Apparatus and method for commonization of front doors between vehicle cabs
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsNicholas A. Croyle, Blaine Benson, Peter C. Piper, Luke W. Garnaut
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A garnish configured to enable use of a common door for a two-door vehicle and a four-door vehicle. The garnish may have a body. The body may be directly mountable onto a carriage of the two-door vehicle between an outer panel and a rocker panel of the two-door vehicle. The body may have an edge that is flush to a rear edge of the common door when mounted. The body may have at least two edges forming approximately a 90-degree angle.
Claims20
A vehicle comprising:
- a carriage having a top end and a bottom end;
- a door frame located on a side of the carriage;
- a door receivable by the door frame and having a rear edge, the door having a common configuration compatible with another vehicle having a different number of doors than a number of doors on the vehicle;
- an outer panel adjacent to the door frame and partially extending from the top end on the carriage to the bottom end on the carriage;
- a rocker panel extending across the bottom end on the carriage;
- and
- a garnish mounted directly onto the carriage and extending between the outer panel and the rocker panel, the garnish having an edge flush to the rear edge on the door to enable use of the door having the common configuration compatible with the another vehicle having the different number of doors than the number of doors on the vehicle.
A garnish configured to enable use of a common door for a first vehicle having two doors and a second vehicle having four doors, the garnish comprising:
- a body directly mountable onto a carriage on the first vehicle between an outer panel on the first vehicle and a rocker panel on the first vehicle, the body having an edge flush to a rear edge on the common door when mounted and at least two edges forming approximately a 90-degree angle.
A method for enabling installation of a common door for a first vehicle having two doors and a second vehicle having four doors on the first vehicle, the method comprising:
- mounting an outer panel adjacent to a door frame on the first vehicle on each of a left side on a carriage on the first vehicle and a right side on the carriage on the first vehicle, the outer panel partially extending from a top end on the first vehicle to a bottom end on the first vehicle;
- and
- mounting a garnish directly onto the carriage on the first vehicle, the garnish extending between the outer panel and a rocker panel extending across the bottom end on the first vehicle, the garnish having an edge flush to a rear edge on the common door.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.