Bullet-resistant retractable shield assembly

Claim 2

A bullet-resistant shield assembly for partitioning the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle and comprising: horizontally-spaced, generally upright side templates contoured to fit the compartment facing surfaces of vehicle doors rearwardly of a vehicle seat back; window channel means on said templates and facing each other; a window guidingly received in said channel means; a backplate secured to said templates behind said channel means, said window being movable in and guided by said channel means to an upper position in which it closes the area between the upper portion of the seat back and the ceiling of the passenger compartment and downwardly to a storage position, and window lock means secured to said channel means and operable from in front of said window to hold the window in its upper position; said backplate extending horizontally from one of said side templates to the other of said templates, and extending vertically downward from a line above the location of the bottom of the window when the window is up, to a line adjacent the lowermost points on the side templates.

Claim 3

The assembly of claim 1 wherein said window lock means include: a pair of brackets, one bracket being secured to each of said templates; a pair of locks, each lock being mounted in one of said brackets and each lock having a plunger movable rearwardly into position under said window to hold the window up.

Claim 4

The assembly of claim 2 wherein: each lock has a key operable to lock the plunger in the rearward, window-supporting position, the key being thereupon removable from the lock.

Claim 5

The assembly of claim 1 wherein: the outer edge of each template has an upper, window contour matching contoured portion an a lower, door surface contour matching contoured portion.

Claim 6

The assembly of claim 4 wherein: the lower portion has an armrest receiving notch therein.

Claim 7

The assembly of claim 1 wherein: said window is bullet-resistant, transparent plastic about 3/8 inches thick, unframed at the sides and top and directly received and sliding in said channel means, said backplate is bullet-resistant aluminum about 3/16 inch thick, and said templates are bullet-resistant aluminum about 1/4 inch thick.

Claim 8

The assembly of claim 6 wherein: said templates and backplate are solid substantially imperforate sheet material.

Claim 9

In a passenger-carrying vehicle having a passenger compartment with front and back seats, and a front door for access to the front seat and a back door for access to the back seat, partitioning apparatus for the passenger compartment comprising: horizontally-spaced side templates having outer edges snugly fitting the contours of the passenger compartment defining side walls of the vehicle immediately behind said front seat, window guide means on said templates , a window having an upper position in which an upper edge thereof snugly engages the passenger compartment defining ceiling of the vehicle immmediately behind said front seat, said window being movable downwardly in said guide means, said templates being secured to said vehicle independently of said front seat, window lock means secured to said guide means and operable from the said front seat to lock said window in its upper position, said lock means including a pair of locks, each lock including a plunger movable rearwardly into position under said window to hold the window in its upper position; and each lock having a removable key operable to lock the plunger in the rearward, windowsupporting position.

Claim 10

In a passenger-carrying vehicle having a passenger compartment with front and back seats, and a front door for access to the front seat and a back door for access to the back seat, partitioning apparatus for the passenger compartment comprising: horizontally-spaced side templates having outer edges snugly fitting the contours of the passenger compartment defining side walls of the vehicle immediately behind said front seat, window guide means on said templates , a window having an upper position in which an upper edge thereof snugly engages the passenger compartment defining ceiling of the vehicle immmediately behind said front seat, said window being movable downwardly in said guide means, said templates being secured to said vehicle independently of said front seat, window lock means secured to said guide means and operable from the said front seat to lock said window in its upper position, said lock means including a pair of locks, each lock including a plunger movable rearwardly into position under said window to hold the window in its upper position; and each lock having a removable key operable to lock the plunger in the rearward, windowsupporting position.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein: said templates and window are entirely behind the said front seat.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein: said templates are secured to the vehicle by brackets affixed to a post between said front and back doors.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein: said window is bullet-resistant transparent plastic, said templates are bullet-resistant aluminum plates, and a bullet-resistant aluminum backplate is fastened to said templates behind said window and extends across behind the front seat and shields the front seat from the back seat.