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Rigid plastic glass run channelRelated Patent Categories: Movable Or Removable Closures, Closure Seal; E.g., Striker Gasket Or Weatherstrip, U-shaped Member Or Portion Mounts SealRigid plastic glass run channel description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070169417, Rigid plastic glass run channel. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates generally to a rigid glass run channel for a vehicle window, and, more particularly, to a rigid glass run channel that has production advantages over prior art devices. DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART [0002] Most vehicle doors include a door window that can either be mechanically or electrically lowered into a door well of the door to provide an opening in the door, or raised from the door well to close the opening in a sealing manner. These doors commonly include a resilient glass run having a glass run channel in which the window travels and/or seats when it moved into a closed position. Different glass run designs are known in the art that allow the window to be repeatedly moved, removed or inserted within the glass run channel and still maintain an effective seal against environmental conditions such as wind and moisture. [0003] In modern designs, the glass run includes an outer layer, such as a TPV rubber, an EPDM rubber, a thermoplastic material or some other suitable material, that is extruded onto a rigid metal insert that gives the glass run support and shape. [0004] In general, the plastic portions of glass run channels can be formed from a number of different plastic materials but will primarily be selected from thermoplastics and thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). Depending on their hardness TPEs are sometimes categorized as thermoplastics and sometimes as elastomers. For the purpose of this invention no such distinction will be made and hard and soft grades of plastic will all be referred to as TPEs. [0005] TPEs are commercially available in several different brands and types. Each type can be obtained in different grades having different properties such as, hardness, tensile strength, compression, elongation, thermal stability and colorability. Selection of the appropriate TPE for a particular application in the practise of the present invention depends on a suitable combination of such properties. [0006] Types of TPEs which are particularly useful are thermoplastic polyolefins (TPO's) (or rubber-polyolefin blends), styrenic block copolymers, elastomeric alloys, thermoplastic alloys, thermoplastic elastomeric alloys, thermoplastic ionomers, thermoplastic polyurethanes, polyvinyl chlorides and blends thereof. [0007] The thermoplastic polyolefins (TPOs) are blends of various polyolefins with ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) or ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM). Suitable polyolefins include polypropylene and various types of polyethylene. Copolymers of propylene and ethylene and blends of TPOs can also be used. TPOs are also useful as modifiers of other TPEs. [0008] Styrenic block copolymers are commercially available in many types (and grades within types), for example, Kraton.TM. from Shell Chemical Co. is based on block copolymers of styrene with a diene or an olefin pair, ethylene-butylene. The diene can be isoprene or butadiene. [0009] Alloying is an interactive combination of two or more materials to give a material having better properties than those of the corresponding blend. Thermoplastic alloys are available with properties enabling them to be painted. Thermoplastic elastomeric alloys and elastomeric alloys (EAs) are composed of synergistic mixtures of two or more polymers that have been treated to give them properties different from simple blends of the major constituents. The two types of elastomeric alloys are melt processible rubbers (MPRs) and thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs). [0010] EA-MPRs are a category of TPEs made of a highly plasticized, single phase combination of a chlorinated polyolefin, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and an acrylic ester mixture in which the rubber phase is highly crosslinked, for example, Alcryn.TM. from E.I. du Pont Nemours, Inc. EA-TPVs are made of a rubber/plastic polymer mixture in which the rubber phase is fully crosslinked. [0011] The plastic phase of a TPV is commonly a polyolefin (especially polypropylene), and the rubber phase is often an ethylene-propylene elastomer. A particularly useful TPV, suitable for windows seals, is formed from polypropylene and EPDM rubber and is commercially available in several grades as Santoprene.TM. from Advanced Elastomer Systems. [0012] Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) are formed by copolymerization of diisocyanates with long-chain diols and short-chain diols. TPUs are available commercially in a number of types and grades, for example, Texin.TM. from Mobay Corporation, Estane.TM. from B.F. Goodrich Co., Pellethane.TM. from Dow Chemical Corp. and Q-Thane.TM. from K.J. Quinn and Co., Inc. [0013] Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based TPEs are also suitable for window seals and are available in different grades and blends with other TPEs and rubbers. P-Valloy is one such material available from GBIE (Gerry Bareich Import Export Inc.) of Canada. [0014] Thermoplastic ionomers are polymers containing interchain ionic bonding which affords tough, durable, transparent thermoplastics, for example, Surlyn.TM. from E.I. du Pont de Nemours, Inc. [0015] The insert of current glass run is a piece of stamped steel or aluminium, a flexible wire, lanced or perforated metal core or film, or even a suitable polymeric material. The insert enables the glass run to be rigidly secured to a flange extending from stamped door panels along the periphery of the door opening. Examples of this type of glass run channel design is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,830,898 (Smith) 5,398,451 (Mesnel) or 5,651,217 (Mesnel) [0016] The above described glass run designs have been generally successful in meeting the demands required by the industry. However, certain disadvantages of these types of glass runs leaves room for improvement. For example, because most known glass runs are rigid members and are not readily flexible, they must be stretched or bent to the shape of the door opening before being secured to the door flange. However, inconsistencies in the alignment and position of the flange, as well as the thickness of the flange, require that the glass run be further twisted and bent as it is being secured to the door flange. Because the glass run is rigid, such a process has obvious drawbacks when trying to secure the glass run to the door flange. Also, the resulting twisting nature of the glass run may alter the sealing properties of the glass run channel in the glass run. [0017] In recent years, a common glass run channel design has a metallic core with a generally S-shaped cross section which is covered by suitable elastomeric material. These designs are shown in, for example, the above named Mesnel patents. The S-shape serves two functions by providing one channel facing in a first direction for clamping attachment to a door flange for retention of the channel thereon and another channel facing in a second direction for guiding, supporting or receiving the edge of a glass window pane. Although an S-shaped metallic core well serves the aforementioned two functions, it still suffers from the problems described hereinabove with respect to glass run channels having metallic support structures. [0018] A further problem with these types of structures is the requirement for a multi-part production process wherein the support is prepared in one operation, coated with a elastomeric material in a second operation, treated with additional materials, such as slip agents and the like, in a third operation, and then bend or stretched to a suitable shape in a fourth operation. [0019] The present invention offers an improvement in this regard. [0020] U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,343,609 (McManus), 6,023,888 (Dover) and 6,485,663 (Dover) describe glass run channels in which a base, S-shaped structure is produced from a polymeric material, with an optional metal support core. The S-shaped structure is co-extruded with other, softer polymeric materials to provide a series of projections which are used to seal the glass run channel against the vehicle's metal frame. By providing a polymeric support structure, the glass run channel can be easily bend and/or moulded to a suitable shape for use in the vehicle while avoiding the stretching and bending operations required for the metal support structures. [0021] In all of these plastic support embodiments, however, a U-shaped structure is included in which a "resilient window engaging insert member" is inserted and held in position mechanically by tabs located on the inside of the U-shaped structure. The insert member can additionally comprise a slip agent or flocking in order to aid in providing suitable sealing properties with the glass pane of the window. However, this process requires the production of a co-extruded support structure, the production of an insert member, flocking of the insert member, and insertion of the insert member into the support structure. As such, this process still requires a multi-step method for production of a glass run channel. [0022] As such, there is still a desire to provide a single unit, flexible glass run channel that can be readily shaped to be secured to the door flange, and which includes a support member for supporting the glass run channel and a sealing portion for sealing against the glass pane of the window. It would also be desirable to provide such a glass run channel that could be produced in a single operation. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide such a glass run channel structure. Continue reading about Rigid plastic glass run channel... Full patent description for Rigid plastic glass run channel Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Rigid plastic glass run channel 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. 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