Guide and sunshade assembly provided therewith

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11370282-B2
Application number	US-201816005331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2018
Priority date	Aug 18, 2014
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

A guide is presented intended for use in a sunshade assembly of the type comprising a flexible sunscreen having opposed longitudinal edges and two opposed longitudinal guides each comprising at least two spaced guide legs for defining there between a guide channel for receiving therein and guiding corresponding ones of the opposed longitudinal edges of the sunscreen. The guides and longitudinal edges are provided with cooperating guide locking members and edge locking members for preventing the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen from moving out of the guide channels. The guide locking members are defined on separate parts engaging the guides.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sunshade assembly comprising:
a flexible sunscreen having opposed longitudinal edges;
two opposed horizontally oriented longitudinal guides each comprising a lower guide leg and a shorter upper guide leg connected by a guide bottom and vertically spaced apart for defining therebetween a horizontally oriented guide channel for receiving therein and guiding corresponding ones of the opposed longitudinal edges of the sunscreen such that the sunscreen extends in a horizontal plane between the opposed horizontal oriented longitudinal guides, each lower guide leg supporting the sunscreen from below;
wherein the horizontally oriented longitudinal guides and longitudinal edges are provided with cooperating guide locking members and edge locking members for preventing the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen from moving out of the guide channels; and
wherein each guide locking member is defined on a part which is positioned on the upper guide leg of its respective longitudinal guide and wherein the part covers at least a portion of only a free end of the upper guide leg remote from the guide bottom, and wherein each guide locking member defines a flexible lip protruding into the guide channel for defining an entrance opening into the guide channel, the flexible lip configured to bend in an inward direction to a position in which a free end of the flexible lip is directed toward the guide bottom of the guide channel and in which the entrance opening is enlarged and in an outward direction wherein the free end of the flexible lip is directed away from the guide bottom, wherein the flexible lip bends outward in response to passage of positioning members provided on the flexible sunscreen.

2. The sunshade assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each part is attached to the respective upper guide leg using a 2K moulding process.

3. The sunshade assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each part is positioned on the free end of the upper guide leg to define an entrance opening into the guide channel between each part and the lower guide leg.

4. The sunshade assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the guide is attached to, or integrated into an open roof construction for a vehicle.

5. The sunshade assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each part is made of plastic.

6. The sunshade assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible sunscreen comprises opposed transversal edges, the guide further comprising an operating beam connected to a first one of said transversal edges and provided with said positioning members for cooperation with inwardly folded wings of the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen, which positioning members are attached to and extend from the operating beam into corresponding ones of said horizontally oriented longitudinal guides and are movable with the operating beam for again positioning the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen into the horizontally oriented longitudinal guides after coming out of said horizontally oriented longitudinal guides, which positioning members have guide edges for engaging and moving the parts for temporarily enlarging an entrance opening of the guide channel during said passage of the positioning members.

7. The sunshade assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each horizontally oriented longitudinal guide is a part of a main guide.

8. The sunshade assembly according to claim 1 , wherein each horizontally oriented longitudinal guide is combined with a second, main, guide having a second guide channel.

9. The sunshade assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the upper guide leg is a middle guide leg of the horizontally oriented longitudinal guide, the upper guide leg being located between the guide channel and the second guide channel.

10. The sunshade assembly according to claim 1 wherein each part has an end which is shaped such that each part covers only the free end of the upper guide leg.

11. The sunshade assembly according to claim 10 wherein the end of each part encloses only the free end of the upper guide leg.

12. A sunshade assembly comprising:
a flexible sunscreen having opposed longitudinal edges;
two opposed horizontally oriented longitudinal guides each comprising a lower guide leg and a shorter upper guide leg connected by a guide bottom and spaced apart for defining therebetween a guide channel for receiving therein and guiding corresponding ones of the opposed longitudinal edges of the sunscreen such that the sunscreen extends in a horizontal plane between the opposed horizontally oriented longitudinal guides;
wherein the horizontally oriented longitudinal guides and longitudinal edges are provided with cooperating guide locking members and edge locking members for preventing the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen from moving out of the guide channels; and
wherein each guide locking member is defined on a part which is positioned on a free end of the upper guide leg to define an entrance opening into the guide channel between each part and the lower guide leg, and wherein each guide locking member defines a flexible lip protruding into the guide channel for defining an entrance opening into the guide channel, the flexible lip configured to bend in an inward direction to a position in which a free end of the flexible lip is directed toward the guide bottom of the guide channel and in which the entrance opening is enlarged and in an outward direction wherein the free end of the flexible lip is directed away from the guide bottom, wherein the flexible lip bends outward in response to passage of positioning members provided on the flexible sunscreen.

13. The sunshade assembly of claim 12 wherein each part covers at least a portion of the free end of the upper guide leg remote from the guide bottom.

14. The sunshade assembly according to claim 12 wherein each part has an end which is shaped such that each part covers the free end of the upper guide leg.

15. The sunshade assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the flexible sunscreen comprises opposed transversal edges, the guide further comprising an operating beam connected to a first one of said transversal edges and provided with said positioning members for cooperation with inwardly folded wings of the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen, which positioning members are attached to and extend from the operating beam into corresponding ones of said horizontally oriented longitudinal guides and are movable with the operating beam for again positioning the longitudinal edges of the sunscreen into the horizontally oriented longitudinal guides after coming out of said horizontally oriented longitudinal guides, which positioning members have guide edges for engaging and moving the parts for temporarily enlarging an entrance opening of the guide channel during said passage of the positioning members.

16. The sunshade assembly according to claim 12 , wherein each horizontally oriented longitudinal guide is a part of a main guide.

17. The sunshade assembly according to claim 12 , wherein each horizontally oriented longitudinal guide is combined with a second, main, guide having a second guide channel.

18. The sunshade assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the upper guide leg is a middle guide leg of the horizontally oriented longitudinal guide, the upper guide leg being located between the guide channel and the second guide channel.

Assignees

• Inalfa Roof Sys Group Bv

Inventors

• Rikkert Robert
• Van Doleweerd Theodorus
• Munsters Paulus Johannes Wilhelmus
• Clephas Petrus Martinus Josephus

Classifications

• B60J1/2052 Primary

  Guides · CPC title

• E06B9/581

  Means to prevent or induce disengagement of shutter from side rails · CPC title

• B60J7/0015

  roller blind · CPC title

• B60J7/003 Primary

  one or more sliding rigid plate or lammellae · CPC title