Abstract: A vehicle door latch is provided having unlock latched and unlatched positions, the door latch having at least one locking/unlocking actuator for moving the latch between locked latched and unlocked latched positions, and the door latch having a freewheeling transfer lever operatively connected to at least one release handle, the transfer lever being provided for moving the door latch to the unlatched position. The door latch has a feature to allow the locking/unlocking actuator to move the latch from the locked latched position to the unlocked latched position while the door release handle is previously or simultaneously actuated, by subsequent release of the door release handle without reactivation of the locking/unlocking actuator.

Abstract: A molded plastic molding has a plurality of blades extending generally perpendicularly off the back side thereof and spaced along the length of the molding. A plurality of openings are provided in a body panel for receiving the blades of the molding. A fastener clip is installed in each of the openings for retaining the blade upon insertion of the blade into the opening. The fastener clip has opposed facing spring legs which project through the opening and have feet which bear against the panel to retain the clip to the panel. The fastener clip includes a base having an aperture through which the blade is inserted and opposed facing teeth are provided in the aperture to enable one way insertion of the blade clipped to the fastener clip to thereby grip the blade and retain the molding to the clip.

Abstract: A roof structure for a vehicle body includes a roof opening defined by a pair of spaced apart side rails, each having a flange extending inwardly and being vertically offset below the roof surface, and by front and rear headers, each having a flange defining a window opening. A roof panel assembly includes a roof outer panel and a pair of inverted hat-shaped reinforcement rails which underlie the outer side edges of the roof outer panel and include inwardly and outwardly directed legs abutting the underside of the roof outer panel. The outermost portion of the side edges of the roof outer panel are hem flanged over the outwardly directed flanges of the reinforcement rails so that the roof outer panel and the reinforcement rails define the roof panel assembly. The roof outer panel has fore and aft end flanges which overlie the flanges of the front and rear headers and are spot welded thereto.

Abstract: A vehicle door assembly according to the invention includes a structural framework, including a rear end for mounting a latch, a front end for mounting a hinge and a beam portion extending between the front and rear ends. An outer door panel is provided for mounting on the structural framework to provide the outer surface of the door assembly. A structural inner panel is provided for mounting on the structural framework and is of molded plastic and has a generally planar trim wall facing toward the occupant compartment and edge wall portions which extend transverse to the planar trim wall to thereby envelope the structural framework within the structural inner panel.

Abstract: An air bag module is mounted on the instrument panel structure forwardly of the passenger seating position and has an air bag normally stored and folded therein and inflatable to project into the occupant compartment to restrain the passenger. An instrument panel cover is mounted atop the instrument panel structure to conceal the air bag from view and extends transversely across the instrument panel structure forwardly of both the driver and passenger sides of the occupant compartment. The instrument panel cover has a weakened tear seam which originates at the rearward most edge of the cover, at a point between the driver and the passenger and proceeds from the rearward edge in a generally forward direction. The driver side portion of the instrument panel cover is fixedly fastened to the instrument panel structure. The passenger side portion of the instrument panel cover is detachably fastened to the instrument panel cover.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved method for rapidly making an electrode for electrical discharge machining. According to the invention, a stereolithography process is used to make a cured resin model of the electrode and having a network of interconnected supporting members defining the shape of the electrode and leaving channels between the supporting members to drain away uncured resin from the model. After the model is fully cured and the uncured resin drained away, a slurry mixture of graphite and resin is infiltrated into the voids of the model. The resin is then heat cured so that the resin is burned away leaving the electrode of pure carbon. Alternatively, the graphite and resin mixture can be cured sufficiently to harden and then an electrically conductive metalized coating is applied on the outer surface.

Abstract: A new and improved shoulder belt retractor for mounting on a vehicle seat or on the vehicle body adjacent the seat and providing a headrest support shaft which cantilevers inboard from the housing of the shoulder belt retractor to support the headrest. In particular, the shoulder belt retractor has a belt reel rotatably supported between spaced apart sidewalls of a housing located outboard of the occupant seating position. The headrest support shaft is attached to and extends between the sidewalls of the housing vertically above the belt reel and cantilevers inboard from the housing to support a headrest. A belt routing pulley is rotatably journaled on the support shaft between the sidewalls of the housing and receives the belt to guide the belt over the shoulder of the seated occupant. The belt routing pulley is preferably conical in shape to redirect the belt from a vertical path aligned with the belt reel to an angled path directed diagonally over the occupant's shoulder.

Abstract: A door latch has a control lever operable between an unlocked position permitting normal unlatching of the latch and a locking position preventing unlatching of the latch. A locking lever is pivoted on a housing and operably connected with the lock control lever so that pivoting of the locking lever will operate the lock control lever. The locking lever has a slot receiving a pin carried by a pin control link. An inside lever is pivoted on the housing and operably connected with the inside locking button so that operation of the inside locking button pivots the inside lever. The inside lever has an L-shaped slot, which overlies an elongate slot of the locking lever. A drive pin carried by a control link is captured within the slots. The control link is mounted on a rack which is motor operated.

Abstract: First and second members are attached together by an attachment device which includes a key hole shaped slot provided in the first member and having an enlarged entry portion communicating with a narrow slot portion. An aperture is provided in the second member and a bolt having a threaded shank and an enlarged head is press fit part way into the aperture of the second member so that the enlarged head is spaced somewhat longitudinally away from engaging the second member. The second member is hung on the first member by inserting the enlarged head of the bolt through the entry portion of the key hole shaped slot and then sliding the second member laterally of the first member so that the shank enters the narrower slot portion.

Abstract: An accumulating conveyor system for shuttling conveyor trucks along a conveyor track from a drop off point at the end of a first conveyor drive to a point at the beginning of a second conveyor drive. The accumulating conveyor system includes a drive track which extends parallel along the conveyor track. A plurality of tractors ride along the drive track and selectively couple with a truck at the drop-off point, then tow the truck along the conveyor track to the pick-up point of the second conveyor drive where the tractor uncouples from the truck. A return track extends parallel along the drive track for enabling return of the tractors from the pick-up point to the drop-off point. A switch mechanism transfers the trucks from the drive track to the return track and then back to the drive track.

Abstract: A molded plastic vessel is made by hot plate welding together of weld bosses provided respectively on mating rim portions of first and second vessel forming component parts. The first molded part has a weld boss and a shroud which is located radially inboard of the weld boss and projects toward the second part. The second part has a weld boss axially aligned with the weld boss of the first part for mating thereto, and a shroud projecting toward the first part and spaced radially inboard of the shroud of the first part. Upon hot plate melting of weld bosses and the subsequent pressing together of the first and second parts, the shroud of the first part engages and pushes the melt flash projecting inboard of the weld boss of the first part into the space between the weld boss and shroud of the second part to thereby divert the melt flash from overflowing into the interior of the vessel.

Abstract: a returnable shipping container for manufactured articles, such as vehicle steering wheels, which is comprised of a plurality of rectangular wall panels which are serially arranged side-by-side and have a hinge interposed between each adjacent panel with the end most of the panels each having a free side thereof. A separable fastener device establishes the free sides of the endmost panels in adjacent relationship to form a container of a tubular configuration defining an interior storage cavity. Separating the fastener allows the container to be opened and laid flat. A plurality of slots are provided in spaced apart relation along at least two of the wall panels and a plurality of shelf members are provided having a base wall adapted to lay against the slotted wall panels and having shelf arms which project through the slots and into the storage cavity to engage with and support the articles stored therein.

Abstract: A plastic conduit housing of tubular shape has a wall slit extending the full length of the wall to permit the installation of the electrical harness therein. A mounting leg is formed integrally with the conduit housing and extends into engagement with a vehicle radiator beam to enable mounting of the conduit housing to the beam. A seal lip is also formed integrally with the conduit housing. The seal lip may be flexible and extends into interference with the radiator so that the seal lip is flexed and self-biased into air flow sealing engagement with the radiator.

Abstract: A rotating machine has a splined primary shaft rotatably mounted in an opening of an oil-filled housing and a primary seal carried by the housing for sealing with a mating secondary splined shaft upon insertion of the secondary shaft into the housing opening for mating with the primary shaft. A retractable member is carried by the primary shaft for sealing with the primary seal to maintain the oil within the housing prior to the insertion of the secondary shaft and prevent the flow of oil to the spline. Upon insertion of the secondary shaft through the housing opening, the secondary shaft seals with the primary seal to prevent leakage from the housing. Furthermore, the secondary shaft forcibly retracts the retractable member away from the primary seal and establishes a flow path around the retractable member to the secondary shaft so that oil flows to the mating splines of the shafts.

Abstract: A window regulator system is provided for translating a window. The regulator includes at least one channel extending vertically in the door cavity for guiding the window; a blade connected to the channel and extending parallel to the major axis of the door cavity; a guide block fixed to the window and having a transverse alignment bearing with two generally noncompliant bearing lobes juxtaposed by the blade for aligning the window in a direction transverse to the major axis of the door cavity; and a spring button connected to the guide block and being of a generally hard polymeric material having a generally conical shape with an apex contacting the blade and a base compressed against the guide block for removing transverse compliance of the window within the alignment bearing.

Abstract: An insert panel is installed within an opening of a trim panel. The insert panel has at least one integrally molded flexible hook member for yieldably hooking onto the walls of the opening to retain the insert panel within the opening. A retainer tab is formed integral with the trim panel and extends into the opening to underlie a portion of the insert panel. The retainer tab has a flexible finger extending into proximity with the hook member to block the hook member against movement in the direction to unhook from the wall of the opening. The insert panel may be removed from the trim panel by resiliently flexing the retainer tab to unblock the hook member so that the hook member can be unhooked from the wall.

Abstract: According to the invention, a stud has a spherical ball with upper and lower hemispheres and is seated within a socket housing. The socket housing includes a bore defining an access through which the stud may be inserted into the housing and a hemispherical cavity surface for seating the upper hemisphere of the spherical ball. A housing plug closes off the bore of the socket housing and has a hemispherical cavity surface for receiving the lower hemisphere of the spherical ball. A molded plastic spherical bearing liner is interposed between the spherical ball and the hemispherical cavities of the socket housing and the housing plug. The bearing liner has an unsegmented upper hemisphere which acts between the hemisphere of the spherical ball and the hemispherical cavity of the socket housing. The bearing liner also has a lower hemisphere integral with the upper hemisphere and segmented by longitudinal extending slots therethrough to provide an even numbered plurality of resilient spring fingers.

Abstract: A park pawl in a transmission is rotatably supported on a manually rotatable control rod and resiliently biased toward engagement with a toothed output gear by a spring acting between the control rod and the pawl. A lost-motion driving connection provided between the control rod and the pawl function to permit movement of the pawl toward and away from engagement with the toothed output gear under influence of the spring and independent of the control rod position when the control rod is rotated to a Park position. However, when the control rod is rotated to a non-Park position, the driving connection is established to forcibly move the pawl out of engagement with the toothed output gear.

Abstract: The luggage storage box is mounted within the automobile luggage compartment by first and second laterally spaced apart slide tracks which are positioned respectively on opposite sides of a spare tire storage recess in the floor of the luggage compartment. The storage box includes a floor with an opening therein to allow access to the spare tire storage recess. An access panel is hingedly mounted to the box to normally close the opening in the floor panel and can be selectively raised to an open position to permit unobstructed access to the spare tire storage recess without requiring removal of the storage box from the vehicle luggage compartment.

Abstract: A structural prototype of the component part is made by first creating a model of the part which is of cured resin and has a network of interconnected supporting members defining the shape of the part and leaving channels between the supporting members to drain away uncured resin from the model. A hardenable structural material is infiltrated into the channels of the model and cured so that the resin model has become reinforced to provide a structural model of the component part. The hardenable structural material may be a mixture of powdered graphite and resin which is cured by heat. The heat may be sufficient to both cure the hardenable structure material and burn away the cured resin of the model so that the component part is then comprised of the hardened structural material having a network of channels therein where the cured resin of the model has been burned away. The model can then be further strengthened by filling the network of channels with a suitable hardenable material.