US2090048A - Automobile window construction - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 17, 1037. 1 HO T E 2,090,048 AUTOMOBILE WINDOW CONSTRUCTION I I 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 1, 1935 INV 1 0R5," W ATTORNEYS,

Aug. 17, 1937. T. w. HOLT ET AL AUTOMOBILE WINDOW CONSTRUCTION Filed April 1, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \"FNTfRS 1 TTUR NEYS.

Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT Thomas W. Holt and John F. Levan, Elkhart,

Ind., assignors to Excel Curtain Company, Elkhart, Ind, a corporation of Delaware Application April 1,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to window constructions, and particularly to constructions used in motor vehicles where the window is raised and lowered into and out of a well in the door, or in the car body, and more particularly to a construction wherein an essential part of the guide mechanism for guiding the window sash into and out of the well, and holding it from undue edgewise movement, and other movements, that is, movements other than the up and down movement, is located in the well between the side edges of the sash.

It has for its object, a particularly compact, rigid, support for a carriage, or follower, movable along the guide in the well, and also a simple and firm construction by which the support is rigidly secured to the bottom rail of the sash, and rigidly supports .the carriage, or traveler, throughout the length of the carriage, or traveler.

It further has for its object, a particularly simple and economical construction of the carriage, or traveler, for coacting with the channel shaped guide, and for holding the carriage, or

traveler, from looseness in the guide.

The invention consists in the novel features and after set forth and claimed.

' :In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly broken away and partly in section, of a sash embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on lines 22, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, edge View of parts seen in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, vertical, transverse, sectional View through an automobile door body showing the location of the guide for the sash,

and the position of the sash and the carriage, or traveler, movable in the guide. 1 Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a face view, partly in section, and an end view of the channel shaped guide and associated parts.

This invention comprises generally, a bracket secured to the sash and having a portion extending along the bottom rail thereof, and located in the plane of the sash, and a carriage, or traveler, secured to the bracket and movable along the guide inthe well, the carriage being rigidly supported by the bracket throughout the length of .the carriage and located out of the plane of the sash. The bracket also having means, as a prong, lapping one of the stiles of the sash and secured in the combinations and constructions herein-' 1935, Serial No. 14,078

thereto, whereby the sash seats in a corner formed by the prong and the portion of the bracket which extends along the lower edge of the bottom rail.

I designates the sash generally, it including a 5 bottom rail 2, stiles 3, top rail 4, and glass pane held thereby, although some of these sash members may be omitted.

In the construction here shown, one of the stiles is provided with a vertical extension 5 which runs in a suitable guide in the well, and is provided with spring pressed compression devices 5, 1, coacting with the guide in which it runs. This, however, per se, forms no part of this invention.

H designates the bracket, this being here shown as triangular in general form and having a portion l2 which extends along the bottom rail of the sash and which is secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by rivets l3, an upright portion l4, and an inclined or brace portion l5 connecting the lower end of the upright portion l4 and the outer end of the portion l2. The bracket is also formed with an angular prong I6 extending into the end of the adjacent stile 3, and secured therein in any suitable manner, as by screws H. The stile 3, and the other sash frame members, are formed hollow, usually of sheet metal, and with a suitable groove for receiving the glass pane. The prong l6 extends into the end of the, hollow stile outside of the bottom of the glass, and is secured to the botom of the glass groove by the screws ll, Figure 1. Thus, the prong I6 is located within the widthwise dimension of the stile. The sash frame thus seats in the angle formed by the prong and the horizontal portion [2 of the bracket, and when the horizontal portion l2 and the prong are secured in position by the rivets l3, and the screws ll, the sash and the bracket are rigidly secured together, so that the sash, in its up and down movement, is guided and held from edgewise, and other movements, by a guide means inset from one of the side edges of the sash. This is particularly advantageous in windows which are raised and lowered into and out of a well where the well is of such shape that its lower corner is obstructed by a curved wall, due to a curve of the fender of the automobile, or motor vehicle.

The bottom rail 2 is also formed hollow and demountable from the stiles to permit the replacement of the glass. It is secured to the stiles, in the illustrated form of the invention, by a member extending lengthwise of the hollow bottom rail and secured at its ends to the base of the prong I6 and to the stile 3 on the opposite side of the sash. This member is shown as a tie bolt or screw 1 8 threading at l9 at one end into the base of the prong l6, and having a sleeve screw 28' threading on the opposite end, the sleeve extending through the stile, with its head 2| thrusting against the bottom of a countersink in the outer face of the stile. In the sash here shown, the stiles 3 and top rail 4 are in the general form of an inverted U, with the exception that usually one of the sides of the U formation, thatis, one of the stiles is inclined downward and outward out of the vertical, and the bottom rail 2 is clamped by the member l8 between the stiles. The screw i8 is thus a screw extending between the stiles lengthwise of the bottom rail, and having threaded connection with at least one of the stiles. The tie rod enables the outside dimension specified for the width of the sash to be held to a very small tolerance. By tightening the sleeve screw 20, the adjustment to the proper dimension can be made, and any projection of the tie rod beyond the outer end, or head, of the sleeve screw can be cut ofi.

22 designates the channel shaped guide, this being rigidly secured in any suitable manner within the well, as shown in Figure 4. This guide is channel shaped in cross section, as seen in Figure 6, and the margins 23 of the side walls of the channel overhang the bottom thereof. Also, a spring pressed track 24 is mounted in the channel along one side thereof, it being spring pressed inwardly by springs 25 encircling studs 26 on the track, these studs extending through embossments 21 on one side of the channel, as seen in Figure 5. The track, per se, forms no part of this invention, and the general construction and combination of the track, channel shaped guide, and carriage, or traveler, located between the side edges of the window sash, form the subject matter of our Patent No. 1,997,865.

29 designates the carriage, or traveler, movable in the guide channel l8, this consisting of a suitable body, and rollers 30, 3|, mounted in the body and projecting beyond opposite side edges thereof, pairs of rollers being located near the upper and lower ends of the body, and the rollers 30 projecting beyond one side edge coacting with one side wall of the channel 22, and the rollers 3| projecting beyond the other side edge coacting with the spring pressed track. The carriage is also provided with wear strips for engaging the bottom of the channel 22 and the overhanging margins, 23.

The body of the carriage 29., as here illustrated,

comprises a base plate 32, and a superposed plate 33 having its end portions 34 oiTset, and its intermediate portion overlying and secured to the base plate 32, the overhanging portions forming pockets in which are located the rollers 30, 3|. The axles for these rollers are balls 35 seated partly in sockets formed in the plate 32 and in the offset portions 34 of the plate 33, and in axial sockets in the rollers.

The carriage also includes wear plates 36 and 31 on opposite sides of the carriage 29, one of these being resilient and as here shown, the one overlying the plate 33, with the oiiset ends 34, is formed with resilient end portions. These wear plates engage respectively the bottom of the channel, and the overhanging margins 23, and tend to thrust the carriage, or hold the carriage from movement in a direction at a right angle to the plane of the sash, while the spring pressed track acting on the rollers holds the carriage and the sash-from edgewise cocking movement. The

wear strip 31 conforms generally to the plate 33 with the offset ends 34, and is secured thereto between its ends, or between the ofisets, so that its end portions are resilient, or capable of reacting under its resiliency. The wear plate 36 lies flatwise against the outer side of the plate 32. The carriage 29 is rigidly secured to the upright portion M of the bracket l I throughout its length, in any suitable manner, as by screws 38, 39, located near the upper and lower ends of the carriage, and at the intermediate portion of the carriage 29. The upright portion is here shown as formed with bosses on which the carriage 29 bears at the points the screws are located.

The sash is provided with suitable means, not shown, for raising and lowering it. This means may be of any well known construction and includes followers which work in a suitable groove 4!] depending from the bottom rail of the sash.

Owing to the bracket construction, the guiding mechanism for, the sash, located between the side edges of the sash, is particularly simple, light, and rigid, and the bracket, owing to its construction, is rigidly secured to a light sash without straining the sash, and also rigidly supports the carriage, or traveler, throughout the length thereof, avoiding distortion, or play, of the carriage out of alinement during the raising and lowering of the sash, so that the carriage can be fitted in the guide without looseness in any direction.

What we claim is:

1. In an automobile window construction, a body formed with a well, a window sash movable into and out of the well, out of and into closed position and including a bottom rail, and means located in the well between the side edges of the sash for guiding the sash in its movement, said means comprising a guide in the well and offset from the path of the sash, a rigid bracket secured to the bottom rail thereof and below the bottom rail, and located in the plane of the sash, and a carriage movable along the guide and having means coacting with the guide at spaced apart points on each longitudinal edge of the carriage near the upper and lower ends of the carriage, the bracket bracing the carriage at said points, and spring means for holding the carriage in snug engagement with the guide at said spaced apart points.

2. In an automobile window construction, a body formed with a well, a window sash movable into and out of the well, out of and into closed position, and means located in the Well between the side edges of the sash for guiding the sash in its movement, said guide means including a channel shaped guide in the well and offset out of the path of the sash, the margins of the side walls of the channel overhanging the bottom thereof, a carriage sup-ported from the bottom rail of the sash and oiiset from the .plane of the sash, the carriage being movable in the channel and comprising opposing plates formed with pockets between them, rollers mounted in the pockets and projecting beyond the side edges of the plates, and wear strips on the front and rear sides of the carriage, the rollers coacting with the side walls of the guide means, and the wear strips with the bottom and the overhanging margins of the channel.

3. In an automobile window construction, a body formed with a well, a window sash movable into and out of the well, out of and into closed position, and means located in the well between the side edges of the sash for guiding the sash in its movement, said guide means including a channel shaped guide in the well and offset out of the path of the sash, the margins of the side walls of the channel overhanging the bottom thereof, a carriage supported from the bottom rail of the sash and offset from the plane of the sash, the carriage being movable in the channel and comprising opposing plates formed with pockets between them, rollers mounted in the pockets and projecting beyond the side edges of the plates, and a resilient wear strip on one side of the carriage, the rollers coacting with the side walls of the guide means, and the wear strip pressing against the channel in a direction parallel to the with a well, a window sash movable into and out of the well, out of and into closed position, and means located in the well between the side edges of the sash for guiding the sash in its movement, said guide means including a channel in the well, and having the margins of its side walls overhanging the bottom of the channel, a carriage carried by the sash and movable in the guide means, the carriage having rollers extending beyond the side edges thereof and coacting with the side walls of the guide means, and wear plates on opposite sides of the carriage for coacting with the bottom of the channel and the overhanging margins of the side walls.

5. In a window construction, a body formed with a well, a window sash movable into and out of the well, out of and into closed position, and means located in the well between the side edges of the sash for guiding the sash in its movement, said giude means including a guide in the form of a channel in the well, and having the margins of its side walls overhanging the bottom of the channel, a carriage carried by the sash and movable in the guide means, the carriage having rollers extending beyond the side edges thereof and coacting with the side walls of the guide means, and wear plates on opposite sides of the carriage for coacting with the bottom of the channel and the overhanging margins of the side walls, one of said wear plates having resilient portions for holding the carriage from looseness in the channel.

6. In a window construction, a body formed with a well, a window sash movable into and out of the well, out of and into closed position, and means located in the well between the side edges of the sash for guiding the sash in its movement, said guide means including a guide in the form of a channel in the well, and having the margins of its side walls overhanging the bottom of the channel, a carriage carried by the sash and movable in the guide means, the carriage having rollers extending beyond the side edges thereof and coacting with the side walls of the guide means, and wear plates on opposite sides thereof for coacting with the bottom of the channel and the overhanging margins of the side walls, one of said wear plates having resilient portions for holding the carriage from looseness in the channel, and spring means thrusting in a direction edgewise of the channel and the carriage for holding the carriage from looseness.

7. In a Window construction, a body formed with a well, a window sash movable into and out of the well, and out of and into closed position, and means located in the well between the side edges of the sash for guiding the sash in its movement, said guide means including a guide in the form of a channel, a carriage supported by the sash and movable in the channel, and comprising a base plate, a second plate mounted on the base plate and secured thereto and having oflset end portions forming pockets, rollers mounted in the pockets and projecting beyond the side edges of the plates for coacting with the side walls of the guide means.

THOMAS W. HOLT. JOHN F. LEVAN.

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