Claims
- 1. In a rear window construction for an automotive vehicle, wherein a body portion having an opening with a first frame and weather seal encompassing the perimeter of the opening, and a window with a second frame and weather seal encompassing the perimeter of the window, together seal off the body opening by said first and second frame and the weather seal being complimentary and capable of fitting together to form a weather tight closure for said body opening;
- the provision of a novel hinge construction for positioning the window when open in a stand-off relationship to the body for establishing a clear slip stream air movement through the hinge area and under the window, comprising;
- at least one hinge interconnecting the tops of the first and second frames, the hinge construction having means to extend a part thereof for separating the frames in the hinge area when the frames are separated to open the window; and
- said hinge means comprising a telescopic hinge for providing a telescopic relationship between said first and second frames.
- 2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said telescopic hinge comprises;
- an inner tube whose end is pivotably attached to the base of one of said first and second frames;
- an outer tube slideably engaged over said inner tube;
- said outer tube being rigidly attached to the other of said first and second frames; and
- a spring disposed between said inner tube and said outer tube for urging said inner and outer tubes in opposed directions.
- 3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said inner tube includes a set screw slot disposed within a wall of said inner tube;
- said outer tube includes a set screw disposed through a wall of said outer tube for engagement with said set screw slot enabling said outer tube to slide over said inner tube with said set screw limiting the movement between said inner and outer tubes.
- 4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including a pneumatic arm for maintaining said second frame in an open position and for aiding in the contraction of said telescopic hinge when said window is moved to the closed position.
- 5. An apparatus for modifying the downwardly sloping rear panel window fixed in a body opening of an automotive vehicle, comprising in combination:
- a first trim frame for encompassing the perimeter edge of the body opening of the vehicle after removal of the original window pane;
- said first trim frame including an inner and an outer frame portion for positioning on the inner and outer surfaces of the vehicle body perimeter of the window opening;
- a weather seal gasket;
- fastening means for securing said inner frame portion to said outer frame portion with the vehicle body and gasket therebetween;
- a second frame for receiving the original window pane of the vehicle said second frame encasing the perimeter surfaces of the original vehicle window pane;
- hinge means including a rod pivotably mounting only the top of said second frame relative to the top of said first frame for enabling said original window pane disposed in said second frame to be pivoted between a closed and an open position, the open position being more nearly horizontal than the former downwardly sloping condition;
- whereby a space is created between the top of said first frame and the top of said second frame when said window is in an open position for establishing a clear slip stream air movement through the hinge area and under the window;
- latch means for locking said second frame in the closed position; and
- a pneumatic arm for maintaining said second frame in an open position, and a support bar for keeping said hinge means in an extended position.
- 6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein one of said inner and outer frame elements includes a shoulder for engaging the terminating edge of the vehicle window aperture to position the outer frame relative thereto.
- 7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said hinge means comprises:
- a base attached relative to the vehicle body and displaced from said first frame;
- a pivotable member;
- the first end of said pivotal member pivotably connected relative to said base at a first pivot point;
- the second end of said pivotal member pivotably connected relative to said second frame at a second pivot point.
- 8. The method of converting a fixed window in the rear panel of a motor vehicle to a pivotably openable closure, comprising the steps of:
- removing the existing window pane, leaving a remainder body opening;
- discarding all framing and gasket material used in mounting and weatherproofing the original pane;
- providing a first substitute frame for trim of the remainder body opening and as a mounting base for a new closure;
- clamping and weathersealing said first substitute frame around the periphery of the remainder opening;
- providing a second substitute frame for the salvaged existing window pane;
- mounting said salvaged existing pane in the second substitute frame and weathersealing the union therebetween; and
- providing means for holding the remounted pane in any one of a selected plurality of relative positions with respect to said retrimmed remainder opening.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior application Ser. No. 026,097, filed Apr. 2, 1979 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1581592 |
Dec 1980 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
26097 |
Apr 1979 |
|