A weather strip having a high sealing capability and an aesthetic appearance when attached to a vehicle body. The weather strip includes an extruded portion and a molded portion connected to the extruded portion and having a trim and a hollow seal.

The trim includes a first wall from which the hollow seal extends. The first wall has a slot provided with a rounded corner. A second wall extends from the first wall in a direction opposite the hollow seal. A third wall extends from the second wall in a manner opposing the first wall. The third wall includes a cutaway portion defined at a position facing the slot of the first wall. The cutaway portion includes a rounded corner. A core used to mold the hollow seal of the molded portion is removed from the molded portion through the slot and the cutaway portion.

A weather strip used for a vehicle includes a generally U-shaped trim and a hollow seal, which extends from a side wall or a bridging wall of the trim. Such a weather strip is required to seal gaps between the vehicle body and the door when the door is closed. In other words, such a weather strip must be airtight and waterproof when the door is closed.

To form the weather strip, extrusion molding is performed to manufacture an elongated, extruded portion. The elongated portion is then bent in a looped manner so that a predetermined sealing is obtained around an entire opening. Alternatively, a plurality of extruded portions are connected to each other and bent in a looped manner. The two ends of the single extruded portion or the two ends of the connected extruded portions are then arranged in a mold. Injection molding is then performed to form a molded portion that joins the two ends. This completes the formation of the weather strip.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a weather strip having a high sealing capability and an aesthetic appearance when attached to a vehicle.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a weather strip including an extruded portion and a molded portion connected to the extruded portion. The extruded portion and the molded portion each have a trim and a hollow seal. The weather strip includes a first wall provided on the trim of the molded portion and having a slot. The hollow seal of the molded portion extends from the first wall. The slot is positioned to permit the removal, through said slot, of a core used to mold the hollow seal.

A further perspective of the present invention is a weather strip including an extruded portion and a molded portion connected to the extruded portion. The extruded portion and the molded portion each have a trim and a hollow seal. The trim of the molded portion includes a first wall from which the hollow seal extends. The first wall has a slot provided with a rounded corner. A second wall extends from the first wall in a direction opposite from the direction from which the hollow seal extends from the first wall. A third wall extends from the second wall in a manner opposing the first wall. The third wall includes a cutaway portion defined at a position facing the slot of the first wall. The cutaway portion includes a rounded corner. The slot and the cutaway portion are positioned to permit the removal, through the slot and the cutaway portion, of a core used to mold the hollow seal of the molded portion.

A further perspective of the present invention is a method for molding a weather strip that includes an extruded portion and a molded portion connected to the extruded portion. The extruded portion and the molded portion each have a trim and a hollow seal. The method includes connecting a core to the extruded portion to mold the hollow seal, setting the core in a mold, charging a material in the mold to mold the molded portion that includes the trim and the hollow seal, which is molded about the core, taking out the molded portion from the mold, and removing the core from the molded portion through a slot that is defined in the trim.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.

Instead of connecting a molded portion to the ends of a weather strip, the present invention may be applied to a weather strip having ends that are fitted into the gap between the body panel 33 and a vehicle interior member, such as the scuff plate or a garnish.

In the second embodiment, the present invention is applied to a weather strip that is attached to the periphery of the door opening at a position above the belt line. However, the present invention may also be applied to a weather strip that is attached at a position below the belt line, such as a weather strip for a hard top vehicle.