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US 4,640,150 AGranted
Steering wheel with integrally-skinned foamed thermoplastic resin-covered handwheel core having flow mark-obscuring abrasion-resistant coating
AssigneeToyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
InventorsTeruo Kobayashi, Sadao Uchida
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A steering wheel having the hand wheel part thereof formed of an injection molded foam of thermoplastic synthetic resin, which injection molded foam has a substantially solid outer surface and is covered with a coating. This steering wheel is produced in attractive appearance without requiring use of any specially formulated resin material or exercise of rigid control of molding conditions.
Claims5
A steering wheel, comprising:
- a core, including a rim portion;
- a handwheel portion made of injection-molded foamed thermoplastic synthetic resin having an integral inner non-foamed, solid skin adhered to and enclosing said rim portion of said core, and having an integral outer non-foamed, solid skin;
- said foamed thermoplastic synthetic resin of said handwheel portion, between said integral inner and outer solid skins thereof, possessing an expansion ratio in the range of 1.1-1.8 compared with said thermoplastic synthetic resin when nonfoamed;
- and
- an abrasion-resistant coating adhered to and enclosing said outer skin of said handwheel portion, said coating being formed of a coating material containing a powdery lubricant in a coating material vehicle and being sufficiently thick as to substantially obscure from being seen or felt by hand any flow marks present on said outer solid skin.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.