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Embossed headliner and method of making sameRelated Patent Categories: Stock Material Or Miscellaneous Articles, Structurally Defined Web Or Sheet (e.g., Overall Dimension, Etc.), Including Variation In Thickness, Composite Web Or SheetEmbossed headliner and method of making same description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060062970, Embossed headliner and method of making same. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
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 covering and the substrate, wherein the piece of material provides a raised relief in the decorative covering, thereby providing an embossed appearance to the headliner. [0008] According to another aspect of the invention, a method comprises the steps of: [0009] placing a substrate onto a mold tool; [0010] placing a piece of material at a desired location on the substrate; [0011] placing a decorative covering on the substrate and the piece of material; and [0012] bonding the decorative covering to the substrate in a mold tool, [0013] whereby the piece of material provides a raised relief in the decorative covering, thereby providing an embossed appearance to the headliner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0014] In the drawings: [0015] FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of an embossed headliner and the method of making same according to an embodiment of the invention. [0016] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the embossed headliner according to the invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [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 contour, such as a logo, a symbol, an emblem, or other indicia. The piece of material 16 can be cut or trimmed to the desired shape by water jet, steel rule die, or any other commonly known process. The material properties of the piece of material 16, such as hardness, thickness, resiliency, or the like, can vary depending on the desired finished appearance of the headliner 10. For example, the piece of material 16 may comprise a foam material having a thickness of between about 4 mm and 20 mm. [0020] A method of manufacturing the headliner 10 will now be described. First, the substrate 12 is placed on a mold tool 18. Next, the piece of material 16 is placed at a desired location on the substrate 12. Then, the decorative covering 14 is placed on the substrate 12 and the piece of material 16 and the bonding operation is performed. After the headliner 10 is demolded from the mold tool 18, the piece of material 16 expands due to its resiliency and produces a raised relief in the decorative covering 14 with soft edges creating an embellished appearance to the headliner 10, as shown in FIG. 2. [0021] As described above, the invention provides a cost effective method of manufacturing an interior trim component, such as a headliner, with an embellished appearance because the only additional tooling required is the tooling to cut the piece of material into the desired shape. [0022] While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit. Continue reading about Embossed headliner and method of making same... Full patent description for Embossed headliner and method of making same Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Embossed headliner and method of making same patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Embossed headliner and method of making same or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Absorbent paper product such as napkin or handkerchief, methods for manufacturing such a product, and apparatus implementing such methods Next Patent Application: Method for production optical sheet and optical sheet Industry Class: Stock material or miscellaneous articles ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Embossed headliner and method of making same patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.15724 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Daimler Chrysler , DirecTV , Exxonmobil Chemical Company , Goodyear , Intel , Kyocera Wireless , 174 |
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