Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-06
2001-09-25
Pedder, Dennis H. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Roof structure
C049S490100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293619
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sliding roof capable of closing and opening an opening window formed in a roof body of an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
A model that has a sun roof in which an opening window is formed in a roof body and the opening window is opened and closed by a sliding roof is lined up in automobiles. As shown in
FIG. 4
, a weather strip
5
is mounted around an entire circumference of a panel
4
, and a sealing property between the opening window of the sun roof and the panel
4
is kept by the weather strip
5
.
The weather strip
5
is shaped into a loop, and is fitted to embrace a frame
1
having a raised portion
2
at its peripheral edge and the panel (glass)
4
mounted and attached onto the frame
1
by an adhesion, as shown in FIG.
5
.
In the weather strip
5
, a tongue portion
5
a
projecting from the inner circumferential edge is inserted between the panel
4
and the frame
1
for preventing from being pulled apart.
In order to assemble the sliding roof having such a structure in which the tongue portion projecting from the inner circumferential edge of the weather strip is inserted between the panel and the frame, there are two methods, i. e., to mount on the frame the panel having the outer peripheral edge at which the weather strip is fitted in advance, and to mount the panel on the frame at which the weather strip is fitted in advance while winding up a lip portion
5
b
clamping the panel
4
in cooperation with the tongue portion
5
a
, for example, by utilizing a string that has been set in advance in a panel fitting portion.
The former method of these two assembling methods is superior in workability to the latter method. However, in order to enhance the reliability of the sliding roof, in view of the fact that the panel is expanded or shrunken due to a temperature difference, if a room is formed between the panel fitting portion of the frame and the edge portion of the panel, it is impossible to utilize the former method. Nevertheless, the latter method is too complicated in assembling work.
Accordingly, it is possible to take an approach to first mount the frame onto the panel and then mount the weather strip onto the frame to which the panel has been attached. In this case, it is impossible to clamp the tongue portion between the panel and the frame. Accordingly, the weather strip in which the tongue portion is dispensed with has to be used.
In this case, the weather strip is likely to be removed easily. Accordingly, as shown in
FIG. 6
, a tip end portion of a raised portion
12
of a frame
11
is bent horizontally to provide a retainer portion
7
to thereby prevent a weather strip
15
from being pulled apart even if the weather strip
15
is pulled upwardly.
However, in order to bend and form the tip end portion of the raised portion horizontally, it is difficult to perform the machining work unless a width of the horizontal portion to be bent is enlarged to some extent. As a result, the width of the weather strip
15
has to be enlarged so that an area of a sliding roof
16
is unduly increased. If the sliding roof
16
has a transparent panel, an effective area for the light is reduced.
Also, if the width of the weather strip
15
is enlarged, it is difficult to bend the weather strip
15
, which has been extruded, in its corner portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided a sliding roof capable of opening/closing an opening window formed in a roof body, comprising: a frame having a raised portion around the outer circumference thereof; a panel attached to the frame; and a weather strip fitted between the raised portion and the panel, the raised portion being provided with a projection with an edge directed to a proximal end side of the raised portion for preventing the weather strip from being pulled apart.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4263750 (1981-04-01), Hein
patent: 4765677 (1988-08-01), Nagata
patent: 5538317 (1996-07-01), Brocke et al.
patent: 5669657 (1997-09-01), Miyazawa
patent: 5702779 (1997-12-01), Siebelink, Jr. et al.
patent: 509862 (1992-10-01), None
patent: 62-199525 (1987-09-01), None
patent: 04-090423 (1992-08-01), None
patent: 06-297961 (1994-10-01), None
Iimori Yasushi
Kose Akira
Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
Pedder Dennis H.
Woodcock Washburn Kurtz Mackiewicz & Norris LLP
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