Method of making a steering wheel

Claim 1

A method for making a steering wheel, comprising: (a) providing a steering wheel metal core which includes a ring portion, a boss portion for fitting the steering wheel to a steering shaft, and at least one spoke portion having one end joined to the ring portion and an opposite end joined to the boss portion; the ring portion, in transverse cross-section being a geometric figure having four apices comprising two pairs of circumferentially non-adjacent apices, one of these pairs including a first apex which extends generally radially inwardly with reference to the center of the ring portion and a second apex which extends generally radially outwardly with reference to said center; (b) providing an openable-closable mold including two complementary mold parts which, when the mold is closed, define a mold cavity for a steering wheel and, when the mold is opened, part from one another along a parting line plane; (c) disposing at least said ring portion of said steering wheel metal core in said mold and closing said mold with said ring portion so arranged in said mold cavity that an imaginary plane passing generally radially through said ring portion so as to contain said first and second apices, is substantially aligned with said parting line plane of said mold; (d) while said ring portion of said steering wheel metal core is so disposed, molding a layer of synthetic resin about said ring portion of said steering wheel metal core by filling said mold cavity about said ring portion with a molding composition of such synthetic resin; and (e) opening said mold along said parting line plane and removing the resulting steering wheel from said mold.

Claim 2

A method for making a steering wheel, comprising: (a) providing a steering wheel metal core which includes a ring portion, a boss portion for fitting the steering wheel to a steering shaft, and at least one spoke portion having one end joined to the ring portion and an opposite end joined to the boss portion; the ring portion, in transverse cross-section being a geometric figure having four apices comprising two pairs of circumferentially non-adjacent apices, one of these pairs including a first apex which extends generally radially inwardly with reference to the center of the ring portion and a second apex which extends generally radially outwardly with reference to said center; (b) providing an openable-closable mold including two complementary mold parts which, when the mold is closed, define a mold cavity for a steering wheel and, when the mold is opened, part from one another along a parting line plane; (c) disposing at least said ring portion of said steering wheel metal core in said mold and closing said mold with said ring portion so arranged in said mold cavity that an imaginary plane passing generally radially through said ring portion so as to contain said first and second apices, is substantially aligned with said parting line plane of said mold; (d) while said ring portion of said steering wheel metal core is so disposed, molding a layer of synthetic resin about said ring portion of said steering wheel metal core by filling said mold cavity about said ring portion with a molding composition of such synthetic resin; and (e) opening said mold along said parting line plane and removing the resulting steering wheel from said mold.