Description:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
As amended by the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005
&
The Patents Rules, 2003
As amended by the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2016
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)

TITLE OF INVENTION
A side door for a vehicle

APPLICANT
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., an Indian company, having its address at Mahindra Research Valley, Mahindra World City, Plot No.41/1, Anjur P.O., Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu – 603004, India

PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to a side door for a vehicle and more particularly to a side door for a vehicle having a reinforcement member for reinforcing an outer panel of the side door.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Vehicle door assembly typically consists of an inner panel and an outer panel being separated by a space. Being an interior-facing layer of a vehicle door, the inner panel plays a crucial role in the door assembly. When the door is closed, it is the part that faces the inside of the vehicle. Housing components like the door handle, window controls, speakers, and various interior features, the inner panel not only offers structural support to the door but also accommodates essential mechanisms. On the other hand, the outer panel of a vehicle door serves as the exterior-facing layer of the door assembly, visible from outside when the door is closed. Primarily designed for aesthetic appeal and protection against external elements like weather, debris, and potential collisions, the outer panel often incorporates design elements such as body lines, contours, and paint finishes that basically complement the vehicle's overall design. Together, these inner and outer panels create a protective enclosure for the vehicle occupants, contributing significantly to the vehicle's structural integrity and overall aesthetics.
[003] It has been observed that the space between these panels is typically filled with structural reinforcements, insulation, and other components to enhance safety, comfort, and performance. This space can vary depending on manufacturing tolerances, design requirements of the vehicle.
[004] In recent times, there has been a growing emphasis on the stylistic aspects of vehicle design, leading to increasingly intricate outer panel designs that are subject to more frequent modifications. Additionally, to meet the demand for lighter vehicles, these outer panels are now crafted from thin metal sheets. Consequently, these factors collectively heighten the vulnerability of the outer panel to deformation. This deformation, termed "oil canning," occurs when external forces cause the outer panel to flex towards the inner panel, returning to its original shape once the force is removed. This phenomenon, particularly noticeable in vehicle side doors, produces a noise akin to that of a deformed oil can.
[005] Existing methods/ solutions of preventing this issue impose a requirement of incorporating multiple reinforcement members attached to the outer panel, which must closely conform to its profile and be positioned adjacent to it. These methods/ solutions may lack adaptability and fail to effectively address variations in panel gaps.
[006] Hence there is a need in the art for a side door for a vehicle which addresses at least the aforementioned problems/ drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[007] Accordingly, the present invention in one aspect provides a side door for a vehicle. The side door includes an inner panel and an outer panel. The outer panel being spaced apart from the inner panel and configured to be attached to a portion of the inner panel. The side door further includes, at least one reinforcement member being configured to be attached to the inner panel. The at least one reinforcement member comprises a base plate and a plurality of spaced-apart resilient support flanges. Each of the plurality of resilient support flanges extending away from the base plate and at-least a portion of each resilient support flanges configured to be parallel with an inner surface of the outer panel and attached with the inner surface of the outer panel and provide a structural support to the outer panel.
[008] In an embodiment of the invention, the plurality of the resilient support flanges being formed sequentially along a length of the reinforcement member.
[009] In another embodiment of the invention, each resilient support flange comprises of a first portion and a second portion. The first portion extends inclinedly from the base plate. The second portion is bent parallel to the inner surface of the outer panel depending upon the space between the base plate and the outer panel.
[010] In another embodiment of the invention, the base plate is formed of a structure having a central planar portion and a pair of curved portions extending outwardly away from each side of the central planar portion.
[011] In another embodiment of the invention, each of the plurality of spaced-apart resilient support flanges extending from the central planar portion of the base plate.
[012] In another embodiment of the invention, each end of the base plate being configured to be attached to a peripheral portion of the inner panel.
[013] In another embodiment of the invention, each end of the base plate is spot welded to the peripheral portion of the inner panel.
[014] In another embodiment of the invention, a space formed between each of the plurality of resilient support flanges, the inner panel and the outer panel being configured to receive a filler material for reinforcing the space.
[015] In another embodiment of the invention, the reinforcement member is made of a sheet metal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[016] Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
Figure 1 illustrates an exploded view of a side door for a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the side door for the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 illustrates a side view of a reinforcement member, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 illustrates a front cross-sectional view of the reinforcement member, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 illustrates a perspective sectional view of the side door for the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 6 illustrates another perspective sectional view of the side door for the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[017] The present invention is directed towards a reinforcement member for an outer panel of a side door. The reinforcement member of the present invention can be adapted with variations in the design and configuration of the outer panel vis-à-vis an inner panel of the side door.
[018] Figures 1-2 show a side door 100 of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In a non-limiting example, the vehicle is a four wheeled vehicle. The side door 100 includes an inner panel 110, an outer panel 120 and at least one reinforcement member 130. The inner panel 110 is a stamped sheet metal panel. The inner panel 110 provides structural rigidity to the side door 100 and is disposed towards an interior of a vehicle. The inner panel 110 has a depressed portion 111 formed between two vertical edges 114 and 112.
[019] The outer panel 120 is made of a sheet metal. The outer panel 120 is attached to the inner panel 110 along peripheral portions of the inner panel 110. The outer panel 120 and the inner panel 110 are spaced apart from each other at portions extending between peripheral portions of the outer panel 120 and the inner panel 110. The outer panel 120 has an inner surface 121 and an outer surface 122. The outer surface 122 being an exterior surface of the vehicle. The inner surface 121 being a surface facing the inner panel 110.
[020] The reinforcement member 130 is disposed between the inner panel 110 and the outer panel 120 and the reinforcement member 130 extends between the peripheral portions of the inner panel 110. As shown in Figure 2, the reinforcement member 130 extends between the vertical edges 112 and 114 of the inner panel 110. In an embodiment of the invention, the reinforcement member 130 is made of sheet metal.
[021] Figure 3 illustrates a side view of the reinforcement member 130 and Figure 4 illustrates a front cross-sectional view of the reinforcement member 130, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in Figures 3-4, the reinforcement member 130 includes a base plate 132 and a plurality of spaced-apart resilient support flanges 134.
[022] Referring to Figure 4, the base plate 132 is formed of a structure having a central planar portion 132a and a pair of curved portions 132b extending outwardly away from each side of the central planar portion 132a.
[023] In an embodiment, the base plate 132 has two ends (E1, E2). The ends (E1, E2) are configured to be attached to peripheral portions of the inner panel 110. In a non-limiting example, each of the ends (E1, E2) are spot welded to one of the peripheral portions of the inner panel 110.
[024] In an embodiment, the plurality of the resilient support flanges 134 are formed sequentially along a length (L) of the reinforcement member 130. The reinforcement member 130 is disposed adjacent to the outer panel 120 in the side door 100 and the plurality of spaced-apart resilient support flanges 134 are configured to support the outer panel 120.
[025] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of spaced-apart resilient support flanges 134 (shown in Figure 3) extends from the central planar portion 132a of the base plate 132.
[026] As shown in Figures 5-6, the plurality of spaced-apart resilient support flanges 134 extend away from the base plate 132. Each of the resilient support flanges 134 has at least a portion which is configured to be parallel to the inner surface 121 of the outer panel 120. The portion of the resilient support flanges 134 which is parallel to the inner surface 121, are attached to the inner surface 121 of the outer panel 120 to provide the structural support for the outer panel 120. The space between the portion of the plurality of resilient support flanges 134 which is parallel to the inner surface 121 of the outer panel 120 and the base plate 132 can be varied according to the distance between the outer panel 120 and the reinforcement member 130. In an embodiment of the invention, the plurality of resilient support flanges 134 is formed from a strip of metal cut out from the base plate 132.
[027] In an embodiment of the present invention, each resilient support flange 134 comprises of a first portion 134a and a second portion 134b. The first portion 134a extends inclinedly from the base plate 132 and the second portion 134b is configured to be bent parallel with the inner surface 121 of the outer panel 120 depending upon the space between the base plate 132 and the outer panel 120.
[028] When variations are made to the design of the outer panel 120, the space between the outer panel 120 and the reinforcement member 130 varies at different portions of the side door 100. With the reinforcement member 130 of the present invention, the variations in space between the outer panel 120 and the reinforcement member 130 can be accommodated by varying the length of the portion of the plurality of resilient support flanges 134 which are configured to bend parallelly to the inner surface 121 of the outer panel 120. Thereby, the present invention eliminates the need for designing and manufacturing a multiple reinforcement member for each alteration of the design features of an outer panel of a side door.
[029] In an embodiment of the invention, a space formed between each of the plurality of resilient support flanges 134, the inner panel 110 and the outer panel 120 is configured to receive a filler material for reinforcing the space. The filler material provides an additional reinforcement for the side door 100. In a non-limiting example, the filler material being a mastic sealant. The mastic sealant is made from polymers such as silicone, polyurethane, or acrylic, which gives it flexibility and durability. Mastic sealants are applied in a paste-like form and harden or cure over time to provide the additional reinforcement for the outer panel 120.
[030] In an embodiment of the invention, the reinforcement member 130 can be fabricated through a two-step rolling process. In the first rolling step, a sheet metal blank for the reinforcement member is fed between a pair of rollers to form a cross-sectional profile of the reinforcement member 130 having the central planar portion 132a and the pair of curved portions 132b. Further, in the first rolling process strips of metals are cut out from the base plate 132 for forming the plurality of resilient support flanges 134. The plurality of resilient support flanges 134 are bent in a second rolling process with a pair of rollers having projections and depressions corresponding to the required bent portion i.e. the second portion 134b of the resilient support flanges 134.
[031] Advantageously, the present invention enables a reinforcement member for an outer panel of a side door to be adapted to variations in design and configuration of the outer panel. Thus, the present invention obviates the requirement of designing and manufacturing of new reinforcement members for each variation in the design and configuration of the outer panel of the side door. Therefore, the present invention saves the time, effort and cost involved in designing new reinforcement members for various designs of the side door.
[032] While the present invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
, Claims:We claim:
1. A side door (100) for a vehicle, the side door (100) comprising:
an inner panel (110);
an outer panel (120), the outer panel (120) being spaced apart from the inner panel (110) and configured to be attached to the inner panel (110); and
at least one reinforcement member (130) being configured to be attached to the inner panel (110), the at least one reinforcement member (130) comprises a base plate (132) and a plurality of spaced-apart resilient support flanges (134), each of the plurality of resilient support flanges (134) extending away from the base plate (132) and at-least a portion of each resilient support flanges (134) configured to be parallel with an inner surface (121) of the outer panel (120) and attached with the inner surface (121) of the outer panel (120) and provide a structural support to the outer panel (120).

2. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of the resilient support flanges (134) being formed sequentially along a length (L) of the reinforcement member (130).

3. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each resilient support flanges (134) comprises of a first portion (134a) and a second portion (134b), the first portion (134a) extending inclinedly from the base plate (132) and the second portion (134b) being bent parallel to the inner surface (121) of the outer panel (120) depending upon the space between the base plate (132) and the outer panel (120).

4. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base plate (132) is formed of a structure having a central planar portion (132a) and a pair of curved portions (132b) extending outwardly away from each side of the central planar portion (132a).

5. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of spaced-apart resilient support flanges (134) extending from the central planar portion (132a) of the base plate (132).

6. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each end (E1, E2) of the base plate (132) being configured to be attached to a peripheral portion of the inner panel (110).

7. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the each end (E1, E2) of the base plate (132) being spot welded to the peripheral portion of the inner panel (110).

8. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a space formed between each of the plurality of resilient support flanges (134), the inner panel (110) and the outer panel (120) being configured to receive a filler material for reinforcing the space.

9. The side door (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement member (130) is made of a sheet metal.

Dated this 21st day of March 2024
MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA LIMITED
By their Agent & Attorney

(Janaksinh Jhala)
of Khaitan & Co
Reg No IN/PA-2193