US4781956A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Interior trim component for a motor vehicle
Assignee: Ford Motor Co
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Filing: 1985-12-24
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Granted: 1988-11-01
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Expires: 2005-12-24
Abstract
Abstract An interior trim component 1 for a motor vehicle comprises a base 2 of a fibrous base material of approximately 80% wood fibers and approximately 20% synthetic resin fibers, which is compressed and consolidated by the action of pressure and heat into the desired shape. Padding and/or a fabric insert 5 may be placed over selected areas of the surface of the base 2 and a sheet 7 of plastic material is bonded over the whole of the visible side of the base 2, the parts of the plastic sheet 7 overlying the insert 5 having a continuous impressed separation so that they may be removed. The fibrous base material which is in the form of fibrous fleece mats of approximately 20 to 30 mm thickness is consolidated in a hot-pressing shaping tool at 4000 N/M 2 and approximately 200° C. to a final thickness approximately one tenth the initial thickness, but is consolidated to a lesser extent in selected surface areas 4 to produce a greater final thickness between one fifth and two fifths the initial thickness, so as to provide a cushioning effect.
Inventors
- 👤 Willibald Zimmermann
- 👤 Klaus Hartmann
- 👤 Heinz Wessel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 09:56
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R13/00; B60R13/02; B27; B27N; B27N3/00; B27N3/08; B27N3/20; B27N3/22; B27N5/00; B29; B29C; B29C31/00; B29C51/00; B29C51/26; B29C51/261; B29C51/44; B29C70/00; B29C70/04; B29C70/28; B29C70/40; B29C70/42; B29C70/46; B29C70/461; B29C43/00; B29C43/02; B29C43/18; B29C2043/185; B29C2043/188; B29C43/32; B29C43/36; B29C43/361; B29C2043/3613; B29C51/08; B29C51/082; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/30; B29L2031/3005; B29L2031/3014; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/17; Y10T156/1702; Y10T156/1744; Y10T156/1768; Y10T156/1776; Y10T156/1778; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/15; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24479; Y10T428/24521; Y10T428/24554; Y10T428/24612; Y10T428/24628; Y10T428/25; Y10T428/253
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
165 words
An interior trim component for a motor vehicle comprising a compressed fiber base having a decorative surface, a plastic sheet adhered to at least selected portions of said decorative surface of said base, wherein said base is formed by compression molding a fibrous mat of substantially uniform thickness, selected areas of said fibrous mat being subjected to a lesser degree of compression than remaining areas of said fibrous mat, areas of said base corresponding to said selected areas of said mat being thicker than areas of said base corresponding to said remaining areas of said mat, and wherein a covering material other than said plastic sheet is adhered to said base and overlies said thicker areas of said base and portions of said base peripheral thereto, said plastic sheet and said covering material overlapping one another at said peripheral surface portions, and wherein said plastic sheet has impressed separation seams adapted to enable the removal of portions of said plastic sheet overlapping said covering material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
165 words
An interior trim component for a motor vehicle comprising a compressed fiber base having a decorative surface, a plastic sheet adhered to at least selected portions of said decorative surface of said base, wherein said base is formed by compression molding a fibrous mat of substantially uniform thickness, selected areas of said fibrous mat being subjected to a lesser degree of compression than remaining areas of said fibrous mat, areas of said base corresponding to said selected areas of said mat being thicker than areas of said base corresponding to said remaining areas of said mat, and wherein a covering material other than said plastic sheet is adhered to said base and overlies said thicker areas of said base and portions of said base peripheral thereto, said plastic sheet and said covering material overlapping one another at said peripheral surface portions, and wherein said plastic sheet has impressed separation seams adapted to enable the removal of portions of said plastic sheet overlapping said covering material.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
An interior trim component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said covering material comprises fabric.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
An interior trim component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said covering material further comprises resilient padding material between said base and said fabric.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
An interior trim component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said covering material is secured to said base by application of thermosetting adhesive to said base and, subsequently, heat sealing of said covering material thereto.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
140 words
A trim component in a motor vehicle, having a visible surfaoe and comprising a substantially self-supporting fibrous base material and a plastic sheet bonded to said base material and forming at least a portion of said visible surface, said fibrous base material being the product of compression molding of a fibrous fleece mat of substantially uniform thickness of about 20 to 30 mm, under pressure of about 4000 N/M 2 and at a temperature of about 200° C., selected areas of said mat being subjected to a lesser degree of compression than remaining areas of said mat, areas of said base corresponding to said remaining areas having thickness equal to approximately one tenth that of said mat and areas of said base corresponding to said selected areas having thickness equal to approximately two to four tenths that of said mat.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
140 words
A trim component in a motor vehicle, having a visible surfaoe and comprising a substantially self-supporting fibrous base material and a plastic sheet bonded to said base material and forming at least a portion of said visible surface, said fibrous base material being the product of compression molding of a fibrous fleece mat of substantially uniform thickness of about 20 to 30 mm, under pressure of about 4000 N/M 2 and at a temperature of about 200° C., selected areas of said mat being subjected to a lesser degree of compression than remaining areas of said mat, areas of said base corresponding to said remaining areas having thickness equal to approximately one tenth that of said mat and areas of said base corresponding to said selected areas having thickness equal to approximately two to four tenths that of said mat.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-11-01 | 1992-05-02 | 1992-11-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-11-01 | 1996-05-02 | 1996-11-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-11-01 | 2000-05-02 | 2000-11-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |