Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGRO~N~ OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to channel-shaped strips such
as for trimming an edge flange and for sealing purposes.
Such strips may, for ex~mple, be used in motor vehicle
body constructions for trimming edge flanges running
around door openings, and luggage co~par~ment openings,
and for supporting seals therearound against which a
door of the opening closes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIO~
According to the invention, there is provided
a channel-shaped trimming or sealing strip which is
shaped ~o that the side walls o the channel-shape embrace
a mounting flange for the strip and which is in the form
of a channel-shaped flexible metal earrîer covered ~ith
flexible covering material defining gripping lips running
longitudinally ~long the inside of the channel on the
opps~ite inside w211s there~f so as t~ gsip the said flange,
the 6trip being in combination with a ~eparate, rel~tively
~traight, rein~rcing member which is fitted within the
channel and which is stiff but sufficiently long and
pliable to~enable it to be bent slightly, with the strip,
to hold the strip in a slight curve.
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DESCRIPTION_ F THE DRAWINGS
Trimming and sealing strips embodying the inven~ion
will now be described by way of example and with reference
to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away,
of part of one of the strips;
Figure 2 is a perspective view, partly bro~en away,
showing the construction of the strip near a sharp bend
or corner; and
Figure 3 is a cross-section on the line III-III of
Figure ]. but additionally showing an attached sealing
section.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The strip shown in the Figures is for fitting to an
edge flange around the door opening of a motor vehicle
body. It is in the form of a channel-shaped gripping
portion 5 including a metal carrier 6 which has a plastlcs,
rubber or similar flexible covering 12 defining inwardly
projecting lips 1~.
A sealing portion 16 (shown in Fig.3 only), made of
cellular rubber for example, may be attached to the grip-
ping portion 5. In use, the gripping portion 5 grips
onto an edge flange around the door opening and supports
the sealing section 16 so that the latter extends around
the door opening and provides a draught and weatherproof
seal onto which the door closes in use. In the absence
o~ the sealing portion 16~ the gripping portion 5 performs
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primarily a trimming or protective function.
The lips 14 form seals against the sides of the
flange and also help retention of the gripping portion of
the flange. There may be equal numbers of lips 14 on each
side of the channel, and the lips can be of the same size.
The sealing portion 16 may be adhesively secured
to the plastics covering 12. Instead, however, it is
possible to make the covering 12 and the sealing portion 16
of such compatible material that they can be extruded by
means of a dual extruding process, so as to have the desired
different hardnesses.
The carrier 6 may take any suitable form. For
example, it may consist of U-shaped elements arranged side-
by-si.de to define a channel and either completely discon~
nected from each other or interconnected. Advantageously
however, it may take the form shown in British Patent No.
1492061, in British Patent No.1598683,or in published
British Patent Application No.2032500. These each show a
carrier where the U-shaped elements are connected together
by inclined links which give the carrier longitudinal
dimensional stability so as to enable it to resist
stretching or shrinkage, but yet enable the carrier, and
thus the strip, -to be compressed lengthwise to a sli~ht extent.
The strip is advantageously made up into a loop or
ring to suit a particular vehicle door opening. Such a
door opening will of course have sharp bends or corners
with relatively straight portions extending between them.
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However J with modern vehicle bodies it is unlikely that
the relatively straight portions are in fact absolutely
straight: they will normally be slightly curved and may
be curved in more than the plane. Such portions are
referred to below as "the intermediate portions".
As shown in the Figures, the strip is provided with
reinforcing members 20, but only along those lengths of
the strip which are to be fitted to the intermediate
portions of the vehicle door opening. The portions of the
strip at the sharp bends or curves (see Fig.2 where such
a sharp bend is illustrated) are not provided with any such
reinforcing member 20.
The reinforcing members 20 are made of metal or
any suitable material and are of shallow asymmetric channel
shape in cross-section. The width across the channel of
each reinforcing member is such that it is a relatively
tight fit in the inside of the base of the gripping portion
5 so as to enable it to be held therein merely by friction.
However, as it is posi-tioned between the base of the channel
of the gripping portion a~d the innermost gripping lips 14,
it will additionally be prevented by the lips from falling
out.
However, if desired~ the reinforcing members may be
additionally held in position as by adhesive.
; The reinforcing members 20 may be provided with
suitable coatings to prevent corrosion.
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The reinforcing members 20 are relatively stiff
and thus hold relatively stiffly the lengths of the sealing
strip intended to be fitted to the intermediate portions
of the door opening. However, the members 20 are arranged
to be sufficiently pliable to enable them to be bent or
curved slightly by the fitter when he is assembling the
strip to the vehicle body opening. In this way, he can
shape or form the sealing strip to match any slight curves
of the intermediate portions of the door opening (in any
plane), and the reinforcing members will thereafter retain
the sealing strip in that shape.
The fact that the sealing strip is completely free
of the reinforcing members 20 at the positions where sharp
bends or curves are required enables the fitter to more
easily fit the sealing strip into such sharp bends or
curves. Further~ore, it has the advantage that the loop
or frame can be more easily "folded up" for storage or
transport, before fitting to the vehicle body.
If the metal carrier 6 has the form illustrated in
the above-mentioned British Patents or above-mentioned
British Application, the strip has the advantage that,
even though it is provided with the reinforcing members 20,
it can still be compressed lengthwise to a slight extent
so as to enable its length to be adjusted slightly to ta~e
account of tolerances in manufacture.
Although the arrangement is particularly advantageous
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where ~he sealing strip is in the form of a closed loop
or frame, it is not essential, and it may be applied to
the case where this is not so.
It will be appreciated that the arrangement may also
: be applied where the sealing strip is to be fitted around
the opening of a luggage compartment of a vehicle body.
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