Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Let-down type top
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-22
2001-10-23
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Let-down type top
C296S107090, C296S107110, C296S107130, C296S116000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305734
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates quite generally to a folding sliding roof arrangement for a motor vehicle, and relates in particular to a folding sliding roof arrangement.
Conventional folding sliding roofs are known in the case of vehicles from various manufacturers. These are generally motor vehicles having a closed construction, i.e. having a roof. The folding sliding roofs used there are used as a replacement for or enlargement of a conventional sliding roof.
Folding sliding roofs have hitherto not been known in the sphere of open vehicles, i.e. convertibles and roadsters.
DE 197 34 671 discloses a folding roof arrangement which has a folding covering whose front end is fastened to a roof cap/a front crossmember. Before the closed folding roof is opened, this roof cap can be detached from a windshield frame and shifted slightly rearward by means of a spring element. The purpose of this arrangement is to take the tension out of the folding covering in order to relieve the load on the folding-top kinematic arrangement during the subsequent complete opening of the folding roof.
A specific, partial opening of a folding roof, which is used as a folding top in a convertible or roadster, has not been disclosed in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a folding roof arrangement for a convertible-type of motor vehicle, which arrangement, in addition to the known functioning of closing and completely opening the folding top, also enables partial opening of the folding roof.
In this connection, one aim of the present invention is to provide a folding roof arrangement of this type whose design is as simple as possible and which can therefore be produced cost-effectively.
Accordingly, the folding roof arrangement according to the present invention for a convertible type of motor vehicle has a folding covering, whose front end section is fastened to a front crossmember, and a number of lateral roof links which form part of a folding-top kinematic arrangement, it being possible for the front crossmember to be shifted or displaced in an infinitely variable manner relative to the lateral roof links between a closed position and a half open position, and these lateral roof links remaining in the closed position of the folding roof arrangement.
It is thereby possible to shift the folding top of the open vehicle from a closed position into a partially open position and at maximum into the half-open position. Infinitely variable shifting of the folding covering between the closed position and the half open position is possible, with the result that the functionality of a sliding roof is realized for the first time in the case of a convertible or roadster.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The abovementioned object, the aim, the features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood with consideration of the following, detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and with reference to the associated drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5207474 (1993-05-01), Licher et al.
patent: 19531074 (1996-09-01), None
patent: 19731330 (1999-02-01), None
Kopp Georg
Pecho Walter
Bonnekamp & Sparing
Davidson Davidson & Kappel LLC
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran B.
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