Windowpane retainer assembly

Details Windowpane retainer assembly Windowpane retainer assembly

1999-11-09

2001-10-16

Redman, Jerry (Department: 3634)

Movable or removable closures

With means mounting closure for reciprocation

Diverse or springy material guide or slide

C049S489100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06301834

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a glass windowpane retainer assembly for laterally retaining a side edge of an automotive windowpane within a glass run channel while allowing reciprocal windowpane movement within the channel and parallel to the side edge.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known for an automotive glass windowpane retainer to include glass run channels that mount in a vehicle doorframe and slidably receive the side edges of windowpanes. The channels guide reciprocal and generally vertical movement of the windowpanes driven by a cable, tape or lift arm-type regulator operatively connected to a lower edge of the windowpane. (A cable or tape type regulator is shown schematically at
8
in
FIG. 1
in the drawings and a lift arm-type regulator is shown schematically at
9
in
FIG. 1.
) It is desirable for windowpane retainers of this type to include some means for preventing a windowpane from moving laterally within the channels and possibly cocking in the doorframe such that an upper corner of the windowpane is pulled out of a channel. For this reason, prior art retainers have included features that attempt to minimize such movement.
For example, the windowpane retainer design
10
used in General Motors 1986 “A” body vehicles and 1988 “W” body vehicles (the GM A&W retainer design) and shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
in the drawings, includes a glass windowpane
11
and an elongated windowpane retainer
12
. The windowpane retainer
12
is fixed to the windowpane
11
along one side edge
14
of the windowpane in the 1986 “A” body design
16
and along two opposing side edges
14
,
18
of the windowpane
11
in the 1988 “W” body design
20
as shown in FIG.
1
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the windowpane retainer
12
includes a pair of elongated retainer detent surfaces
22
that extend from a base end
24
of the retainer
12
in opposite directions generally perpendicular to respective interior and exterior pane surfaces
26
,
28
of the windowpane
11
. The 1986 “A” body design
16
includes a pin guide or glass run channel
30
that includes an elongated interior metal substrate or guide channel portion
32
having a generally U-shaped cross-section. The 1988 “W” body design
20
includes two glass run channels
30
. The glass run channel
30
is shaped to fit within an elongated channel receptacle
34
in an automotive doorframe
36
. Two elongated recesses
36
are formed along opposing sidewalls
38
of the glass run channel
30
and are shaped and positioned to engage two opposing doorframe return flanges
40
or hems that extend into the recesses
36
from side walls
42
of the channel receptacle
34
. Engagement of the doorframe return flanges
40
in the glass run channel sidewall recesses
36
retains the glass run channel
30
within the channel receptacle
34
of the doorframe
36
. The glass run channel
30
slidably retains the windowpane retainer
12
to permit vertical reciprocal movement of the windowpane
11
. The glass run channel
30
includes integral elongated spring-back elements
44
that integrally extend from along a base wall
46
of the glass run channel
30
. The spring-back elements
44
engage a receptacle base wall
48
of the channel receptacle
34
and serve to bias the glass run channel
30
away from the receptacle base wall
48
. The glass run channel
30
also includes elongated seal flaps
50
that extend integrally inward toward each other from the channel sidewalls
38
and press against and sealingly engage the respective inner and outer windowpane surfaces
26
,
28
. The glass run channel
30
also includes a pair of elongated channel flanges
52
that extend diagonally inward toward the base wall
46
of the glass run channel
30
from opposite walls of the metal substrate
32
that lines the base wall
46
and side walls
38
of the channel
30
. The channel flanges
52
extend diagonally inward so that, upon insertion of the retainer
12
during assembly, the flanges
52
will bend away from each other when engaged by the base
24
of the retainer
12
. The channel flanges
52
then snap into engagement with the respective retainer detent surfaces
22
to resist lateral extraction of the windowpane retainer
12
. However, a glass windowpane retainer assembly constructed according to the GM A&W retainer design cannot laterally retain a side edge
14
of an automotive windowpane
11
without gluing the retainer
12
to the side edge
14
.
In addition, windowpane retainer designs such as that shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4
in the drawings are known to have been used by a number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) including General Motors. This type of retainer design
54
includes an elongated cam or pin guide
56
supported on a doorframe
58
and a slider
60
slidably supported in the cam guide
56
for reciprocal motion parallel to the cam guide
56
. This retainer assembly
54
also includes a beauty button
62
connected to the slider
60
by a pin
64
that extends through a hole
66
formed in a glass windowpane
68
. The beauty button
62
, pin
64
, slider
60
and cam guide
56
support the windowpane
68
against lateral motion while allowing reciprocal motion parallel to the cam guide
56
. However, while this type of retainer provides rigid retention against lateral windowpane movement, it is difficult to conceal the beauty button, pin and slider without adding a wide “black out area”
70
as shown in FIG.
3
.
What is needed is a glass windowpane retainer assembly that laterally retains a side edge of an automotive windowpane without adhering any structures to the glass, penetrating or marking the glass or adding a “black out area” to conceal aesthetically disruptive retainer structures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A glass windowpane retainer assembly is provided for laterally retaining a side edge of an automotive windowpane within a glass run channel while allowing reciprocal windowpane movement within the channel and parallel to the side edge. The assembly includes a windowpane and an elongated windowpane retainer fixed to the windowpane along a side edge of the windowpane. The glass windowpane retainer assembly also includes a glass run channel configured to slidably retain and guide reciprocal motion of the windowpane retainer, the glass run channel being configured to engage and be retained by an elongated channel receptacle in an automotive doorframe.
Unlike the prior art, the glass windowpane retainer assembly also includes a pair of retainer ramp surfaces configured to engage corresponding channel ramp surfaces of the glass run channel such that increasing lateral pane extraction forces are countered by proportionately increasing lateral pane retention forces.
This reduces or eliminates windowpane slop and prevents the windowpane from cocking within the doorframe channel receptacle. Therefore, a glass windowpane retainer assembly constructed according to the invention is able to laterally retain a side edge of an automotive windowpane without adhering any structures to the glass or employing glass-penetrating implements that require additional concealment measures.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4530186 (1985-07-01), Guillon
patent: 4553354 (1985-11-01), Barbero
patent: 4969293 (1990-11-01), Guillon
patent: 5010689 (1991-04-01), Vaughan
patent: 403854 (1990-12-01), None

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