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:
Jul. 09, 1996
Filed:
Sep. 07, 1995
Timothy J Leonard, Stuttgart, DE;
Daniel W Anderson, South Weber, UT (US);
Morton International, Inc., Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
A deployment door positioned in a panel of a vehicle is opened by an airbag module located rearwardly of the deployment door. Apparatus is provided for detaching the door at a tear region from the remaining area of the panel, thereby providing a doorway outlet through the panel for the passage of an inflating airbag. A tear structure has a distal end in the form of an outwardly rounded bump cutter positioned and extending outwardly toward the tear region and a front surface of the panel, thereby reducing the distance of travel of the cutter through the foam in the panel to the tear region which reduces the force required to tear the foam. The outwardly rounded bump of the tear structure in one embodiment may be in the form of a closed loop. The deployment door may be completely contained within and surrounded by the panel before opening or may have one edge bordering on the edge of the panel.