US3328073A

US3328073A - Winter top for convertible cars

Info

Publication number: US3328073A
Application number: US468507A
Authority: US
Inventors: Einhorn Otto
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-10-16
Filing date: 1965-06-30
Publication date: 1967-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 1984-06-27
Also published as: CH453103A; DE1530674A1; NL6513402A

Description

June 27, 1967 o. EINHORN WINTER TOP FOR CONVERTIBLE CARS Filed June 30, 1965 FIG. I.

. INVENTOR BY OTTO EINHORN ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,328,073 WINTER TOP FOR CONVERTIBLE CARS Otto Einllorn, Herzogstrasse 56, Municl1,Germany Filed June 30, 1965, Ser. No. 468,507 Claims priority, application Germany, Oct. 16, 1964, E 27,967 Claims. (Cl. 296-136) The present invention relates to a winter top or shell for convertible cars.

Tops of this kind have been used for some years with convertibles in the higher price brackets. The tops comprise a conventionally rigid unit having a self-supporting steel-sheet shell or jacket forming the outside of the top, the steel-sheet shell being equipped with an inner lining corresponding with the lining of the textile top.

This winter top, called generally a hard-top, is equipped with clamp closures, with the help of which it can be secured as rigid top to the front frame of the wind shield and to the body of the convertible car, upon lowering of the textile top. Hard-tops are characterized by an increased resistance to inclement weather during winter, as compared with the conventional textile tops, and additionally bring about an appreciably improved heat insulation. Thus the use of a hard-top for the cold season amounts to a desirable improvement of the travelling comfort, in addition to the protection afforded to the textile top.

These advantages must be taken in stride, however, by a considerable expenditure in the form of two tops completely independent relative to each other, which expenditure is out of proportion with regard to the advantages achieved thereby. Furthermore, the drawback is experienced that such hard-tops can be used only for vehicle models, in which the lowered textile top can be set into the luggage compartment.

It isone object of the present invention to provide a winter top for convertible cars, wherein a new solution is presented for a winter top of the above-described type, which is characterized, in addition to a particular simplicity, by its adaptability to practically all convertible car types available on the market.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a winter top for convertible cars which comprises a rigid unit with a shell forming the outside of the top of a synthetic or any other suitable material having weather-resistant characteristics and solves the problem of the present invention by arranging a thin-walled shape-retaining shell of synthetic material adjusted to the upright position of the textile top and having a rear-view window with stiffening ribs, furthermore, front and rear supports limited suitably as to their engaging faces, as well as front and rear securing means effective on both sides, at least one of the securing means being designed as a clamping closure.

The present invention is based on the recognition that a shell of synthetic material constituting a hard-top can be mounted on a textile top by means of suitable securing means effective in the manner of clamping closures,

so that the available textile top can be applied to the realization of a hard-top.

In this simple manner, particularly the heat insulation of the formed top is appreciably increased with an increasingly lesser expenditure.

The simultaneous use of the textile top for purposes of the winter top has the added advantage, that the textile top can now remain in its normal, i.e. stretched condition, also during the winter months. The danger of drying out is thus consilderably reduced. This danger is present in the first place, if the textile top is stored away for several months by setting it in the luggage compartment.

Patented June 27, 1967 The sufiicient ventilation, which, among other effects, prevents the drying out of the textile top, is made possible in accordance with the present invention in a simple manner by an air clearance defined between the outside of the textile top and the inside of the shell of synthetic material.

A particularly effective ventilation can be achieved such, that the shell of synthetic material has at its front end face slots open to the bottom only, and under certain circumstances also lateral slots. In connection with the ventilation of the textile top, it is advisable to dispose the stifiening ribs in longitudinal direction of the shell, because the ribs serve thus simultaneously the purpose of guiding the air stream.

According to yet another important feature of the present invention, it is suitable to limt the front support to the two front cornersof the shell, and to provide therefor preferably elastic elements, for instance rubber blocks. The rear support can, in turn, be provided by a ledge of elastic material having preferably multiple interruptions and disposed at the rear lower edge of the shell.

It has proven advisable and useful to supplement for different applications for the rear support, in addition to the ledge, another, preferably interrupted cross ledge of elastic material above the rear window of both the textile top and the solid top, and within the range of a rear upper supporting bow of the textile top.

A ledge-formed rear support has proven particularly advantageous for convertible cars, the textile top of which has at least one decorative ledge at the rear window within the range of the rear upper support bow, as it is found by example on the Volkswagen 1200, Karman Ghia, and/or at the rear end of the textile top, whereby the rigid shell can be mounted in a simple manner on the decorative ledge by means of securing ledges.

It is also a further object of the present invention to provide a winter top for convertible cars, wherein the front securing means are designed as a wedge closure and the rear securing means as a fixed point suspension.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

the front securing means includes two steel bands secured by means of hinges to both sides of the front-end side of the shell, whereby the steel bands project through the frame of the wind shield and the corresponding front bow of the textile top and engage with their free angularly bent ends, preferably formed as spring clamps on the inside of the car, the frame of the wind shield or the front support bow of the textile top. If, in a certain car type, greater tolerances-are encountered between individual vehicles of the same series, it is advisable to equip the angularly bent ends of the steel bands with an adjustable abutment. In this manner, the tolerances can be easily compensated in each case with a view to a proper clamping of the shell relative to the textile top.

The rear securing means can, in turn, comprise advantageously lateral openings provided'at the rear lower por tion of the shell, through which the shell is secured to the vehicle body by means of threadedholts or similar fastening means. a

As long as screw securing means are already provided at the critical points, it is advisable to design the opening as adjustable thread guides, for example, in the form of cross guides.

With these and other objects in view which will bei come apparent in the following detailed description, the

present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded side elevation of a portion of a convertible car having a textile top, and a rigid shell to be mounted on the textile top;

FIG. 2 is a perspective bottom view of the rigid shell disclosed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section along lines 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective top view of the car, with parts broken away in order to show front attaching means for the shell according to the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, and in particular to FIG. 1, a portion of the car body 20 is disclosed, which is equipped with a textile top 1 of conventional design. A rear view window 2 is fitted in the rear portion of the textile top 1. A shell 3, for instance of synthetic material, is mounted on top of the textile top 1, which shell is shown in FIG. 1 in lifted position, The shell or winter top 3 is substantially complementary to the textile top 1 as to its configuration.

The winter top or shell 3 has also a rear view window 4 which is aligned with the rear view window 2, when the two tops 1 and 3 are in superposed operative positions.

Referring now again to the drawing, and in particular to FIGS. 2 and 3, the structure of the shell 3, designed in accordance with the present invention, is more clearly disclosed. The shell 3 has a relatively thin wall and is provided on its side with stiffening ribs 6 disposed in longitudinal direction. The front portion of the shell 3 has slots 7 open downwardly, the position of the slots 7 being chosen such, that they are flanked on both sides by a rib 6. These slots 7 serve the purpose of ventilating the textile top 1, whereby the stiffening ribs 6 are used for an air flow in longitudinal direction.

The shell 3 has, within the range of the rear upper support bow of the textile top 1 (not shown), marked by decorative ledge (FIG. 1), at its inside an interrupted securing ledge 8 (FIG. 2) of elastic material. The securing ledge 8 is mounted at this point on the decorative ledge 5 of the textile top 1.

Another interrupted securing ledge 9 of elastic material extends along the rear bottom edge of the shell 3. The ledge 9 serves as support within the range of the rear edge of the textile top 1. If a decorative ledge 6 is likewise provided at this location, as for. instance in the Volkswagen convertible car 1200, Karman Ghia, the shell 3 can be mounted with its securing ledge 9 on this decorative ledge.

The interruptions of the ledges 8 and 9 serve the purpose of rendering most favorably the ventilation of the intermediate space between the rear view window 2 of the textile top 1 and the rear view window 4 of the shell 3 for preventing the rear view windows 2 and 4 from getting fogged.

The front support of the shell 3 on the textile top 1 is brought about by two blocks 10 of preferably soft rubber.

For the rear securing of the shell 3, the latter is equipped with two openings 11 disposed at the rear lower lateral edge (FIG. 1). The shell 3 is secured by means of screw bolts to the car body of the convertible car, which screw bolts extend through the openings 11 of the shell 3.

If there are securing clamps on the vehicle body for the textile top 1 in the collapsed position of the latter in the vicinity of the lateral rearward lower edge of the textile top 1, the securing means of the securing clamps can be used directly for the rearward securing of the shell 3. This possibility presents itself likewise in the Volkswagen cars.

The front support for the shell 3 is formed like a clamping closure and comprises substantially two steel bands 12 secured to the two sides at the end face of the shell 3 by means of hinges 22 and terminating at their free ends in an angularly bent spring member 13.

The shell is fortified within the range of the forward and rearward securing means. Concerning the rearward securing means, the fortification is brought about in a simple manner by an inner fortification ring 14 (FIG. 2) disposed concentrically to the openings 11 of the shell 3.

For a better demonstration of the operation of the front securing means, FIG. 4 discloses the steel bands 12 with the mounted shell, a portion of which is broken away, in operative position, that means the shell 3 being clamped to the textile top 1. The steel bands 12 project thereby between the frame 15 of the wind shield and the forward bow 16 of the textile top 1 and engage with the spring members 13 of their angularly bent ends at the inner side of the frame 15 of the wind shield. They amount practically to a bent-over connection and in particular to a so-called catch.

As has been mentioned before, the angularly bent free ends 13 of the steel bands 12 can also be equipped with an adjustable abutment, by means of which the amount of the pretension is individually adjustable in suitable manner.

If it should be found necessary, the front and rear securing means 12 can be supplemented by a lateral anchoring means of the shell 3 on the steel frame of the textile top 1 by means of appropriate clamps (not shown).

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. A winter top for convertible cars comprising a textile top adapted to be secured to a car body and including means shifting said textile top from an upright position to a collapsed position,

a shell covering in spaced relationship therefrom the outside of said textile top in the upright position of the latter and consisting of rigid hardtop material,

a rear view window disposed in the rear portion of said shell,

front and rear means for supporting said shell on top of and close to said textile top in spaced relationship therebetween providing an air space between said textile top and said shell, and front and rear securing means adapted to be mounted on the car body and retaining said shell removably on said textile top.

2. The winter top, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said shell is reinforced in the range of at least one of said front and said rear securing means.

3. The winter top, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said shell is made substantially of a thin steel sheet.

4. The winter top, as set forth in claim 1 wherein said shell is made substantially of a plastic material.

5. The winter top, as set forth in claim 1, which includes stiffening ribs on the side of said shell facing said textile top.

6. The winter top, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said stiffening ribs are disposed substantially in longitudinal direction of said shell.

7. The winter top, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said shell has at least at its front end face slots opening downwardly and adapted for ventilation of the space defined between said textile top and said shell.

8. The winter top, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said front supporting means comprises resilient mem bers disposed at the front corners of said shell, and

said rear supporting means comprises an interrupted ledge secured to the lower rear edge of said shell.

9. The winter top, as set forth in claim 8, wherein said rear supporting means comprises additionally an interrupted tranversal ledge of elastic material above said rear view window, and

means for supporting said interrupted transversal ledge.

10. The winter top, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said front securing means comprises a clamping closure,

and

said rear securing means comprises a fixed-point suspension means.

11. The winter top, as set forth in claim 6, wherein said clamping closure comprises two thin steel bands and hinges securing said steel bands on both sides to the front end face of said shell, and said steel bands having angularly bent free ends to constitute spring members,

said steel bands being adapted to extend between the topside of the Windshield frame and the corresponding front bow of said textile top and said bent free ends being adapted to engage on the inside one of the frame of the windshield and of the front bow of the textile top.

12. The winter top, as set forth in claim 11, wherein said free ends of said bands include adjustable abutment.

13. The winter top, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said rear securing means includes openings adapted to receive said bolts projecting from the car body.

14. The winter top, as set forth in claim 13, wherein said openings are two-dimensionally adjustable sliding guides.

15. The winter top, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said shell has at least at its front end face slots opening downwardly and adapted for ventilation of the space defined between said textile top and said shell,

stiffening ribs on the side of said shell facing said textile top and disposed substantially in the longitudinal direction of said shell, and

a pair of adjacent of said stiffening ribs flanking each of said slots.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,479,825 8/ 1949 Fleischhauer 296136 2,602,406 7/ 1952 'Orter 52-22 X 2,629,3 47 2/ 3 Wittrien 5222 X 2,765,192 10/1956 Blake 296136 X BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner. C. C. PARSONS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A WINTER TOP FOR CONVERTIBLE CARS COMPRISING A TEXTILE TOP ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO A CAR BODY AND INCLUDING MEANS SHIFTING SAID TEXTILE TOP FROM AN UPRIGHT POSITION TO A COLLAPSED POSITION, A SHELL COVERING IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP THEREFROM THE OUTSIDE OF SAID TEXTILE TOP IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION OF THE LATTER AND CONSISTING OF RIGID HARDTOP MATERIAL, A REAR VIEW WINDOW DISPOSED IN THE REAR PORTION OF SAID SHELL, FRONT AND REAR MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID SHELL ON TOP OF AND CLOSE TO SAID TEXTILE TOP IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP THEREBETWEEN PROVIDING AN AIR SPACE BETWEEN SAID TEXTILE TOP AND SAID SHELL, AND FRONT AND REAR SECURING MEANS ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON THE CAR BODY AND RETAINING SAID SHELL REMOVABLY ON SAID TEXTILE TOP.