Quotables
"That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced."
Scientific American ; Jan. 2 edition, 1909
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6238776 | Radiation cured island coating system A process for manufacturing a metallized substrate using the island coating method, includes depositing a coating layer containing a radiation curable non-volatile film former. The coated part is then vacuum metallized to form the metal islands of the pre... | 05/29/2001 |
| 6187859 | Light stable aliphatic thermoplastic urethane elastomers and method of making same An improved light stable polyether/polyol based aliphatic urethane thermoplastic elastomer prepared from reacting inter alia a polyol having low terminal end unsaturation and an organic diisocyanate. The elastomer is characterized by ultra violet stabiliz... | 02/13/2001 |
| 6174396 | Method of manufacturing a trim panel having a handle A trim panel having an integral handle is made using a subassembly comprising a structural substrate that has a handle hole and a handle frame that spans the handle hole. The subassembly is mounted on a pneumatic buck and a sheet of pliable and stretchabl... | 01/16/2001 |
| 5992876 | Frontal weakening of invisible air bag door cover A cover assembly for concealing an automotive vehicle air bag restraint assembly with an air bag, an air bag housing and a gas generator located in the housing for supplying gas to the air bag in response to vehicle impact. The cover assembly includes an ... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5975563 | Motor vehicle instrument panel with flexible tethering hinged air bag deployment door A molded motor vehicle instrument panel made of a thermoplastic material has an integral air bag deployment door for a passenger side air bag that is defined by a tear seam and is normally retained by an integral flexible mounting/hinge flange to a part o... | 11/02/1999 |
| 5921610 | Adjustable resting surfaces for automotive interior trim An arm rest (18, 20, 22) is mounted for vertical adjustment relative to the door panel (14) or center console (16). The arm rest is operably connected to an air spring bladder (32, 46, 54) or an adjustable mechanical mechanism (72). The bladder is control... | 07/13/1999 |
| 5853842 | Process for the production of a multi-layer composite article having fasteners affixed to a surface thereof and the article produced thereby A process for the production of a rigid multi-layer composite articles (20) prepared from reacting inter alia a sheet of an open cell foam material (22) impregnated with a binder resin, such as isocyanate resin, to fill the cells of the foam material (22)... | 12/29/1998 |
| 5837172 | Method for manufacturing an automotive trim product An interior trim component, such as a door panel, having an outer skin backed by a low density molded mat foam substrate and an energy absorbing foam backing is manufactured in a single mold tool in a multiple stage foaming operation in which the outer sk... | 11/17/1998 |
| 5824738 | Light stable aliphatic thermoplastic urethane elastomers and method of making same An improved light stable polyether/polyol based aliphatic urethane thermoplastic elastomer prepared from reacting inter alia a polyol having low terminal end unsaturation and an organic diisocyanate. The elastomer is characterized by ultraviolet stabilize... | 10/20/1998 |
| 5823602 | Structural instrument panel carrier assembly A motor vehicle body has an instrument panel construction that includes a structural instrument panel carrier of plastic material for mounting instrument panel components. The carrier is attached to side pillars located at a juncture of passenger and engi... | 10/20/1998 |
| 5816645 | Adjustable resting surfaces for automotive interior trim An arm rest (18, 20, 22) is mounted for vertical adjustment relative to the door panel (14) or center console (16). The arm rest is operably connected to an air spring bladder (32, 46, 54) or an adjustable mechanical mechanism (72). The bladder is control... | 10/06/1998 |
| 5806880 | Frontal weakening of invisible air bag door cover A cover assembly for concealing an automotive vehicle air bag restraint assembly with an air bag, an air bag housing and a gas generator located in the housing for supplying gas to the air bag in response to vehicle impact. The cover assembly includes an ... | 09/15/1998 |
| 5804511 | Composite motor vehicle bumper beam A structural reaction injection molded motor vehicle bumper beam comprises a preform formed of layers of interlaced glass fibers and chopped glass fibers wherein most of the interlaced fibers are oriented longitudinally of the bumper beam. A two-component... | 09/08/1998 |
| 5804121 | Method of forming a motor vehicle instrument panel with a flexibly tethered air bag deployment door A method of forming a motor vehicle instrument panel with a flexibly tethered air bag deployment door comprises the steps of molding an instrument panel with a first plastics material to a desired shape and with an integral air bag deployment door whose o... | 09/08/1998 |
| 5783016 | Instrument panel having integrated airbag deployment door An automotive instrument panel includes a molded plastic retainer formed with an integral airbag deployment door surrounded by a channel defining a tear seam enabling the door to separate and hinge outwardly upon deployment of the airbag. A foam-backed co... | 07/21/1998 |
| 5776399 | Method of molding a shaped article on a heated and insulated molding tool A method of molding a shaped article includes the steps of providing a molding tool having an exposed surface for receiving a plastic powder resin to be melted thereagainst and an insulated surface; providing an insulating panel with insulated laminated a... | 07/07/1998 |
| 5773115 | Fabrication of multiple color gauge and textured interior auto components An automotive trim panel is made by using an apparatus and method that bond together two trim coverstock segments having different colors, gauges or textures and two rigid substrate components into a single trim panel with the two coverstock segments meet... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5733631 | Soft panel with thermoplastic fiber cluster layer A soft panel has a layer formed from thermoplastic fiber clusters comprised of a very high percentage of crooked matrix fibers and a very low percentage of crooked binder fibers with a lower melt temperature and wherein the fibers have a plurality of bend... | 03/31/1998 |
| 5725704 | Process for the production of a multi-layer composite article having fasteners affixed to a surface thereof and the article produced thereby A process for the production of a rigid multi-layer composite articles (20) prepared from reacting inter alia a sheet of an open cell foam material (22) impregnated with a binder resin, such as isocyanate resin, to fill the cells of the foam material (22)... | 03/10/1998 |
| 5709828 | Method of fabricating a foamed interior trim product A vehicle interior trim component, such as a glove compartment or console door, and its method of fabrication includes an outer flexible shell having a peripheral contoured return flap captured within a peripheral gap provided between insert and backing p... | 01/20/1998 |
| 5705005 | Fabrication of multiple color, gauge, and texture interior auto components An automotive trim panel is made by using an apparatus and method that bond together two trim coverstock segments having different colors, gauges or textures and two rigid substrate components into a single trim panel with the two coverstock segments meet... | 01/06/1998 |
| 5688467 | Apparatus and method for fabricating a preform having a narrow channel flange An apparatus (10) for use in manufacturing a fibrous preform with a narrow channel flange includes a foraminous preform screen (12), a fiber nozzle (28) that blows a stream of chopped fibers onto the screen (12) and binder nozzles (32) that spray binder i... | 11/18/1997 |
| 5685930 | Motor vehicle instrument panel with flexible tethering hinged air bag deployment door A molded motor vehicle instrument panel made of a thermoplastic material has an integral air bag deployment door for a passenger side air bag that is defined by a tear seam and is normally retained by an integral flexible mounting/hinge flange to a part o... | 11/11/1997 |
| 5681519 | Method of squeeze molding a foam cored article A composite plastic article having a foam core between reinforced plastic skin layers is made by placing foam spacers, a lower reinforcement preform, a foam core and an upper reinforcement preform on a lower mold part. An upper mold part is then mated wit... | 10/28/1997 |
| 5679296 | Cushioned automotive interior trim part and process or making same An automotive interior trim part (10) is made by molding a substrate retainer layer (16), forming a skin layer (12) and forming an intermediate layer (14). The intermediate layer (14) is formed from a plurality of clusters of entangled high melt and low m... | 10/21/1997 |
| 5675887 | Error free rivet system A rivet system (10) locks separate parts (12, 14) of an assembly (13) together on a support fixture (20) with the clamping devices (28); which prevents release of the parts (12, 14) from the fixture (20) until a required number of rivets (51) have been co... | 10/14/1997 |
| 5673931 | Cover assembly A cover assembly for concealing an air bag restraint system in a vehicle passenger compartment has an underlying support and air bag door substrate. The door substrate is held in the closed position by flexible tabs that are disposed in a slot at the conf... | 10/07/1997 |
| 5664801 | Mounting system for airbag reaction canister A reaction canister of a PSIR airbag system includes a U-shaped body closed at its ends by a pair of end plates. Mounting slots are formed in the end plates and cooperate with a pair of associated latching devices for mounting the canister on a cross-car ... | 09/09/1997 |
| 5660908 | Recyclable automotive headliner and method of manufacture A recyclable automotive headliner consists 100% of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material and includes reverse ribs of varying density of PET fibers filled with reinforcements of full density PET material. A method of manufacturing such headliners incl... | 08/26/1997 |
| 5654102 | Material for manufacturing plastic parts Sperhical particles having a diameter between 0.007" and 0.040" are formed from melt extruded thermoplastic material formed of blended and melt extruded thermoplastic and pigment.... | 08/05/1997 |
| 5632914 | Motor vehicle air bag cover having a skin with a virtually invisible tear seam formed by miniature holes A cover for covering an air bag in a motor vehicle has a thin elastic plastic skin, a rigid substrate and an intermediate layer of soft plastic foam. The skin has a tear seam and the substrate includes a door that is impacted by the inflating air bag and ... | 05/27/1997 |
| 5622402 | Panel with integral energy absorber and air duct An interior energy absorbing panel for the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle has a thermoplastic skin, a thermoplastic retainer, a thermoplastic air duct, and an energy absorbing rigid polyurethane foam core which is reaction injection molded about... | 04/22/1997 |
| 5618485 | Method for making an insert for air bag cover assembly An insert and method of molding the insert for use with an instrument panel or the like of a vehicle and in which the insert serves as a structural part of a cover for an air bag assembly and is provided with a door which opens upon being impacted by the ... | 04/08/1997 |
| 5612066 | Heat insulating mold panel for a mold tool A heat insulating panel (20) for a mold tool (14) includes a surface for being mounted onto a section of the mold tool. The panel has an exposed upper surface (29) and a thickness great enough to provide heat insulation sufficient to maintain the temperat... | 03/18/1997 |
| 5597586 | Underwater pelletizer die system for forming multisize thermoplastic pellets An underwater thermoplastic pelletizer has an extruding die, and a cutter for cutting a thermoplastic polymer extruded from the die into pellets as the molten polymer is solidified under water that is circulated to cool the extruded polymer and convey the... | 01/28/1997 |
| 5593182 | Energy absorbent interior trim for vehicle A trim assembly for a vehicle providing energy absorption between a body member and a trim cover and a plurality of energy absorbing pins therebetween that are either permanently plastically deformed upon the cover initially being impacted or that are ela... | 01/14/1997 |
| 5591289 | Method of making a fibrous headliner by compression molding A fibrous headliner for a motor vehicle passenger compartment is formed with a nonwoven high loft batting of thermoplastic fibers having a low percentage of binder fibers that are activated with heat to establish and hold the desired appearance side conto... | 01/07/1997 |
| 5590453 | System and method for ensuring proper installation of blind rivets by measuring the length of spent mandrels A rivet system (10) locks separate parts (12, 14) of an assembly (13) together on a support fixture (20) with clamping devices (28) and prevents release of the parts (12, 14) from the fixture (20) until a required number of rivets (51) have been placed. A... | 01/07/1997 |
| 5591078 | Automotive interior trim having integrated defrost duct A trim molding for a framed opening of a vehicle has an outer flexible skin backed by an energy-absorbing foam core to provide impact protection to the occupants of the vehicle. Imbedded in the foam core is an air duct having an inlet and a plurality of o... | 01/07/1997 |
| 5586853 | Fastener cage for a panel A fastener cage for retaining a fastener on a panel comprises a retainer and a collar which sandwich a rigid substrate of the panel and snap-fit together in interconnecting relationship through a hole in the substrate. The retainer retains an anchoring en... | 12/24/1996 |
