Door panel molding installation machine
OwnerJoseph H. Warnerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A machine for automatically installing a molding strip onto the edge of a door panel. The door panel is covered with a soft, flexible material such as vinyl or cloth. The molding strip has a channel formed therein, which receives the edge of the door panel. A compression mechanism compresses the material in front of the molding strip as the molding strip is pushed by a drive mechanism onto the door panel edge the distance of the molding strip. The compression mechanism and the drive mechanism move in unison so that the compression mechanism is continuously compressing the material just in front of the molding strip as the strip is installed on the door panel edge.
Claims12
A machine for installing a molding strip having a leading end and a trailing end onto an edge of a door panel, the door panel having opposite ends and being covered with a soft. resilient material, the machine comprising:
- a frame assembly;
- means on the frame assembly for securely holding the door panel on the frame assembly;
- means for retaining the molding strip on the frame assembly with the leading end of the molding strip positioned adjacent to the edge and one end of the door panel;
- means for engaging the trailing end of the molding strip and for pushing the molding strip over the edge of the door panel along a path parallel to the edge of the door panel from one end of the door panel to the other end of the door panel;
- pressure applying means for applying a vertical and horizontal force to the soft resilient material to compress the material at a point in front of the leading end of the molding strip;
- and
- means to move the pressure applying means along the edge of the door panel to continually compress the material in front of the leading end of the molding strip as the strip moves from one end of the door panel to the other.
A machine for installing a molding strip having a leading end and a trailing end and a channel therein onto an edge of a panel member in which the panel member is covered with a soft, resilient, flexible material, the machine comprising:
- a frame assembly having means for holding the panel member in a fixed position;
- support means on the frame assembly for holding the molding strip with the leading end of the molding strip adjacent to the edge of the panel;
- driving means for engaging the trailing end of the molding strip and pushing the strip along the edge of the panel along a path parallel to the edge of the door panel a distance at least equal to the length of the molding strip, the edge of the panel received within the molding strip channel;
- compression means mounted on the frame assembly for applying a vertical and horizontal compressive force to the soft, resilient, flexible material at a location in front of the leading end of the molding strip to compress the material thereby allowing the edge of the panel and the material to enter the molding strip channel without tearing the material;
- and
- means to move the compression means in unison with the driving means whereby the compression means continuously applies pressure during the installation of the molding strip to the soft. resilient material at a location in front of the moving strip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.