Adac Plastics, Inc.

Other

Joseph S Meinke

Robert L Bingle

Thomas R Futryk

Todd W Pastrick

Todd W Trap

Ian R Pettigrew

A component of an actuatable apparatus has a substrate, a selectively light- transmissive opaque covering, and an illumination source. The opaque covering is applied to an obverse surface or a reverse surface of the substrate to selectively enable and prevent transmission of light therethrough. The illumination source is adjacent the reverse surface for illuminating a selected area of the substrate. The opaque covering is characterized by first and second portions collectively defining a pattern associated with the selected area. The first portion enables transmission of light therethrough, and the second portion prevents or impedes transmission of light therethrough. Actuation of the illumination source directs light through the first portion but not through the second portion to reveal the pattern. The opaque covering renders the pattern invisible when the illumination source is in the non- illuminated state, and visible when the illumination source is in the illuminated state.

Trim component with concealed indicium

A keyless entry system has a handle housing and a grip cover defining a door handle grip, a keyless entry pad defining a plurality of keys, each identified with a corresponding symbol, a plurality of sensors in proximity to the keys for detecting an object in the vicinity of the keys, an illumination source to selectively backlight the sensors and symbols, and a light-controlling membrane extending over the keyless entry pad. Entering a keyless entry code into the keyless entry pad by selecting keys in a predetermined sequence enables a latch to be selectively disposed in either a locked condition or an unlocked condition. In ambient light, the light-controlling membrane renders the symbol invisible. When the illumination source backlights the sensor and the symbol, the light-controlling membrane renders the symbol visible.

Keyless entry system incorporating concealable keypad

A keyless entry system for a vehicle comprises a keyless entry pad having a plurality of keys. Each key has a corresponding symbol, and the symbols collectively form a textual representation of the vehicle and/or a user of the vehicle. A plurality of sensors in register with the keys for detecting the presence of a finger on each of the keys is coupled to an entry door latch for sending an unlock signal to the latch when a keyless entry code is entered a by selecting the keys with the finger in a predetermined sequence. When the latch is unlocked, the latch can be operated to open the entry door, such as with a door handle. The keyless entry system can be integrated with the door handle.

Vehicular keyless entry system incorporating textual representation of the vehicle or user of the vehicle

A vehicular trim component comprises a substrate having external and internal surfaces and a finish on at least one of the external and internal surfaces. An illumination source actuatable between an illuminated state and a non-illuminated state is positioned behind the substrate to direct light through the finish with the illumination source is in the illuminated state. A mask associated with the substrate defines at least a masked portion and an unmasked portion, wherein the unmasked portion transmits more light than the unmasked portion. The finish extends across both the masked portion and the unmasked portion to conceal visible differences between the masked portion and the unmasked portion when the illumination source is in the non-illuminated state. When the illumination source is in the illuminated state, light passes through the unmasked portion and the finish to provide a visible distinction between the masked portion and the unmasked portion.

A vehicle having a cargo extender mounted to a rear portion thereof, preferably a minivan or a sport utility vehicle, is provided. The cargo extender is preferably slidable between a retracted position stowed in an aesthetically-pleasing manner within the rear portion of the vehicle and an extended position where any contents of the extender can be accessed. Further, the cargo extender can be pivoted to different angular positions (as opposed to the generally horizontal position in which it is stored) to provide additional functionality thereto.

Vehicular rear-mounted cargo extender

An antenna is incorporated into the cowl grille of a motor vehicle adjacent the front windshield. The antenna comprises a receiver module or component and wire or cable which extends along the cowl grille generally parallel to the front windshield. The wire or cable can extend outside the cowl grille, and terminates in a connector which can be fed to the passenger compartment of the vehicle for connection to a radio, or the wire or cable can terminate as a molded-in connector as part of the cowl plastic allowing for direct connection from the vehicles wiring harness.

Cowl with embedded antenna

A tailgate of modular construction and employing an extender assembly. The tailgate employs a thick central molded plastic core structure and inner and outer cover sheets secured to inboard and outboard faces of the core structure. The core structure defines laterally spaced vertically extending channels and the extender assembly includes a pair of laterally spaced post assemblies slidably mounted in the respective channels of the core member and connected at their upper end by a bar member which fits in a pocket defined in the upper face of the tailgate with the extender assembly in its lowered position.

Modular extender tailgate

A motor vehicle door handle assembly including a first housing piece adapted to be mounted at one end of a bowl shaped depression formed in the outer skin of the vehicle door, a second housing piece adapted to be mounted at the other end of the depression in the outer skin, and an elongated handle pivotally mounted at one end thereof on the first housing piece and including a latch finger on the other end thereof received in a receptacle in the second housing piece to allow access to a latch actuator to control the latching and unlatching of the door.

Motor vehicle door handle assembly with split housing

A motor vehicle door handle assembly, including a face plate positioned flush with the door outer surface. When operator pressure is applied to the face plate, the face plate pops out under spring pressure to a position where it may be gripped by the operator and pulled outwardly to unlatch the door and allow opening of the door. When the face plate is thereafter released, the face plate is returned to its flush position in the door by a damper mechanism which overcomes the face plate spring during the return movement of the door handle to return the face plate to its flush position.

Flush motor vehicle door handle

A fuel filler door assembly is provided for a motor vehicle facilitating rapid and inexpensive installation. Installation is accomplished by passing a tubular sleeve main body portion of a housing of the fuel filler door assembly through an aperture in a lip in an outer panel of the vehicle to pass circumferentially spaced keys on the sleeve through circumferentially spaced keyways provided in the lip, pass an aperture in an inner end wall of the housing over the free end of the filler tube of the vehicle fuel tank to seat the inner wall on a flange carried by the filler tube, and seat a flange provided on an outer end of the housing on the outer panel lip; turning the housing to move the keys under the panel lip and trap the lip between the flange and the keys; and passing a screw fastener through the end wall of the housing for engagement with the filler tube flange.

Fuel filler door assembly

A painting apparatus including a rack assembly mounted on a carriage and adapted to be moved on the carriage between a load station, a paint application station, and an unload station. The rack assembly includes a main rack assembly mounted for rotation about a central axis and a plurality of rack subassemblies carried by the main rack assembly and mounted for respective rotation about a plurality of subassembly axes spaced circumferentially about and parallel to the central axis. As the main rack assembly undergoes rotation about the central axis at the paint application station, the rack subassemblies simultaneously rotate about their subassembly axes so that the parts carried by the subassemblies undergo a compound rotation with the result that even intricate interior surfaces on the parts are given a uniform coating of paint.

Painting apparatus with compound rack

A motor vehicle door handle assembly for actuating a door latch of the vehicle. The assembly includes a housing adapted to be mounted on the vehicle door, a handle mounted on the door on the housing for pivotal movement between an open position and a closed position, and a latch actuator mounted on the housing, operated by the handle, and operative to unlatch the vehicle door in response to opening movement of the handle. The handle and housing define coacting detent structures operative in response to closing movement of the handle to catch the handle on the housing in the closed position of the handle and thereby resist inadvertent opening movement of the handle in a side impact scenario while allowing forceful opening movement of the handle by an operator. The detent structure on the housing comprises a cantilevered resilient finger and the detent structure on the handle comprises a leading cam surface operative to resiliently move the spring finger outwardly in response to closing movement of the handle, a dwell surface maintaining the finger in its outwardly biased position, and a trailing cam surface moving into a position in confronting relation to a free end of the finger as the handle reaches its fully closed position. The trailing cam surface coacts with the free end of the finger in the closed position of the door to resist inadvertent opening movement of the handle in a side impact scenario while allowing forceful opening movement of the handle by an operator.

Door handle assembly with detented closed position

A tailgate assembly for a pickup truck including an outer tailgate assembly, an inner tailgate module, and attachment means for securing the inner tailgate module to the outer tailgate assembly to form the completed tailgate. The outer tailgate assembly is formed in a metal forming operation of sheet metal material and the inner panel module is formed in a molding operation of a plastics material. The inner panel module mounts the handle assembly, the latch devices, and the linkage devices for actuation of the latch devices. The latch devices are initially positioned on the inner tailgate module but, following assembly of the inner tailgate module to the outer tailgate assembly, the latch devices are fixedly secured to the outer structural sidewalls defined by the outer tailgate assembly.

Tailgate assembly

A tailgate assembly for use with a motor vehicle of the type including a cab and a cargo body positioned rearwardly of the cab and including side walls and a floor coacting at the rear of the cargo body to define a tailgate opening into which the tailgate is fitted. The tailgate assembly includes an extender assembly including a bar positioned proximate an upper edge of the tailgate and a pair of post assemblies extending downwardly from the bar into the tailgate proximate respective side edges of the tailgate. Each post assembly includes a lower post member articulated to an upper post member which in turn is connected to the bar. The bar may be raised to a position above the upper edge of the tailgate by sliding the post assemblies upwardly within guide tubes provided in the tailgate whereby to provide further vertical restraint for loads carried by the vehicle. If the bar is moved upwardly to a position wherein the axis of articulation between the upper and lower post members is positioned above the upper edge of the tailgate, the bar together with the upper post members may be rotated about the axis of articulation to move the extender assembly to positions at right angles to the plane of the tailgate where it may provide further load restraint with the tailgate lowered or may provide a step to facilitate entry into the cargo body of the vehicle.

Tailgate extender

A motor vehicle door assembly comprising an outside door handle, an outside door handle linkage for connecting the outside door handle to a door latch, an inside door handle, and an inside door handle linkage for connecting the inside door handle to the door latch. The inside and outside door handle linkages are arranged to share many common elements whereby to reduce the overall cost of the total door handle assembly by virtue of reduced parts costs and reduced labor. Specifically, the inside and outside door linkages share a common spring to provide a positive return movement of the handles to the rest position; share a common latch actuator lever to simplify the overall assembly; and share a common damper mechanism to dampen the closing movement of the inside and outside door handles as they are released following an unlatching action.

Growing community of inventors

Gowen, MI, United States of America

Joseph S Meinke