Extruded vinyl molding incorporating a stiffener
AssigneeSterling Engineered Products Inc.
InventorAndrew C. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A composite channel-shaped trim strip for application to a flange such as around the doors and windows of automotive vehicles, and a method for fabricating the trim strip. A perforated stiffener is incorporated in the trim strip to impart shape retention while facilitating bending and distortion thereof to the desired configuration. A rigid barrier member is interposed between the perforated stiffener and the corresponding external surface of the trim strip as the trim strip is fabricated to prevent carryover of the perforated pattern of the stiffener to the external surface. An aesthetically pleasing pattern may then be embossed upon the surface.
Claims19
A molded composite trim strip for application to a flange such as on automotive vehicles, comprising a semi-rigid stiffener member embedded within a body of flexible, resilient material, said stiffener member including at least one wall presenting an irregular outwardly facing surface, said irregular surface being covered by a layer of said flexible, resilient material defining a corresponding external surface of said trim strip, and a barrier strip positioned between said irregular surface of said wall and said external surface of said trim strip for precluding carryover of the pattern of said irregular surface to said external surface of said trim strip.
A method of forming a molded composite trim strip of the type employed on automotive vehicles, comprising the steps of directing a preformed semi-rigid stiffener member including a wall presenting an irregular outwardly facing surface, into an extrusion die, positioning a rigid barrier strip along said irregular outwardly facing surface before said stiffener member enters said extrusion die, supplying the matrix material for said trim strip to said die, and extruding said trim strip from said die with said stiffener member and said rigid barrier strip embedded in said matrix material whereby said barrier strip inhibits carryover of the pattern of said irregular surface from said stiffener member to the corresponding external surface of said trim strip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.