Flexible grille

An automobile grille for an automobile having an impact-absorbing bumper which is movable upon impact with an object such that said impact-absorbing bumper subsequently returns to a pre-impact position after said impact is dissipated, said automobile grille comprising:

• a body portion extending across a front end portion of said automobile, said body portion having an upper end and a lower end;
• an upper segment portion located at said upper end of said body portion, said upper segment portion having fastening means for attaching said body portion to said automobile;
• a lower segment portion located at said lower end of said body portion;
• and
• a plurality of elongate support members interposed said upper and lower segment portions of said body portion, said plurality of elongate support members each having a first end attached to said upper segment portion and an oppositely disposed second end attached to said lower segment portion, said plurality of elongate support members and said lower segment portion being formed from a material having a predetermined yield strength, said plurality of elongate support members having a minimum section modulus along at least one portion thereof so as to provide a predetermined elastic deformation of said plurality of elongate support members at said at least one portion without exceeding said predetermined yield strength of said material;
• whereby said predetermined elastic deformation of said plurality of elongate support members provides a degree of resiliency to said automobile grille such that when said automobile grille is rigidly attached to said automobile with said fastening means said automobile grille may sustain a predetermined elastic deformation upon said impact-absorbing bumper being impacted without said automobile grille exceeding said predetermined yield strength of said material.

An elastic automobile grille for an automobile having a bumper, said automobile grille comprising:

• a body member having a first segment;
• a second segment;
• and
• at least two end members, each of said at least two end members having an end rigidly mounted to said first segment and an opposite end rigidly mounted to said second segment such as to define end extremities of said body member;
• fastening means mounted to said body member for securing said automobile grille to said automobile;
• and
• a plurality of support members secured to at least one of said at least two end members of said body member, said plurality of support members and one of said first and second segments being formed from a material having a predetermined yield strength, said plurality of support members and one of said first and second segments having a variable section modulus along a portion thereof so as to provide a predetermined elastic deformation of said one of said first and second segments and said plurality of support members at said portion without exceeding said predetermined yield strength of said material whereby said predetermined elastic deformation of said one of said first and second segments and said plurality of support members provides a degree of resiliency to said automobile grille such that said automobile grille can be rigidly attached to said automobile by said fastening means and such that said automobile grille may sustain a predetermined elastic deformation upon said bumper being impacted without said automobile grille exceeding said predetermined yield strength of said material.