Claims
- 1. A decorative molding assembly for a vehicle door frame having a window opening for a transitional window pane moveable between an open position spaced from the window opening and a closed position abutting the window opening, said assembly comprising;
a window door seal having a retaining portion for engagement with the door frame and having a channel for selective sealing engagement with the window pane, a molding strip having an exterior facing surface for creating an outer peripheral border for the window opening of the door frame and an inwardly projecting arm mating with said window door seal, and a retaining member engaging said arm of said molding strip and said window door seal for securing each of said molding strip and said window door seal within the window opening of the door frame such that the window pane is securely sealed within the window opening when the window pane is in the closed position.
- 2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said arm of said molding strip includes an upper surface and a lower surface and said window door seal further includes an outwardly extending flange portion engaging one of said upper and lower surfaces of said arm, said retaining member wedging said flange portion of said window door seal between said arm and the door frame.
- 3. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said retaining member is a clip extending around said retaining portion of said window door seal and said arm of said molding strip to mount said window door seal and said molding strip to the door frame.
- 4. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said retaining member is a bolt extending through said arm of said molding strip and said flange portion of said window door seal to mount said window door seal and said molding strip to the door frame.
- 5. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said window door seal further includes a resilient flap extending from said flange portion with said flap engaging said lower surface of said arm and mounting to said molding strip.
- 6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said retaining member is disposed between said arm of said molding strip and said flap.
- 7. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said retaining portion of said window door seal includes a first sealing lip and said flap includes a second sealing lip such that said first and second sealing lips define said channel of said window door seal.
- 8. An assembly as set forth in claim 7 wherein said flap of said window door seal further includes a tubular seal portion for selective sealing engagement with an upper distal end of the window pane.
- 9. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said retaining portion includes a resilient appendage for engagement with a flange extending from the door frame.
- 10. An assembly as set forth in claim 9 further including an attachment cord integrally molded to said resilient appendage for assisting in mounting said appendage to the flange.
- 11. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including at least one window guide channel extending downwardly from said molding strip for guiding the window pane between the open and closed positions.
- 12. A method of installing a molding assembly comprising a window door seal and a molding strip into a window opening of a vehicle door frame, said method comprising the steps of;
mounting the window door seal around a portion of the molding strip; positioning a lower section of the molding strip within the window opening; moving the molding strip and door seal toward the window opening to abut the door seal against the door frame; fastening a retaining portion of the door seal to the door frame to secure the door seal to the door frame; and engaging a retaining member against the molding strip to secure the molding strip and door seal to the door frame.
- 13. A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein the fastening of the retaining portion of the door seal to the door frame is further defined by providing an attachment cord detachably secured to the retaining portion of the door seal; aligning the cord with a flange of the door frame; extending a portion of the cord and attached door seal around the flange and then removing the cord from the retaining portion of the door seal to automatically secure the remaining portions of the door seal to the door frame.
- 14. An assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein the window seal comprises a belt line seal.
- 15. An assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein said window seal has a pair of sealing lips for engaging opposite sides of said window pane.
- 16. An assembly as set forth in claim 15 wherein said window seal has a tubular portion for engaging a peripheral edge of said window pane.
- 17. A decorative molding assembly for a vehicle door frame having a window opening for a translating window pane moveable between an open position and a closed position, said assembly comprising;
a window seal having a retaining portion for engagement with the door frame and having a channel for selective sealing engagement with the window pane, a molding strip having an exterior facing surface for creating an outer peripheral border for the window opening of the door frame and an inwardly projecting arm engaging said retaining portion, and a retaining member engaging said arm of said molding strip for securing each of said molding strip and said window seal about a portion of the window opening of the door frame, said portion of said channel concealing said retaining member and movable for enabling access for the retainer member to engage said arm and said retaining portion.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This patent application claims priority to and all the benefits of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/094,526, filed on Jul. 29, 1998 and entitled “Window Surround Module”.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60094526 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09215801 |
Dec 1998 |
US |
Child |
09794452 |
Feb 2001 |
US |