Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
- ;2 006,~3'76;
WORKPIECE HOLDER AND METH(~D O~ INSTALLING A VEHICLE
WINDSHIELD THEREWITH
~IELD OF INVENTION
The present invention reIates to a method and means for installing a windshield
in a vehicle where the windshield is bonded to the metallic windshield opening in the
vehicle body frame by glues whose purpose is to bond the glass of the windshield and
the vehicle body to create an integral structure and contribute to the strength of the
whole, It is a government requirement that when windshields are replaced in modern
vehicles, that they be bonded to the frame with glues that require at least 24 hours to
set, It is therefore a requirement that the replacement windshield be hel~ fast in the
setting position by a means and method that is secure and imobile, ~ ~
':
OBJECTS O~ THE INVENTION
It is the principal object of the invention to provide a method and means of pulling a
replacement windshield into a perfect fltment into the body opening of a vehicle and of
maintaining it there without shifting while the urethane gel glue sets in the bo~nding
operation of the windshield with the vehicle body,
It is a collateral object of the invention to provide the means of fitting and `
pulling and holding the windshield in the vehicle body that is easy for a workman to
use and which can be set up and dismanteled with alscrity and without damage to the
tool or workpiece arter many reuses, ~ `
It is a further object of the invention to use the seat belts of the vehicle to pull and
hold down the fitment means used to maintain the windshield in immobile mode, ;
It is also an object of the invention to provide the fitment means with a fine
adjustment that allows a workman to pull the windshield into embedment in the glue
on the windshield opening of the vehicle body with a steady even force to assure that
the whole perimeter edge becomes bonded rast,
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200~
SUMMARY O~ THE INVENTION
The workpiece holder and memod of installing a vehicle windshield therewith of the
present invention comprises two pairs of suction cup means each pair being attached ;
to the inside of the windshield to be installed, One pair is attached to the mid part of
one side half of the windshield and the other pair is attached to the mid part of the
other side of the inside of the windshield, Each pair of suction cups is attached to
and is spaced apart by a rod member which lies parallel to the windshield when the
pair of cups is attached to the windshield, The pairs of suction cups are attached one
to the other by a buckleable strap member and a turnbuckle wlth a freely rotatable
roller and yoke member adapted to receive the strap, When the strap member is buckled
to at~ach the pairs of suction cups together with the turnbuckle freely hanging along the
straps length a means of applying a downward pull on the whole perimeter of the
windshield in the vehicle body opening is created,
On the end of the turnbuckle remote from the roller and yoke a clamping mealls is
positioned and its purpose is to clamp together the two safety beIts of the front seat
of the vehicle thereby making means of attaching in tensioning mode the turnbuckle
and its attached windshield and the rigid body of the vehicle frame. The straps or `
belts of the safety belts are each attached to their respective socket latches and then
held together to allow their ad~acent sides to overlie one another where the clamp is ;
attached which point will be seen to be substantially in the mid point of the vehicle
. . :::
and the windshield where an equalizing force may be applied. With the bottom clamp is
held fast to the pair of mating seat belts the upper roller end is run along the strap ;
fi~ed to the two pair of suction cups until it rests at a mid way point when a fine
adjustment threaded me~ber can be used to draw the yoke and roller downward into
ehe turnbuckle body and thereby subject the attached belts and straps to a steady force
which allows a workman to draw the windshield into the urethane gel set in the periphery `
of the vehicle body with a controllable and even force.
. . .
:
~006~3'7~ :
IN THE~ DRAWINGS
With the foregoing in view, and such other objects advantages or novel features as may -
become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present
invention consists of the concept which is comprised embodied embraced and included -~ ~;
in the method, construction arrangement and combination of parts or new use of any of the ~ `: ::~: :
foregoing, herein exemplified in one or more specific embodiments of such concept,
reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals
refer to like parts, . .
Figure 1 i9 an elevation view of the inside of the front seat of a vehicle showing the pair
of seats with their respective seat belts attached to the locking slots and the belts mating
and overlying one another on their inner sides and me turnbuckle attached to them and to a ~ .
strap which in turn is attached to the pairs of suction cups attached to a windshield, : :~:
Figure 2 is a ~ront view of the turnbuckle of the invention showing the means ~or clamping .
the seat belts and the fine ad~ustment means for the strap roller holder, .~ .
Figure 3 is a side view of the t~lrnbuckle showing the roller in the yoke, : .
THE PREFERRED EMBODIMI~NT OF THE lNVENTION -
In Figure 1 the numeral 10 represents a workpiece, namely an automobile windshield in :
the process of being installed into the opening in a vehicle body (not shown) which has had
the original windshield removed because of defect or damage or the like, A pair of suction ~ ~
cups 13,14 attac ~ed together by spacer rod 40 are attached centrally of the inside of one ~-
side of the windshield 10 and a pair of suction cups 11,12, attached together by spacer rod 41
are attached centrally of the inside of the windshield 10 tothe side of the windshield remote
from pair 13,14, A strap or belt 18 is attached between the mid point of each of spacer
rods 40, 41, in double mode with a buckle means 19, for adjustment to allow the belt 18
of ~ -
to hang loosely between the pair,~ suction cup combinations as shown, A turnbuckle member -~
15 is shown attached to beltl8 at a point 17 where as shown by roller means of Figure 3,
it can roll freely along the belt 18 to a point equidistant between the suction cups where
a uniform force can be applied, The perimiter edge 42 of the windshield 10 mates with
-4~
lip Or a vehicle bocly holding a rim of uretharle gel glue into whicll the windshiel~
.,
workpiece is intended to be set, The turnbuckle 15 is used to acljust the force of
downward pull ol the dcvlce Oll the win(lslliel(l to the rcguirc(l amount rOr setting Or
the windshield in the glue in the lip of the vehicle body opening after the windshield
has been manually set in place by use of the spacer handles 40, 41, with the suction cups
in place as shown.
A yoke shaped lower end of the turnbuckle lS is enumerated 44 and comprises a pair
of adjustable clamp means 35, 36, one of which has a fine adjustment knob 21 to allow
for adjustment of the travel of screw 34 through threads in the yoke 44~ (see Figure 2)
A pair oE the seat belts 22, 23, of the front seat 28 are done up by fitting them to their
respective latches 47, 46, and adjusted to allow part 27 of belt 22 ~ -
to overlie and mate with part of belt 23, namely portion 26, The bottom yoke end ~4 of
turnbuckle 15 has its clamp means Eitted to the mating belts as at S0 thereby to attacll ~ `
the workpiece Eirmly to the vehicle body, ~ soLt material 45 is itted to the clamp hea(ls
35, 36, to prevent the clamps Erom damaging the seat belts when force is applied to the
clamps to hold the turnbuckle to them,
Figures 2 and 3 show the structure of the turnbuckle in detail, A roller member 31 is rree
to rotate in a bearing 30 ln the yoke 16 fitted to the upper end of the turnbuckle 15 and the
yoke 16 is attached to a shaft 51 which passes through opening 33 in the body 15 of the
turnbuckle and a threaded portion 32 oE the shaft 51 is threadably mounted to an adjustment
screw 20 threadably mounted at 52 in the bottom of the turnbuckle 15,
OPER~TION OF THE INVENTION
With the turnbuckle Eitted by the bottom clamps 35, 36 to the vehicle seat belts 23, 22,
as shown, the wlndshield 10 with the suction cups and strap belt 18 in place, the belt 18
is fitted to the roller 31 by first undoing buckle 19 and fitting the belt 18 through slot 60
thereby allowing the belt 18 to ride freely over the roller 31 which is rotatable on bearings
30, and then the buckle 19 done up to fasten the whole combination together to draw in the
windshield into lts bed of glue on the vehicle body opening lip. The adjustment screw 20
is threaded on thread 32 oE rod 51 to provide the proper tension to hold the windshield
in place rigid ancl immobile for the reguired 24 hours.
