Patent Grant
11667178
The information provided in this section is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
The present disclosure relates to removable roof panel system for a vehicle.
A removable roof panel system for a vehicle, includes a frame structure configured to be mounted to a roof of the vehicle. A front panel is removably mounted to the frame structure and including a front glass panel and a front panel frame. A rear panel is removably mounted to the frame structure and includes a rear glass panel and a rear panel frame. The frame structure includes a trough portion and supports a first seal configured to be disposed between the roof of the vehicle and the front and rear glass panels and a second seal is disposed between the front and rear panel frames and the frame structure. A front latch system releasably secures the front panel to the frame structure and a rear latch system releasably secures the rear panel to the frame structure.
According to a further aspect, the frame structure can define a trough portion.
According to yet another aspect, the frame structure supports a first seal configured to be disposed between the roof of the vehicle and the front and rear glass panels and the frame structure supports a second seal disposed between the front and rear panel frames and the frame structure.
According to a still further aspect, the removable roof panel system includes a front latch system for securing the front panel to the frame structure and a rear latch system for securing the rear panel to the frame structure.
According to a still further aspect, the removable roof panel system includes a seal member disposed between the front glass panel and the rear glass panel and the seal member is supported by the rear panel frame.
According to a still further aspect, the removable roof panel system includes a trough structure disposed between the front panel frame and the rear panel frame and the trough structure is supported by the rear panel frame.
Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims and the drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similar and/or identical elements.
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The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. It should be understood that one or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (or concurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure. Further, although each of the embodiments is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented in and/or combined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if that combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more embodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure.
Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example, between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,” “coupled,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and “disposed.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when a relationship between first and second elements is described in the above disclosure, that relationship can be a direct relationship where no other intervening elements are present between the first and second elements, but can also be an indirect relationship where one or more intervening elements are present (either spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”
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| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 102021209267 | May 2022 | DE |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20230131621 A1 | Apr 2023 | US |
