US Patent 7597371 Lead-in for trim assembly

Patent 7597371 was granted and assigned to Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America on October, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Overview Structured Data Issues Contributors Activity

Is a

Patent

Patent attributes

Current Assignee

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America

Patent Jurisdiction

United States Patent and Trademark Office

Patent Number

75973710

Patent Inventor Names

Daniel B. Gidcumb, Jr.0

Date of Patent

October 6, 2009

Patent Application Number

117429520

Date Filed

May 1, 2007

Patent Primary Examiner

‌

Kiran B Patel

Patent abstract

Disclosed is a trim panel with a lead-in portion for providing smooth installation into an instrument panel. The trim panel has a body with a sheet material of predetermined thickness wrapped at least partially around, and a tab extending outwardly from the body and received by an instrument panel. The tab has an outer surface and an inner surface forming a v-shape, with the outer surface having a step portion that can receive the sheet material. The step portion has a predetermined depth equal to or greater than the predetermined thickness of the sheet material. The trim panel can also include an attachment device which operates to fixedly attach the trim panel to the instrument panel.