GB2406352A

GB2406352A - Releasable sealing, trimming or finishing strip

Info

Publication number: GB2406352A
Application number: GB0318008A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Achim Grueter
Original assignee: Gencorp Property Inc; GDX North America Inc
Current assignee: GDX North America Inc
Priority date: 2003-07-31
Filing date: 2003-07-31
Publication date: 2005-03-30
Also published as: WO2005009767A2; WO2005009767A3; GB0318008D0

Abstract

A sealing, trimming or finishing strip, preferably for a vehicle door waist seal, has a main body 4, an upper lip 15, a lower lip 8 and a disengageable clip 7 which engages in aperture 14c to mount the seal to a frame (14). The clip 7 is constructed so that there is a recess 12 between the clip and the surround of the aperture by which a force may be applied to the clip, for example to limb 7A, to allow release of the clip. Preferably, the force is applied by a tool such as a screwdriver (13, figure 4).

Description

1 2406352 SEALING, TRIMMING OR FINISHING STRIPS The invention relates to

sealing, trimming and finishing strips. Embodiments of the invention, to be described in more detail below, may be used, for example, in vehicle body construction.

According to the invention, there is provided a sealing, trimming or finishing strip, comprising a body portion provided with resilient clip means for engaging an aperture in a mount adjacent to which the strip is to be supported by the clip means, the clip means defining an access region to which a force can be applied to the clip means to enable the clip means to be released from the aperture.

Strips according to the invention can be used for example as waist seals or roof seals, and can be removed and refitted or replaced in a particularly simple fashion.

Sealing, trimming and finishing strips embodying the invention, such as for use as waist seals and/or roof seals on the door of a vehicle body, will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a motor vehicle; Figure 2 shows a general cross-sectional view of one of the sealing, trimming or finishing strips; Figure 3 shows a crosssectional view along the line III-III of Figure 1 of one of the sealing, trimming or finishing strips as used as a waist seal in a door of the vehicle shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows the waist seal of Figure 3 and in particular demonstrates how the waist seal can be disengaged from the vehicle door panel; and Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view along the line V-V of Figure 1 of another of the sealing, trimming or finishing strip as used as a roof seal in a vehicle door.

In the Figures, like elements are generally designated with the same reference numeral.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional motor vehicle body having a door 1 with a sealing, trimming or finishing strip employed as a waist seal 2 and another sealing, trimming or finishing strip employed as a roof seal 3.

Figure 2 shows a general cross-sectional view of these sealing, trimming or finishing strips. Each sealing, trimming or finishing strip comprises a main body 4 which is relatively stiff and advantageously made of polypropylene. A flexible upper lip 5 advantageously made of a thermoplastic elastomer integrally extends from and is slightly angled with respect to the main body 4. The clip 5 is covered with a lowfriction cover 6, such as flock. A disengageable clip 7 forms part of the main body 4, and is advantageously made of polypropylene, and a flexible lower lip 8 advantageously made of a thermoplastic elastomer protrudes from near the base of the main body 4. The strip is advantageously produced by a co-extrusion process. The upper lip 5 is so shaped and angled as to provide a sealing contact with the means with which it is brought into contact.

Figure 3 shows the sealing, trimming or finishing strip of Figure 2 used as a waist seal 2 in the vehicle door I. The strip is mounted in position by means of the clip 7 which engages in an aperture 9C of the metal panel 9 forming part of the outer section of the vehicle door 1. The lower lip 8 of the main body 4 of the strip contacts the lower part 9A of the panel 9. The upper lip 5 of the waist seal 2 forms a substantially flush contact with the exterior metal panel 10 of the outer section of the vehicle door. Thus, the face of the upper lip 5 carrying the flock coating 6 is mounted in low-friction contact with the outer surface of the window glass 11 as the window glass 11 moves upwards and downwards.

In accordance with a feature of the strip being described, a gap or access region 12 is provided between the clip 7 of the waist seal and the upper section 9B of the metal panel 9. As shown in Figure 4, the window glass 11 is lowered out of the way (i.e. the window is "open" and the window glass 11 is positioned down in the body of the vehicle door) and the upper lip 5 flexes away from the door panels 9, 10 to allow a screwdriver 13 or similar tool to access the gap or access region 12. Downward pressure on the screwdriver 13 flexes the upper section 7A of the clip 7, away from the edge of the aperture 9C and this allows the whole strip to be disengaged from the panels 9, 10 by a gentle sideways force, the clip 7 thus being pulled out of the aperture 9C. This process is completed without damage to the waist seal allowing its reintroduction, or the subsequent fitting of a replacement, via a reverse process if this Is required.

Figure 5 shows a slightly modified form of the sealing, trimming or finishing strip of Figure 2 used as a roof seal 3 in the vehicle door 1. The strip is mounted in position by means of the clip 7 which engages in aperture 9C in a panel 14 of the window frame carried by the vehicle door. The lower lip 8 of the main body 4 contacts the lower section 14A of the panel 14. Thus, the upper lip 15 is positioned to contact the adjacent roof panel 17 of the vehicle. It will be noted that the upper lip 15 differs slightly from the upper lip 5 shown in Figures 2 and 3 in that it is distinctively shaped as to form a substantially flush contact both with the exterior metal panel 16 of the window frame carried by the vehicle door and also with the metal roof panel 17, thus helping to create a sealing contact.

Again, the provision of the gap or access region 12 between the clip 7 of the roof seal 3 and the upper section 14B of the metal panel 14 allows the whole roof seal 3 to be manoeuvred out of the engaged position in the manner described above with reference to Figure 4. Thus, with the vehicle door open, the lip 15 can be flexed away from the panels 14 and 16 to allow a screwdriver or similar tool to be inserted in the gap 12.

Pressure on the screwdriver bends the upper limb 7A of the clip 7 away from the edge of the aperture 9C to allow the seal to be gently removed without damage in the manner already described. It or a replacement can be easily re-fitted.

The apertures 9C shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 could be in the form of a continually extended slot with the clip 7 being of correspondingly matching length.

Claims

1. A sealing, trimming or finishing strip, comprising a body portion provided with resilient clip means for engaging an aperture in a mount adjacent to which the strip is to be supported by the clip means, the clip means defining an access region to which a force can be applied to the clip means to enable the clip means to be released from the aperture.

2. A strip according to claim 1, in which the access region is accessible between the mount and the body portion.

3. A strip according to claim 1, in which the body portion carries a flexible lip for carrying out a sealing, trimming or finishing function when the strip is supported adjacent to the mount.

4. A strip according to claim 3, in which the mount is part of a vehicle door adjacent a window waist gap, whereby the flexible lip contacts the window glass and the strip acts as a waist seal.

5. A strip according to claim 3, in which the mount is part of an upper part of a vehicle door, whereby the flexible lip contacts a part of the vehicle roof and the strip acts as a roof seal.

6. A strip according to claim 4 or claim 5, in which the surface carried by the flexible lip is covered by a low-friction material.

7. A strip according to claim 6, in which the low-friction material is flock.

8. A strip according to any one of claims 3 to 7, in which the flexible lip is made from a thermoplastic elastomer.

9. A strip according to any one of claims 3 to 8, in which the access region is accessible between the mount and the body portion after the flexible lip has been flexed to provide clearance.

10. A strip according to any one of claims 3 to 9, in which the body portion carries a support lip protruding from the body portion at a position distanced from the flexible lip.

11. A strip according to claim 10, in which the support lip is made from a thermoplastic elastomer.

12. A strip according to any preceding claim, in which the body portion comprises a stiff material.

13. A strip according to claim 12, in which the stiff material is polypropylene.

14. A strip according to any preceding claim, in which the access region is adapted to receive a releasing tool by means of which the said force is applied.

15. A strip according to any preceding claim, in which the clip means comprises at least one resilient limb which is biased in a direction to engage an edge of the aperture, and in which the access region enables the force to be applied to the limb against the bias.

16. A strip according to claim 15, in which the clip means extends transversely to the body portion and the body portion extends alongside the mount when the clip means engages the aperture.

17. A strip substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A waist seal substantially as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

19. A roof seal substantially as described with reference to Figure 5.