IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,441,410
Granted Patent B2
US 12,441,410 · App. 18/068,180 · Granted Oct 14, 2025

Vehicle floor joints

Inventors: Carlington George Demetrius (Dublin, OH); Yoshiaki Ikeda (Takanezawa-machi, JP); Yuze Li (Tochigi, JP); Hiroaki Taniguchi (Royal Oak, MI); Yuichiro Umeda (Novi, MI)
Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
B62D25/20B60R13/02
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,441,410
App. No.
18/068,180
Granted
Oct 14, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle floor system includes a floor garnish disposed in a cabin of a vehicle, wherein the floor garnish comprises a first peripheral edge, and a center floor disposed in the cabin area of the vehicle, the center floor comprising a second peripheral edge, wherein the second peripheral edge is on the first peripheral edge, and the first peripheral edge and the second peripheral edge form a joint between the floor garnish and the center floor.

Claims (48)

1. A vehicle floor system comprising:

a floor garnish disposed in a cabin of a vehicle, wherein the floor garnish comprises a first peripheral edge; and

a center floor disposed in the cabin of the vehicle, the center floor comprising a second peripheral edge disposed at a front or rear of the center floor,

wherein the second peripheral edge is on the first peripheral edge, and the first peripheral edge and the second peripheral edge form a joint between the floor garnish and the center floor; and

wherein the second peripheral edge comprises:

an interface surface directly contacting the first peripheral edge of the floor garnish;

a peripheral edge projection having a horizontal top projection surface and a vertical edge projection portion, the vertical edge projection portion extending upward from the interface surface; and

an angled edge portion extending downward from a horizontal top surface of the center floor to the peripheral edge projection.

2. The vehicle floor system of claim 1 , wherein the floor garnish comprises:

an upper surface; and

an intermediate surface extending downward from the upper surface to the first peripheral edge.

3. The vehicle floor system of claim 1 , wherein the second peripheral edge of the center floor comprises a radius connecting the angled edge portion to the horizontal top surface of the center floor.

4. The vehicle floor system of claim 1 , wherein the center floor comprises:

a horizontal lower surface; and

an undercut portion between the horizontal lower surface and the second peripheral edge.

5. The vehicle floor system of claim 1 , wherein the first peripheral edge of the floor garnish extends in a generally horizontal direction.

6. The vehicle floor system of claim 1 , wherein the floor garnish is a plastic material.

7. The vehicle floor system of claim 1 , wherein the center floor is one of a wood material, a laminate material, and a composite material.

8. A vehicle floor system comprising:

a center floor in a cabin area of a vehicle, the center floor comprising a first peripheral edge portion and a second peripheral edge portion;

a front floor garnish disposed in the cabin of the vehicle, wherein the front floor garnish comprises a first peripheral edge; and

a rear floor garnish disposed in the cabin of the vehicle, wherein the rear floor garnish comprises a second peripheral edge,

wherein the center floor is between the front floor garnish and the rear floor garnish, and the first peripheral edge portion is on the first peripheral edge and the second peripheral edge portion is on the second peripheral edge; and

wherein the center floor comprises:

a horizontal lower surface;

a first undercut portion between the horizontal lower surface and the first peripheral edge portion; and

a second undercut portion between the horizontal lower surface and the second peripheral edge portion.

9. The vehicle floor system of claim 8 , further comprising:

a rear-left garnish comprising a rear-left peripheral edge;

a rear-right garnish comprising a rear-right peripheral edge;

a front-left garnish comprising a front-left peripheral edge; and

a front-right garnish comprising a front-right peripheral edge,

wherein the center floor is between the rear-left garnish, the rear-right garnish, the front-left garnish, and the front-right garnish, and the first peripheral edge portion is on the front-left peripheral edge and the front-right peripheral edge, and the second peripheral edge portion is on the rear-left peripheral edge and the rear-right peripheral edge.

10. The vehicle floor system of claim 9 , further comprising:

a left garnish along a left side of the center floor and between the rear-left garnish and the front-left garnish; and

a right garnish along a right side of the center floor and between the rear-right garnish and the front-right garnish.

11. The vehicle floor system of claim 10 , wherein the left garnish and the right garnish cover a plurality of brackets connecting the center floor to the vehicle.

12. The vehicle floor system of claim 8 , wherein the first peripheral edge portion comprises:

an interface surface directly contacting the first peripheral edge of the front floor garnish;

a peripheral edge projection having a horizontal top projection surface and a vertical edge projection portion, the vertical edge projection portion extending upward from the interface surface; and

an angled edge portion extending downward from a horizontal top surface of the center floor to the peripheral edge projection.

13. The vehicle floor system of claim 8 , wherein the second peripheral edge portion comprises:

an interface surface directly contacting the second peripheral edge of the front floor garnish;

a peripheral edge projection having a horizontal top projection surface and a vertical edge projection portion, the vertical edge projection portion extending upward from the interface surface; and

an angled edge portion extending downward from a horizontal top surface of the center floor to the peripheral edge projection.

14. The vehicle floor system of claim 8 , wherein the first peripheral edge and the second peripheral edge extend in a generally horizontal direction.

15. The vehicle floor system of claim 8 , wherein the front floor garnish and the rear floor garnish are a plastic material.

16. The vehicle floor system of claim 8 , wherein the center floor is one of a wood material, a laminate material, and a composite material.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 19, 2022
From: DEMETRIUS, CARLINGTON GEORGE; IKEDA, YOSHIAKI; LI, YUZE; TANIGUCHI, HIROAKI; UMEDA, YUICHIRO
To: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 062146/0126 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240199136A1 · Jun 20, 2024
References Cited (55)
US 1953991A · Schjolin · 1934 [cited by applicant]
US 2191526A · Flogaus · 1940 [cited by applicant]
US 6451444B1 · Ollila et al. · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 6497937B1 · Lam et al. · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 6572054B1 · Smallhorn · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 7461888B2 · Brown · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 7674495B2 · Pardo et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 10259199B2 · Beuchel et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10480120B2 · Guyot et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 11090899B2 · Park et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11608119B2 · Kim · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20020168503A1 · Dong et al. · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 20060080941A1 · Ishii et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20110006562A1 · Campbell · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20120301727A1 · Kim et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20160207283A1 · Wang et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20180311931A1 · Wodzinski et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 1840838B · 2010 [cited by applicant]
CN 203511664U · 2014 [cited by applicant]
CN 205022586U · 2016 [cited by applicant]
CN 103523115B · 2016 [cited by applicant]
CN 207931818U · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 208069836U · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 208101817U · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 208914720U · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 209566987U · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 210555173U · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 210793367U · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 113040585A · 2021 [cited by applicant]
CN 214930127U · 2021 [cited by applicant]
CN 214985682U · 2021 [cited by applicant]
CN 216401563U · 2022 [cited by applicant]
DE 3417321 · 1985 [cited by applicant]
DE 202006009081U1 · 2006 [cited by applicant]
DE 202008016032U1 · 2010 [cited by applicant]
DE 102016101548B4 · 2022 [cited by examiner]
EP 0522240B1 · 1996 [cited by applicant]
EP 3006260A1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
EP 3210833A1 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
FR 2909351A1 · 2008 [cited by examiner]
GB 2200600A · 1988 [cited by applicant]
JP 2006103403A · 2006 [cited by applicant]
JP 3830684B2 · 2006 [cited by applicant]
JP 4679206B2 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
JP 5316604B2 · 2013 [cited by applicant]
JP 2016074368A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 2016089483A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 2021095737A · 2021 [cited by applicant]
KR 20100025723A · 2010 [cited by applicant]
De102016101548 text (Year: 2022). [cited by examiner]
FR2909351 text (year 2008). [cited by examiner]
First Office Action, Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-178754, Dec. 17, 2024, 10 pp. [cited by applicant]
Second Office Action, Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-178754, Mar. 25, 2025, 4 pp. [cited by applicant]
Non-Final Office mailed Mar. 3, 2025, U.S. Appl. No. 18/067,953, 12 pp. [cited by applicant]
Non-Final Office mailed Apr. 3, 2025, U.S. Appl. No. 18/067,953, 17 pp. [cited by applicant]