What is claimed is:
1. A structure for mounting an instrument panel to a given portion in a vehicle, comprising:
a cowl panel arranged at said given portion, said cowl panel including an upper panel part and a lower panel part which are united to constitute an inwardly protruding holder structure, said holder structure including a first section where said upper and lower panel parts intimately contact at mutually facing surfaces thereof and a second section where said upper and lower panel parts are spaced from each other at the mutually facing surfaces thereof, said second section constituting a rear end of said holder structure; and
catch devices provided by said instrument panel and directed toward said holder structure, each catch device including a catch section and a guide section, said catch section being constructed to catch said rear end of said holder structure when brought to said rear end of said holder structure, said guide section being constructed to guide said catch section toward and to the rear end of said holder structure when shifted toward said holder structure.
2. A structure as claimed in claim 1, in which a damper member is resiliently deformably disposed between said upper and lower panel parts of said second section.
3. A structure as claimed in claim 2, in which said damper member has an exposed rounded part positioned at the rear end of said holder structure, said exposed rounded part being pressed against said catch section to restrict a relative displacement therebetween when said holder structure is caught by said catch section.
4. A structure as claimed in claim 3, in which said damper member is a sealing material applied to said upper and lower panel parts to provide the cowl panel with a water proof function.
5. A structure as claimed in claim 1, in which said respective rear end portions of said upper and lower panel parts of the second section constitute a part of a rectangular raised structure defined by said holder structure.
6. A structure as claimed in claim 3, in which said catch section comprises a recess sized to resiliently receive said rear end of said holder structure, said recess having an inner surface with which said exposed rounded part of said damper member is frictionally engageable.
7. A structure as claimed in claim 6, in which said recess of said catch section has a sloped bottom so that when said holder structure is deeply inserted into said recess, the frictional engagement between the inner surface of said recess and said exposed rounded part of said damper member is enhanced.
8. A structure as claimed in claim 1, in which said guide section comprises a generally triangular recess defined by mutually intersected sloped upper and lower surfaces, said sloped upper and lower surfaces being constructed to slidably contact the rear end of said holder structure for guiding said catch section toward said rear end of said holder structure.
9. A structure as claimed in claim 8, in which said guide section is positioned beside said catch section.
10. A structure as claimed in claim 1, in which said first section of said holder structure is provided by welding the upper and lower panel parts.
11. A structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprises a box-like reinforced structure defined by said instrument panel for increasing the mechanical connection between each of said catch devices and said instrument panel.
12. A structure for mounting an instrument panel to a given portion in a motor vehicle, comprising:
a cowl panel arranged below a windshield of the vehicle, said cowl panel including an upper panel part and a lower panel part which are united to constitute an inwardly protruding holder structure, said holder structure including a first section where said upper and lower panel parts intimately contact at mutually facing surfaces thereof and a second section where said upper and lower panel parts are spaced from each other at the mutually facing surfaces thereof, said second section constituting a rear end of said holder structure;
a catch section provided by said instrument panel, said catch section having an elongate recess sized to receive therein said rear end of said holder structure;
a guide section provided by said instrument panel, said guide section being constructed to guide said catch section toward the rear end of said holder structure when shifted toward the rear end of said holder structure;
a damper member provided on said rear end of said holder structure, so that when said rear end is inserted into the recess of said catch section, said damper member becomes in contact with an inner surface of said recess thereby to provide a frictional engagement therebetween; and
a sloped surface that defines a bottom of the recess of said catch section, so that when said rear end of said holder structure is deeply inserted into said recess of said catch section, the frictional engagement between said friction member and the inner surface of said recess is enhanced.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A folding attachment adapted to be positioned on a handle, the handle having longitudinal and transverse axes, the folding attachment comprising:
a) an attachment portion having a pivot attachment that is pivotally attached to a longitudinally outward portion of the handle,
b) an operating portion having a base and an extension, the base having a base lateral surface, and the extension having an extension lateral surface,
c) incising members comprising:
i. a base incising member having a laterally inward surface that is fixedly attached to the base at a longitudinally inward connection portion and attached at a longitudinally outward portion and
ii. an extension incising member having a base attachment region at a longitudinally outward connection portion and an extension attachment region at a longitudinally inward connection portion
d) whereas the base is offset from the extension in the lateral direction where the base lateral surface and the extension lateral surface are offset the approximate lateral width distance of one of the incising members where a laterally inward surface of the base incising member is in engagement with the base lateral surface and a laterally inward surface of the extension incising member is in engagement with the extension lateral surface.
2. The folding attachment as recited in claim 1 where the base incising member and the extension incising member each have cutting edge surfaces that are adjacent to one another and connect at an interface point.
3. The folding attachment as recited in claim 1 where the extension and the base are comprised of a unitary material.
4. The folding attachment as recited in claim 3 where the extension, the base and a pivot portion are all comprised of a unitary material all comprising a main portion.
5. The folding attachment as recited in claim 4 where the main portion defines a material open region between the pivot portion and the extension.
6. The folding attachment as recited in claim 5 where the material open region is positioned in the transverse direction when the folding attachment is in an operating position.
7. The folding attachment as recited in claim 6 where the material open region is positioned transversely downward within the handle when the folding attachment is in a closed position in the handle where the handle also houses a folding knife.
8. The folding attachment as recited in claim 1 where a mean lateral thickness of the attachment is a distance that is the sum of a lateral width of the base plus the lateral width of the base incising member plus the lateral width of the extension incising member and the mean lateral thickness is sufficiently narrow to allow other attachments to coincide in the handle portion.
9. The folding attachment as recited in claim 1 where located at the pivot portion is a locking surface adapted to temporarily lock the folding attachment in an open position.
10. A multi-tool having a handle and a clenching portion, whereby positioned on the handle away from the clenching portion is an incising attachment pivotally attached thereto, the incising attachment comprising a base and an extension defining an open region thereinbetween and the base and extension having lateral surfaces that are not in the same plane, a base incising member having a longitudinally inward portion and a longitudinally outward portion and having a laterally inward surface adapted to engage the lateral surfaces of the base, the base incising member further having a edge surface position toward the open region, an extension incising member having a portion attached to the lateral surface of the extension and another portion attached to a laterally outward area of the incising attachment adjacent to the longitudinally outward portion of the base incising member, the extension incising member having an edge surface that is adapted to be positioned adjacent to the edge surface of the base incising member and forcefully engaged thereto.
11. The multi-tool as described in claim 10 where the open region is positioned transversely outwardly from the center axis of the multi-tool when the incising attachment is in an open position.
12. The multi-tool as described in claim 10 where the incising attachment has a locking notch that is adapted to lock the incising attachment in an open position.
13. The multi-tool as recited in claim 10 where the extension has a rounded portion and a longitudinally inward region that is adapted to not get caught on material to be cut by the incising attachment.
14. The multi-tool as described in claim 10 where the main lateral width of the multi-tool is the lateral width of the sum of the lateral widths of the base, the base incising member and the extension incising member.
15. The multi-tool as described in claim 14 where the main lateral width of the incising member occupies less than one half of an available space in the handle of the multi-tool.
16. A method of cutting material comprising retrieving a handle member and pivotally extracting a cutting element therefrom, positioning the material between an extension and base member of the cutting attachment where a base incising member and an extension incising member are rigidly attached thereto not mobile with respect to one another and edge portions of the base incising member and the extension incising member are in lateral proximal engagement to one another where a material open region which provides an opening for the material to be cut to be positioned adjacent to the base incising member and the extension incising member is positioned outwardly from the central axis of a folding knife and the main lateral width of the handle member is sufficiently narrow that other utensils can be positioned in the handle region of the folding knife, and wherein the base incising member is offset from the extension incising member in the lateral direction.
17. The method of cutting material as recited in claim 16 where the cutting attachment is adapted to be locked in an open position.
18. The method of cutting material as recited in claim 17 where the cutting attachment can be extracted while a crimping portion of the handle is in a stored position.
19. The method of cutting material as recited in claim 16 where the material open region is positioned outwardly from a center axis of the handle when the cutting attachment is in an open position.
20. The method of cutting material as recited in claim 16 where a mean lateral thickness of the attachment is sufficiently narrow to allow other attachments to coincide in the handle portion.
21. A cutter attachment adapted to be attached to a multitool in the handle portion, the cutter attachment comprising:
a) a base structure having a connection portion pivotally connected to the handle portion, the structure comprising a base and an extension,
b) a base incising member having first and second ends attached to the base,
c) an extension incising member having a first end attached to the extension and a second end attached at the same proximal location of the second end of the base incising member, wherein the base incising member is offset from the extension incising member in the lateral direction,
d) whereas the cutter attachment is constructed where the first and second ends of the base incising member are rigidly attached to the base member and the first end of the extension incising member is rigidly attached to the extension member and the second end is rigidly attached to the base whereby the structural integrity of the base structure is greater with the first and second ends attached thereto and the lateral width of the cutter attachment is such that it is adapted to fit in the handle portion of the multitool.
22. The cutter attachment as recited in claim 21 where the first and second attachment regions of the base incising member and the first and second attachment regions of the extension incising member are all pinned to the base structure.
23. The cutter attachment as recited in claim 22 where a single pin operates as a connection member for both of the second ends of the base incising member and the extension incising member.
24. The cutter attachment as recited in claim 21 where the thickness of the cutter attachment is less than \xbc of an inch.