Passive instrument panel

Claim 2

For use with an automotive firewall and front door hinge pillars, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising a padded instrument panel assembly, a knee-abutment panel assembly mounted so as to support one end of said padded instrument panel assembly, said knee-abutment panel assembly including a base support member, an abutment plate, a plurality of spaced brackets secured to said base support member, a plurality of tear-strips connecting said base support member to said front door hinge pillars, a plurality of forwardly extending members operatively connected between said abutment plate and said firewall, resilient means operatively connected between said forwardly extending members and said abutment plate, said resilient means enabling said abutment plate to move forward in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said abutment plate, with said tear-strips adapted to tearing forwardly with respect to said front door hinge pillars.

Claim 3

For use with an automotive firewall and associated windshield, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising a knee-abutment panel slidably mounted with respect to said instrument panel, said knee-abutment panel including an abutment plate, a plurality of spaced brackets secured to said abutment plate, a plurality of tear-strips connecting said brackets to a plurality of forwardly extending members, a plurality of stop members mounted on said firewall, and a plurality of abutments formed on said forwardly extending members in alignment with said stop members and spaced apart therefrom a predetermined distance, said abutments moving forward in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said abutment plate, causing the ends of said forwardly extending members to shatter said windshield prior to said abutments contacting said stop members, with said tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said forwardly extending members once said latter members stop their forward movement.

Claim 4

For use with an automotive firewall and associated windshield, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising a knee-abutment panel slidably mounted with respect to said instrument panel, said knee-abutment panel including an abutment plate, a plurality of spaced brackets secured to said abutment plate, a plurality of tear-strips connecting said brackets to a plurality of forwardly extending members, a plurality of stop members mounted on said firewall, and a plurality of abutments formed on said forwardly extending members in alignment with said stop members and spaced apart therefrom a predetermined distance, said abutments moving forward in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said abutment plate, causing the ends of said forwardly extending members to shatter said windshield prior to said abutments contacting said stop members, with said tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said forwardly extending members once said latter members stop their forward movement.

Claim 5

For use with an automotive firewall and associated windshield, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising an upper instrument panel assembly including a substantially J-shaped, padded thin metal base member, a plurality of vertical slots formed in a rounded edge of said base member; a knee-abutment panel assembly slidably mounted with respect to said upper instrument panel assembly, said knee-abutment panel assembly including a padded abutment plate, a plurality of spaced brackets secured to said abutment plate, a plurality of tear-strips connecting said brackets to a plurality of forwardly extending members, a plurality of stop members mounted on said firewall, and a plurality of abutments formed on said forwardly extending members in alignment with said stop members and spaced apart therefrom a predetermined distance, said abutments moving forward in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded abutment plate, causing the ends of said forwardly extending members to shatter said windshield prior to said abutments contacting said stop members, with said tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said forwardly extending members once said latter members stop their forward movement.

Claim 6

For use with an automotive firewall and associated windshield, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising an upper instrument panel assembly including a substantially J-shaped, padded thin metal base member, a plurality of vertical slots formed in a rounded edge of said base member; a knee-abutment panel assembly slidably mounted with respect to said upper instrument panel assembly, said knee-abutment panel assembly including a padded abutment plate, a plurality of spaced brackets secured to said abutment plate, a plurality of tear-strips connecting said brackets to a plurality of forwardly extending members, a plurality of stop members mounted on said firewall, and a plurality of abutments formed on said forwardly extending members in alignment with said stop members and spaced apart therefrom a predetermined distance, said abutments moving forward in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded abutment plate, causing the ends of said forwardly extending members to shatter said windshield prior to said abutments contacting said stop members, with said tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said forwardly extending members once said latter members stop their forward movement.

Claim 7

For use with an automotive firewall and front door hinge pillars, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising an upper padded instrument panel assembly secured at the forward end thereof to said firewall, said assembly including a substantially J-shaped padded thin metal base member, a first plurality of vertical slots formed in a rounded edge of said base member, reinforcement means secured to said rounded edge, and a second plurality of vertical slots formed in said reinforcement means, said first and second pluralities of vertical slots serving to permit said assembly to compress in a ballooning fashion in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded base member; a knee-abutment panel assembly including a base support member, a plurality of tear-strips connecting said base support member to said front door hinge pillars, a padded abutment plate extending upwardly from said base support member, a plurality of spaced brackets operatively connected to said abutment plate and to said base support member, said reinforcement means being slidably mounted on said spaced brackets, a plurality of forwardly extending members operatively connected between said abutment plate and said firewall, resilient means operatively connected between said forwardly extending members and said abutment plate, said plurality of tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said front door hinge pillars and said padded abutment plate moving forward in conjunction with said resilient means in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded abutment plate.

Claim 8

For use with an automotive firewall and front door hinge pillars, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising an upper padded instrument panel assembly secured at the forward end thereof to said firewall, said assembly including a substantially J-shaped padded thin metal base member, a first plurality of vertical slots formed in a rounded edge of said base member, reinforcement means secured to said rounded edge, and a second plurality of vertical slots formed in said reinforcement means, said first and second pluralities of vertical slots serving to permit said assembly to compress in a ballooning fashion in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded base member; a knee-abutment panel assembly including a base support member, a plurality of tear-strips connecting said base support member to said front door hinge pillars, a padded abutment plate extending upwardly from said base support member, a plurality of spaced brackets operatively connected to said abutment plate and to said base support member, said reinforcement means being slidably mounted on said spaced brackets, a plurality of forwardly extending members operatively connected between said abutment plate and said firewall, resilient means operatively connected between said forwardly extending members and said abutment plate, said plurality of tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said front door hinge pillars and said padded abutment plate moving forward in conjunction with said resilient means in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded abutment plate.

Claim 9

For use with an automotive firewall and front door hinge pillars, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising an upper padded instrument panel assembly secured at the forward end thereof to said firewall, said assembly including a substantially J-shaped padded thin metal base member, a first plurality of vertical slots formed in a rounded edge of said base member, reinforcement means secured to said rounded edge, a second plurality of vertical slots formed in said reinforcement means, said first and second pluralities of vertical slots serving to permit said assembly to compress in a ballooning fashion in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded base member; a knee-abutment panel assembly including a base support member, a plurality of tear-strips connecting said base support member to said front door hinge pillars, a padded abutment plate extending upwardly from said base support member and adapted to being moved toward said firewall with respect to said upper instrument panel assembly, a plurality of spaced brackets secured to said abutment plate and to said base support member, said reinforcement means being slidably mounted on said spaced brackets, and a compressible foam block mounted intermediate each of said spaced brackets and said padded abutment plate, said plurality of tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said front door hinge pillars and said abutment plate moving forward so as to compress said foam blocks in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded abutment plate.

Claim 10

For use with an automotive firewall and front door hinge pillars, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising an upper padded instrument panel assembly secured at the forward end thereof to said firewall, said assembly including a substantially J-shaped padded thin metal base member, a first plurality of vertical slots formed in a rounded edge of said base member, reinforcement means secured to said rounded edge, a second plurality of vertical slots formed in said reinforcement means, said first and second pluralities of vertical slots serving to permit said assembly to compress in a ballooning fashion in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded base member; a knee-abutment panel assembly including a base support member, a plurality of tear-strips connecting said base support member to said front door hinge pillars, a padded abutment plate extending upwardly from said base support member and adapted to being moved toward said firewall with respect to said upper instrument panel assembly, a plurality of spaced brackets secured to said abutment plate and to said base support member, said reinforcement means being slidably mounted on said spaced brackets, and a compressible foam block mounted intermediate each of said spaced brackets and said padded abutment plate, said plurality of tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said front door hinge pillars and said abutment plate moving forward so as to compress said foam blocks in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded abutment plate.

Claim 11

For use with an automotive firewall, windshield, and front door hinge pillars, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising an upper padded instrument panel assembly secured at the forward end thereof to said firewall, said assembly including a substantially J-shaped padded thin metal base member, a first plurality of vertical slots formed in a rounded edge of said base member, reinforcement means secured to said rounded edge, a second plurality of vertical slots formed in said reinforcement means, said first and second pluralities of vertical slots serving to permit said assembly to compress in a ballooning fashion in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded base member; a knee-abutment panel assembly slidably mounted with respect to said upper instrument panel assembly, said knee-abutment panel assembly including a base support member, a first plurality of tear-strips connecting said base support member to said front door hinge pillars, an abutment plate extending upwardly from said base support member, a plurality of spaced brackets secured to said abutment plate and to said base support member, said reinforcement means being slidably mounted on said spaced brackets, a second plurality of tear-strips connecting said brackets to a plurality of forwardly extending members, a plurality of stop members mounted on said firewall, and a plurality of abutments formed on said forwardly extending members in alignment with said stop members and spaced apart therefrom a predetermined distance, said first plurality of tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said front door hinge pillars and said abutments moving forward in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said abutment plate, causing the ends of said forwardly extending members to shatter said windshield prior to said abutments contacting said stop members, with said second plurality of tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said forwardly extending members once said latter members stop their forward movement.

Claim 12

For use with an automotive firewall, windshield, and front door hinge pillars, a passive instrument panel arrangement comprising an upper padded instrument panel assembly secured at the forward end thereof to said firewall, said assembly including a substantially J-shaped padded thin metal base member, a first plurality of vertical slots formed in a rounded edge of said base member, reinforcement means secured to said rounded edge, a second plurality of vertical slots formed in said reinforcement means, said first and second pluralities of vertical slots serving to permit said assembly to compress in a ballooning fashion in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said padded base member; a knee-abutment panel assembly slidably mounted with respect to said upper instrument panel assembly, said knee-abutment panel assembly including a base support member, a first plurality of tear-strips connecting said base support member to said front door hinge pillars, an abutment plate extending upwardly from said base support member, a plurality of spaced brackets secured to said abutment plate and to said base support member, said reinforcement means being slidably mounted on said spaced brackets, a second plurality of tear-strips connecting said brackets to a plurality of forwardly extending members, a plurality of stop members mounted on said firewall, and a plurality of abutments formed on said forwardly extending members in alignment with said stop members and spaced apart therefrom a predetermined distance, said first plurality of tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said front door hinge pillars and said abutments moving forward in response to a predetermined manual impact force against said abutment plate, causing the ends of said forwardly extending members to shatter said windshield prior to said abutments contacting said stop members, with said second plurality of tear-strips tearing forwardly with respect to said forwardly extending members once said latter members stop their forward movement.