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Embossed headliner and method of making same

a headliner and embossed technology, applied in the field of interior trim components, can solve the problem of providing a low cost effective method and achieve the effect of enhancing the appearance of a conventional headliner and low cost effectiv

Inactive Publication Date: 2006-03-23
INTIER AUTOMOTIVE INC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a way to make a headliner look better by adding a layer of material between the decorative covering and the substrate, which creates a raised relief in the covering. This results in an embossed appearance. The method involves placing a substrate on a mold tool, adding a piece of material to the substrate, adding a decorative covering on top, and then bonding the covering to the substrate in the mold tool. This low-cost method can improve the appearance of conventional headliners."

Problems solved by technology

Thus, there is a need to provide a low cost effective method of enhancing the appearance of a conventional headliner.

Method used

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  • Embossed headliner and method of making same
  • Embossed headliner and method of making same
  • Embossed headliner and method of making same

Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0017] Referring now to FIG. 1, an interior trim component 10, such as a headliner, is shown according to an embodiment of the invention. Although the headliner 10 may include other layers of material, the headliner 10 in the illustrated embodiment includes a substrate 12 and a decorative covering 14. In addition, the headliner 10 of the invention includes a piece of material 16 placed between the substrate 12 and the decorative covering 14.

[0018] The substrate 12 is made of a polyurethane composite material and has a thickness of between about 3 mm and 14 mm. The decorative covering 14 is made of a material, such as fabric with or without a foam backing, a knit material, a non-woven material, or the like. For example, the decorative covering 14 may have a thickness of about 4 mm. The decorative covering 14 forms what is commonly known as a Class “A” surface of the headliner 10.

[0019] One aspect of the invention is that the piece of material 16 can be formed to any desirable conto...

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Abstract

An interior trim component, such as a headliner, includes a decorative covering, a substrate and a piece of a material, such as foam material, placed between the decorative covering and the substrate. After the molding process, the piece of material expands due to its resiliency to form a raised relief in the decorative covering, thereby providing a headliner with an embellished appearance. The method of manufacturing the embossed headliner requires no special tooling and is very cost effective.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application 60 / 521,401, filed on Apr. 19, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates in general to an interior trim component and in particular to an embossed headliner with raised indicia. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Currently, headliners are very plain in appearance. Thus, there is a need to provide a low cost effective method of enhancing the appearance of a conventional headliner. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] The inventor has recognized these and other problems associated with conventional headliners and has developed a low cost effective method of enhancing the appearance of a conventional headliner. [0007] According to the invention, a headliner comprises a decorative covering, a substrate, and a piece of material placed between the decorative cov...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B32B3/00
CPCB32B1/00B32B3/26B32B5/024B32B5/026B32B5/245Y10T428/24612B32B27/40B32B2451/00B32B2605/08B60R13/0225B32B27/12
Inventor MARTIN, JAMES NOEL
Owner INTIER AUTOMOTIVE INC