The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 19, 1991
Filed:
Aug. 22, 1990
Steven Castrigno, Somersworth, NH (US);
Scott E Rafferty, Dover, NH (US);
Lawrence R Nichols, Dover, NH (US);
Claude Bemis, York, ME (US);
Davidson Textron Inc., Dover, NH (US);
Abstract
A releasable latch (50) is provided for a door assembly (14) having an outer skin member, a foam backing member, and an inner door member. The door assembly conceals an airbag restraint system having a housing, an airbag and a gas generator producing an inflatant for inflating the airbag for deploying the airbag through the door assembly. The releasable latch has a closed U-shaped end that is press fit in an open U-shaped end on a retainer member on the housing to hold the door assembly in a mating relationship to interior trim parts. The inner door member is engaged during initial inflation of the airbag to displace the door assembly so as to bend the inner door member at a hinge joint between the outer cover member and the interior trim part and the press fit between the closed U-shaped end and the open U-shaped end provides easy opening of the door assembly as the airbag is inflated.