The present invention relates generally to sunshades for vehicles and, more particularly, to a mounting bracket that allows the sunshade to be operably attached to a vehicle roof.
Sunshades for vehicles are typically mounted on the vehicle body roof by an elbow bracket that provides both a horizontal axis about which a visor blade pivots between a storage position adjacent the vehicle headliner and a use position adjacent the windshield, and a vertical axis about which the visor pivots approximately 90.degree. between a forward windshield position and a side window position. One method of mounting the elbow bracket in the headliner of the vehicle to the underlying sheet metal roof is by a plurality of screws.
Several problems are associated with the use of screws to attach a sunshade mounting bracket to a vehicle roof, including the amount of labor required for assembly, the unsightliness of the screws, the variations in the sunshade mounting angle caused by improperly torqued screws, and the possibility of producing scrap components due to improper assembly techniques. In general, prior art snap-in mount designs have addressed these problems; however, such mounts do not appear to provide as secure an attachment and may be more difficult to attach and/or detach from the vehicle roof.
In an effort to reduce the number of screws utilized in mounting the sunshade to the vehicle while providing a secure attachment, it is desired to provide an improved mounting bracket.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds