Automotive window mounting assembly

A window panel mounting assembly for operatively coupling a window panel having a bottom edge to a mechanism for raising and lowering the window panel within a vehicle door of the type having a peripheral frame extending upwardly and inwardly toward the interior of the vehicle from a window sill line thereon to define a window opening, the peripheral frame adapted to support the top and side peripheral edges of the window panel when the window panel is in a fully raised position, said assembly comprising:

• a sash element capable of being operatively coupled to the mechanism for raising and lowering the window;
• an upwardly extending window panel engagement element fixedly attached to said sash element and extending upwardly therefrom, said window panel engagement element having a cam surface thereon having a predetermined width and including a pair of inwardly extending shoulders thereon;
• a window panel receiving element having a first end thereof fixedly attached to an inner and outer side of the window panel along the bottom edge thereof, said receiving element having a resilient second end connected to said first end by a flexible connecting portion extending downwardly from the bottom edge of said window panel and said second end defining a receiving portion having leg portions spaced a predetermined distance apart to resiliently deflect outwardly upon engaging said cam surface of said upwardly extending window panel engagement element, said flexible connecting portion permitting inward deflection of said window panel toward the vehicle interior as the window panel is moved to the fully raised position;
• cam means formed on said second ends of said opposed sides of said window panel receiving element for resiliently capturing said shoulder on said upwardly extending window panel engagement element.