US4403818A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Instrument panel for vehicles
Assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
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Filing: 1981-06-03
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Granted: 1983-09-13
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Expires: 2001-06-03
Abstract
Abstract An instrument panel for automotive vehicles is molded of an insulating plastics material and carries electrical conductors on the rear surface leading to indicating and control instruments on the front. Several grooves on the rear surface, one for each conductor, are coated along their flanks with a conductive material such as a conductive paint to form the conductors. Cavities extending through the panel allow contact springs to connect the conductors on the rear to the instruments on the front.
Inventors
- 👤 Helmut Kleinbohl
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 05:12
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/10; H05K3/12; H05K3/1258; B; B60; B60K; B60K37/00; B60K37/20; H05K1/00; H05K1/02; H05K1/0284; H05K3/107; B60K2360/00; B60K2360/40; B60K2360/42; B60K2360/46; H05K1/09; H05K1/092; H05K1/095; H05K2201/00; H05K2201/09; H05K2201/09009; H05K2201/09036; H05K2201/09118; H05K2201/09818; H05K2201/09827; H05K2203/00; H05K2203/07; H05K2203/0756; H05K2203/0759
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
A vehicle instrument panel comprised of an insulating plastics material supporting individual indicating and control elements on the front side thereof and electric current paths on the rear side leading to the said elements, the rear side of the panel being corrugated or toothed to define a plurality of triangular cross-section grooves running in the direction of the desired paths, the grooves having apexes and flanks, and electrically conductive material coating the flanks of the grooves to form the current paths.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
81 words
A vehicle instrument panel comprised of an insulating plastics material supporting individual indicating and control elements on the front side thereof and electric current paths on the rear side leading to the said elements, the rear side of the panel being corrugated or toothed to define a plurality of triangular cross-section grooves running in the direction of the desired paths, the grooves having apexes and flanks, and electrically conductive material coating the flanks of the grooves to form the current paths.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
111 words
A vehicle instrument panel comprised of an insulating plastics material supporting individual indicating and control elements on the front side thereof and electric current paths on the rear side leading to the said elements, the rear side of the panel being corrugated or toothed to define a plurality of triangular cross-section grooves, having apexes and flanks, and electrically conductive material coating the flanks of the grooves to form the current paths, the apexes of the grooves having an extremely low surface roughness and the flanks forming the lower parts of the grooves having a higher surface roughness so that the conductive material adheres only at the flanks having higher surface roughness.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
111 words
A vehicle instrument panel comprised of an insulating plastics material supporting individual indicating and control elements on the front side thereof and electric current paths on the rear side leading to the said elements, the rear side of the panel being corrugated or toothed to define a plurality of triangular cross-section grooves, having apexes and flanks, and electrically conductive material coating the flanks of the grooves to form the current paths, the apexes of the grooves having an extremely low surface roughness and the flanks forming the lower parts of the grooves having a higher surface roughness so that the conductive material adheres only at the flanks having higher surface roughness.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-09-12 | 1987-03-14 | 1987-09-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-09-12 | 1991-03-14 | 1991-09-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-09-12 | 1995-03-14 | 1995-09-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |