Gencorp, Inc.

The General Tire & Rubber Company

Ronald E Dupuy

Keith E Wilson

Walter D Hunnicut

Steven E Schneider

Donald P Agee

Wayne A Smith

John E Clark

A process and apparatus for assembling motor vehicle beltstrips or weatherstrips comprises the steps of providing a weatherstrip preform, passing such preform through a conforming die, applying a hot melt adhesive to a portion of such weatherstrip preform in such die, passing such preform and adhesive into an additional die where a thermoplastic feature is applied to said preform and secured by said hot melt adhesive. Hot melt adhesive may be applied to an additional region of said weatherstrip preform and a trim preform may then also be secured to the weatherstrip preform. The invention also includes the weatherstrip or beltstrip roduct.

Beltstrip for a motor vehicle

A method of manufacturing a glass panel and gasket assembly includes providing a glass panel and a mold defining a correspondingly shaped mold cavity to create a gasket for disposition about the periphery of the glass panel, filling the mold with a gasket material, allowing the gasket material to partially cure, removing the gasket from the mold and installing the gasket on the glass panel, allowing the gasket to continue to cool, shrink and cross-link so that the gasket is in tension and therefore intimately and tightly retained about the periphery of the glass. Metal shaping and reinforcing strips may also be molded into the gasket.

Method of manufacturing glass panel and gasket assemblies

A combined glassrun, greenhouse trim (10) for the window opening of an automotive vehicle comprising an extruded or co-extruded, polymeric glassrun (12) and a greenhouse trim (14). The greenhouse trim (14) is injection molded from a polymeric material against a surface of a flange portion (22) of the glassrun (12). The organic materials selected for the glassrun (12) and the greenhouse trim (14) are such that the greenhouse trim (14) is adhesively joined to the glassrun (12) during the injection molding of the greenhouse trim (14).

Integrally molded greenhouse trim

A belt-line weather sealing strip for sealing the opening between a vehicle window housing and a slidable window pane includes an elongate, relatively rigid, thermoplastic base having at least one integrally attached thermoplastic resilient fastening means which extends downwardly and has a longitudinal slot which is capable of engaging an aperture edge portion of the housing forming the belt-line portion of the window opening. The sealing strip also includes a relatively flexible, elastomeric sealing element joined to the thermoplastic base. The fastening means is inserted downwardly through a vehicle window housing aperture and then moved horizontally to effect a secure engagement of the sealing strip with the housing.

Vehicle window sealing strip with integral downward retaining flange

An automotive wheelhouse sealing strip for providing a secondary seal to prevent infiltration and accumulation of dirt and mud in the gap between a rear door and a rear door opening in the vicinity of the wheelhouse of a four-door sedan vehicle includes a fully molded weather sealing member which is formed to accurately conform to the shape of the portion of the door opening to which the weather sealing member is to be attached, thereby providing an aesthetically pleasing tight engagement between the vehicle body and the sealing member. The sealing strip generally includes a weather sealing lip having a sealing surface which sealingly abuts an inner peripheral surface of a vehicle rear door when the rear door is in the closed position, and a base portion which is adapted to be attached to a vehicle body part at a peripheral surface generally defining the rear door opening.

Molded wheelhouse seal for automotive vehicles

A seal assembly for a movable window pane which is raisable or lowerable in a vehicle window opening includes a one-piece, closed-loop construction which is formed from two molded sealing elements secured together to form a sealing member adapted to be secured along the periphery of a window opening and to provide continuous sealing engagement with the interior and exterior periphery of the movable window pane. The one-piece seal assembly replaces a plurality of individual sealing components which are conventionally used to provide the weather seal between a vehicle window opening and a movable window pane which slides up or down to open or close the window opening. A method for forming a one-piece, closed-loop seal assembly includes the steps of molding an inner sealing element having a continuous, closed-loop structure, molding an outer sealing element having a continuous, closed-loop structure, and then securing the sealing elements together to form a one-piece, closed-loop sealing member adapted to seal between a vehicle window opening and a window pane which can be raised or lowered within the opening.

Method for fabricating a seal assembly for a movable window for a vehicle

A sealing unit for a movable window of a vehicle. The sealing unit includes a one-piece, elongated, flexible sealing member having a first portion for mounting the sealing unit to a frame of a vehicle and a second portion for receiving the movable window, and a flexible, decorative trim associated with a surface of the sealing member that is viewable from the exterior of the vehicle when the sealing unit is mounted to the frame. Both the sealing member and the decorative trim are sufficiently flexible to permit the sealing unit to conform to the contour of the frame when the sealing unit is mounted to the frame in a single mounting operation to provide a substantially continuous seal between the frame and the sealing unit.

Flexible sealing unit for movable windows

A one-piece glass run guide for retaining and smoothly guiding a slidable vehicle window includes a polymeric strip having a substantially U-shaped transverse cross section including a base, an inboard leg having a projecting lip portion which engages an interior surface of a slidable vehicle window, and an outboard leg having a projecting lip portion which engages an exterior surface of the slidable vehicle window. The glass run guide can be formed such as by injection or compression molding, extruded, or can be formed from a combination of molded and extruded portions. The one-piece glass run guide of the invention is formed of a fiber reinforced polymer having sufficient strength and rigidity to counter forces exerted by the sliding vehicle window to prevent undesirable inboard, outboard, forward and rearward movement of the window, while at least the surfaces of the lip portions which contact the surfaces of the slidable vehicle window are low friction, non-abrasive surfaces which facilitate smooth movement of the window as it is raised or lowered. The invention, therefore, performs, with a one-piece guide, two different functions which are conventionally performed by separate components.

Glass run guide for slidable vehicle window

A weather sealing strip for sealing the opening between the periphery of a vehicle window opening and a slidable window pane includes an elongate, relatively rigid, thermoplastic backbone having at least one integrally attached thermoplastic fastening means which is adapted for insertion into an opening or slot of a sheet metal member forming the periphery of a window opening, and includes a relatively flexible, elastomeric, sealing element joined to the thermoplastic backbone. The sealing strip reduces the number of separate components and the number of steps needed to mount a sealing strip to a vehicle window opening.

Vehicle window weather sealing strip with retaining clip

A weatherstrip seal comprises a carrier structure without reinforcement which has an attached weather-sealing structure extending therefrom. The carrier structure has two spaced-apart walls connected by a base forming an interposed channel which is partially filled with a foamed, hot-melt adhesive. The carrier structure is adapted to fit over an anchoring mounting flange, while the weather-sealing surface has a sealing surface that prevents the entry of the elements through joined components moveable relative to each other.

Wireless carrier weatherstrip seal

Seal assembly for a movable window for a vehicle

A one-piece glass run guide for retaining and smoothly guiding a slidable vehicle window includes a molded polymeric strip having a substantially U-shaped transverse cross section including a base, an inboard leg having a projecting lip portion which engages an interior surface of a slidable vehicle window, and an outboard leg having a projecting lip portion which engages an exterior surface of the slidable vehicle window. The one-piece glass run guide of the invention is formed of a fiber reinforced polymer having sufficient strength and rigidity to counter forces exerted by the sliding vehicle window to prevent undesirable inboard, outboard, forward and rearward movement of the window, while at least the surfaces of the lip portions which contact the surfaces of the slidable vehicle window are low friction, non-abrasive surfaces which facilitate smooth movement of the window as it is raised or lowered. The invention, therefore, performs, with a one-piece guide, two different functions which are conventionally performed by separate components.

A window enclosure strip is provided for a window mounted in a vehicle door. The strip includes a mount channel which cooperates with a mount member on the door. The strip also includes a glass run portion having an exterior glass contacting member and an interior glass contacting member which form a seal with the window pane when the window pane is in a closed position in the vehicle. Further, the seal strip includes a self-trim for the door interior and exterior. The mount channel is formed of a relatively stiff material so as to eliminate the need for an additional stiffening member. On the other hand, the interior and exterior glass sealing members are relatively soft for the purposes of sealing against water, air, and noise. A continuous cut-line seal is provided to bridge the gap between the door and the body and reduce wind noise and water intrusion.

Window enclosure for an automotive upper door frame

The invention relates to a vehicle door glass regulator adapted for use with doors having a rearwardly angled B-pillar, wherein the mechanism forces of the regulator are directed parallel with the B-pillar to reduce undesirable forces due to inaccurate tracking. The regulator includes a curved or bent lift arm and two balance arms, one of which is pivotally connected at one end to an intermediate point on the lift arm and at the other end to a guideway on the door, the second pivotally connected at one end to the same intermediate point on the lift arm and at the other end to a guideway on the window. The sum of the angles defining the bend of the lift arm and the slant of the B-pillar is preferably about 180.degree., and the balance arms are preferably of equal length and form an angle about equal to that defining the bend of the lift arm.

Vehicle door glass regulator

An automobile door glass cassette containing a frame and seal assembly and a glass regulator means which is pre-assembled and fitted into an automobile door as an integral member. In a first embodiment of the invention, the seal assembly is a peripheral elastomeric gasket secured to the outer periphery of the cassette frame structure and is readily fitted into an automotive door structure and assures a tight sealing fit. In a second embodiment of the invention, the seal assembly is a continuous peripheral elastomeric gasket secured to the outer periphery of the cassette frame structure and is readily fitted into an automotive door structure and assures a tight sealing fit. In a third embodiment of the invention, the frame assembly, a glass regulator means back mounting plate, and the exterior seals of the cassette are molded as an integral one-piece structure.

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Wabash, IN, United States of America

Ronald E Dupuy