US3333886A

US3333886A - Sunshade assembly

Info

Publication number: US3333886A
Application number: US466017A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wenger Walter
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1965-06-22
Filing date: 1965-06-22
Publication date: 1967-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 1984-08-01

Description

Aug. 1, 1967 w WENGER SUNSHADE ASSEMBLY Filed June 22, 1965 INVENTOR. Zia/fer We/yer ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,333,886 SUNSHADE ASSEMBLY Walter Wenger, Rochester, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 22, 1965, Ser. No. 466,017 3 Claims. (Cl. 296-97) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vehicle body sunshade is formed of plastic material and has a continuous pocket along one edge thereof. A support rod extends through the pocket, and a wire member, shaped to the shape of the pocket, fits in the pocket and frictionally engages the support rod to adjustably mount the sunshade on the rod. In one form, the wire member has a plurality of spaced loops, each having its bight portions spaced from the rod and its generally parallel legs engaging opposite sides of the rod. The legs are interconnected by straight portions which function as small torsion rods increasing the frictional gripping of the legs to the rod. The ends of the rod are frictionally secured to the support rod. In another form, the loops are of oval shape and the oval portions grip the outer surface of the rod. The legs of the oval portions are interconnected by straight portions which function as small torsion rods increasing the frictional gripping of the oval portions. The ends of the wire member are frictionally secured within grooves in the rod.

This invention relates to sunshade assemblies and more particularly to an improved vehicle body sunshade assembly.

One feature of this invention is that it provides an improved vehicle body sunshade assembly. Another feature of this invention is that the assembly includes a preformed wire member which mounts a sunshade on a support rod. A further feature of this invention is that the preformed wire member includes a plurality of torsionally interconnected loops which straddle and engage opposite portions of the support rod. Yet another feature of this invention is that at least certain of the loops are located parallel to each other and in planes located angularly to the axis of the support rod. Still another feature of this invention is that successive loops are located parallel to each other. Yet a further feature of this invention is that alternate loops are located parallel to each other and successive adjacent loops are located angularly to each other. Still another feature of this invention is that the wire member is preassembled to the support rod and the sunshade includes a pocket or receiving portion which receives both the wire member and the rod to rotatably mount the sunshade on the rod. Still a further feature of'this invention is that the wire loops are generally of elliptical shape and engage opposite portions of the support rod and an intermediate portion thereof.

These and other features of the assembly of this invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partially broken away elevational view of a sunshade assembly according to one embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view showly along the plane indicated by line 55 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of FIGURE 4.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 through 3 of the drawings, a sunshade assembly designated generally 10 according to one embodiment of this invention includes a sunshade 12, a support rod 14 and a Wire member 16 which interconnects the sunshade and support rod and rotatably mounts the sunshade on the rod.

The sunshade 12 is preferably formed of plastic and includes opposite side walls or

portions

18 and 20 which are generally asymmetrical of each other and are preferably formed from an integral sheet of plastic material. These side walls are secured to each other along their mating edge portions and also along an intermediate area designated generally 22 to provide a pocket or loop portion 24 for the sunshade.

The support rod 14 is of conventional structure and includes adjacent one end thereof a laterally bent portion 26 which provides a mounting portion for mounting the support rod on a vehicle body header in a conventional manner so that the rod 14- can swing generally about vertically disposed axes defined by the portion 26. The mounting of the support rod on the body forms no part of this invention.

The wire member 16 is preformed from a single piece The loops 28 are formed in the fiat with the integral linear joining portions 30'. Thereafter, the loops 28 are bent slightly angularly to the portions 30 so as to be disposed in generally successive parallel relationship with respect to each other and to lie in planes located angularly to the rod 14 which defines the axis of rotation of the sunshade 12. The sides or leg portions 32 of the loops 28 frictionally engage diametrically opposite portions of rod 14 and the bight portions 34 of the loops intermediate these legs are spaced from rod 14. The end loops 36 are half loops and the terminal legs thereof include reversely bent hook portions 38 which tightly grip the rod 14 over substantially half of the circumference or periphery thereof. The linear portions 30' are aligned with each other longitudinally of the rod 14 and act as a series of torsion bars tending to twist the loops 28 into coplanar relationship and thus enhance the frictional gripping force of the leg portions 32 of the loops against the rod 14.

After the wire member 16 is formed, it is then preferably mounted on the support rod 14 by inserting the rod through the loops 28 and the end loops 36 so that the legs or portions 32 of each loop frictionally engage the diametrically opposed portions of the rods and the hook portions 38 tightly engage the rod. Thereafter the support rod 14 and Wire member 16 are inserted into the pocket 24 of the sunshade so that the portions 30* are located immediately adjacent the join area 22 of the sunshade to thereby rotatably mount the sunshade on the support rod. The wire member 16 will move with the sunshade about the support rod 14 and hold the sunshade in various adjusted positions relative thereto. The loops 38 prevent axial movement of the wire member 16 relative to the support rod 14.

FIGURES 4 through 6 show another embodiment of this invention and like numerals have been used for like parts.

The support rod 40 of this embodiment is the same as the support rod 14 except that it includes an annular groove 42 adjacent each end thereof. The wire member 44 is similar to the wire member 16 in that it includes a plurality of loops 46 integrally joined by linear portions 48 which are located generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the sunshade 12. It will be noted that the loops 46 are generally of oval or elliptical shape and that the opposed bight portions 50 of each loop engage diametrically opposite portions of the rod 40 while the intermediate bight portion 52 of each loop engages the upper portion of the rod or portion intermediate the diametrically opposite portions so that each loop 46 engages the rod 40 over a greater peripheral extent than does each loop 28 of the wire member 16 The linear portions 48 which interconnect the loops are joined to the portions 50 of each loop by lateral portions 54. Each end of the wire member is provided with a hook portion 56 which tightly engages the reduced diameter portion of the rod 40 within groove 42.

The member 44 is preferably formed with the loops 46 in the flat with the

portions

48 and 54. Thereafter, each successive loop 46 is bent angularly to the general plane of the wire member so as to be located parallel to an alternate loop 46 and angularly to an adjacent loop. Thus, the loops 46 of this embodiment are not located in parallel relationship to each other but in alternate parallel relationship.

The wire member 46 is preassembled to the rod 40 by sliding the rod through the loops 46 and then assembling the hook portions 52 to the rod within the groove 42. Thereafter this substantially is assembled to the sunshade 12 in the same manner as previously described. In this embodiment of the invention, the portions 48 are linearly aligned and are located generally parallel to the rod 50. These portions and the portions 54 function as a series of torsion members tending to twist the loops 46 into the fiat so as to enhance the frictional engagement of these loops with the rod 40.

It will be noted with reference to FIGURES 2 and that the

loops

28 and 46 are shaped when they are twisted out of the fiat so as to conform to the shapeof the inner surface of the pocket 24 of the sunshade and thereby avoid any unsightly appearance caused by portions of the loops forcing the

side walls

18 and 20 of the sunshade out of their normal shape.

Thus, this invention provides an improved sunshade assembly.

I claim:

1. A vehicle body sunshade assembly comprising, a

support rod adapted to be mounted on a vehicle body for movement relative thereto, a sunshade including a pocket formed along one longitudinal edge thereof, a wire member provided with a plurality of loops joined by integral linear portions aligned longitudinally of the wire member, each of said loops straddling said support rod and having portions thereof frictionally engaging spaced portions of said rod, said linear portions functioning as torsional members tending to twist said loops relative to said support rod to enhance the frictional engagement therebetween, said Wire member and said support rod being received within said sunshade pocket to mount said sunshade on said support rod.

2. A sunshade assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said loops are shaped to conform to the general shape of said pocket and said linear portions are located adjacent a longitudinal wall of said pocket.

3. A vehicle body sunshade assembly comprising, a support rod adapted to be mounted on a vehicle body for movement relative thereto, a sunshade, a wire member provided with a plurality of loops joined by integral linear portions aligned longitudinally of the wire member, each of said loops straddling said support rod and having portions thereof frictionally engaging spaced portions of the rod, the linear portions functioning as torsional members tending to twist the loops relative to the support rod to increase the frictional engagement between the loops and the rod, means frictionally securing the opposite end portions of the wire member to the support rod, and means securing the wire member to the sunshade to mount the sunshade on the rod for adjustment relative thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,703,254 3/1955 Shockey 296 97 2,908,517 10/ 1959 Peras. 3,150,896 9/1964 Plattner 296-97 BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

J. A. PEKAR, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A VEHICLE BODY SUNSHADE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, A SUPPORT ROD ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A VEHICLE BODY OR MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, A SHUNSHADE INCLUDING A POCKET FORMED ALONG ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREOF, A WIRE MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF LOOPS JOINED BY INTEGRAL LINEAR PORTIONS ALIGNED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE WIRE MEMBER, EACH OF SAID LOOPS STRADDLING SAID SUPPORT ROD AND HAVING PORTIONS THEREOF FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING SPACED PORTIONS OF SAID ROD, SAID LINEAR PORTIONS FUNCTIONING AS TORSIONAL MEMBERS TENDING TO TWIST SAID LOOPS RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT ROD TO ENHANCE THE FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT THEREBETWEEN, SAID WIRE MEMBER AND SAID SUPPORT ROD BEING RECEIVED WITHIN SAID SUNSHADE POCKET TO MOUNT SAID SUNSHADE ON SAID SUPPORT ROD.