Door assembly with anti-theft device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9382732-B2
Application number	US-201113011537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2011
Priority date	Jan 21, 2011
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

A door assembly having an anti-theft device is provided. The assembly includes a door component defining an internally protruding cavity. A locating tab extends from the anti-theft device and is insertable in the cavity in the door component, thereby locating the anti-theft device relative to the door component. The door component includes a locking tab attached or integrally formed on the door component and adapted to snap into an opening in the anti-theft device, thereby securing the anti-theft device relative to the door component. The anti-theft device may be a shield and the door component may be a latch mechanism.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A door assembly comprising:
a door component having a first face, a second face and an internally protruding cavity, the door component including a locking tab attached or integrally formed on the second face of the door component;
a shield having an opening and a locating tab extending from the shield;
wherein the first face of the door component defines the internally protruding cavity;
wherein the first face is oriented approximately perpendicularly with respect to the second face, the first face being directly adjacent to the second face;
wherein the entire locating tab is insertable in the cavity in the door component, thereby locating the shield relative to the door component;
wherein the locking tab is directly attached to the second face of the door component and
wherein the locking tab is adapted to extend through the opening in the shield, the locking tab being configured to secure the shield relative to the door component.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the door component is a latch mechanism.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the locking tab has a first portion that is tapered to allow the entire locking tab to be inserted through one end of the opening and extend through the opposite end of the opening in the shield.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the locking tab has a second portion that is raised relative to the second face of the door component to secure the locking tab in the opening in the shield, the second portion being configured to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the cavity of the door component.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shield is positioned between an exterior-facing member and a rod operatively connected to a key cylinder for unlocking the door assembly; and
wherein the shield includes at least one wall configured to block access to the rod from the exterior-facing member.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shield is formed from a plastic material.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the shield includes first and second walls, the first wall being angled with respect to the second wall;
the locating tab extends from the first wall; and
the opening in the shield is formed on a flange abutting the first wall and the second wall.

8. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein the first wall is oriented approximately perpendicularly with respect to the second wall.

9. A vehicle comprising:
an entryway;
a door assembly for the entryway, the door assembly having:
an exterior-facing member;
a latch mechanism operatively connected to the exterior-facing member,
the latch mechanism having a first and a second face;
wherein the first face is oriented approximately perpendicularly with respect to the second face, the first face being directly adjacent to the second face;
an internally protruding cavity defined by the first face of the latch mechanism;
a shield defining an opening and operatively connected to the latch mechanism;
a locating tab extending from the first wall of the shield such that the entire locating tab is insertable in the cavity in the latch mechanism, thereby locating the shield relative to the latch mechanism;
a locking tab integrally formed on the second face of the latch mechanism and adapted to extend through the opening in the shield, the locking tab being configured to secure the shield relative to the latch mechanism;

wherein the locking tab is directly attached to the second face of the door component and
wherein the locking tab defines a second portion that is raised to secure the locking tab in the opening in the shield, the second portion being configured to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the cavity of the latch mechanism.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 :
wherein the shield is positioned between the exterior-facing member and a rod operatively connected to a key cylinder for unlocking the door; and
the shield includes at least one wall configured to block access to the rod from the exterior-facing member.

11. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the opening in the shield is formed on a flange abutting a first wall and a second wall of the shield, the first wall being oriented approximately perpendicularly with respect to the second wall.

12. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein:
the locking tab defines a first portion that is tapered to allow the entire locking tab to be inserted through one end of the opening and extend through the opposite end of the opening in the shield.

13. A method of assembling a door, the method comprising:
forming a door component with an internally protruding cavity, wherein the cavity is a blind hole;
wherein the door component includes a first face and a second face, the internally protruding cavity being defined by the first face;
wherein the first face is oriented approximately perpendicularly with respect to the second face, the first face being directly adjacent to the second face;
forming a shield having a extending locating tab and forming an opening in the shield on a flange abutting a first wall and a second wall of the shield;
inserting the entire locating tab of the shield into the cavity in the door component, thereby locating the shield to the door component;
directly attaching or integrally forming a locking tab on the second face of the door component; and
fitting the locking tab into the opening in the shield such that the locking tab extends through the opening, the locking tab being configured to secure the shield relative to the door component.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
forming a first portion on the locking tab that is tapered to allow the entire locking tab to be inserted through one end of the opening and extend through the opposite end of the opening in the shield;
forming a second portion on the locking tab that is raised to secure the locking tab in the opening in the shield, the second portion being configured to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the cavity of the door component.

15. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cavity of the door component is a blind hole.

16. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the cavity defined by the latch mechanism is a blind hole.

Assignees

• Arabia Jr Frank J
• Granny Robert D
• Buckley Ian S
• Gm Global Tech Operations Inc

Inventors

• Arabia Jr Frank J
• Granny Robert D
• Buckley Ian S

Classifications

• E05B77/44 Primary

  Burglar prevention, e.g. protecting against opening by unauthorised tools (E05B77/28 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R25/00

  Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles (locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00) · CPC title

• B60J5/04

  arranged at the vehicle sides {(panel mounted arm-rests B60N2/78; wall liners B60R13/02; door edge guards B60R13/043; padded linings associated with the side doors B60R21/0428)} · CPC title

• E05B85/06

  Lock cylinder arrangements · CPC title

• E05B79/02

  Mounting of vehicle locks or parts thereof · CPC title