Apparatus for attaching a soft top to a motor vehicle
US5947546A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 22, 1997 |
| Grant date | Sep 7, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 22, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB60J7/104
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus for attaching a soft top to a motor vehicle includes a retainer member for engaging a channel located in a structural element attached to the motor vehicle. In one application, the structural element is a removable door frame having a molded-in channel which opens downwardly and is disposed above a door opening. The retainer member includes a first flange adapted to fixedly attach to a lateral edge of the top section of the soft top. The retainer member further includes a second flange for engaging the molded-in channel in an interference fit. The first flange laterally extends beyond the door of the vehicle to thereby shingle the door from condensation and rain which may gather on the soft top. In an alternative embodiment, the retainer member is configured to form a trough for carrying the condensation and rain rearward away from the door.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.