United Technologies Automotive Inc.

Other

United Technologies Corporation

David M Hilborn

James D Dowd

Abdolhossein R Lawassani

Roy Weilant

Matthew J Brown

Abdi R Lawassani

Richard P Bozyk

Stephen P McGarry

The blade of a hockey stick is formed with downwardly angled grooves in its major faces for imparting a spinning motion to the puck. Each groove is angled downwardly and outwardly toward the toe area of the blade, so that the edges of the grooves spin the hockey puck into pressure contact with the ice (or ground) surface.

Hockey stick

A method of installing a headliner within a vehicle body. The headliner includes a plurality of overhead accessories each having an associated snap fit fastener shaped to fit in associated sheet metal openings in the vehicle body. The accessories are mounted to the headliner at a location remote from the vehicle with the snap fit fasteners protruding through the top of the headliner. The headliner, along with its associated accessories, is then transported to the vehicle body structure where the headliner is then mounted in the vehicle by aligning it with the vehicle body structure simultaneous with inserting a snap-fit fastener of one of the accessories into a corresponding sheet metal opening in the vehicle body structure. The remaining snap-fit fasteners associated with the other accessories are then mounted onto their corresponding sheet metal openings, thereby mounting the headliner and accessories to the vehicle structure.

Method of aligning and installing an automobile headliner by a

A sun visor (6) has a catch (12) for engagement with, and disengagement from, a clip (13) on a center bracket (14). The catch includes a pin (40) received within a cylindrical roller sleeve (41). The ends of the pin are retained in resilient cradles (42,50) mounted to a visor core half (23), and held securely therein by resilient tabs (43,55) mounted to another visor core half (20). The pin is prevented from moving laterally by a resilient tab (51).

Vehicle sun visor catch

A modular headliner includes an assist strap for mounting to the modular headliner to the vehicle body structure and includes an assist strap fastening means. The fastening means extends to engage a vehicle body adjacent an opening defined by a vehicle body structure. A mandrel may then be inserted between the fastening means to lock the fastening means to the vehicle body structure to thereby mount the assist strap and headliner to vehicle body structure. The assist strap may include a pivotally mounted handle having a preassembly position such that upon displacement of the handle, the mandrel is displaced to the locking position. Additionally a breakaway tab means may secure the handle to the assist strap base such that until sufficient force is applied to the handle to rupture the breakaway tab the handle will not be displaced. The tab is tuned to require that a sufficient force be sufficient to drive the mandrel to the locking position.

Method of assembling modular headliner to a vehicle by snap-fitting

A sunshade fastener module for use in a motor vehicle secures a sunshade and headliner substrate to one another. Additionally, the fastener includes mounts for securing the fastener and the attached sunshade and substrate to the body structure of the motor vehicle.

Sunshade fastener module for use with modular headliner

Assist strap for a modular headliner

An assist strap is installed by rotating an assist strap handle to drive a mandrel, in the base of the assist strap, into a projection in a service on which the assist strap is mounted. An apparatus for mounting an assist strap in a motor vehicle includes projecting fastening means extending from the base of the assist strap and a mandrel mounted to slide between a first position disengaged from the fastening means and a second position wherein the mandrel engages the fastening means to limit the movement of the fastening means thereby locking the fastening means to the vehicle body structure. A handle may be mounted to the base for pivotal movement such that applying a force to the handle drives the mandrel from the first position to the second position. Additionally, the handle may be secured in a preassembly position utilizing a breakaway tab such that the force necessary to drive the mandrel from the first position to the second position is less than the force required to rupture the breakaway tab securing the handle in a preassembled position.

Assist strap for a motor vehicle

A sun visor panel (30) having a channel (40) along a forward edge thereof is provided with a mounting clip (50) including a resilient tab (65) which snaps and locks the visor panel into a stored position and a pair of open eyelets (70) which frictionally hold the visor panel in any of various angularly adjusted positions on a mounting rod. A pair of claw-shaped guides (80) function with a pair of visor panel end bushings (45) to bear lateral adjustment of visor panel position along the rod.

Vehicle sun visor mounting arrangement

A snap-fit fastener for securing a headliner, a sunshade or both to the body structure of a motor vehicle. The fastener has extending legs which are compressed to allow a cover portion to pass through an opening in the body structure. A torque fitting for attachment to a sunshade support rod is encased within the cover. A base portion engages the substrate and provides entering arms for aligning the fastener.

Headliner and sunshade fastener

A combination headliner, retainer, console for use with a modular headliner for a motor vehicle. A substrate includes a depressed portion defining an opening therein. A retainer is mounted within the opening of the depressed portion and includes means for securing console mounted thereto. A console may be mounted to the retainer or directly to the substrate. Appropriate electrical connections may then be made between the retainer and console for providing electrical energy to the console. The retainer may further include extending wings for distributing the weight of the retainer and the console over a large area of the substrate.

Console mounted to a headliner

A motor vehicle body support structure for receiving a snap-fit fastener from a modular headliner. The vehicle body structure includes sheet metal members defining slots having longitudinal axes extending in the left to right and front to back directions. The longitudinal axes of the slots which are in alignment extend in mutually perpendicular directions such that a modular headliner may be assembled to multiple sheet metal members while maintaining alignment of the modular headliner within the motor vehicle to which it is being installed.

Motor vehicle body structure for receiving snap-fit modular headliner

A modular headliner subassembly incorporating a substrate defining a first opening, a retainer ring sized to be mounted relative to the first opening, a console sized to fit partially within the opening and be mounted to the retainer ring, a pair of inboard sunshade supports for supporting the inboard end of the sunshades mounted to a modular headliner and retention clips mounted to the inboard sunshade support fastening means such that the substrate and retaining ring are secured between the base of the inboard sunshade support and the retention clip to mount the inboard sunshade support to the substrate prior to assembly of the modular headliner to the motor vehicle.

Growing community of inventors

Sterling Heights, MI, United States of America

David M Hilborn