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US 2004/0000737 A1Published application
Method of manufacturing energy absorbent vehicle components
OwnerNicole Durrinventor
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Abstract
An improved vehicle component constructed with a rigid shell having a soft outer covering which absorbs impacts and disperses energy thereby protecting occupants of a vehicle. A method of vehicle component construction formed from injecting polyurethane into a top vented split mold having a shell positioned within the mold wherein the process sandwiches the shell there between to provide an external protective cushion.
Claims8
A method of making a padded vehicle component comprising the steps of:
- a) forming a top vented outer mold having an interior surface that bounds a chamber sized and shaped to assimilate a vehicle component outer surface, said outer mold disposed within a split mold housing;
- b) forming a shell member, said shell member sized to fit within said outer mold;
- c) forming a flexible liner shaped to follow at least a portion of the contours of an inner surface of said chamber;
- d) temporarily securing said liner in a predetermined orientation within said outer mold;
- e) injecting a predetermined amount of polyurethane into said mold, said predetermined amount being great enough to surround said shell member;
- f) allowing said polyurethane to cure, forming a vehicle component sandwiched between said flexible liner and said outer mold interior surface;
- g) removing said liner and said vehicle component from said mold;
- and separating said liner and said vehicle component.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.