US3209412A

US3209412A - Sliding window arrangement

Info

Publication number: US3209412A
Application number: US291880A
Authority: US
Inventors: Golde Hans
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-07-04
Filing date: 1963-07-01
Publication date: 1965-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 1982-10-05
Also published as: DE1272771B; GB1028283A

Description

Oc 5, 1965 H. GOLDE 3,209,412

SLIDING WINDOW ARRANGEMENT Filed July 1, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet l I I \l Oct. 5, 1965 H. GOLDE SLIDING WINDOW ARRANGEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1, 1963 Oct. 5, 1965 H. GOLDE SLIDING WINDOW ARRANGEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 1, 1963 United States Patent SLIDING WINDOW ARRANGEMENT Hans Golde, 338 Hanauer Landstrasse,

Frankfurt am Main, Germany Filed July 1, 1963, Ser. No. 291,880 Claims priority, application Germany, July 4, 1962, G 35,377 8 Claims. (Cl. 2052) This invention relates to a sliding window arrangement.

In a known sliding window arrangement for a motor vehicle, a window raising and lowering mechanism incorporating a hand crank has built directly into it a spiral spring which is wound up and thereby increasingly stressed when the window is opened and which assists in the closing of the window. The crank drives through the agency of a single-stage or multi-stage reduction gear a rotatably mounted pin on which is fixed one end of the spiral spring, the other end of which is held stationary so that the turning of the pin causes winding up or unwinding of the spring.

This construction has several important disadvantages, one being that the effectiveness of the spring is considerably reduced by the reduction interposed between the crank and the pin to which the spring is connected, and by frictional losses in the gear. Another disadvantage is that the replacing of a defective spring always requires the entire window lifting and lowering mechanism to be demounted, which is time-consuming and expensive. In addition, in the case of a sliding window that does not have such a spring arrangement to assist closing the window, it is not possible subsequently to fit such an arrangement.

According to the present invention there is provided a sliding window arrangement comprising a fixed structure having an aperture therein, a sliding window movable between an upper position in which it closes the aperture and a lower position in which it does not, and a twoended spring which has one end which remains substantially stationary with respect to the fixed structure and has the other end acting upon the lower edge of the sliding window and arranged to move up and down with the sliding window so that as the sliding window is lowered the spring is increasingly stressed and exerts on the sliding window a force that assists in closing the window.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of example and not limitation the now preferred embodiments of the invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of a sliding window arrangement in a door of a motor vehicle, the arrangement including a spring device which is shown in the position which it occupies when the window is closed,

FIGURE 2 is a view of the spring device shown in FIG- URE l, but in the position which it occupies when the window is open,

FIGURES 3 and 4 show, by views corresponding to FIGURES 1 and 2, a further spring device in a sliding window arrangement in a motor vehicle door, and

FIGURES 5 and 6 show, by corresponding views another example of a spring device in a sliding window arrangement in a motor vehicle door.

FIGURES 1 and 2 show a wire spring 1 of circular cross-section having two inclined arms interconnected by a loop consisting of one turn or of several turns of the wire in the manner of a helix. The free end of one arm 2 is inserted in a channel-shaped guide 5 which is held in a sleeve 4 which is rigidly fixed to an inner panel 3a of a vehicle door 3. The other arm 6 of the spring 1 bears against but is not fixed to, an intermediate element 8 having a portion 8A which is fixed to the lower edge of a "Ice sliding window 7. The intermediate element is formed with a longitudinally extending passage in the form of a groove 9 which is indicated by broken lines and in which the free end of the arm 6 of the spring 1 lies. The walls of the groove are made of, or lined with, synthetic plastic material. The window 7 can be opened and closed, i.e. lowered and raised, by means of a hand-operated crank 10 which is coupled to a cable 11 which is fastened at 26 to the intermediate element 8 and is guided in a slotted tube. The arrangement is such that when the crank 10 is rotated in one direction the cable moves in one direction along the tube and the window is closed, whereas when the crank is rotated in the other direction the cable moves in the other direction along the tube and the window is opened.

As FIGURE 2 shows, the lowering or opening of the window 7 presses the arm 6 of the spring 1, through the agency of the intermediate element 8 into a substantially horizontal position. When this happens, the arm 6 slides in the groove 9 and the arm 2 moves a short distance upwardly within the channel 5. The spring becomes increasingly stressed as the window is lowered. When the window is closed, the spring presses from below against the intermediate element 8 .and thus facilitates the raising of the window.

Instead of the groove 9 being formed on the element 8, the lower edge of the window can itself be used for guiding a sliding element arranged on the end of the spring arm 6, for example a U-shaped sliding shoe or the like which is arranged to engage about the edge of the window.

The described spring device for assisting the closing of the window can be fitted to a vehicle door already having the described window raising and lowering mechanism. If the spring breaks, it can be replaced by another without dismounting the entire window operating mechamsm.

FIGURES 3 and 4 show an example in which a wire spring 13 having inclined

arms

14 and 20 and a loop 13a connecting them, has its ends formed into

eyes

15 and 19 in which are inserted

pins

16 and 18 which are fixed to the vehicle door and to an intermediate element 17, respectively. The intermediate element 17 is fixed to the lower edge of the window 7. Handle 10 by the virtue of means 10a connected thereto engages cable 11 to move it in tube 21. Tube 21 is provided with a slot 21a. Cable 11 is fixed to intermediate element 17 at 26. The

parts

10 and 11 function as described with reference to FIG- URES 1 and 2 and force the arms of the spring closer together when the window is lowered, as can be seen from a comparison of FIGURES 3 and 4.

The examples according to FIGURES 1 to 4 could be modified by using a wire spring having three or more arms and having a loop consisting of one or more turns of wire between each two adjacent arms.

In the example shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 the spring is a helical compression spring 22, in which is a longitudinally extending guide member which guides movement of the spring when the window 7 is raised and lowered. This guide member is part of the tube 21 in which the cable 11 is guided. The lower end 2212 of the spring bears against the bottom of the vehicle door 23 through the agency of a washer 25, and the upper end 22b of the spring bears against the lower edge of the window through the agency of an intermediate element 24 which is fixed to the lower edge of the window and to which the cable is attached at 26. When the window 7 is opened, the coil spring 22 is compressed along the guide tube 21 and when the window is closed the spring acts upon the window to assist closing of it.

The spring device for assisting closing of the window 3 can be used in cases where there is no window raising and lowering mechanism provided with a cable of the kind illustrated, and it is readily possible to fit the device to any desired sliding window, even one which does not have a window lifting and lowering mechanism.

I claim:

1. In combination with a window slidable between an upper and lower position in a fixed window frame, apparatus for raising and lowering said window comprising a handle rotatably mounted on said window frame, a tube, a portion of said tube being longitudinally slotted and extending parallel to the direction of travel of said window, a cable within said tube, means connected to said handle for engaging said cable so that when said handle is rotated said cable is driven longitudinally along said tube, an intermediate support member attached to said window, said intermediate support member being further fixed to a portion of said cable within the longitudinally slotted portion of said tube, a spring means including first and second ends, and first means for releasably fixing the first end of said spring means to said window frame and said second end of said spring means being releasably and operatively abutting said intermediate support member.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spring means is so positioned and biased so that when said window is being raised from the lowered position, said spring means urges said intermediate support means against said window to provide a force for assisting in the raising of said window.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spring means is an elongated helical spring surrounding the longitudinally slotted portion of said tube and including one end abutting said intermediate support member and another end abutting said window frame.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spring means is a length of flexible rod including first and second arms, and at least a single turn between said arms.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said intermediate support member includes a window supporting portion fixed to an edge of said window and a longitudinally extending arcuate groove portion for accommodating one arm of said spring means so that as said window is raised and lowered said one arm rocks in said arcuate groove while pressing against said intermediate support member.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein the first arm of said spring means is terminated as an eye and said intermediate support means includes a pin inserted in said eye.

7. The combination of claim 4 wherein said first means comprises a sleeve fixed to said window frame and said second arm of said spring means is slidably fitted in said sleeve.

8. The combination of claim 4 wherein said second arm of said spring means terminates in an eye and said second means includes a pin fixed to said window frame, said pin being inserted in said eye.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A WINDOW SLIDABLE BETWEEN AN UPPER AND LOWER POSITION IN A FIXED WINDOW FRAME, APPARRATUS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID WINDOW COMPRISING A HANDLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID WINDOW FRAME, A TUBE, A PORTION OF SAID TUBE BEING LONGITUDINALLY SLOTTED AND EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID WINDOW, A CABLE WITHIN SAID TUBE, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID HANDLE FOR ENGAGING SAID CABLE SO THAT WHEN SAID HANDLE IS ROTATED SAID CABLE IS DRIVEN LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID TUBE, AN INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT MEMBER ATTACHED TO SAID WINDOW, SAID INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT MEMBER BEING FURTHER FIXED TO A PORTION OF SAID CABLE WITHIN THE LONGITUDINALLY SLOTTED PORTION OF SAID TUBE, A SPRING MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS, AND FIRST MEANS FOR RELEASABLY FIXING THE FIRST END OF SAID SPRING MEANS TO SAID WINDOW FRAME AND SAID SECOND END OF SAID SPRING MEANS BEING RELEASABLY AND OPERATIVELY ABUTTING SAID INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT MEMBER.