Manually-workable devices, particularly for operating locking means of sliding roofs of motor vehicles

Claim 1

A VEHICLE ROOF COMPRISING A FIXED ROOF PART, PORTIONS OF SAID FIXED ROOF PART DEFINING AN OPENING THEREIN, A SLIDING ROOF PART DISPLACEABLE IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF THE VEHICLE ROOF BETWEEN POSITIONS COVERING AND UNCOVERING SAID OPENING, A FRONT TRANSVERSE MEMBER FORMING PART OF SAID SLIDING ROOF PART, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL LOWER PORTIONS OF SAID TRANSVERSE MEMBER DEFINING A BEARING MEMBER WITH A RECESS THEREIN, A PIN ROTATABLY JOURNALED IN SAID BEARING RECESS AND PASSING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY AND APPROXIMATELY IN THE DIRECTION OF THICKNESS OF SAID SLIDING ROOF PART, THE BOTTOM END OF SAID PIN BEING MOUNTED WITHIN SAID BEARING RECESS, EXTENDING SLIGHTLY BEYOND SAID LOWER PORTIONS AND COMPRISING PORTIONS DEFINING A SUBSTANTIALLY CO-AXIAL SCREW-THREADED BORE, A HANDLE HUB PART MOUNTED IN SAID BEARING RECESS ROTATABLE TOGETHER WITH SAID PIN WITHIN SAID BEARING RECESS, PORTIONS OF SAID HANDLE HUB PART DEFINING A RECESS THEREIN AND RECEIVING SAID BOTTOM END OF THE PIN, SAID BEARING RECESS SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDING BOTH SAID BOTTOM END OF THE PIN AND SAID RECESSED PORTIONS OF THE HANDLE HUB PART, FURTHER PORTIONS OF THE LATTER DEFINING A HOLE THERETHROUGH CO-AXIAL WITH SAID BORE, A FASTENING MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOLE AND INTO SAID BORE, PORTIONS OF SAID FASTENING MEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH EXTERNAL SCREW-THREADS ENGAGING IN SAID BORE, THE COMBINATION OF SAID FASTENING MEMBER PORTIONS, SAID BOTTOM END OF THE PIN, SAID RECESSED PORTIONS OF THE HANDLE HUB PART, SAID BEARING RECESS AND SAID LOWER PORTIONS OF THE TRANSVERSE MEMBER FORMING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC AND COMPACT ACTUATING MECHANISM, A HEAD PORTION OF SAID FASTENING MEMBER BEING ACCESSIBLE FROM WITHIN THE VEHICLE FOR ASSEMBLING AND DISASSEMBLING SAID HANDLE HUB PART WITH AND FROM SAID SLIDING ROOF PART, RESPECTIVELY, LOCKING MEANS ON SAID SLIDING ROOF PART EXTENDING TO A LOCATION ADJACENT THE FORWARD EDGE OF SAID OPENING, MEANS CONNECTING SAID LOCKING MEANS ECCENTRICALLY WITH THE TOP END OF SAID PIN SO THAT SAID LOCKING MEANS WILL BE OPERATED BY ROTATING SAID PIN, ENGAGEMENT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIXED ROOF PART AND PROVIDED NEAR SAID LOCATION FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID LOCKING MEANS TO MAINTAIN SAID SLIDING ROOF PART IN SAID COVERING POSITION, AND A HANDLE GRIP PART PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE HUB PART FOR MANUALLY TURNING THE LATTER TOGETHER WITH SAID PIN FOR SIMULTANEOUS ROTATION THEREWITH THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID HANDLE GRIP PART BEING LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE SAME HEIGHT AS SAID HEAD PORTION OF THE FASTENING MEMBER.