Abstract: A connector for joining automobile panels. A retainer member having a shaped slot is molded into a door panel and receives a flat headed stud for supporting a hook surrounded by a sealing flange for hooking over an edge of an opening in a sheet metal door panel for fastening the panels together.

Abstract: An accessory for a vehicle includes opposing concave and elongated sides which are pivotally interconnected, each including upper surfaces forming an armrest. The opposing sides move in a clamshell-like motion between a first position adjacent one another and a second position in which the sides are spaced from each other. A resilient arcuate wall extends from one of said sides toward the opposite side to define a collapsible loop for holding containers as the sides are pivotally opened to the second position.

Abstract: A cover and a method of manufacturing a cover for a vehicle accessory such as an illuminated vanity mirror visor. The cover includes a planar generally rectangular core, preferably of a fiberboard material, which is covered on opposite surfaces by an upholstery material. The combination of upholstery and core is placed in an injection molding machine and a rim is molded around the periphery of the upholstered core. The rim provides both the function of finishing the edge of the cover, as well as providing structural rigidity at the outer periphery of the cover for strength and stability. One edge of the rim may integrally include hinge means for pivotally attaching the cover to the accessory.

Abstract: A garment hanger support includes a housing for storably receiving a hanger support rod and a pair of spaced arms pivotally attached to opposite ends of the support rod. Each of the pivot arms have ends remote from the pivot mounting of each of the arms to the support rod which are pivotally and slideably mounted within the housing such that the support rod can be moved downwardly while the pivot arms at either end extend outwardly and downwardly forming a generally U-shaped structure when in an extended position. For storage, the support rod is pushed upwardly and the ends of the pivot arms remote from the hanger support slide inwardly and pivot for overlapping contracted storage within the housing with the lower surface of the hanger support rod enclosing the space into which the pivot arms are stored.

Abstract: A vehicle accessory includes a reflective element for reflecting light to a photo-sensor positioned within the accessory's housing for controllably detecting an ambient light level. The vehicle accessory may also include a display source for generating vehicle information which is positioned in the housing to utilize the reflective element to also reflect an image from the display source to a driver of the vehicle.

Abstract: A container holder for vehicles includes an aperture that can be automatically adjusted in size to accommodate differently sized containers. In one embodiment, a container holder includes a resilient sidewall with overlapping ends and locking mechanism for adjustably locking the sidewall into a selectable diameter. In another embodiment, a container holder includes a base having a first aperture, a movable plate pivotally mounted to the base having a second aperture aligned with the first aperture, and a bias spring biasing the plate toward an angled position whereby the projected area of the second aperture is reduced so that the plate moves and container holder automatically adapts in size to a container placed in the first and second apertures.

Abstract: A slide-out visor assembly includes a mounting member shaped to be secured to a vehicle and includes a pair of spaced parallel guide tracks and a visor panel which is mounted to a pivot arm assembly having slides mounted to the guide tracks for sliding movement o the pivot arm assembly and visor panel with respect to the mounting member. The assembly further includes a stabilizing structure extending between the mounting member and the pivot arm assembly for stabilizing the motion of the pivot arm assembly and visor panel during movement between a stored position typically behind the headliner of a vehicle to a lowered use position extended from behind the vehicle headliner. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stabilizing structure is at least one cord which extends between the mounting member and each of the slides for assuring that the slides move through substantially identical distances as the visor panel is moved.

Abstract: A vibration absorber for tennis racquet strings includes a thin, flexible strip with a relatively massive donut shape member at either end. The device is weaved over and under the racquet main strings, so that the flexible strip contacts preferably between 4 and 6 of the center main strings, and the donut members engage, through a clamping groove, a pair of outlying strings. The device provides a good vibration dampening on the outer part of the string area, for dampening off center hits, whereas the center main strings remain lively and resilient.

Abstract: A temperature compensated fluid filled damper is provided which in a preferred embodiment is a rotary damper which includes a housing for receiving a rotor having a surface for engaging a viscous fluid sealed within the housing. The housing includes a temperature compensating member positioned adjacent the rotor surface and which is made of a material which has a coefficient of thermal expansion different than that of the rotor to provide a varying gap width between the surface of the rotor and the temperature compensating member such that as the temperature changes the drag provided to the rotor by the gap change varies inversely to the drag provided by the viscous fluid.

Abstract: A curvilinear visor panel is coupled to a mounting member by a pair of spaced guide members which extend through angled slots formed in one of the visor panels or mounting members such that the visor panel is extended for use by withdrawing the panel with the guide members moving along the slot for controlled movement of the visor. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the guide members include a thrust washer and a lubricious floating slide member which provide a controlled engaging force between the visor panel and mounting member. In a preferred embodiment of the invention also, the guide member includes a cap with a collar extending though the angled slots with the caps engaging the slots on a side opposite the slide members.

Abstract: A vehicle member is defined by a body which includes a substrate having an insulative layer and a pair of spaced conductors extending to define terminals for receiving an electrical component which is attached to the body to engage the conductors for providing activating power to the component. In a preferred embodiment, the member is a visor and the component an illuminated vanity mirror package. In one embodiment, the vanity mirror is mounted to the visor body using interlocking posts and keyhole-shaped apertures.

Abstract: A movable visor assembly for a vehicle including a slotted support track for attachment to a supporting surface in the vehicle. The slot in the support track includes opposed visor guide surfaces and a channel in at least one of the guide surfaces. The visor blade has an aperture near each end of one side into which an alignment member, such as a ball bearing, can be mounted. The edge of the visor blade, including the alignment member, is slidably mounted in the slot in the support track with the alignment members in the channel. The alignment members enable the visor blade to slide freely in the support track without binding, even if the support track is flexed and twisted as installed in the vehicle.

Abstract: A mounting system for mounting a vehicle accessory such as a visor to a vehicle includes a mounting member for each visor and which includes a pair of opposed spaced support surfaces for compressibly engaging opposite sides of the vehicle sheet metal support structure when one of the support surfaces is extended through an aperture in the sheet metal support structure to lock the mounting member in place. A compression member extends between one of the support surfaces of the mounting member and the sheet metal vehicle support structure to prevent movement of the mounting member and visor attached thereto once installed.

Abstract: An automotive visor includes a visor body with a slot for slidably receiving a panel which they include an illuminated vanity mirror. The panel is slidably mounted to the visor body and stabilizing structure assures that the panel moves smoothly between a stored position within the visor body and a use position extended from the visor body. In one embodiment the stabilizing structure includes cords which extend through the panel to opposite corners of the visor body. In another embodiment the stabilizing structure includes guide tracks and followers on the panel which are made of material to magnetically attract the followers to the tracks.

Abstract: A container holder selectively allows the compact storage of the container support assembly including overlapping sections for allowing use of the container holder selectively for one or two containers. The assembly occupies a relatively small space for compact storage in a vehicle armrest.

Abstract: A slide-out visor includes a double acting slide mechanism which includes first and second slide members pivotally coupled to one another with the first slide member slidably mounted to a vehicle support member. The second slide member is slidably mounted to a visor panel such that the visor is extended by withdrawing the panel with the first and second slide members moving along guide means in the vehicle support member and visor panel respectively. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the slide members include spring means which provide a controlled engaging surface between the slide members and the guide means formed in the vehicle support member and visor panel respectively. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring means are metallic leaf springs and an overlying arm of polymeric material extends between the metal spring and the guide means to provide a lubricious polymeric interface for the slide members with respect to the supporting structure and the visor panel.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus disclosed herein includes a vat storing cooking medium for cooking food items placed therein, a heater for heating the cooking medium, and a temperature sensor for sensing cooking medium temperature. A cooking control comprises an interface circuit connected to the heater and the temperature sensor. A programmed processor is connected to the interface circuit for controlling the heater during a cooking cycle in response to sensed temperature in accordance with a programmed algorithm. The algorithm uses a preselected cooking energy profile for a typical batch of a food product to be cooked during the cooking cycle. The profile identifies predetermined times during the cooking cycle at which the heater is turned on or off. The algorithm periodically compares sensed oil temperature to the stored profile and in response to deviations from the stored profile dynamically modifies the cooking energy profile for use during the remainder of the cooking cycle.

Abstract: An upholstery system for a vehicle accessory includes a substrate with a U-shaped channel adjacent an edge and including alternately staggered apertures and slots in its floor. A trim member with alternately staggered pins and locking tabs compressibly holds an edge of upholstery material in the channel with the pins extending through the material and into the apertures and the tabs lockably holding the trim member by fitting into the slots.