[0001] The present subject matter described herein, relates to a reinforcement. More particularly, to a reinforcement in a quarter panel inner upper of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Generally, brackets are used for reinforcement purposes in vehicle's body panel. Referring to the figure 1(a), there is provided a quarter panel inner upper 100 comprising a first reinforcement bracket 102, a second reinforcement bracket 104 and a third reinforcement bracket 106. The first reinforcement bracket 102 provides reinforcement for anchorage of a seat belt. The second reinforcement bracket 104 and the third reinforcement bracket 106 act as structures for improving dent performance at the quarter panel inner upper 100 of the vehicle. As shown in the figure 1(b), a weld nut 108 for seat belt anchorage is welded to the first reinforcement bracket 102 and then first reinforcement bracket 102 is welded to the quarter panel inner upper 100 and rests in between the quarter panel inner upper 100 and a side body outer 200. As shown in the figure 1(c), the second reinforcement bracket 104 is welded on the quarter panel inner upper 100 and extends towards the side body outer 200 where sealant is applied to join them.
[0004] Technical Problem: The usage of multiple reinforcement brackets (102, 104 and 106) at the quarter panel inner upper 100 calls for more manufacturing cost, more weight of the vehicle, more spot welds and occupation of more space.

[0005] The solutions provided in the prior art (KR101458704 & EP2817178) are using different reinforcement structures for anchorage for the seat belt and improving dent performance of the vehicle.
[0006] Existing solutions or structures provide information on currently available solutions for reinforcement at seat belt area of a quarter panel inner upper and improving dent performance at the quarter panel inner upper, but each has its own drawbacks and limitations. For example, there may be situations where the manufacturer wants to reduce complexity in the parts, reduce manufacturing cost & meet space constraints. These known systems do not provide solution to both reinforcing the seat belt area of the quarter panel inner upper and improving dent performance at the quarter panel inner upper using a single reinforcement structure.
[0007] Therefore, a simple and in-expensive solution is required for reinforcing the seat belt area of the quarter panel inner upper and improving the dent performance at the quarter panel inner upper.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0008] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed herein below.
[0009] The principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple reinforcement at the quarter panel inner upper.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a single reinforcement for reinforcing the seat belt area of the quarter panel inner upper and improving the dent performance at the quarter panel inner upper.
[0011] One more object of the present invention is to manufacture the reinforcement at the quarter panel inner upper at less cost.
[0012] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a reinforcement at the quarter panel inner upper which occupies less space.

[0013] Yet one more object of the present invention is to provide a reinforcement at the quarter panel inner upper with less weight.
[0014] These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent when reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY
[0015] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a reinforcement in quarter panel inner upper of a vehicle. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0016] In an embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a reinforcement in quarter panel of a vehicle comprising a bottom portion seamlessly joined to a top portion by means of a vertical element. The bottom portion with an integrally weld nut is welded to a quarter panel inner upper and the top portion is adapted to rest against a side body outer of the quarter panel. The bottom portion is provided with four recess portions on its four corners defining four bulged portions in between therein. A recess portion is formed in between the four bulged portions defining the integrally weld nut at the center of the bottom portion. The top portion has a flat surface provided with slots extending to the bottom portion through the vertical element. The vertical element is provided with filleted portions to enable to join to the bottom portion and the top portion.
[0017] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like

numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and methods that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein:
[0019] Figure 1(a) illustrates a perspective view of a quarter panel inner upper of a vehicle according to the prior art;
[0020] Figure 1(b) illustrates a cross-sectional view of a quarter panel inner upper along line A-A of figure 1(a);
[0021] Figure 1(c) illustrates a cross-sectional view of a quarter panel inner upper along the line B-B of figure 1(a);
[0022] Figure 2(a) illustrates a perspective view of a quarter panel inner upper of a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] Figure 2(b) illustrates a cross-sectional view of a quarter panel inner upper along the line C-C of figure 2(a);
[0024] Figure 2(c) illustrates a perspective view of a reinforcement of figure 2(a); and
[0025] Figure 2(d) illustrates a side view of a reinforcement of figure 2(c).
[0026] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided

herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
5 [0028] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised
that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
10 [0029] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular
embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or
15 “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[0030] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the
20 functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example,
two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0031] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", and the like in the
25 present invention are used for the purpose of description only, and are not to be
construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defining "first" and "second" may include at least one of the features, either explicitly or implicitly.
6

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific
terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further
understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should
5 be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the
context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0033] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be
described in greater detail with reference to the following figures. It should be
10 noted that the description merely illustrates the principles of the present subject
matter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its scope.
[0034] As shown in figures 2(a) and 2(b), there is provided a quarter panel
15 inner upper 400 of a vehicle comprising a reinforcement 402. The reinforcement
402, at its bottom portion 402(a) with an integrally weld nut 408 is welded to the
quarter panel inner upper 400 and at its top portion 402(b) is adapted to rest
against a side body outer 600 with sealant in between them as shown in the figure
2(b). The reinforcement 402 serves both the purposes of reinforcing its bolted area
20 for anchorage of a seat belt and supporting the side body outer 600 against any
dents. The bottom portion 402(a) and the top portion 402(b) of the reinforcement 402 are seamlessly joined together by means of a vertical element 402(c) having filleted portions (402(c1) and 402(c2)) therein.
[0035] Referring to figures 2(c) and 2(d), the reinforcement 402 is
25 manufactured through stamping process. The bottom portion 402(a) of the
reinforcement 402 is provided with four recess portions (402(a1), 402(a2), 402(a3) and 402(a4)) on its four corners defining four bulged portions (402(a5), 402(a6), 402(a7) and 402(a8)) in between therein. A recess portion 402(a9) is formed in between the four bulged portions (402(a5), 402(a6), 402(a7) and
7

402(a8)) defining the integrally weld nut 408 at the center of the bottom portion
402(a) for bolting purposes of seat belt anchorage. The recess portions (402(a1),
402(a2), 402(a3), 402(a4) and 402(a9)) improves stress transient response of the
quarter panel inner upper 400. The top portion 402(b) of the reinforcement 402
5 has a flat surface provided with slots (406(a) and 406(b)) extending to the bottom
portion 402(a) through the vertical element 402(c). The slots (406(a) and 406(b))
of the reinforcement 402 improves stress transient response. The top portion
402(b) has multiple areas (402(b1), 402(b2) and 402(b3)) which are joined to the
side body outer 600 through sealant. The bottom portion 402(a) of the
10 reinforcement 402 is spot welded to the quarter panel inner upper 400 at its four
recess portions (402(a1), 402(a2), 402(a3) and 402(a4)).
[0036] In an aspect, the vertical element 402(c) of the reinforcement 402 is
provided at an angle greater than 90 degrees with respect to the bottom portion 402(a).
15 [0037] In an aspect, the bottom portion 402(a) of the reinforcement 402 is
larger than the top portion 402(b).
[0038] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used
herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should
20 be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be
interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such
25 recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the
following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such
8

introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even
when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least
one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should
typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds
5 true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition,
even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or
10 two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention
analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B
15 together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.).
In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone,
20 B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,
B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or
25 both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the
possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
[0039] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention,
other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing
from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the
30 claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments,
9

versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

We claim:

A reinforcement (402) in quarter panel of a vehicle, comprising:
a bottom portion (402(a)) with an integrally weld nut (408) seamlessly joined to a top portion (402(b)) by means of a vertical element (402(c)), said bottom portion (402(a)) welded to a quarter panel inner upper (400) of said quarter panel in such a way that said top portion (402(b)) rests against a side body outer (600) of said quarter panel.
2) The reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom portion (402(a)) is provided with four recess portions (402(al), 402(a2), 402(a3) and 402(a4)) on its four corners defining four bulged portions (402(a5), 402(a6), 402(a7) and 402(a8)) in between therein.
3) The reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 2, wherein a recess portion (402(a9)) is formed in between said four bulged portions (402(a5), 402(a6), 402(a7) and 402(a8)) defining said integrally weld nut (408) therein at the center of said bottom portion (402(a)).
4) The reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vertical element (402(c)) is provided with filleted portions (402(d) and 402(c2)) to enable to join to said bottom portion (402(a)) and said top portion (402(b)).
5) The reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said top portion (402(b)) has a flat surface provided with slots (406(a) and 406(b)) extending to said bottom portion (402(a)) through said vertical element (402(c)).
6) The reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vertical element (402(c)) is provided at an angle greater than 90 degrees with respect to said bottom portion (402(a)).
7) The reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom portion (402(a)) is larger than said top portion (402(b)).

The reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said top portion (402(b)) has multiple areas (402(bl), 402(b2) and 402(b3)) which are joined to said side body outer (600) through sealant.
The reinforcement (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom portion (402(a)) is spot welded to said quarter panel inner upper (400) at its four recess portions (402(al), 402(a2), 402(a3) and 402(a4)).