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US 5,653,805 AGranted
Vehicle body panel positioning apparatus for paint application
AssigneePTM Corporation
InventorsCharles T. Russell, Gerald G. Kilgore, Jr.
Life of this patent
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AssigneePTM Corporation
InventorsCharles T. Russell, Gerald G. Kilgore, Jr.
Estimating the term…
A positioning method and fixture apparatus for use in painting or coating a vehicle body panel, such as a plastic composite deck lid, when mounted on a pair of existing spring-counterbalanced arms of deck lid hinges. The method and apparatus releasably retains and positions the deck lid by forces applied directly at the hinges rather than to the deck lid. A rigid transverse main strut of the fixture laterally spans the body panel between the hinges and carries a pair of hook members rigidly affixed to its ends that releasably attach one to each associated hinge arm. A secondary strut extends rearwardly from the main strut and has a slide bolt latch to releasably engage the rear underside edge of the deck lid stationary against lid-opening counterbalancing spring forces, and to secure the fixture unitarily to the deck lid at three points. A lid manipulating arm pivotally carded on the secondary strut has spaced notch hooks to hold the deck lid in selected partially open positions for coating application. The fixture is torsionally and longitudinally rigid to prevent torsional stress being exerted by the hinges on the deck lid panel. Additionally, no bending moment in a plane fore and aft of the vehicle is applied to the deck lid by the positioning method because the fixture does not pull down on the deck lid rear latch point but instead attaches directly to the lid hinges in order to manipulate and hold the deck lid.
A positioning fixture for selectively positioning a vehicle body panel during the application thereto paint find/or other coating material, and wherein the panel has a generally horizontally oriented closed position relative to a horizontally oriented vehicle body and is cantilevered carried on the vehicle body by the hinge-remote ends of a pair of spaced apart spring-counterbalanced hinge arms for bodily pivotal motion therewith in a generally vertical travel path about the pivot axis of the hinge arms to be held in a raised open position by spring counterbalance forces exerted on the hinge arms, and wherein the hinge arms are tubular members open at the hinge-remote ends thereof, said positioning fixture comprising,
A positioning fixture for selectively positioning a vehicle body panel during the application thereto of paint and/or other coating material, and wherein the panel has a generally horizontally oriented closed position relative to a horizontally oriented vehicle body and is cantilever carried on the vehicle body by the hinge-pivot-remote ends of a pair of spaced apart spring counterbalanced hinge arms for bodily pivotal motion therewith in a generally vertical travel path about the hinge axis from the closed position to a raised open position by spring counterbalancing forces exerted on the hinge arms, said fixture comprising means constructed and arranged for removable coupling between the vehicle body and the pivot-remote ends of the hinge arms for applying tension forces directly to the pivot-remote ends of the hinge arms while acting against the counterbalance spring forces acting on the hinge arms to thereby hold the hinge arms and thus indirectly through the hinge arms thereby hold the associated body panel stationary relative to the vehicle body in a selected orientation position between fully closed and fully oldened relative to the vehicle body for application of coating material to the body panel.
In combination, an automotive vehicle body adapted to be oriented with its overall length and width dimensions generally horizontal for application of coating material to said vehicle body, said body including a body compartment and a pair of spring counterbalanced hinge arms disposed in said compartment and spaced apart therein transversely of the vehicle body longitudinally axis for pivotal motion about a hinge axis generally parallel to the body width dimension, said hinge arms having free ends spaced remote from the hinge axis of said arms, said vehicle body further including a body panel for opening and closing access to said body compartment, said body panel having a generally horizontally oriented closed position relative to said vehicle body when horizontally oriented and being cantilever carded on said vehicle body by said hinge-pivot-remote ends of said hinge arms for bodily pivotal motion therewith in a generally vertical travel path about the hinge axis upwardly to be held in a raised open position by spring counterbalance forces exerted on said hinge arms, and positioning fixture means generally removably disposed in said body compartment and being operably removably coupled between said vehicle body and said hinge arms for selectively positioning said body panel relative to said vehicle body during the application thereto of paint and/or other coating material, said fixture means comprising hinge arm attachment means for applying forces directly to said hinge arms acting against the counterbalance spring forces to thereby thus hold the hinge arms stationary and thereby hold said body panel indirectly through the hinge arms stationary relative to said vehicle body in a selected orientation position between fully closed and fully opened relative 16 the vehicle body compartment for application of coating material to said body panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.