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US 5,425,561 AGranted
Flexible insert for an automotive bumper
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorTerry B. Morgan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor vehicle bumper system including a closed cross section impact beam having at least one open end and a reinforcing insert in the open end. The reinforcing insert has a central flat wall and a pair of flat, flexible wings attached to the central wall which cooperate with the latter in achieving energy absorbing performance similar to the more complex impact beam inserts having molded, egg crate-type constructions. The flat flexible wings and the central flat wall afford simple press-in installation and frictional retention in the open end of the impact beam.
Claims5
An automotive bumper system comprising:
- (a) an impact beam having a closed cross section in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal centerline of the impact beam bounded by an outer wall, an inner wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall and including at least one open end;
- and
- (b) a reinforcing insert, inserted into the open end of the impact beam parallel to the longitudinal centerline thereof, having a central flat wall and a first flexible flat wing and a second flexible flat wing each attached to the central flat wall and springably compressed toward each other to provide a press fit against respective ones of the top wall and the bottom wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.