. As illustrated in FIGS. 12A and
12B, in particular, when the skin is slush-molded, a large amount of
resin is concentrated inside each of corners c of the end parts b of a
skin a in the molding of the skin a, thereby forming a thicker part d at
the corner c. As a result, the rigidity of the corner c is enhanced too
much. When a resin interlayer f is to be molded between and integrally
with the skin a and the base material e by placing the skin a on the base
material e and charging resin between the skin a and the base material e,
a clearance is produced therebetween, resulting in leakage of the resin.
The reason for this is that the corner c is less likely to extend along
the face g of the base material e to be sealed even when the pressure at
which the resin is charged between the skin a and the base material e is
applied to the corner c.
[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the aforementioned
problem, and an object of the present invention is to prevent resin
leakage from the comers of the skin end parts and base material.
[0008] In order to attain the above object, the present invention is
characterized in that the comers of the skin end parts and base material
are devised in their shapes.
[0009] An integral skin interior trim according to a first aspect of the
present invention comprises: a resin interlayer; a flexible skin; and a
rigid base material, said resin interlayer being molded between and
integrally with the skin and the base material, wherein: the skin
comprises an upper cover covering the top face of the interlayer, side
covers extending from two edges of the upper cover between which a corner
is formed to cover the sides of the interlayer corresponding to the two
edges, and an under flange extending from the end of one of the side
covers to enter between the rear face of the interlayer and the base
material; the base material comprises a cover contact face coming into
tight contact with the outer face of the other of the side covers and a
flange contact face coming into tight contact with the lower face of the
under flange; the side covers are connected to each other to form a
comer; the other of the side covers is connected to the under flange
through a sector-shaped corner part of the skin gradually increasing in
width in the direction going from the corner formed between the side
covers toward the distal end of the under flange; and the cover contact
face and flange contact face of the base material are connected to each
other through a sector-shaped corner part of the base material
corresponding to the sector-shaped corner part of the skin.
[0010] In view of the above, when resin is charged between the skin and
the base material, the sector-shaped corner part of the skin bend under a
pressure at which resin is charged to stretch outward. Thus, the
sector-shaped corner part of the skin comes into tight contact with the
sector-shaped corner part of the base material. In this way, reliable
sealing between the skin and the base material can prevent the resin
leakage from therebetween, thus providing an integral skin interior trim
with an excellent appearance. Furthermore, both the sector-shaped corner
parts are shaped to gradually increase in width in the direction going
from the corner formed between the side covers of the skin toward the
distal end of the under flange. This prevents the sector-shaped corner
parts from affecting the appearance of the trim. Therefore, a corner
region of the skin can achieve a sharp appearance corresponding to the
corner formed between the side covers.
[0011] An integral skin interior trim according to a second aspect of the
comprises an upper cover covering the top face of the interlayer and side
covers extending from two edges of an upper cover between which a corner
edges; the base material comprises cover contact faces coming into tight
contact with the outer faces of the side covers; the side covers are
connected to each other through a sector-shaped corner part of the skin
gradually increasing in width in the direction going from the upper cover
side toward the distal ends of the side covers; and the cover contact
faces of the base material are connected to each other through a
sector-shaped corner part of the base material corresponding to the
sector-shaped corner part of the skin.
[0012] Also in the second aspect of the present invention, like the first
aspect of the present invention, the sector-shaped corner part formed
between the side covers of the skin bends under the resin charging
pressure to stretch outward. Thus, the sector-shaped corner part of the
skin comes into tight contact with the sector-shaped corner part of the
base material. In this way, reliable sealing between the skin and the
base material can prevent the resin leakage from therebetween, thus
providing an integral skin interior trim with an excellent appearance.
Furthermore, both the sector-shaped corner parts are shaped to gradually
increase in width in the direction going from the upper cover side of the
skin toward the distal ends of the side covers. This prevents the
sector-shaped corner parts from affecting the appearance of the trim.
Therefore, a corner region of the upper cover of the skin can achieve a
[0013] According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the
integral skin interior trim of the first or second aspect, the
sector-shaped corner parts may be both curved to expand outward.
Therefore, the sector-shaped corner part of the skin easily bends under
the resin charging pressure to stretch outward. This is advantageous in
tight contact between the sector-shaped corner parts of the skin and the
[0014] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the
integral skin interior trim of the first or second aspect of the present
invention, the skin may be slush-molded.
[0015] More particularly, the use of the slush molding has conventionally
facilitated increase in the thicknesses of corner parts of a skin.
However, the above-mentioned sector-shaped corner parts make it difficult
to increase their thicknesses. This easily secures the flexibilities of
the corner parts. This is advantageous in enhancement in the sealing
function between the sector-shaped corner parts of the skin and the base
material when the sector-shaped corner part of the skin is brought into
tight contact with the sector-shaped corner part of the base material.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an instrument panel according to a
[0017] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a part C of the
instrument panel in FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a part of a base material
[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a part of a skin
[0020] FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a part of the skin when
viewed from the back side thereof.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG.
[0023] FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 according to a second
[0024] FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 according to the second
[0025] FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 according to the
[0026] FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams corresponding to FIG. 7 and
illustrating other exemplary sector-shaped corner parts.
[0027] FIG. 12A is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 in a known example,
and FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D in FIG.
[0028] The present invention will be described hereinafter in more detail
with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates an automotive instrument panel 1 as an integral
skin interior trim according to a first embodiment of the present
invention. The instrument panel 1 is formed of an upper panel part 3 and
a lower panel part 5. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the part of the upper
panel part 3 excluding a part thereof closer to the front end of the
automotive body forms a three-layer pad part 13 obtained by molding a
resin interlayer 11 between and integrally with a flexible resin skin 7
and a rigid resin base material 9. The part of the upper panel part 3
closer to the front end of the automotive body forms a single layer in
which the base material 9 is exposed, and an air outlet 15 for a front
defroster (hereinafter, referred to as "front-defroster air outlet 15")
is formed in the above part of the upper panel part 3 to extend along the
width of the automotive body.
[0030] The flexible resin skin 7 is made of a flexible, soft material,
such as polyvinyl chloride or thermoplastic olefin, and molded in a
predetermined shape by vacuum molding, slush molding, or any other
method. The rigid resin base material 9 is made of a rigid material, such
as polypropylene or ABS resin, and molded in a predetermined shape by
injection molding or any other method. The resin interlayer 11 is formed
by injecting and charging a fluid thermoplastic resin, such as
polypropylene, between the resin skin 7 and the resin base material 9 and
then curing the thermoplastic resin.
[0031] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a recess 17 for containing a meter
(hereinafter, referred to as "meter-containing recess 17") is formed in
the right-hand region of the pad part 13, and air outlets 19 for side
defrosters (hereinafter, referred to as "side-defroster air outlets 19")
are formed in both lateral end regions thereof. The lower panel part 5
forms a single layer in which the base material 9 is exposed like the
part of the upper panel part 3 closer to the front end of the automotive
body. A part of the lower panel part 5 located immediately below the
meter-containing recess 17 is formed with an opening 21 for attachment of
a steering system, and the lower panel part 5 is formed at its left-hand
region with an opening 23 for attachment of a glove box.
[0032] As illustrated in FIG. 3, a groove 25 is formed in front of the
front-defroster air outlet 15 of the base material 9 to extend over the
whole width of the automotive body along the front-defroster air outlet
15. Both lateral ends of the base material 9 are formed with flat faces
27 extending toward the rear of the automotive body continuously with
both lateral ends of the groove 25. The flat faces 27 located at the
lateral ends of the base material 9 are formed at a lower level than the
top face of the middle part thereof. Sector-shaped corner parts 29 are
formed at the locations 28 of the comers formed between the groove 25 and
the flat faces 27. The sector-shaped corner parts 29 are formed to have
outwardly expanding curved faces generally horizontally extending inward
from the outer comers of the flat faces 27 and gradually increasing in
width so as to be generally sector-shaped. In other words, they are
formed to have a radius shape.
[0033] On the other hand, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the skin 7
includes an upper cover 7a, a front side cover 30 and right and left
L-shaped covers (only the left one is illustrated) 31. The covers 7a, 30
and 31 are formed continuously. The upper cover 7a covers the top face of
the resin interlayer 11 and forms a flat top face of the pad part 13. The
front side cover 30 is inclined toward the front of the automotive body
and downward from the edge of the upper cover 7a closer to the front of
the automotive body and covers the front side of the resin interlayer 11.
The right or left L-shaped covers 31 include side covers 31a that extend
downward from the edges of the upper cover 7a closer to both lateral
sides of the automotive body and cover the left and right sides of the
resin interlayer 11 and under flanges 31b that is formed continuously
with the side covers 31a to enter between the rear face of the resin
interlayer 11 and the base material 9. The side covers 31a are formed to
become square to the upper cover 7a.
[0034] The front side cover 30 is continuous with the side covers 31a such
that comers are formed between the front side cover 30 and the side
covers 31a. The front side cover 30 is connected through sector-shaped
corner parts 35 to the under flanges 31b. These sector-shaped corner
parts 35 correspond to the sector-shaped corner parts 29 of the base
material 9 and are formed to have outwardly expanding curved faces
generally horizontally extending from comers 33 formed between the side
covers 30 and 31a toward the distal ends of the under flanges 31b and
gradually increasing in width so as to be generally sector-shaped. In
other words, they are formed to have a radius shape.
[0035] The front side wall of the groove 25 of the base material 9 forms a
face 25a of the base material 9 coming into tight contact with the outer
face of the front side cover 30 of the skin 7 (hereinafter, referred to
as "cover contact face 25a"). The flat faces 27 located at both lateral
ends of the base material 9 form faces of the base material 9 coming into
tight contact with the lower faces of the under flanges 31b (hereinafter,
referred to as "flange contact faces"). The skin 7 and the base material
9 are sealed in the following manner: As illustrated in FIG. 6, the outer
face of the front side cover 30 of the skin 7 comes into tight contact
with the cover contact face 25a of the base material 9, and as
illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower faces of the under flanges 31b of the
skin 7 come into tight contact with the flange contact faces 27 of the
base material 9. In other words, leakage of resin is prevented in
charging of the resin forming the resin interlayer 11 between the skin 7
and the base material 9. Furthermore, although not illustrated, the skin
7 and the base material 9 are sealed such that a part of the skin 7
closer to the rear end of the automotive body also comes into tight
contact with the top face of the base material 9, thus preventing the
resin leakage.
[0036] Thus, the skin 7 and the base material 9 are sealed such that the
sector-shaped comer parts 35 of the skin 7 come into tight contact with
the sector-shaped corner parts 29 of the base material 9, thus preventing
the resin leakage from between the corner parts 35 and 29. Even if the
sector-shaped corner parts 35 of the skin 7 did not come into tight
contact with the sector-shaped corner parts 29 of the base material 9
with the skin 7 fixed to the base material 9, the pressure at which the
resin is charged between the skin 7 and the base material 9 would permit
tight contact between the sector-shaped corner parts 35 and 29. More
particularly, when a resin is charged between the skin 7 and the base
material 9, the resin charging pressure acts on not only the front side
cover 30 and under flanges 31b of the skin 7 but also the sector-shaped
corner parts 35 of the skin 7. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the
sector-shaped corner parts 35 bend outward to stretch toward the
sector-shaped corner parts 29 of the base material 9. Thus, the
sector-shaped corner parts 35 come into absolute contact with the
sector-shaped corner parts 29. In this way, reliable sealing between the
skin 7 and the base material 9 can prevent the resin leakage from
therebetween, thus providing an instrument panel 1 with an excellent
[0037] In a case in which, as illustrated by the virtual dotted line in
FIG. 5, sharp comer parts are formed, instead of the sector-shaped corner
parts 35, at the comers 33 of the skin 7, this enhances the rigidities of
these corner parts. Therefore, these corner parts do not come into
absolute contact with the corresponding corner parts of the base material
9 even in the application of the resin charging pressure to the corner
parts of the skin 7. This produces clearances between the corner parts of
the skin 7 and the corresponding comer parts of the base material 9,
resulting in leakage of resin.
[0038] In general, if a skin 7 has been slush-molded, the sharp corner
parts would facilitate increasing in rigidity due to the formation of
their thicker regions resulting from the accumulation of resin and also
becoming deformed to produce sink marks. To cope with this, as described
in the first embodiment, formation of the sector-shaped corner parts 35
allows the corner parts 35 to have a fixed thickness, which facilitates
bending of the comer parts 35. Therefore, when the skin 7 is
slush-molded, the formation of the sector-shaped corner parts 35 is
effective, in particular, as a countermeasure against the resin leakage.
[0039] Furthermore, both the sector-shaped corner parts 29 and 35 are
shaped to gradually increase in width in the direction going from the
comers 33 formed between the side covers 30 and 31a of the skin 7 toward
the distal ends of the under flanges 31b. This prevents the sector-shaped
corner parts 29 and 35 from affecting the appearance of the trim.
Therefore, sharp comers 33 formed between the side covers 30 and 31a are
formed in corner regions of the skin 7, thereby providing a sharp
[0040] A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8
through 10. In the first embodiment, a base material 9 is formed with
flat faces 27 that extend from both lateral ends of a groove 25 extending
along the width of an automotive body toward the rear of the automotive
body. In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 9, a base material 9 is
formed with grooves 37, which are continuous with both lateral ends of
the groove 25, like the groove 25. On the other hand, side covers 31
without under flanges are formed on the right and left sides of a skin 7
as illustrated in FIG. 10 (only the left part of the skin 7 is
illustrated). As illustrated in FIG. 8, the side covers 31 are allowed to
make contact with the outer side wall faces of the grooves 37 of the base
material 9, i.e., cover contact faces 37a.
[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 9, sector-shaped corner parts 29 are formed
at locations 28 of the comers formed between a cover contact face 25a
located at the front of the groove 25 of the base material 9 and right
and left cover contact faces 37a. These sector-shaped corner parts 29
gradually increase in width in the direction from the upper comers of the
groove 25 toward the bottom of the groove 25. On the other hand, for the
skin 7, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the side cover 30 is connected to the
side covers 31 through the sector-shaped corner parts 35. The
sector-shaped corner pats 35 gradually increase in width in the direction
going from an upper cover 7a side toward the distal ends of the side
covers 30 and 31.
[0042] In view of the above, also in the second embodiment, like the first
embodiment, the sector-shaped corner parts 35 bend under the resin
charging pressure to stretch outward. Thus, the sector-shaped corner
parts 35 come into tight contact with the sector-shaped corner parts 29
of the base material 9. In this way, reliable sealing between the skin 7
and the base material 9 can prevent the resin leakage from therebetween,
thus providing an integral skin interior trim with an excellent
appearance. Furthermore, both the sector-shaped corner parts 29 and 35
are shaped to gradually increase in width in the direction going from the
upper cover side toward the distal ends of the side covers. This prevents
the sector-shaped corner parts 29 and 35 from affecting the appearance of
the trim. Therefore, corner regions of the upper cover of the skin 7 can
achieve a sharp appearance.
[0043] Although in the first and second embodiments sector-shaped corner
parts 35 and 29 of the skin 7 and the base material 9 are formed to have
a radius shape, they may be formed in a plane or polygonal shape to
prevent formation of an acute angle as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B.
[0044] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described
above, and various changes may be made without departing form the spirit
and the scope of the present invention as recited in the appended claims.
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