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US 4,862,640 AGranted
Powered sliding door opener/closer for vehicles
AssigneeMasco Industries, Inc.
InventorsJames G. Boyko, Timothy J. Farrar, Stephen B. Peterson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMasco Industries, Inc.
InventorsJames G. Boyko, Timothy J. Farrar, Stephen B. Peterson
Estimating the term…
A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body is disclosed. The door is supported adjacent its forward end on at least one forward guide member and is supported adjacent its rear end on a rear guide member. The guide members guide the door through (i) an initial closing movement generally parallel to the side panel, (ii) a final closing movement generally parallel to the side panel, (iii) at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of the door opening, and (iv) at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of the door opening. The door operator comprises means including a first cable member coupled to the rear end of the door and a second cable member coupled to the forward end of the door for driving the door along the guide members to thereby move the door through its initial and final opening and closing movements. When used as part of a system, the powered sliding door operating system also includes a clamping means including a rotatable striker plate mounted on the vehicle body and having an eccentrically mounted striker pin thereon engagable by a latch bolt member on the door for clamping the door to the vehicle body with the door in a finally closed position in the door opening.
A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end on at least one forward guide member and being supported adjacent its rear end on a rear guide member, said guide members guiding said door through an initial closing movement and a final opening movement generally parallel to said side panel, through at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of said door opening and through at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening, said door operator comprising means including a first cable member coupled to the rear end of said door and a second cable member coupled to the forward end of said door for driving said door along said guide members to thereby move said door through said initial and final opening and closing movements, each of said cable members being supported substantially entirely within the interior of the vehicle body when the slide door is fully closed.
A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end on at least one curved forward guide member by a forward bracket and roller assembly and being supported adjacent its rear end on a curved rear guide member of a rear bracket and roller assembly, said guide members guiding said door through an initial closing movement and a final opening movement generally parallel to said side panel, through at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening and through at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of said door opening, said door operator comprising means including a first cable member coupled to said rear bracket and roller assembly for driving said rear bracket and roller assembly along said rear guide member to thereby move said door through said initial and final closing movements, said door operator means including a second cable member coupled to said forward bracket and roller assembly for driving said forward bracket and roller assembly along said forward guide member to thereby move said door through said initial and final opening movements.
A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end on at least one curved forward guide member by a forward bracket and roller assembly and being supported adjacent its rear end on a curved rear guide member by a rear bracket and roller assembly, said guide members guiding said door through an initial closing movement and a final opening movement generally parallel to said side panel, through at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening and through at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of said door opening, said door operator comprising means including a first cable member movable in said curved rear guide member and coupled to said rear bracket and roller assembly for driving said rear bracket and roller assembly along said rear guide member to thereby move said door through said initial and final closing movements, said door operator means including a second cable member movable in said curved forward guide member and coupled to said forward bracket and roller assembly for driving said forward bracket and roller assembly along said forward guide member to thereby move said door through said initial and final opening movements.
A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end in at least one curved forward guide member by a forward bracket and roller assembly and being supported adjacent its rear end in a curved rear guide member by a rear bracket and roller assembly, said guide members guiding said door through an initial opening movement and a final closing movement generally parallel to said side panel, through at least a portion of its final opening movement generally away from the plane of said door opening and through at least a portion of its initial closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening, said door operator comprising means including a first cable member coupled to the rear end of said door and a second cable member coupled to the forward end of said door for driving said bracket and roller assemblies along said guide members to thereby move said door through said initial and final opening and closing movements, each of said cable members being supported substantially entirely within the interior of the vehicle body when the slide door is fully closed.
A door operating system for a door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end on at least one forward guide member carried by said vehicle body and being supported adjacent its rear end on a rear guide member carried by said vehicle body, said guide members guiding said door through (i) an initial closing movement generally parallel to said side panel, (ii) a final opening movement generally parallel to said side panel, (iii) at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening, and (iv) at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of said door opening, said door including a latch bolt member carried adjacent the rear end thereof and movable between latched and unlatched positions, said door operating system comprising drive means including a first cable member coupled to the rear end of said door and a second cable member coupled to the forward end of said door for moving said door along said guide members and through said initial and final opening and closing movements, and clamping means including a rotatable striker plate mounted on said vehicle body and having an eccentrically mounted striker pin thereon engageable by said latch bolt member of said door for clamping said door to said vehicle body with said door in a finally closed position in said door opening.
A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body, said door being supported adjacent its forward end in at least one curved forward guide member by a forward bracket and roller assembly and being supported adjacent its rear end in a curved rear guide member by a rear bracket and roller assembly, said guide members guiding said door through an initial opening movement and a final closing movement generally parallel to said side panel, through at least a portion of its final opening movement generally away from the plane of said door opening and through at least a portion of its initial closing movement generally toward the plane of said door opening, said door operator comprising means including a first cable member coupled to the rear end of said door and a second cable member coupled to the forward end of said door for driving said bracket and roller assemblies along said guide members to thereby move said door through said initial and final opening and closing movements, said sliding door further including a latch bolt member adjacent its rear end that is movable between an unlatched position and a latched position upon engagement with a striker pin, said door operator further including a first motor means coupled to said cable members for moving said slide door along a major portion of said guide members, between a fully open position and a nearly closed position that is closely adjacent to a fully closed position, and a second motor means carried by said vehicle body at the rear of said door opening and including an eccentrically mounted striker pin thereon engageable by said latch bolt member when said door is in its nearly closed position for moving said door from its nearly closed position to its fully closed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.