The present invention relates to window assemblies for vehicles and, more particularly to a side or rear fixed window assembly for a vehicle.
It is known to provide a window assembly for an opening of a vehicle, such as a side window assembly for a side opening of a vehicle. Conventional side openings of sports cars or the like may have a louvers or spaced apart body panels established at the vehicle body and outside of a fixed window panel, with the louvered panels comprising an opaque metal or plastic.
The present invention provides a vehicle louvered window assembly that comprises a plurality of glass panels that encapsulated or partially encapsulated along their peripheries with adjacent perimeter edge regions joined together by respective encapsulation portions or ribs. The glass panels are preferably louvered or offset or non-coplanar at their adjacent perimeter edges and held in such a configuration via the partial encapsulation of the perimeter edge portions or regions of adjacent panels.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a window assembly for a vehicle comprises a plurality of window panels arranged with at least one pair of adjacent window panels, with adjacent edge portions of adjacent ones of the window panels being joined by a respective molded joining element. The adjacent edge portions joined by a respective molded joining element are offset or non-coplanar.
The window panels may comprise glass window panels, and the window assembly may comprise a side or rear or top window of a vehicle. The molded joining element may comprise an encapsulation that at least partially receives a perimeter edge portion of at least one of the adjacent window panels.
For example, the adjacent window panels may comprise first and second window panels for a side window assembly of a vehicle, with the second window panel disposed rearward of the first window panel. The molded joining element partially receives a rear perimeter edge portion of the first window panel and does not overlap an outer surface of the first window panel, and the molded joining element at least partially receives a front perimeter edge portion of the second window panel. An outer surface of the first window panel at or near the rear perimeter edge portion is non-coplanar with an outer surface of the second window panel at or near the front perimeter edge portion.
Optionally, the window assembly may include a third window panel adjacent and rearward of the second window panel, with a second molded joining element partially receiving a rear perimeter edge portion of the second window panel and not overlapping an outer surface of the second window panel. Optionally, the window assembly may include a perimeter encapsulation that is established about a periphery of the window panels. The perimeter encapsulation may partially receive a perimeter edge portion of the window panels and does not overlap an outer surface of the window panels.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.
Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, a window assembly 10 of a vehicle 12 comprises a plurality of glass window panels 14, 16, 18 that are louvered or non-coplanar. The glass window panels 14, 16, 18 are disposed at a perimeter frame or encapsulation 20 and have an encapsulation portion or rib 22 at and between and adjoining panels 14 and 16 and an encapsulation portion or rib 24 at and between and adjoining panels 16 and 18. The window assembly 10 provides a louvered window assembly that is suitable for use as a side window or rear window of a sports car or the like (such as a small fixed side rear window of a vehicle or a rear window of a hatchback vehicle or the like). The louvered window assembly provides a plurality of separated and louvered transparent window panels (and optionally the window panels may be tinted or darkened or otherwise made less light transmitting or even substantially non-light transmitting, depending on the particular application of the window assembly.
As best seen with reference to
Optionally, an outer frame or encapsulation 20 may be provided about and along the outer perimeters of the glass panels. As shown in
The perimeter frame portion 20b, and such as shown in
The encapsulations or frame portions may comprise any suitable materials, and may be formed or molded out of a plastic or polymeric material (such as a polycarbonate or an ABS or PET material) or the like. The frame portions may be molded over and around the perimeter edges and perimeter regions of the inner surfaces of the glass panels so as to receive or encompass the perimeter edges and to secure the frame portion at the perimeter edges of the glass panels. For example, the glass panels may be placed in a mold cavity, where the perimeter frame and/or encapsulations are molded over (such as via injection molding or the like) and around and along the perimeter edge regions of the glass panels and between the adjacent edge regions of the glass panels to encapsulate the perimeter edges of the glass panels and the periphery of the joined glass panels. Optionally, the frame portion may be adhesively bonded to the perimeter edges of the glass panel and may be bonded at the inner surface of the glass panel (and optionally may overlap or encompass the outer surface of the glass panel and may be bonded at the inner surface of the glass panel), such as by utilizing aspects of the window assemblies described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,838,115; 7,332,225; 6,846,039; 6,319,344; 6,068,719; 5,853,895; 7,588,652; 7,360,338; 6,871,450; 6,298,606; 6,128,860; 5,966,874; 5,704,173; 5,551,197, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The window panels may comprise glass window panels, such as transparent tempered glass window panels or the like. Optionally, the window panels may comprise a non-glass material, such as a transparent or substantially transparent plastic or polymeric or acrylic material or the like. Optionally, the window panels may be molded and the molding may include the ribs and/or frame portions to provide a unitary construction of the window assembly. Although shown and described as a small fixed side window (having three window panels) for a vehicle, clearly, the window assembly of the present invention may have two or three or four or more louvered window panels such as described above and may be suitable for a larger fixed side window and/or a rear window (such as a liftgate window such as for a hatchback vehicle or the like) or a top window, such as a sunroof or moonroof or the like.
Optionally, an opaque coating or frit layer may be established at the perimeter regions of the glass panels to substantially conceal or hide the portions of the frame and encapsulations or ribs that are disposed at the rear surface of the window panels. Optionally, the frit or paint or ink layer or coating may be disposed or screened onto a surfaces of the glass panels after forming the glass panels. In applications where an opaque or non-transparent frit layer or other pattern or the like may be disposed at the surface of the glass panels, the adhesive may comprise a substantially non-transparent adhesive. The opaque layer or frit layer may comprise a ceramic frit layer and may function to facilitate adhering or bonding of the perimeter frame (and optionally any hardware elements or brackets or hinges or the like) to the glass panels. The frit layer may be substantially opaque, and thus may improve the overall appearance of the window assembly, since the bonding surfaces are not readily discernible or viewable through the glass panels and the frit layer. Examples of such frit layers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,360,338; 7,332,225; 6,871,450; 6,846,039; 6,319,344; 6,298,606; 6,128,860; 6,068,719; 5,966,874; 5,853,895; 5,704,173; and 5,551,197, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The frit layer may be disposed onto the surfaces of the glass panels in any desired pattern, such as stripes, dots, wave pattern or the like, to provide the desired appearance to the window panels, depending on the particular application of the window assembly.
Optionally, an opaque or patterned or colored film may be adhered or bonded or established at the surface of one or more of the window panels of the louvered window assembly to provide the desired opaqueness and appearance to the window assembly. For example, and with reference to
As shown in
After the film is adhered or bonded or affixed at the surface of the window panel, the window panels (including the film-coated window panel) may be disposed in a molding cavity (or cavities) and the encapsulation may be molded around and along the perimeter edges of the window panels with the ribs 122, 124 formed or molded between the respective adjacent window panels. As can be seen with reference to
Thus, the present invention provides a louvered window assembly for a vehicle. The perimeter frame portion or encapsulation may be established along and around the perimeter edge regions of the glass panels and between and adjoining adjacent perimeter edge regions of adjacent glass panels. Optionally, the encapsulations may be molded over and around the perimeter edge regions of the glass panels or may be bonded along the perimeter edge regions of the glass panels. Optionally, the encapsulations may encompass the perimeter regions of the inner surfaces of the glass panels and the perimeter edges of the glass panels, with the outer surfaces of the glass panels being exposed. Optionally, the louvered window panels may partially overlap one another (such as the rear perimeter region of the forward window panel overlapping the forward perimeter region of the adjacent middle or rearward window panel), with the respective encapsulation disposed between the inner and outer surfaces of the overlapping portions of the window panels, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The perimeter edge region of the outer overlapping window panel thus may have a frameless appearance with the cut or rounded or ground glass perimeter edge of the window panel being substantially or entirely exposed.
Optionally, the window assembly or assemblies of the present invention may utilize aspects of the window assemblies described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,838,115; 7,332,225; 6,846,039; 6,319,344; 6,068,719; 5,853,895; 7,588,652; 7,360,338; 6,871,450; 6,298,606; 6,128,860; 5,966,874; 5,704,173; 5,551,197; 7,073,293; 7,003,916; and/or 6,691,464, and/or U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 11/263,221, filed Oct. 31, 2005 and published May 25, 2006 as U.S. Publication No. 2006-0107600; Ser. No. 11/948,094, filed Nov. 30, 2007, published Jun. 5, 2008 as U.S. Publication No. 2008-0127563; Ser. No. 10/454,040, filed Jun. 4, 2003 and published Feb. 5, 2004 as U.S. Publication No. 2004-0020131; Ser. No. 10/408,047, filed Apr. 4, 2003 and published Nov. 20, 2003 as U.S. Publication No. 2003-0213179, and/or Ser. No. 12/850,864, filed Aug. 5, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,695, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2011/051506, filed Sep. 13, 2011 and published on Mar. 22, 20012 as International Publication No. WO2012/037190, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Changes and modifications to the specifically described embodiments may be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent law.
The present application is related to U.S. provisional applications Ser. No. 61/839,583, filed Jun. 26, 2013, and Ser. No. 61/738,095, filed Dec. 17, 2012, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2061760 | Fisher | Nov 1936 | A |
3843982 | Lane | Oct 1974 | A |
5154028 | Hill et al. | Oct 1992 | A |
5514028 | Ali | May 1996 | A |
5542214 | Buening | Aug 1996 | A |
5551197 | Repp et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
5799444 | Freimark | Sep 1998 | A |
5853895 | Lewno | Dec 1998 | A |
6691464 | Nestell et al. | Feb 2004 | B2 |
7003916 | Nestell | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7073293 | Galer | Jul 2006 | B2 |
8276409 | Tooker et al. | Oct 2012 | B2 |
8402695 | Smith et al. | Mar 2013 | B2 |
8881458 | Snider et al. | Nov 2014 | B2 |
20030075947 | Fujiwara | Apr 2003 | A1 |
20030213179 | Galer | Nov 2003 | A1 |
20040020131 | Galer | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20040035066 | Leconte | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20060107600 | Nestell et al. | May 2006 | A1 |
20080127563 | Tooker et al. | Jun 2008 | A1 |
20100107497 | Hulst et al. | May 2010 | A1 |
20140141194 | Lynam | May 2014 | A1 |
20150101254 | Tooker et al. | Apr 2015 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2001071752 | Mar 2001 | JP |
Entry |
---|
Oxford English Dictionary online, entry for “film”, retrevied Jul. 10, 2015. |
Oxford English Dictionary, entry “Join”, retreived Jan. 15, 2016, entry from the 1901 edition. |
Oxford English Dictionary, entry “Film”, retreived Jul. 11, 2015, entry from the 1896 edition. |
Oxford English Dictionary, entry for “Fixedly” retreived Jun. 21, 2016. |
Oxford English Dictonary, entry for “Attach” retreived Jun. 21, 2016. |
Oxford Engish Dictionary, entry for “Join” retreived Jun. 21, 2016. |
Oxford English Dictonary, entry for “Reveive” retreived Jun. 21, 2016. |
JP2001071752 A English translation. Translation previously provided Feb. 1, 2016. |
Oxford English Dictonary entry for “Film” retreived Jul. 11, 2015. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20140170357 A1 | Jun 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61839583 | Jun 2013 | US | |
61738095 | Dec 2012 | US |