Interior trim gap covering apparatuses for motor vehicles and methods for making the same
AssigneeFaurecia Interior Systems, Inc.
InventorsGary FORTH, Frank GIANFERRARA, Roger REUTER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Interior trim gap covering apparatuses for motor vehicles and methods for making interior trim gap covering apparatuses are provided. In one example, an interior trim gap covering apparatus comprises a first gap hider member. The first gap hider member comprises a substrate having a forward edge and a rearward edge and a plurality of openings formed therethrough extending between the forward and rearward edges to facilitate the substrate deforming in response to an applied force. A flexible covering overlies the substrate.
Claims15
An interior trim gap covering apparatus for a motor vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
- a first gap hider member comprising:
- a substrate deformable from a normal state to a deformed state along a deformation axis between a forward edge and a rearward edge of the substrate, the substrate having a plurality of elongated openings formed therethrough extending between the forward and rearward edges along the deformation axis to facilitate the substrate deforming from the normal state to the deformed state in response to an applied force along the deformation axis;
- and
- a flexible covering overlying the substrate.
A method of forming an interior trim gap covering apparatus for a motor vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
- forming a plurality of elongated openings through a substrate extending between a forward edge and a rearward edge of the substrate along a deformation axis between the forward edge and the rearward edge of the substrate, wherein the openings are configured to facilitate the substrate deforming from a normal state to a deformed state along the deformation axis in response to an applied force along the deformation axis;
- and
- covering the substrate with a flexible covering to form a gap hider member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.