Patent ID: 7083212

Claim:
Applique for use at a pillar area of a vehicle, the applique comprising: a polymer inclusive substrate, the polymer inclusive substrate including an interior surface to be closest to a vehicle window and an exterior surface to be further from the window than is the interior surface; a polymer inclusive flexible thermoplastic elastomer portion including at least one flexible lip or leg for engaging a surface or edge of the vehicle window, wherein said substrate and said thermoplastic elastomer portion are bonded at least on part of said interior surface of the substrate which is to be closest to the vehicle window; wherein said thermoplastic elastomer portion and said substrate are of different materials having different hardness values which are selected so that the thermoplastic elastomer portion and the substrate are molded or bonded to one another without a separate adhesive layer therebetween, and the thermoplastic elastomer portion is more flexible than the substrate; wherein said substrate includes a projection extending from the exterior surface of the substrate, said projection being approximately perpendicular to a base portion of the substrate, and wherein said projection extending from the substrate does not contact said thermoplastic elastomer portion that includes the lip or leg that is for engaging the surface or edge of the vehicle window; and wherein no portion of the polymer inclusive substrate covers any outer side portion of the vehicle window on a side of the window engaged by the flexible lip or leg.