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US 12,344,084 B2Granted
Hard top roof removal assist
AssigneeAurora Ontario
InventorsMarc Cogswell, Larry R. Erickson, Robert M. Horner, Brian Staley, Luyao Zhu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hard top removal assist system for a vehicle. The system includes a vehicle body having a plurality of rails mounted to the vehicle body. A hard top has a connection that is used to connect the hard top to the plurality of rails. There is at least one connection on the hard top that is slidable in the one or more rails between an installed position and a removed position. The hard top can be fully removed from the vehicle body and the one or more rails.
Claims13
A hard top removal assist system for a vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle body having a plurality of rails mounted to the vehicle body;
- a hard top having at least one connection with each of the plurality of rails mounted to the vehicle body, wherein a first end of the plurality of rails is spaced away at a space distance from a rear side of the vehicle and a second end of the plurality of rails is opposite the first end and is closer to the rear side of the vehicle and the second end of the plurality of rails has an open end that connects to a channel that terminates at a closed end and the at least one connection slides into the channel at the open end of one of the plurality of rails, wherein the at least one connection is slidable in the plurality of rails between an installed position, and a removed position where the hard top can be fully removed from the vehicle body and the plurality of rails;
- wherein the closed end of the channel has a lock mechanism that releasably grasps the at least one connection to hold the hard top in place at an installed position, wherein the lock mechanism has fingers that grasp a neck to hold the hard top in place at the installed position and the lock mechanism releases the at least one connection when the hard top is moved to the removed position and the at least one connection includes a dog post having the neck that connects to the hard top and a foot that is positioned in the channel, and
- wherein each of the plurality of rails has a wide aperture portion that connects to a narrow aperture portion, wherein when the foot of the dog post is positioned in the channel, the neck extends through one of the wide aperture portion and the narrow aperture portion depending on whether the dog post is positioned in the portion of the channel where the wide aperture portion is located or where the narrow aperture portion is located, and
- an actuator having an arm connectable to the dog post for moving the dog post and the hard top between the installed position and the removed position.
2 more elements
A hard top removal assist system for a vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle body having a plurality of rails mounted to the vehicle body;
- a hard top having at least one connection with each of the plurality of rails mounted to the vehicle body, wherein a first end of the plurality of rails is spaced away at a space distance from a rear side of the vehicle and a second end of the plurality of rails is opposite the first and closer to the rear side of the vehicle and the second end of the plurality of rails has an open end that connect to a channel that terminates at a closed end and the at least one connection slides into the channel at the open end of one of the plurality of rails, wherein the at least one connection is slidable in the plurality of rails between an installed position, and a removed position where the hard top can be fully removed from the vehicle body and the plurality of rails;
- wherein the closed end of the channel has a lock mechanism that releasably grasps the at least one connection to hold the hard top in place at an installed position, wherein the lock mechanism has fingers that grasp a neck to hold the hard top in place at the installed position and the lock mechanism releases the at least one connection when the hard top is moved to the removed position and the at least one connection includes a dog post having the neck that connects to the hard top and a foot that is positioned in the channel;
- wherein each of the plurality of rails has a wide aperture portion that connects to a narrow aperture portion, wherein when the foot of the dog post is positioned in the channel, the neck extends through one of the wide aperture portion and the narrow aperture portion depending on whether the dog post is positioned in the portion of the channel where the wide aperture portion is located or where the narrow aperture portion is located;
- an actuator having an arm connectable to the dog post for moving the dog post and the hard top between the installed position and the removed position, and
- a cart having bow arms shaped to receive and support the hard top as the hard top moves past a rear side of the vehicle to a removed position.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.