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US 3,935,686 AGranted
Vehicle drain hole plug
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorJames H. Dozois
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorJames H. Dozois
Estimating the term…
A drain plug to seal a drain hole opening in a vehicle body panel, the drain plug being generally in the shape of a cross with two crossed arms and, in its pre-installed free position, being folded along a longitudinal fold line extending through one arm to appear tent-shaped in cross section with the extent between the ends of the other arm, which are curved, being such that so as to permit entry of these portions of the other arm through the drain hole in a vehicle body panel. The drain plug is then clinched into assembly with the panel, as by striking the plug in the area of the fold line to collapse the tent-shaped portion of the plug flat against the panel whereby this arm, with the original fold line therein, engages one side of the panel while the ends of the other arm are forced to move beyond the extremities of the drain hole to dig into the opposite side of the panel.
A drain plug for partially closing a drain hole opening in a vehicle body panel, said drain plug in the form of a cross of relatively thin material includes a first arm and a second arm at right angle to each other, the drain plug in its pre-installed form being partly folded along a central longitudinal fold line extending across said first arm to divide said first arm into an integral first arm portion and a second arm portion folded toward each other, the opposite ends of said second arm being bent adjacent to said first arm toward each other with their free end portions in a return bend in a direction opposite to each other, the extent between said free ends of said second arm in the pre-installed free form being approximately equal to the diameter of the drain hole opening whereby said second arm can be inserted through the drain hole opening, said first arm portion and said second arm portion of said first arm being movable about said fold line toward an unfolded position whereby the extent between said free ends of said second arm is increased to a length substantially greater than the diameter of the drain hole opening whereby said first arm engages one side of the body panel and the free ends of said second arm engage the opposite side of the body panel, the end surface of each of said free end portions being of a shape to provide substantially point contact between these end surfaces and the body panel.
A drain plug for partially closing a drain hole opening in a vehicle body panel, said drain plug of relatively thin deformable material includes a pair of integral arm portions of a length greater than the diameter of the drain hole folded toward each other about a common longitudinal fold line, each of said arm portions having an integral clamp arm portion extending from one side thereof in a direction normal to said fold line, said clamp arm portions being folded adjacent to said arm portions in a direction toward each other and are provided at their free ends with return bent portions extending in opposite directions away from each other, the extent between said return bent portions being such as to permit entry of said clamp arm portions through the drain hole opening, said arm portions being movable about said fold line toward a position in which they lie substantially in a common plane to increase the extent between said return bent portions whereby said arm portions will engage one side of the panel and said return bent portions will engage the opposite side of the panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.