Patent ID: 6059352
Filing Date: 2000-05-09
Classification: B60J,Y10T

Abstract:
A door assembly for closing a continuous door opening formed through a side of a body of a pick-up truck comprising:a rocker at a bottom portion of the door opening;a roof rail at a top portion of the door opening;a first door pivotally connected to the body and a second door pivotally connected to the body for pivotal movement between an open position and a closed position closing the door opening;a side latch assembly connected to said first door and said second door to hold said first door and said second door fast in said closed position;a vertical reinforcement assembly extending from said roof rail to said rocker and offset from a centerpoint of the door opening and including a metal vertical reinforcement beam disposed within said second door, said vertical reinforcement beam having a longitudinal width greater than a lateral thickness thereof; andsaid vertical reinforcement assembly including an upper latch assembly operatively connected to said vertical reinforcement beam to latch said second door to said roof rail and a lower latch assembly operatively connected to said vertical reinforcement beam to latch said second door to said rocker to resist inward movement of said first door and said second door from said closed position with respect to the body of the pick-up truck upon imposition of an excessive or side intrusion load on an outer panel of said first door and said second door and to provide a load path to the body.