Movable or removable closures – Mounted for multidirectional or oblique movement – Initial or terminal movement transverse to sliding movement...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-26
2001-09-11
Strimbu, Gregory J. (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Mounted for multidirectional or oblique movement
Initial or terminal movement transverse to sliding movement...
C049S213000, C049S218000, C049S223000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286260
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to club-cab pick up trucks, and more particularly, to a sliding door for access to the rear portion of the club-cab.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is well known in the automotive industry to have a pick up truck with an extended cab, or what is sometimes called a club-cab. Club-cab pick up trucks provide additional space behind the front seats for additional seating and/or storage. Club-cab pick up trucks provide an alternative design to conventional pick up trucks which have limited inside cargo carrying capability as well as limited passenger carrying capability. With its increased passenger carrying and cargo carrying capability, club-cab pick ups have become extremely popular in recent years. Along with the increased popularity of club-cab pick up trucks has come an increased demand for improved accessibility to the rear portion of the passenger compartment of the club-cab pick up.
Accordingly, previous designs have provided extended cab pick up trucks with an additional cargo door pivotally mounted to the door frame by a hinge. However, these types of hinges typically do not allow the rear cargo door to swing fully clear of the door opening, and therefore, partially obstruct the access to the rear cargo/passenger portion of the passenger compartment. Furthermore, some hinge designs include the hinges being exposed on the exterior of the vehicle. However, the exposed hinges greatly detract from the appearance of the vehicle.
One alternative to providing a hinged rear door is providing a sliding rear door as typically utilized in van vehicles. Typically, the sliding door utilized in a van vehicle requires a longitudinal slot for receiving a middle guide arm on the door to extend along the side of the vehicle. Additionally, pick-up trucks are almost always provided with a small gap between the bed of the pick-up truck and the cab for structural reasons. Thus, the well known sliding door designs as typically utilized in van vehicles does not lend itself to use with a club-cab pick-up truck. However, the sliding door concept provides a good alternative to the hinge door designs, since the sliding door concept would allow the rear door to be moved fully clear of the door opening to allow maximum access to the rear passenger/cargo area of the club-cab passenger compartment.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a rear sliding door assembly for a motor vehicle having a cab with front doors and at least one rear sliding door, the sliding door assembly comprising a rear sliding door and a track structure for supporting the sliding door for sliding movement between a closed position and an open position, the track structure being mounted so that it is concealed from view when the sliding door is in the closed position. Specifically, an upper track and a pair of lower tracks are provided along with an upper guide arm which engages the upper track and a pair of lower guide arms which engage the pair of lower tracks for supporting the rear sliding door. The upper track is at least partially concealed by a vehicle ceiling trim member, while the lower tracks are disposed beneath the floor panel and door sill. The upper guide arm includes a roller disposed on an end thereof for engagement with the upper track. A pivot bracket is disposed on an end of the lower guide arms. The pivot bracket supports a first support roller for generally vertically supporting the lower guide arms along a roller support surface. The pivot bracket further supports a pair of guide rollers for engagement with a respective one of the pair of lower tracks. The pair of lower tracks include a front lower track and a rear lower track. A rear edge of the rear lower track is disposed forward of the rear edge of the door opening.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
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“_Doors to the Future”,Detroit News.
Calcaterra Mark P.
Chrysler Corporation
Strimbu Gregory J.
LandOfFree
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