Patent ID: 6921105

Claim:
A panel cover arrangement used for covering an airbag module in a vehicle, comprising: a rigid substrate having inner and outer surfaces, said substrate having a hidden door formed therein, said hidden door being aligned with the airbag module disposed proximate to said inner surface of said substrate, said hidden door being defined by a first thinned portion of said substrate outlining a perimeter of said hidden door, said first thinned portion being formed by a first relief extending into said inner surface of said substrate, said substrate having a first plurality of cut lines extending entirely through said first thinned portion spaced apart from one another along at least a portion of the first thinned portion, the first thinned portion having a plurality of support regions wherein each support region is disposed between adjacent cut lines of the first plurality of cut lines, said first plurality of cut lines generally defining an airbag deployment opening, said substrate having a second plurality of thinned portions outside of a periphery of said first thinned portion wherein at least one thinned portion of the second plurality of thinned portions is disposed proximate one of the support regions, said second plurality of thinned portions being formed by a second plurality of reliefs extending into said outer surface; and a chute wall portion extending from said inner surface of said substrate outside of said perimeter of said hidden door.