Back to results
US 7,234,765 B1Granted
Vehicle door sill
AssigneeNissan Design America, Inc.
InventorsAnke Mazzei, Richard Plavetich, John Cupit
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosure relates to vehicles and door sills for vehicles. In one aspect, the disclosure relates to door sills having an interior channel configured to receive a retractable panel installed within a vehicle door. In another aspect, the disclosure relates to impact-absorbing door sills for motor vehicles, for example, an automobile. The disclosure also provides methods for forming a shaped composite article from a metal foam and attaching the shaped composite article to a side frame of a vehicle chassis.
Claims24
A vehicle comprising:
- a frame comprising a first frame pillar, a second frame pillar distal the first frame pillar, and a side frame member between the first frame pillar and the second frame pillar;
- a door attached to the frame, wherein the door further comprises a retractable panel covering an opening in the door;
- and
- a door sill member extending from a front end of the first frame pillar to a rear end of the second frame pillar, wherein the door sill member is outboard of the frame, and wherein the door sill member comprises a channel configured to receive a portion of the retractable panel.
1 more element
A door sill comprising:
- an elongate base member having a front end and a rear end distal from the front end;
- a front side pillar extending generally upward from the front end of the elongate base;
- a rear side pillar extending between the rear end of the elongate base member forward to a position between the rear end and the front end of the elongate base member in a direction generally away from a top surface of the elongate base member;
- and
- a channel extending from the front side pillar to the rear side pillar along an inner edge of the elongate base member, wherein the channel is configured to receive a portion of a movable panel covering an opening in a vehicle door.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.