GB2275215A

GB2275215A - A strip for attaching a sheet of masking material to a vehicle aperture

Info

Publication number: GB2275215A
Application number: GB9323765A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Donald Murray Western
Original assignee: TAPER TEC INTERNATIONAL Ltd
Current assignee: TAPER TEC INTERNATIONAL Ltd
Priority date: 1993-02-16
Filing date: 1993-11-18
Publication date: 1994-08-24
Also published as: GB9323765D0

Abstract

A strip for temporarily clipping a sheet of masking material in an aperture in a vehicle, which comprises an elongate body of plastics material having a pair of leg members 3 extending longitudinally of said body for gripping a flange forming the perimeter of the aperture and a tubular portion 6 for receiving and holding an edge of said sheet material 8 so as to cover said aperture. <IMAGE>

Description

A FLEXIBLE STRIP This invention to a flexible strip which is primarily intended for use in masking vehicle apertures prior to carrying out a refinishing operation.

In the construction of vehicle bodies, apertures in the body, e.g. for doors, tail-gates, bonnets and windscreens, are frequently formed by welding together inner and outer body panels to form a flange defining the perimeter of the aperture.

The usual method of masking such apertures prior to a refinishing operation is to apply conventional selfadhesive masking tape to the free edge of the flange, leaving an overlap of the masking tape exposed. Masking paper is then attached to the exposed adhesive face of the masking tape. This method, while effective, can be very time-consuming and requires a significant degree of skill to be effective. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for masking vehicle apertures which requires less skill and which can be carried out more rapidly and effectively.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a strip for temporarily clipping a sheet material in an aperture in a vehicle, which comprises an elongated body of plastics material having gripping means extending longitudinally of said body for gripping a flange forming the perimeter of the aperture and attachment means for receiving and holding an edge of said sheet material so as to cover said aperture.

Preferably, the gripping means comprises a pair of leg members which are shaped to grip said flange.

Although the leg members may be a series of separate members spaced lengthwise of the strip, they preferably comprise a pair of bifurcated leg members extending continuously of the strip. In a preferred embodiment the leg members are shaped so that the slot between them is tapered towards the mouth of the slot. In this way, a series of flange members of varying thicknesses can be accommodated.

Preferably, the strip member is formed integrally from an elastomeric material such as a natural or synthetic rubber composition. One satisfactory material, by way of example, is a synthetic rubber manufactured under the trade name Santoprene (TM), which is believed to be manufactured by Monsanto, and has a Shore- hardness in the range of 64 to 73.

Various embodiments in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a section through one embodiment of the masking strip in accordance with the invention, Figures IA, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E show similar sections through second, third, fourth and fifth embodiments respectively in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the gripping means of the masking strip may be attached to a flange of a vehicle aperture, Figure 3 is an elevational view showing the masking strip installed in a vehicle door opening, Figure 4 is a scrap view showing the manner in which masking paper or other sheet material may be attached to the attaching means of the masking strip, and Figure 5 is another perspective view showing the masking strip and paper installed in a vehicle opening.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, and in particular Figure 1, the masking strip of the present invention will now be described in detail, together with the manner in which it may be used to mask an aperture in a vehicle body. The masking strip is preferably manufactured integrally by, e.g. extrusion from a resilient, elastomeric material to form an elongated strip, preferably several metres in length, e.g. about 5 or 10 metres. The strip comprises a body 1, having gripping means 2 in the form of a pair of leg members 3, separated by a distance 4 which is suitable for gripping a flange of a vehicle aperture.

Attachment means for attaching sheet material, such as masking paper or plastic film, is formed in the strip opposite to the gripping means 2. Preferably, the attachment means is in the form of a tubular portion 6, having a slit at 7 which can be pushed apart to receive an edge of the sheet material. The ears 5 on each side of the slit 7 in the tubular portion 6 are preferably deformed inwardly as shown in Figure 1, so as to grip the sheet material essentially by line contact between the ears 5. The tubular portion 6 is of sufficient internal diameter to accommodate surplus masking paper which has been pressed into the tubular portion.

Figures IA, lB, lC, 1D and 1E illustrate modifications in accordance with the invention.

Referring first to Figure 1B, the construction is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 1, except that the legs 3 extend outwardly from the body portion 1, to form an inwardly tapered slot 4. Also, the inner faces of the leg members 3 are moulded with dimples or ridges 10 which assist the gripping means to grip the flange of the vehicle aperture reliably. This is especially useful at corners of the vehicle aperture.

Figure 1C shows another design similar to that shown in Figure IB, in which inwardly directed barb-like ridges 30 are moulded on the inner faces of the leg members 3 in order to improve the gripping effect of the strip, especially at corners.

Figure 1A illustrates a variation of the embodiment of Figure lB in which the gripping means for gripping the flange of the vehicle is also formed as a tubular portion 11, and has a pair of ear members 12 for gripping the flange of the vehicle aperture.

The embodiment shown in Figure 1D differs from those shown in Figures lA, IB and IC in that the gripping means 2 and the tubular attachment means 6 lie side by side.

The construction of the gripping means 2 and attachment means 6 is, however, similar to that in Figure IC. Thus, the gripping means 2 comprises a pair of legs 3 which are formed with obliquely extending interengaging ridges 30 for gripping a flange in the door or window opening.

Similarly, the attachment means 6 is in the form of a tubular member having a longitudinal opening at 7, and inwardly turned ears 5 for gripping sheet material.

Instead of being connected at their apices, the gripping and attachment means are connected by a web portion 40 which joins the gripping means 2 in the region of the root of a leg 3 with the tubular portion 6 in an area which is adjacent to one of the ears 5. The advantage of the embodiment of Figure lD is that it is easier to press the gripping means 2 into corner areas of the window or door opening. This is believed to be because the web in the region indicated at 41 is effectively thinner than the corresponding depth 'X' indicated in Figure 1C. Also, pressure can be applied more easily by pressing onto the web areas 40,41, to force the strip onto the flange and into corner areas.

Another advantage is that because the web portion 40 is flexible, the gripping means and the attachment means can flex relatively to each other and accommodate different angles between the plane of the vehicle flange and the plane of the masking paper.

In the embodiment of Figure ID, the slot is slightly wider at the root in the region of the web 41 than at the mouth 42. Also the legs 3 taper towards the mouth so as to be thinner at the mouth 42. These features improve the gripping effect or flanges of different thickness.

Figure lE shows a modification of the embodiment shown in Figure 1D, but differs from the latter embodiment in that one of the legs 3 of the gripping means is formed integrally with the wall of the attachment means 6.

Referring to Figure 2, this shows the manner in which the masking strip as shown in Figure 1 is applied to the flange 16 of the vehicle aperture. This is done very easily by simply pressing the strip onto the flange so that the flange lies between the leg members 3. Once the masking strip has been installed, the masking paper can be cut roughly to size and its edges are then fed into the tubular member 6, so that the paper is gripped by the ear members 5 of the tubular portion. This can be done with the fingers or using a tool, e.g. a handle having a rodlike member at right angles to the handle. The rod-like member is of suitable dimensions to enter the slit 7 by pushing aside the ears 5. As shown in Figure 3, excess material can be simply folded back at 9 or pressed into the space within the tubular portion.For even safer location of the sheet material within the tubular portion, a length of flexible plastic strip may be used to press the paper into the tubular portion, so that it effectively locks the paper in position. This is illustrated in Figure 1A, in which a plastic rod 20 has been used to feed the sheet material 8 into a tubular portion 6, while leaving the tail 21 of the edge of the sheet material protruding.

The embodiments of Figures 1A, 1B, lC, lD and lE may be used in attaching masking paper in a vehicle aperture in a similar manner.

In the case of the embodiments of Figures 1D and lE, the strip is installed by pressing the gripping means onto a flange forming the perimeter of the aperture in such a way that the attachment means faces away from the direction of the work. Usually the bodywork on the exterior side of the aperture is to be refinished and in this case the strip will be fitted so that the attachment means faces the interior of the vehicle. It is generally found convenient to introduce the masking sheet, e.g.

paper or polythene film, at the top of the aperture first and then feed the masking sheet into the tubular portion 6 at the edges and bottom.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides a quick and easy system for installing masking paper or plastic in a vehicle aperture without the need for using adhesive. Also the strip may remain installed during the whole of the refinishing operation including the panel beating and preparation stages prior to paint spraying.

After each stage it may be desired to replace the masking sheet, e.g. to remove dust clinging to the sheet, but the strip itself can simply be wiped clean and a fresh area of masking sheet installed in the attachment means 6. In many instances, the strip can be removed after the refinishing operation and reused on another vehicle.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A strip for temporarily clipping a sheet material in an aperture in a vehicle, which comprises an elongated body of plastics material having gripping means extending longitudinally of said body for gripping a flange forming the perimeter of the aperture and attachment means for receiving and holding an edge of said sheet material so as to cover said aperture.

2. A strip according to claim 1 wherein said gripping means and attachment means each have mouths which are aligned in different directions.

3. A strip according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the attachment means is adjacent the gripping means.

4. A strip according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the gripping means and attachment means lie side-by-side.

5. A strip according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said gripping means comprises a pair of leg members which are shaped to grip said flange.

6. A strip according to claim 5 wherein each of said leg members forms a continuous web longitudinally of the strip.

7. A strip according to claim 5 or 6 wherein the leg members are shaped so that the slot between them is tapered towards its mouth.

8. A strip according to any one of the preceding claims which is formed from a synthetic, elastomeric material.

9. A strip according to any one of the preceding claims which is formed as an extrusion.

10. A strip according to any one of the preceding claims in which the attachment means comprises a tubular portion into which the sheet material can be fed at one edge and which includes means for retaining the sheet material associated with said tubular portion.

11. A strip according to claim 10 in which the means for retaining the sheet material comprises resilient ears on said tubular portion.

12. A strip according to claim 11 in which the tubular portion has a longitudinal slit, the edges of the slit forming the ears and effectively gripping the sheet material.

13. A strip for temporarily clipping a sheet material in an aperture in a vehicle which comprises an elongated body of plastics material having gripping means for gripping a flange forming the perimeter of the aperture and attachment means for receiving and holding an edge of the sheet material, the gripping means and attachment means each having a closed end and an open end for receiving, respectively, said flange or said sheet material and wherein the closed end of the gripping means is joined to the attachment means in the region of its mouth, or vice-versa, by a web of material.

14. A method of masking a vehicle prior to a painting, cleaning, refinishing or similar operation, said vehicle having an aperture whose perimeter is defined by a flange, which method comprises fitting the gripping means of a strip as claimed in any one of the preceding claims to the flange and covering the aperture by feeding the edge of a masking sheet into the attachment means.