Walk through boot assembly and method

A boot assembly for at least partially lining a passageway between two compartments of a vehicle, said compartments having opposed walls with each of said walls having an opening therein, said boot assembly comprising:

• (a) boot securement means provided as an elongate channel mounted proximate at least one of the openings and said channel including a first shoulder and an opposed second shoulder provided by inwardly protruding flanges;
• (b) a boot body portion formed to extend substantially between said opposed walls and at least partially around the periphery of said openings;
• (c) retaining means provided on said body portion to mount said body portion to said securement means, said retaining means including a first lip portion and a spaced apart second lip portion, said first lip portion being formed for insertion of said first lip portion into interengagement with a flange providing said first shoulder by pivoting said retaining means in one direction, said second lip portion being formed for resilient deformation and formed to be forced past a flange providing said second shoulder by pivoting said retaining means in an opposite direction about the interengaged first lip portion.

A method for lining at least a portion of the periphery of a passageway between two compartments of a vehicle, said compartments having opposed walls with each of said walls having an opening therein, and boot securement means mounted proximate at least one of the openings and including a first shoulder and an opposed spaced apart second shoulder for mounting of said boot assembly thereto, said first shoulder and said second shoulder extending in a direction toward each other and a direction substantially parallel to said passageway said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a boot body portion formed to extend between said securement means and having retaining means provided on said body portion including a first lip portion and a spaced apart second lip portion formed for resilient deformation, first lip portion and said second lip portion extending in a direction substantially parallel to said passageway;
• (b) inserting said first lip portion into interengagement with said first shoulder;
• (c) deforming said second lip portion to force said second lip portion past said second shoulder by rotating said retaining means about the interengaged first lip portion until said second lip portion passes beyond and resiliently engages said second shoulder.