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:
Jun. 09, 1998
Filed:
Jun. 25, 1996
Richard Allen Merrifield, Spring Valley, OH (US);
Douglas Allen Randall, Fairborn, OH (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A cross car support structure of an instrument panel assembly is provided for attachment to the vehicle side structure. The cross car support structure includes a one-piece, integrally molded beam preferably made entirely of plastic, the plastic beam having first and second opposing ends connected to the vehicle side structure. In addition, the beam includes a plurality of laterally extending, upwardly opening, U-shaped duct channels having upwardly facing edges. The cross car support further includes an instrument panel cover including a substrate layer having a bottom surface. The bottom surface of the substrate layer of the instrument panel cover is continuously secured to the upwardly facing edges of the beam so that the continuously secured instrument panel cover interconnects the upwardly facing edges and stiffens the beam such that the beam and the continuously secured instrument panel cover cooperatively provide the entire cross car support structure for the instrument panel assembly.