AU623196B2 - Locating and attachment method - Google Patents

Description

I I 62 3 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

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The Patents Act 1952 Name of ApplicantCs): ROBERT STEWART WINSLOW COOK Address of Applicant(s): 215 Victoria Avenue Palmerston North NEW ZEALAND Actual Inventor(s): ROBERT STEWART WINSLOW COOK Address for Service: G.R. CULLEN COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, Dalgety House, 79 Eagle Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: LOCATING AND ATTACHMENT METHOD The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to me: 96 Irr -Le

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2 The present invention relates to a method of locating on an object a desired point of attachment to an article, and to a method of attaching an article to an object.

More particularly, but not exclusively the present invention relates to a method of locating on a car one or more desired points of attachment to a spoiler and a method for attaching a spoiler to a car.

Attachment of spoilers to vehicles must be by some mechanical means such as bolts, screws, etc. It has been found that merely gluing the spoilers to a vehicle gives o .o unsatisfactory results.

*Affixment of spoilers to cars by mechanical means has involved the need to accurately locate on the vehicle body the see relative positions at which holes must be drilled to correspond .0.0 15 to the positions of the attachment means of the spoiler when fitted.

To the present time various methods of locating the o0 positions at which holes must be drilled have been used. These methods have included the use of drilling templates made of cardboard and the location of the drilling points by measuring ooooo: the appropriate dimensions on the vehicle from drawings.

0. gThese methods have depended greatly upon the skill of the 000000 o individual performing the fitting operation. The templates may be improperly aligned or may move during the marking process or may not be positioned so as to properly conform to the shape of the vehicle. Measuring the desired position of drillholes from drawings clearly depends upon the skill of the operator and is highly prone to human error.

*1 3 It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a means of locating on a vehicle the affixment points of a spoiler which is simple, quick and less prone to operator error, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is thus provided a method of locating on an object a desired point of attachment to an article, said method comprising the steps of: 0* 00 to i. Providing a locator having an adhesive on one side thereof; ii. Providing an article having a point of attachment; 000a to iii. Engaging said locator with said article adjacent 15 said point of attachment with the side of said locator having an adhesive thereon facing away from said article; iv. Aligning said article with said object in the Sdesired orientation; v. Forcing said article against said object so as to S 0 cause the side of said locator having an adhesive thereon to 050500 adhere to said object; vi. Removing said article from said object to leave said Slocator adhering to said object so as to indicate a desired point of attachment.

25 According to a further aspect of the present invention there is thus provided a method of attaching an article to an object comprising the steps of: ~i~r ~u.rr~cl II I iiii I.

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2,i s i. Providing a locator having an adhesive on one side thereof; ii. Providing an article having a point of attachment; iii. Engaging said locator with said article adjacent said point of attachment with the side of said locator having an adhesive thereon facing away from said article; iv. Aligning said article with said object in the desired orientation; v. Forcing said article against said object so as to cause the side of said locator having an adhesive thereon to S adhere to said object; vi. Removing said article from said object to leave said locator adhering to said object so as to indicate a desired point of attachment; vii. Providing attachment means at the position indicated by said locator.

viii. Attaching said article to said object at said point of attachment.

According to a further aspect of the present invention 20 there is thus provided a method of locating on an object a desired point of attachment to an article wherein said article has a plurality of points of attachment and a plurality of locators are used in conjunction therewith to locate a plurality of points of attachment.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of attaching an article to a vehicle wherein said article is provided with a plurality of points of attachment and a plurality of locators are used in conjunction therewith to locate a plurality of desired points of attachment.

a. 5a oo o S. oooo00 0 5 5 S 5 S S oo S o i i e iirl. I- ll 5 According to a further aspect invention there is provided a locator for locating a desired point of attachment of an article on an object, said locator being releasably engagable with an article at a point of attachment and having at least one surface thereof remote from said point of attachment having an adhesive thereon.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method as hereinbefore described wherein said article is a spoiler and said object is a vehicle.

Further aspects of this invention, which should be considered in all its novel aspects will become apparent from the following description given by way of example of a possible embodiment thereof arid in which reference is made to the *000 accompanying drawings wherein: 00*0 Figure I: shows a cross-sectional view of a spoiler affixed to the body of a car.

Figure 2: shows a cross-sectional view of one point of 0 p attachment within a spoiler.

Figure 3: shows a cross-sectional view of an insert a:t placed within a hole drilled in a car panel.

0 Figure 4: shows a cross-sectional view of the attachment h vortion of a spoiler when attached to a panel of a vehicle.

Figure 5: shows a cross-sectional view of a point of attachment of a spoiler with a locator in close proximity thereto.

Figure 6: shows a cross-sectional view of a spoiler having a locator engaged therewith against a panel of a vehicle.

1 -i i l I rll l e r I 6 Figure 7: shows a cross-sectional view of a locator adhering to a vehicle panel with a drill bit being located thereby.

Figure 8: shows a locator according to one aspect of the present invention.

Figure 9: shows the body panel engaging side of a spoiler in perspective.

The present invention relates to a method for locating on an object a desired point of attachment to an article which in one embodiment thereof is particularly suitable for affixing spoilers to vehicles. However, it is to be appreciated that the present invention has application wherever there is a need 4b I oto locate points of attachment.

Referring now to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown a spoiler 1 affixed to a vehicle panel 2.

Referring now to Figure 2, a point of attachment for a spoiler 3 is shown in cross-section affixed to a rib 4 which runs along 44° S* the length of at least a portion of the spoiler. Figure 3 shows an insert 5 located within an aperture in vehicle parnel 20 2. Figure 4 shows a spoiler 1 affixed to a vehicle panel 2 by Smeans of a screw 6 in combination with an insert 5 and point of attachment 3.

Conventionally to attach a spoiler to a panel of a vehicle a template would be placed along panel 2 in the position at which it was desired to affix spoiler 1. This template would have holes therein indicating the positions at which holes would need to be drilled to align with the points of attachment of the spoiler. The points indicated by the template are then centre punched and holes drilled out to accomodate inserts pl-R I i 7 Inserts 5 may be of substantially circular cross-section so as to fit snugly within the apertures created by drilling.

Inserts 5may be placed within the apertures in the body panel. Screws 6 may then be screwed into points of attachment 3. Spoiler 1 may then be placed in its desired position with screws 6 being alligned with respective apertures in inserts 5. The spoiler may then be forced against the body panel, thus forcing screws 6 into inserts 5. This causes legs 8 of inserts 5 to spread and thus prevent the insert pulling through the aperture in vehicle panel 2. A cross-section of the point of attachment when completed in the above manner is as shown in Figure 4.

It can be seen that screw 6 is screwed into the threaded 15 portion of point of attachment 3 whilst screw 6 is also secured to insert 5 which is prevented from leaving the aperture in panel 2 due to the spreading of legs 8. Where access can @0*9 O 4 r* easily be obtained behind a body panel headed screws may be screwed into point of attachment 3 from the inside face of 20 vehicle panel 2 to secure the spoiler.

°oafs: 0 sea According to the present invention there is provided a locator 9 having an adhesive layer 10 on at least a portion thereof.

Where the word "adhesive" is referred to in the specification it is intended to include any glue, gum, or other material that can hold a locator in a fixed relationship with an object and extends to include a magnetic material. It is envisaged that locators may he magnetically retained in a fixed relationship with a steel surface by the force of magnetic attraction.

I 8 .0* According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention locator 9 may be of a substantially disc shaped form as shown in Figure 8 of the drawings.

A method of using locator 9 to locate on an object a desired point of attachment to an article will now be described.

It is to be understood that this method is given purely by way of example and the invention is not limited to the method hereinafter described.

Spoiler 1 may first be positioned in the desired orientation with respect to vehicle panel 2 with markings being made on panel 2 to indicate the position of the edges of S spoiler 1. Typically a plurality of points of attachment 3 will be provided within a spoiler 1I, each being affixed to rib 4. The spoilermay include a recess 7 capable of accommodating 15 an insert 5 or locator 9. The central bore 11 of locator 9 may be co-axial with the threaded bore 12 of point of attachment 3 when the locator 9 is positioned within recess 7.

It is to be appreciated that providing a recess 7 into which locator 9 may be engaged is not the only means by which ,20 the method of the present invention can be performed. All that is required is that a locator 9 may be retained in such a orientation with the spoiler that when locator 9 is pushed against a panel of a vehicle it may indicate the relative positions where drillholes are required to provide fastening means to engage with points of attachment 3. It is further to be appreciated that locator 9 need not be of the disc form showed in the preferred embodiment of this invention but may be of an convenient shape as long as one side thereof is supplied with an adhesive thereon.

9- Upon marking on panel 2 the positions of the edges of spoiler 1 when in the correct orientation with respect to panel 2, locators 9 may be engaged in recess 7 having the side thereof covered with an adhesive facing outwardly from the spoiler. The spoiler may then be forced against the side of vehicle panel 2 in the desired position as marked, thus bringing the adhesive surface 10 of locator 11 into contact with the surface of vehicle panel 2 (as shown in Figure 6).

Spoiler 1 may then be removed leaving only locator 9 affixed to panel 2 (as shown in Figure As bore 11 of locator 9 was co-axial with bore 12 of point of attachment 3 .e when locator 9 was engaged with recess 7, bore 11 of locator 9 i: o now marks the position at which a hole must be drilled to "Va• locate with bore 12 of point of attachment 3.

see* A hole may then be drilled through bore 11 in locator 9.

Locator 9 may then be removed and the bore widened to allow insert 5 to be -,aced therein. According to a preferred 0000 embodiment of the present invention a small locating hole may to be drilled through the aperture in locator 9 and subsequently widened. According to a preferred embodiment the locating hole may be 3mm in diameter and subsequently widened to 6.2mm.

This process may be done simultaneously or sequentially.

That is to say one may either place locators in all of the recesses 7 in the spoiler and then fit the spoiler to the panel so that each point requiring drilling is indicated by a separate locator when the spoiler is removed. Alternatively only one locator may be placed in one of a plurality of recesses 7 so that one end may be secured. Then the rest of the holes may be drilled in a sequential fashion down to the final one.

1 10 Once the insert 5 has been placed within the aperature drilled in panel 2 the affixment procedure may be much the same as for conventional spoilers.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the use of a point of attachment, an insert and a screw as the fixing means it is to be appreciated that many other forms of attachment may be utilised with the present invention. It is further to be appreciated that the present invention has applications beyond the affixment of spoilers to vehicles and may have applications wherever there is a need to locate points of affixment.

It is seen that the present invention provides a quick, simple and reliable method of locating points of affixment and 0000 securing a spoiler to a vehicle. It is further seen that the 000* :15 present invention provides a locator having an adhesive on one face thereof suitable for use with the present invention.

Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to specific components or integers of the invention having known equivalents then such equivalents are herein incorporated ,20 as if individually set forth.

Although this invention has been described by way of example and with reference to possible embodiment thereof it is to be understood that modifications or improvements may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

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Claims (10)

1. 2. A method as claimed in claim i, wherein said locator has a bore therethrough which indicates the desired point of attachment on the object.
2. 3. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the article has a plurality of points of attachment and a plurality of locators are used in conjunction therewith to locate a plurality of points of attachment. L -12-
3. 4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locator is disc shaped and is adapted to engage with a complimentary recess in the article.
4. 5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the adhesive is a glue or gum.
5. 6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the adhesive is a magnetic material.
6. 7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding e• claims, wherein the article is a spoiler and the object is a car panel. oe in: 8. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding •ego claims, wherein the one or more points of attachment have S threaded bores therein. S 9. A method of attaching an article to an object comprising: a) performing the location steps claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8; b) providing attachment means at the position indicated by said locator; c) attaching said article to said object at said point of attachment. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the -13- attachment means is an insert located in a hole drilled at the position indicated by said locator and a threaded rod is engaged with the point of attachment and attached to the article by forcing the threaded rod into an aperture in the insert.
7. 11. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the article is attached to the object by means of a flat head machine screw.
8. 12. A method of locating on an object a desired point of attachment to an article as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
9. 13. A locator substantially as hereinbefore described S with reference to Figure 5, 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
10. 14. A method of attaching an article to an object as claimed in claim 9 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 21st day of February 1992 ROBERT STEWART WINSLOW COOK By his Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.