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US 11,904,670 B2Granted
Sliding soft-top convertible roof
AssigneeMyTop IP, LLC
InventorsChristoph Koslowski, Joachim Maass
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sliding soft-top convertible roof is provided. In another aspect, a convertible roof apparatus including rollers which sandwich a fore-and-aft elongated guide rail therebetween. A further aspect includes roof bow mounted brackets extending between an elongated and stationary guide rail and channels within which move cables for raising and lowering a roof cover, with the brackets being moveably coupled to the guide rail. Still another aspect includes a sport utility vehicle having a passenger compartment and a rear cargo compartment, where a sliding soft-top convertible roof is retractable to a position rear of the passenger compartment, lower than a nominal closed roof surface and above only a forward portion of the cargo compartment.
Claims26
An automotive vehicle, convertible roof apparatus comprising:
- (a) a flexible convertible roof cover moveable from a closed position to an open position;
- (b) stationary and side vehicular-mounted guide rails each being elongated in substantially fore-and-aft directions, and the guide rails extending along a substantially horizontal, passenger compartment upper surface and along a substantially vertical, passenger compartment rear surface;
- (c) cross-vehicular elongated, roof bows spanning between the guide rails and supporting the roof cover;
- (d) couplings connecting at least one of the roof bows to the guide rails;
- (e) a first elongated actuator movable relative to and positioned adjacent to a first of the guide rails;
- (f) multiple rollers connecting a first of the couplings to the first of the guide rails, at least an upper one of the rollers being located above at least a lower one of the rollers with a segment of the guide rails therebetween when the roof cover is in the closed position;
- and
- (g) the actuator being configured to slide the roof cover and the roof bows rearwardly along the upper and rear surfaces when moved from the closed position to the open position.
5 more elements
An automotive vehicle, convertible roof apparatus comprising:
- (a) a convertible roof cover moveable from a closed position to an open position;
- (b) left and right side vehicular-mounted guide rails each being stationary and elongated in substantially fore-and-aft directions;
- (c) cross-vehicular elongated, roof bows spanning between the guide rails and supporting the roof cover;
- (d) couplings connecting at least one of the roof bows to the guide rails;
- (e) at least one elongated cable causing the roof cover and the roof bows to slide from a closed position to an open position;
- (f) a vehicular passenger compartment including a front seating area and a rear seating area;
- (g) a vehicular cargo bed located behind the passenger compartment;
- (h) left and right side roll bars each including a substantially horizontal section above the passenger compartment and a rear section downwardly extending from the horizontal section of the roll bars to the cargo bed;
- and
- (i) forward portions of the guide rails being located above and adjacent to the horizontal sections of the roll bars, and rear portions of the guide rails being located rearward and adjacent to the rear sections of the roll bars.
7 more elements
An automotive vehicle, convertible roof apparatus comprising:
- (a) a flexible convertible roof cover moveable from a closed position to an open position;
- (b) stationary vehicular-mounted guide rails each being elongated in substantially fore-and-aft directions from a substantially horizontal front portion to a substantially vertical rear portion, the rear portion of each of the guide rails being offset angled 90-110° from the front portion of each of the guide rails;
- (c) roof bows supporting the roof cover;
- (d) a rear window attached to and moveable with the roof cover;
- (e) couplings connected to and movable along the guide rails;
- (f) brackets connecting the couplings to the roof bows;
- (g) at least one elongated and flexible cable connected to at least one of the brackets;
- (h) an electric motor located below an occupant seating area within a passenger compartment area;
- (i) energization of the electric motor being configured to cause the at least one of the cables to move the at least one of the brackets relative to the guide rails so as to slide the roof cover and the roof bows rearwardly along the front and rear portions of the guide rails when moved from the closed position to the open position;
- and
- (j) an entirety of the roof cover being stowed rearward of a vertical plane through a back of the occupant seating area and lower than the front portions of the guide rails.
8 more elements
An automotive vehicle, convertible roof apparatus comprising:
- (a) a flexible convertible roof cover moveable from a closed position to an open position;
- (b) a stationary guide rail being elongated in a substantially fore-and-aft direction;
- (c) cross-vehicular elongated, roof bows supporting the roof cover;
- (d) brackets extending from the roof bows;
- (e) rollers connecting the brackets to the guide rail;
- (e) multiple flexible and elongated cables operably causing the roof cover to move between the positions;
- (f) multiple stationary channels elongated substantially parallel to each other and to the guide rail, the cables each being movably located within an associated one of the channels;
- (g) the cables being coupled to an associated one of the brackets;
- and
- (h) the brackets being laterally located between the channels and the guide rail.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.