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Patent application title:

Embossed headliner and method of making same

Publication number:

US20060062970A1

Publication date:

2006-03-23

Application number:

11/107,589

Filed date:

2005-04-15

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.

Inventors:

James Noel Martin 2 🇺🇸 Perry, MI, United States

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Classification:

B32B5/024 » CPC main

B32B1/00 » CPC further

Layered products having a general shape other than plane

B32B3/26 » CPC further

Layered products comprising a layer with external or internal discontinuities or unevennesses, or a layer of non-planar form ; Layered products having particular features of form characterised by a particular shape of the outline of the cross-section of a continuous layer; characterised by a layer with cavities or internal voids ; characterised by an apertured layer

B32B5/026 » CPC further

B32B5/245 » CPC further

Layered products characterised by the non- homogeneity or physical structure, i.e. comprising a fibrous, filamentary, particulate or foam layer; Layered products characterised by having a layer differing constitutionally or physically in different parts characterised by the presence of two or more layers which are next to each other and are fibrous, filamentary, formed of particles or foamed one layer being a fibrous or filamentary layer another layer next to it being a foam layer

B32B27/12 » CPC further

Layered products comprising synthetic resin next to a fibrous or filamentary layer

B32B27/40 » CPC further

Layered products comprising synthetic resin comprising polyurethanes

B60R13/0225 » CPC further

Elements for body-finishing, identifying, or decorating; Arrangements or adaptations for advertising purposes; Trim mouldings Ledges; Wall liners for passenger compartments ; Roof liners; Roof or head liners self supporting head liners

B32B2451/00 » CPC further

Decorative or ornamental articles

B32B2605/08 » CPC further

Vehicles Cars

Y10T428/24612 » CPC further

Stock material or miscellaneous articles; Structurally defined web or sheet [e.g., overall dimension, etc.] including variation in thickness Composite web or sheet

B32B3/00 IPC

Layered products comprising a layer with external or internal discontinuities or unevennesses, or a layer of non-planar form ; Layered products having particular features of form

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates in general to an interior trim component and in particular to an embossed headliner with raised indicia.

2. Description of the Related Art

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

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.

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.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method comprises the steps of:

- placing a substrate onto a mold tool;
- placing a piece of material at a desired location on the substrate;
- placing a decorative covering on the substrate and the piece of material; and
- bonding the decorative covering to the substrate in a mold tool,
- 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

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of an embossed headliner and the method of making same according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the embossed headliner according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.