Patent ID: 8029015

Claim:
An airbag cover and an instrument panel combination for a vehicle having a passenger side and a driver side with the instrument panel extending across both the passenger side and the drive side of the vehicle, the combination comprising: a plate portion of the airbag cover for extending over a passenger airbag on the vehicle's passenger side; depending leg portions extending transverse to the plate portion and formed integrally therewith so that the plate portion and leg portions are of a single piece construction; a tear line of the plate portion generally between the leg portions; an opening formed in the plate portion upon airbag deployment and rupture of the tear line; peripheral portions of the plate portion extending beyond the leg portions and being sized so that the plate portion has a surface area that is several times greater than of the opening formed in the plate portion, wherein the plate portion and the leg portions are of an olefin thermoplastic resin which has the following characteristics: (a) bending modulus of elasticity 500 to 1000 MPa, (b) tensile break strength: 15 to 40 MPa, (c) stretch at break: 600% or more, and (d) Izod impact strength: not to break away at −35 degrees centigrade or more; an opening of the instrument panel for mounting of vehicle instruments therein with the opening being on the vehicle's driver side; and a convex portion of the instrument panel extending about the opening thereof on the vehicle's driver side, wherein the airbag cover is sized to extend from the vehicle's passenger side extending over the passenger airbag to the vehicle's driver side where an outer peripheral edge thereof is mounted to extend around and behind the instrument panel convex portion to minimize visibility of the outer peripheral edge to integrate the instrument panel with the airbag cover.