This invention relates to an edge guard of the type which is commonly applied to the trailing edge of a swinging closure in an automotive vehicle. The disclosed embodiment is of a door edge guard which is installed on the trailing edge of a vehicle door.
Edge guards perform decorative and protective functions. Applicant has originated and developed insulated metal edge guards wherein the edge guards embody self-retention characteristics of a metal U-shaped channel with the protective features provided by a layer of insulation on the interior of the channel.
Edge guards of the type applied to the trailing edges of swinging closures, particularly in the case of door edge guards, must be designed to fit the automobile manufacturers' door designs since the automobile manufacturers themselves control the design of the doors.
Extensive body panel fit improvement programs conducted by automobile manufacturers have reduced the thicknesses of the gaps between the trailing edges of swinging closures and adjacent body panels. For example, in the case of a two-door vehicle, the gap between the trailing edge of each door and the adjacent quarter panel has been significantly reduced as a part of this program.
In fact, one automobile manufacturer so designed its door fit that it was impossible to provide edge guards as an original factory equipment option. This deprived the consumer of the availability of the decorative and protective function of door edge guards, and it also resulted in a lost opportunity for profit on the part of the automobile dealers and manufacturers. If a customer desired a door edge guard it was necessary for the dealer to readjust the doors before the edge guards could be installed. This imposed a significant additional cost on the customer which could have been avoided if the edge guards could have been installed at the factory as an original equipment option without door adjustment.
The present invention is directed to a new and improved edge guard for the trailing edge of a swinging closure which provides the protective and decorative functions of an insulated edge guard having a self-retaining metal channel, yet which is compatible with the reduced thickness gaps which are designed into the automobiles by the manufacturers, whereby an edge guard embodying principles of the invention can be installed as an original equipment option at the factory, if desired.
The present invention relates to an improvement in an edge guard which renders the edge guard suitable for use with automobiles having reduced thickness gaps between the trailing edges of its swinging closures and adjacent portions of the vehicle body. Moreover, the invention provides a construction which is efficient in its use of materials, yet provides for a number of possible configurations depending upon the specific design deemed most appropriate for any particular vehicle.
The foregoing features, advantages, and benefits of the invention, along with additional ones, will be seen in the ensuing description and claims which should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings disclose a preferred embodiment of the invention according to the best mode contemplated at the present time in carrying out the invention.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds