1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates broadly to the field of decorative trim panels. More particularly, the invention relates to decorative wooden trim panels for attachment to a substrate.
Most particularly, the invention relates to the manufacture of decorative wooden trim panels to be attached in an overlaying relationship on an automobile station wagon to simulate the early look of station wagons using wood in the construction thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the earlier days of the automobile, wood was used as a component in building up the body of the automobile. The body would then be attached to the chassis. When wood was used in the automobile body style commonly known as an "estate wagon" or a "station wagon", a particularly aesthetic and pleasing appearance was obtained. As technology progressed, the use of wood components in automobile bodies all but vanished. However, the longing of the populous for the aesthetic look of wood in automobiles continues to this day, and many attempts in the art have been made to simulate the wood look.
An early such attempt involved applying wood veneer and wood border or frame strips to the vehicle panels. This proved to be relatively costly, as it required many individual pieces and a long installation time. Also, earlier wood coating technology was not sufficient to prevent the wood strips from discoloring in a relatively short time upon exposure to the elements.
A later attempt involved achieving a wood panel effect by adhering a thin film of plastic material to the vehicle panels. Such a film is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,861 issued to J. V. Erwin. The wood border was formed by attaching separate molding strips of plastic or metal around the plastic film. It was found that the plastic film was relatively susceptible to scuffing and scraping, and unless extreme care was taken, the appearance would rapidly degrade. Such degradation of appearance was particularly noticeable if the vehicle was washed often in an automatic car wash.
Later attempts in the art, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,770 issued on Jan. 9, 1973 to Clifford E. Hale, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,332 issued on Mar. 4, 1975 to Theodore Lowe, provided a "wood look" by using various thermoplastic materials.
However, it is felt by some in the art that the simulation of wood by use of thermoplastic materials does not present a particularly aesthetic or pleasing effect. Those skilled in the art have continued to search for an effective method for manufacturing and installing decorative trim panels made of real wood to the corresponding body panels of a "station wagon" to regain the aesthetic effect had by the early wooden station wagons.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds