After-market dashboard bezel for an automobile having a number of instrument holders and associated method
OwnerDouglas M. Jenningsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure An instrument bezel for an automobile facilitates the addition of supplemental instruments to a vehicle while maintaining a clear and unobstructed view of the road for the driver without placing the supplemental instruments in a location that would make reading these instruments awkward and unsafe. The present instrument bezel is shaped to surround the dashboard of the automobile and replace an original instrument panel or dashboard bezel of the automobile. In one embodiment, the present instrument bezel includes integral pods or mounts on the bottom corners for retaining the supplemental instruments. The present instrument bezel may be made of fiberglass, carbon fiber, plastic, metal, or the like.
Claims29
A method of adding an additional instrument to a vehicle having a dashboard housing and an instrument cluster assembly, comprising the steps of:
- removing an original dashboard bezel from a bezel mounting space defined between said dashboard housing and said instrument cluster assembly, said original dashboard bezel possessing no instrument mounts;
- installing a replacement dashboard bezel in said bezel mounting space, said replacement dashboard bezel having (i) a body substantially conforming in dimension to said original dashboard bezel, and (ii) at least one instrument mount;
- and
- locating an instrument in said at least one instrument mount.
An after-market dashboard bezel, comprising:
- a body configured to be mounted in a bezel mounting space defined between a dashboard housing and an instrument cluster assembly of a vehicle;
- and
- an instrument mount secured to said body.
A method of modifying a vehicle having a dashboard housing and an instrument cluster assembly, comprising the steps of:
- removing an original dashboard bezel from a bezel mounting space defined between said dashboard housing and said instrument cluster assembly, said original dashboard bezel possessing no instrument mounts;
- and
- installing a replacement dashboard bezel in said bezel mounting space, said replacement dashboard bezel having at least one instrument mount.
A method of adding an instrument to a vehicle that includes a speedometer, comprising the steps of:
- removing an original vehicle part from a mounting space of the vehicle, wherein the original vehicle part has a viewing opening through which a driver of the vehicle may view the speedometer when the original vehicle part is located in the mounting space of the vehicle, and wherein the original vehicle part possesses no instrument mounts;
- installing a replacement vehicle part in the mounting space after the removing step, wherein the replacement vehicle part has at least one instrument mount;
- and
- locating the instrument in the at least one instrument mount.
A method of modifying a vehicle that includes a speedometer, comprising the steps of:
- removing an original vehicle part from a mounting space of the vehicle, wherein (i) the original vehicle part has a first viewing opening through which a driver of the vehicle may view the speedometer when the original vehicle part is located in the mounting space of the vehicle, and (ii) the original vehicle part possesses no instrument mounts;
- and
- installing a replacement vehicle part in the mounting space after the removing step, wherein (i) the replacement vehicle part has a second viewing opening through which the driver of the vehicle may view the speedometer when the replacement vehicle part is located in the mounting space of the vehicle, and (ii) the replacement vehicle part possesses at least one instrument mount.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.