Air deflector for motor vehicles

Claim 1

IN A MOTOR VEHICLE HAVING A CURVED ROOF, AND AN OPENING IN SAID ROOF DEFINING LATERAL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING EDGES AND FRONT AND REAR TRANSVERSE EDGES, THE VEHICLE FURTHER HAVING A SLIDABLE ROOF PORTION MOVABLE BETWEEN RETRACTED AND EXTENDED POSITIONS FOR RESPECTIVELY OPENING AND CLOSING SAID OPENING: AN AIR DEFLECTOR FOR DIVERTING THE AIR STREAM FROM SAID OPENING WITH THE ROOF PORTION RETRACTED, SAID AIR DEFLECTOR COMPRISING: A THIN STRIP OF ELASTIC MATERIAL SUPPORTED ADJACENT THE FRONT EDGE OF THE ROOF OPENING AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE OPENING, SAID STRIP HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, A RIGID BAR SUPPORTING THE STRIP ONLY AT THE LOWER END THEREOF WHILE LEAVING THE REMAINDER OF THE STRIP FREE FOR DEFLECTION, SAID BAR HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS AND A LONGITUDINAL CURVATURE CORRESPONDING TO THE TRANSVERSE CURVATURE OF THE VEHICLE ROOF, REARWARDLY EXTENDING RESILIENT ARMS CONNECTED TO THE ENDS OF THE RIGID BAR TO SUPPORT THE SAME AND MEANS MOUNTING SAID ARMS ON THE VEHICLE LATERALLY OF THE ROOF OPENING AT A LOCATION IN THE PATH OF THE SLIDABLE ROOF PORTION, SAID ARMS BEING MOUNTED ON THE VEHICLE REMOTE FROM THE BAR SUCH THAT THE RESILIENT ARMS CAUSE THE BAR AND THE STRIP THEREWITH TO BE URGED UPWARDLY TO A POSITION WHEREAT THE STRIP PROJECTS ABOVE THE OPENING IN THE ROOF WITH THE SLIDABLE ROOF PORTION IN THE RETRACTED POSITION THEREOF, SAID RESILIENT ARMS BEING MOUNTED BY THE LAST SAID MEANS WITH AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE ARMS IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE ROOF PORTION FOR BEING CONTACTED AND RESILIENTLY DEFORMED BY THE SLIDABLE ROOF PORTION AS THE LATTER IS MOVED TO THE EXTENDED POSITION THEREOF TO DISPLACE THE BAR AND THE STRIP TO A WITHDRAWN POSITION BENEATH THE ROOF OPENING.