Back to results
US 5,924,199 AGranted
Steering wheel insert
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsJames Kent Conlee, Brian Thomas Finnigan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of making a one-piece steering wheel insert includes the steps of extruding material into an elongated continuous extrusion having a shape including an outer rim portion, a central hub portion and at least one spoke portion extending between the hub portion and the rim portion, cutting the extrusion into a plurality of blanks, and forming each of the blanks into a final shape of the steering wheel insert.
Claims6
A method of making a one-piece steering wheel insert, comprising the steps of:
- a) extruding material into an axially elongated continuous extrusion having an outer rim portion, a central hub portion, and at least one spoke portion connecting the central hub portion to the outer rim portion;
- b) radially cutting said extrusion into a plurality of planar blanks each having a central hub corresponding to said central hub portion, at least one spoke corresponding to said at least one spoke portion and having an initial length and an outer rim corresponding to said outer rim portion and defining an initial perimeter of the blank;
- and
- c) forming each of said blanks into a final shape by stretching said outer rim in a direction radially outwardly of said blank such that a final perimeter defined by the outer rim of the final shape is larger than said initial perimeter, and stretching said at least one spoke in a direction other than radially outwardly of said blank such that length of the at least one spoke of the final shape is larger than said initial length.
1 more element
A method of making a one-piece steering wheel insert, comprising the steps of:
- a) extruding material into an axially elongated continuous extrusion having an outer rim portion, a central hub portion, and at least one spoke portion connecting the central hub portion to the outer rim portion;
- b) radially cutting said extrusion into a plurality of planar blanks each having a central hub corresponding to said central hub portion, at least one spoke corresponding to said at least one spoke portion and having an initial length, and an outer rim corresponding to said outer rim portion and defining an initial perimeter of the blank;
- and
- c) pressing each of said blanks against and along die, thereby forming each of said blanks into a final shape by stretching said outer rim in a direction radially outwardly of said blank such that a final perimeter defined by the outer rim of the final shape is larger than said initial perimeter, stretching said at least one spoke such that a length of the at least one spoke of the final shape is larger than said initial length, and offsetting said central hub in a direction axially of said blank.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.