Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Atoma International Corporation

Visteon Technologies, Inc.

Frank Qiukui Liu

Thomas Junior Luckett

Francis Raymond Gillis

Majid Jack Hammoud

Kenneth J Kwasnik

Donald R Schaefer

Glenn Biddinger

Matthew Jameson Hickey

Vijaykumar Hegde

Leon Bruce Liu

Paul W McGlinnen

Philip W Hadley

Fred B Schultz

Sean Bayle West

Linh Ngoc Doan

Nicholas Andrew Mazzocchi

Steven Nicholas Fidh

Bari W Brown

Alan Perelli

Brent Clifford Dalton

Mark M Sheldon

Manoj Patnala

Liying Qi

Jeffrey Peter Webb

Lucian Bela

James Paul Yizze

Jingduan Guo

David L Cousino

A vehicular storage box that includes a compartment for holding articles, the compartment comprising four sides, a bottom and a top lid. The compartment is fabricated from an engineered plastic or a polymer matrix composite. The box further includes a locking assembly situated within the lid. The locking assembly comprises a central locking wheel connected to a linkage, a plurality of pawls for each of at least three of the sides of the compartment, and a solenoid switch. The locking wheel is movably connected to the plurality of pawls. Further, the solenoid switch is connected to the linkage to move the wheel to drive the plurality of pawls into and out of the at least three of the sides of the compartment into a respective locked position of the lid and an unlocked position of the lid.

Vehicular storage box

A glove box assembly includes a surround structure having a central opening and a striker opening in the surround structure. The surround structure includes an interlock structure that is spaced inwardly from the striker opening and aligned with the striker opening. A striker is mounted in the striker opening of the surround structure adjacent the central opening. The striker includes an interlocking extension engaging the interlock structure. A glove compartment door is received in the central opening of the surround structure. The glove compartment door includes at least one latch pawl that is configured to releasably engage the striker.

Interlocking latch striker design

A vehicle includes a housing disposed within a dashboard, a bin rotationally operable within the housing, and a hook integral to the bin and positionable around a post assembly integral to the housing, wherein the hook is operable between a design position when the bin is in a closed position, an open position when the bin is in a fully ajar position, and an assembly position when the bin is in an installation position.

Glovebox

A storage bin assembly for vehicles includes a bin and a door. The door includes a latch-engaging surface that moves from a rest position when the door is opened. A latch pawl engages the latch-engaging surface of the door to prevent movement of the door to the open position when the latch pawl is in an engaged position. A push button actuator is disposed in a center portion of a dashboard structure. The push button actuator includes a cam surface that slidably engages the latch pawl and causes the latch pawl to move from the engaged position to a disengaged position to thereby unlatch the door.

Storage box latch with a remotely located mechanical push button

A latch mechanism for a vehicle storage box may include a pair of pawls fixed on opposite sides of a coupler and configured to cause inward translation of one pawl in response to actuation at the other pawl, and a sliding element arranged between each of the pawls and the coupler, the sliding element including at least one retention mechanism to fix the pawl to the sliding element and further including a biasing element to compress the pawl to further engage the pawl with the retention mechanism.

Latch mechanism for storage box

A vehicle glovebox includes a bin rotationally operable within a housing. A downstop is defined within the housing. The downstop is in a blocking position and engages the bin to define a fully open position of the bin. The downstop is operable to a release position that defines rotation of the bin beyond the fully open position.

Downstop for glovebox

A heat stake for a plastic part includes a body having a proximal end, a flared section and a distal end. The proximal end has a first cross-sectional area Aand the flared section has a second cross-sectional area Awhere A&#x3c;A. The distal end has a dual taper. That plastic part incorporating the heat stake is also disclosed.

Heat stake and method of eliminating heat stake sink marks in a plastic part

A glovebox assembly includes a support substrate, a glovebox rotationally displaceable with respect to the support substrate, a downstop carried on the support substrate and an interlock feature carried on the support substrate. The downstop includes a stalk and a head. The interlock feature overlaps the stalk adjacent the head.

Glovebox assembly with an interlocking downstop

A vehicle glovebox includes a frame rotationally operable within a housing. A downstop is defined within the frame, wherein the downstop in a blocking position engages the housing to define a fully-open position of the frame. The downstop is operable to a release position that defines rotation of the frame beyond the fully-open position.

Glovebox downstop with bi-directional interlocking feature

An air bag chute assembly mounts a passenger air bag module to an automotive instrument panel. An outer flange collar of the assembly attaches to the instrument panel and defines a windshield-facing side. A tubular chute extends interiorly from the collar to a lower end that attaches to the air bag module. A door flap is disposed in an upper end of the chute. An S-shaped hinge has a first edge attached to the door flap. An apron extends from the collar laterally into the deployment path from the windshield-facing side. A second edge of the hinge attaches to the apron so that a sweep zone of the door flap is shifted by a distance corresponding to a reduction in a width of the deployment path at the upper end caused by the apron, reducing interference between the flap and a windshield during air bag deployment.

Restricted-opening door hinge for automotive air bag chute

A vehicle interior trim system such as an instrument panel or a door panel includes a panel substrate defining a deployment aperture. An inflatable device such as an air bag is adapted to deploy through the aperture during a crash. A natural, tanned leather skin covers the substrate, wherein the skin has a tear seam corresponding to the aperture on a hidden surface of the skin. An aperture door may be fitted within the deployment aperture which is adapted to open against the skin in response to deployment of the inflatable device. The tear seam is comprised of a region on the hidden surface of the skin having a disrupted fiber matrix from exposure to an alkaline solution such as ammonia, bleach, sodium tetraborate, sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, trisodium phosphate, potassium hydroxide, and potassium carbonate.

Leather trim panel skin hidden tear seam with disrupted fiber matrix

An airbag assembly includes a housing having a chute defining an opening. A panel is joined with the chute at a first end and extends over the opening to a second end opposite the first end and elevated with respect thereto. A substrate overlies the panel such that the elevated second end is closer to the substrate than the first end, and a foam layer extends from the substrate to the panel.

Seamless passenger airbag system

An automobile air bag mounting structure includes a chute defining an opening with a first wall extending from the opening, a cover fully sealing the opening, and a hinge member extending integrally between the first wall and a portion of the cover. The hinge member extends from the first housing wall and to the cover in a direction toward the opening with at least one segment therebetween extending away from the opening.

Air bag door hinge for a motor vehicle

The present invention discloses a cup holder in which a body includes a base and a cylindrical sidewall having an opening through which a protrusion is pivotably mounted for movement between a fully extended position and a fully retracted position. A continuous elastic member biases the protrusion to the fully extended position.

Size adjustable cup holder in a motor vehicle

A collapsible vehicle seat assembly includes a lower seat with a seat back pivotally connected with respect to the lower seat and having a flat back. Front and rear legs are pivotally connected to the lower seat. The lower seat, seat back and legs are selectively movable between a first position for seating wherein the legs and seat back are substantially upright, a second position for storage wherein the legs and flat back are generally horizontal such that the flat back forms a load floor, and a third position for ingress/egress wherein the lower seat and seat back are substantially upright.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, MI, United States of America

Frank Qiukui Liu