Window regulator for a station wagon tailgate window

Claim 2

In a station wagon type vehicle body including a rearwardly facing opening for providing rear access to the occupant compartment of the vehicle body, a tailgate movable between open and closed positions with respect to a lower portion of the opening, and a window mounted by the tailgate for movement between lower and upper positions to selectively open and close the upper portion of the opening when the tailgate is in closed position, a regulator for the window comprising, first and second housings mounted on the tailgate in laterally spaced relationship relative to the vehicle, first and second control members respectively mounted by the first and second housings for rotational movement about a common axis, elongated means extending laterally of the vehicle between the control members so as to connect these control members for rotational movement with each other, elongated first and second flexible members having respective ends attached to laterally spaced lower portions of the window, the first and second flexible members being respectively associated with the first and second control members so as to raise the window in response to rotational movement of these control members in a first direction about their common rotational axis and so as to lower the window in response to rotational movement of these control members in a second direction opposite to the first direction, driving means for selectively rotating the control members in either direction to selectively raise or lower the window, and a helical spring encircling the elongated means with one end of the spring fixed relative to one of the housings and with the other end of the spring fixed to the control member associated with the other housing so as to provide a counterbalance for the window during movement thereof between the upper and lower positions.

Claim 3

In a station wagon type vehicle body including a rearwardly facing opening for providing rear access to the occupant compartment of the vehicle body, a tailgate movable between open and closed positions with respect to a lower portion of the opening, and a window mounted by the tailgate for movement between lower and upper positions to selectively open and close the upper portion of the opening when the tailgate is in closed position, a regulator for the window comprising, first and second housings mounted on the tailgate in laterally spaced relationship relative to the vehicle, first and second control members respectively mounted by the first and second housings for rotational movement about a common axis, the control members including annular driving portions concentric with their common axis of rotation, an elongated rod extending laterally of the vehicle between the control members so as to connect these control members for rotational movement with each other, elongated first and second flexible members having respective ends attached to laterally spaced lower portions of the window, the first and second flexible members being respectively passed over the driving portions of the first and second control members in inverted generally U-shaped configurations so as to raise the window iN response to rotational movement of these control members in a first direction about their common rotational axis and so as to lower the window in response to rotational movement of these control members in a second direction opposite to the first direction, manually operable means for rotating the control members in either direction to thereby raise or lower the window, and a helical spring encircling the elongated rod with one end of the spring fixed to one of the housings and with the other end of the spring fixed to the control member associated with the other housing so as to provide a counterbalance for the window during movement thereof between the upper and lower positions.

Claim 4

In a station wagon type vehicle body including a rearwardly facing opening for providing rear access to the occupant compartment of the vehicle body, a tailgate movable between open and closed positions with respect to a lower portion of the opening, and a window mounted by the tailgate for movement between lower and upper positions to selectively open and close the upper portion of the opening when the tailgate is in closed position, a regulator for the window comprising, first and second housings mounted on the tailgate in laterally spaced relationship relative to the vehicle, first and second control members respectively mounted by the first and second housings for rotational movement about a common axis, the control members including annular driving portions concentric with their common axis of rotation, an elongated rod extending laterally of the vehicle between the control members so as to connect these control members for rotational movement with each other, elongated first and second flexible members having respective ends attached to laterally spaced lower portions of the window, the first and second flexible members being respectively passed over the driving portions of the first and second control members in inverted generally U-shaped configurations so as to raise the window iN response to rotational movement of these control members in a first direction about their common rotational axis and so as to lower the window in response to rotational movement of these control members in a second direction opposite to the first direction, manually operable means for rotating the control members in either direction to thereby raise or lower the window, and a helical spring encircling the elongated rod with one end of the spring fixed to one of the housings and with the other end of the spring fixed to the control member associated with the other housing so as to provide a counterbalance for the window during movement thereof between the upper and lower positions.

Claim 5

In a station wagon type vehicle body including a rearwardly facing opening for providing rear access to the occupant compartment of the vehicle body, a tailgate movable between open and closed positions with respect to a lower portion of the opening, and a window mounted by the tailgate for movement between lower and upper positions to selectively open and close the upper portion of the opening when the tailgate is in closed position, a regulator for the window comprising, first and second housings mounted on the tailgate in laterally spaced relationship relative to the vehicle, first and second control members respectively mounted by the first and second housings for rotational movement about a common axis, the control members including annular driving portions concentric with their common axis of rotation and the driving portions having circumferentially spaced driving projections extending radially outward from this axis, one of the control members including gearing means, an elongated rod extending laterally of the vehicle between the control members so as to connect these control members for rotational movement with each other, elongated first and second flexible members with longitudinally spaced apertures, the flexible members having respective ends attached to laterally spaced lower portions of the window and being passed over the annular driving portions of the control members in inverted generally U-shaped configurations so as to register the driving projections of the driving portions and the apertures in the flexible members and to thereby lengthen and shorten the respective ends of the flexible members on each side of the control members in response to rotational movement of these control members, the flexible members raising the window during rotational movement of the control members in a first direction of rotation about their common axis and lowering the window in response to rotational movement of these members in a second direction opposite to the first direction, a pair of guides associated with each of the control members so as to receive respective ends of the flexible members as these flexible members move over the control members and to thereby store these flexible members in each adjusted position of the window, manually operable gearing means for driving the gearing means on the one control member to thereby rotate the control members and raise or lower the window, the manually operable gearing means including a one way spring clutch means for preventing window movement under the impetus of a force applied to the window, and a helical spring encircling the elongated rod with one end of the spring fixed to one of the housings and with the other end of the spring fixed to the control member associated with the other housing so as to provide a counterbalance for the window during movement thereof between the upper and lower positions.

Claim 6

In a station wagon type vehicle body including a rearwardly facing opening for providing rear access to the occupant compartment of the vehicle body, a tailgate movable between open and closed positions with respect to a lower portion of the opening, and a window mounted by the tailgate for movement between lower and upper positions to selectively open and close the upper portion of the opening when the tailgate is in closed position, a regulator for the window comprising, first and second housings mounted on the tailgate in laterally spaced relationship relative to the vehicle, first and second control members respectively mounted by the first and second housings for rotational movement about a common axis, the control members including annular driving portions concentric with their common axis of rotation and the driving portions having circumferentially spaced driving projections extending radially outward from this axis, one of the control members including gearing means, an elongated rod extending laterally of the vehicle between the control members so as to connect these control members for rotational movement with each other, elongated first and second flexible members with longitudinally spaced apertures, the flexible members having respective ends attached to laterally spaced lower portions of the window and being passed over the annular driving portions of the control members in inverted generally U-shaped configurations so as to register the driving projections of the driving portions and the apertures in the flexible members and to thereby lengthen and shorten the respective ends of the flexible members on each side of the control members in response to rotational movement of these control members, the flexible members raising the window during rotational movement of the control members in a first direction of rotation about their common axis and lowering the window in response to rotational movement of these members in a second direction opposite to the first direction, a pair of guides associated with each of the control members so as to receive respective ends of the flexible members as these flexible members move over the control members and to thereby store these flexible members in each adjusted position of the window, manually operable gearing means for driving the gearing means on the one control member to thereby rotate the control members and raise or lower the window, the manually operable gearing means including a one way spring clutch means for preventing window movement under the impetus of a force applied to the window, and a helical spring encircling the elongated rod with one end of the spring fixed to one of the housings and with the other end of the spring fixed to the control member associated with the other housing so as to provide a counterbalance for the window during movement thereof between the upper and lower positions.