Convertible top latching mechanism

A latching mechanism for use with a convertible-type vehicle is disclosed, in which a handle is pivotally rotatable about a fixed pivot pin, the handle being connected to a transfer arm which moves a retaining member out of engagement with a latch pin when the handle is pivotally rotated about the pin to disengage the convertible top from the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to automotive latching mechanisms. More 
particularly, the present invention relates to a latching mechanism 
suitable for use with a convertible-type vehicle. Even more particularly, 
the present invention concerns a latching mechanism for latching a 
convertible top to a stationary structure of the vehicle. 
2. Prior Art 
Due to the continuing popularity of convertible-type vehicles, a need 
exists for reliable, simple to manufacture, and easy to use latching 
mechanisms for removably attaching a convertible top to the windshield 
header of a convertible-type vehicle. Furthermore, since such a release 
mechanism may be operated by people having limited strength, such as, 
e.g., women, children, or older people, it would be advantageous to make 
the release mechanism easy to operate without great exertion, yet secure 
enough to retain the sections in engagement during normal operation of the 
vehicle to which it is attached. While the art has taught numerous 
latching mechanisms, most are too difficult for these types of persons to 
operate. 
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,505, issued to Alexander, discloses a 
latching mechanism for a convertible-type vehicle including a 
two-component, positionally adjustable, assembly which is mounted to the 
vehicle and includes a screw type projection which is received in a keeper 
disposed proximate the windshield header of the vehicle. A handle is 
permanently fixed to the projection to facilitate rotation thereof into 
and out of the keeper for the latching and unlatching, as desired. 
However, the handle in this prior art patent is not so easily rotated as 
to accommodate older persons and the like. The present invention, as will 
subsequently be detailed, overcomes this problem in the prior art. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A latching mechanism in accordance with the present invention is intended 
for use in a vehicle of the type having a movable section mountable to a 
stationary structure of the vehicle, for releasbly latching the movable 
section to the stationary structure of the vehicle. The latching mechanism 
hereof, generally, comprises: 
(a) a first pin member comprising a latch pin having a cutaway section 
formed therein and with a lip extending outwardly below the cutaway 
section, the first pin member being mountable on a movable section of a 
vehicle; and 
(b) a keeper assembly for mounting on a stationary part of a vehicle to 
retentively and disengagably receive the latch pin, the keeper assembly 
comprising: 
(1) a first receiving plate having a hole therethrough which receives the 
latch pin; 
(2) a first transfer arm mounted adjacent the first receiving plate and 
supported for slidable movement thereof with respect to the first 
receiving plate; 
(3) a first retaining member disposed beneath the first receiving plate and 
operatively connected to the first transfer arm, the first retaining 
member being engagable in the cutaway section of the latch pin to 
releasably retain the latch pin in engagement therewith; 
(4) a pivot pin attachable to a stationary section of a vehicle; and 
(5) a handle which is pivotally rotatable on the pivot pin, the handle 
being operatively connected to the first transfer arm for causing slidable 
movement of the transfer arm when the handle is pivotally rotated about 
the pivot pin. 
The present invention further provides a latching mechanism for attaching a 
movable section of a vehicle, such as a header bow of a convertible top, 
to a stationary structure of a vehicle, such as a windshield header. Other 
suitable uses for the mechanism of the present invention will be apparent 
to one skilled in the art. The mechanism of the present invention is 
actuated by the handle which pivots about the pivot pin and is operatively 
connected to the transfer arm to slidably move the transfer arm in a 
direction away from the pivot pin when the handle is rotated in a first 
direction. This outward movement of the transfer arm moves a retaining 
member out of the cutaway section in the latch pin, the latch pin being 
attached to the header bow of a convertible top assembly. When the 
retaining member slides out of the latch pin, the convertible top assembly 
may be released from its attachment to the windshield header for lowering 
of the convertible top assembly. 
Further detail regarding the present invention may be found in the detailed 
description section, and for a more complete understanding of the present 
invention, reference is made to the detailed description and accompanying 
drawing. Throughout the following description and in the drawings, 
identical reference numbers are used to refer to the same component shown 
in multiple figures of the drawings, in which:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings, the latching mechanism of a first 
embodiment of the present invention is shown generally at 20. The latching 
mechanism 20 of the present invention is suitable for latching a movable 
section of a vehicle to a stationary structure thereof, and is 
particularly suitable for use with a convertible-type vehicle 10, the 
vehicle 10 having a foldable roof assembly or convertible top 12 which is 
foldable over a stationary structure 75 of the vehicle 10. The latching 
mechanism 20 of the present invention is adapted to releasably latch the 
foldable roof assembly 12 to the stationary structure 75 of the vehicle 
10. 
Although, the convertible top assembly, per se, does not form a part of the 
present invention, one skilled in the art will recognize that a 
convertible top assembly generally includes side support members connected 
by a series of bows, the forwardmost bow being referred to as the header 
bow 14, and the support structure being covered by a fabric top. 
The foldable roof assembly 12 is attachable to a windshield header 16 
located at the top of a windshield of the vehicle 10. The latching 
mechanism 20 of the present invention comprises two major portions; first, 
at least one pin member 18 which attaches to the convertible top 12, and 
secondly, a keeper assembly 9, which attaches to the stationary structure 
75 of the vehicle 10, for retentively and disengagably receiving the pin 
member therein. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, the keeper assembly 9 is 
mounted to a windshield header 16 of the vehicle 10. The mechanism 20 may 
include a second pin member (not shown) which is substantially identical 
to the first pin member 18. 
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the first pin member 18 includes a latch pin 22 
fixedly attached to a substantially planar base 24 by welding or the like. 
The first pin member 18 is mountable on a header bow 14 of a foldable roof 
assembly 12, and FIG. 3 shows a pin member which is so mounted. In one 
embodiment, the latch pin 22 and base 24 may be integrally formed as a 
unit. The base 24 may have holes 78 formed therethrough as shown in FIG. 4 
for mounting the pin member 18 to a header bow 14 or other movable section 
of a vehicle 10. Attachment of the pin member 18 to the header bow 14 is 
accomplished using threaded fasteners (not shown) or any other suitable 
means, such as bonding or the like. 
The latch pin 22 has a cutaway section 25 formed substantially horizontally 
therein, to define a space for accommodating a retaining member 45 herein. 
A lip 26 extends outwardly from the latch pin 22 below the cutaway section 
25 for releasably retaining a retaining member 45 in the cutaway section, 
as will be further described hereinafter. The latch pin 22 may be flat on 
the side thereof which contains the cutaway section 25 to accommodate a 
flattened portion of the retaining member 45. The keeper assembly 9 
retentively and disengagably receives the latch pin 22 therein. 
The individual components of the keeper assembly 9 which make up the left 
and right halves of the assembly 9 as shown in FIG. 1 are substantially 
identical, except for being mirror images of one another, and are 
virtually identical in most respects. It therefore suffices to show in 
FIG. 4 and to describe herein only the left or driver's side of the latch 
mechanism 20, it being understood that, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, a 
mirror image of each of the parts shown in FIG. 4, is in place on the 
right or passenger's side of the latching mechanism 20 except for the 
parts numbered 50, 52, 54, 56, 59 and 60 in FIG. 4. 50, 52 and 54 are 
central to the assembly and are not duplicated. 56 and 59 are 
corresponding pieces which are both shown, and 60 is the mirror-image part 
which corresponds to 40. 
The keeper assembly 9 includes a support plate 30 which has mounting holes 
31, 32 formed therethrough for mounting the plate 30 to the windshield 
header 16 or other stationary portion of a vehicle 10. A reinforcing plate 
34 attaches to lower surface of the support plate 30 by appropriate 
fasteners (not shown), e.g., rivets, nuts and bolts, or the like, and 
serves to clamp a first receiving plate 35 between the support plate 30 
and the reinforcing plate 34. The first receiving plate 35 has a raised 
collar 33 formed thereon with a hole 36 formed axially in the raised 
collar 33 and through the plate 35 for receiving and guiding the latch pin 
22 therethrough. The first support plate 30 has a hole 28 formed 
therethrough which recieves the raised collar 33 of the first receiving 
plate 35 therein and serves to orient the receiving plate 35 with respect 
to the support plate 30. 
The keeper assembly 9 further includes a first transfer arm 40 which is 
held and supported in a rectangular arm guide 42 having a longitudinal 
slot 44 formed in the lower surface thereof. The longitudinal slot 44 
receives the first transfer arm 40 therein. The arm guide 42 acts in 
cooperation with an arm guide plate 46 which attaches thereto by 
appropriate fasteners such as screws (not shown) or the like. The arm 
guide 42 and the arm guide plate 46 thus support the first transfer arm 40 
for slidable movement thereof in the keeper assembly 9. The first transfer 
arm 40 is disposed below the receiving plate 35 and is slidably movable 
with respect thereto. 
A first retaining member 45 is operatively connected to one end of the 
first transfer arm 40, such as, e.g., by an appropriate fastener 39 such 
as a roll pin or the like. The fastener 39 passes through a hole 43 in the 
end of the transfer arm 40, and the fastener 39 also passes through a hole 
47 formed through the first retaining member 45, thereby fixedly attaching 
the first retaining member 45 to the first transfer arm 40. 
The first retaining member 45 is disposed below the first receiving plate 
35 and is adapted to fit in the cutaway section 25 of the latch pin 22 to 
disengagably retain the latch pin 22 in engagement with the retaining 
member 45. The latch pin 22 has the cutaway section 25 formed therein so 
that a member such as the first retaining member 45 may engagingly fit 
therein, and the lip 26 of the latch pin 22 serves to retain the pin 22 in 
the keeper assembly 9 while the retaining member 45 is disposed in the 
cutaway section 25 of the pin 22. 
Additional structural pieces to support and guide the first transfer arm 40 
with the first retaining member 45 thereon may optionally be provided, 
such as the cross-sectionally C-shaped bracket 48 and the 
cross-sectionally Z-shaped bracket 49 illustrated in FIG. 4, but these 
components are optional. 
The keeper assembly 9 of the present invention also includes a pivot pin 50 
which is attachable to a stationary section 75 of a vehicle such as the 
windshield header 16 in a convertible-type vehicle. In FIGS. 1 and 4, the 
pivot pin 50 is disposed in the center of the swivel plate 53 as will be 
further described herein. A pivot bushing 52, as shown in FIG. 4, may be 
disposed around the pivot pin 50 but is not required. 
A handle 54 mounts on the pivot pin 50 such as, e.g., by installation of 
the pivot pin 50 in a hole 55 formed through a swivel plate 53 which is 
integrally formed as part of the handle 54. The handle 54 is mounted on 
the pivot pin 50 so as to be pivotally rotatable thereon. The handle 54 is 
also operatively connected to the first transfer arm 40 such as, e.g., by 
a first actuator link 56 interposed between the handle 54 and the transfer 
arm. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the actuator link 56 is pivotally 
mounted at each end thereof; it is attached to the first transfer arm 40 
at a hole 41 formed at an end of the transfer arm by a suitable fastener 
(not shown) such as a rivet or bolt which also passes through a hole 57 
formed in an end of the L-shaped actuator link 56. The opposite end of the 
actuator link 56 has another hole 58 formed therein in which a suitable 
fastener (not shown) such as a rivet or bolt fits and fastens the actuator 
link 56 to the handle 54 at a second hole 51 formed in the swivel plate 53 
of the handle 54. Alternatively, (not shown) the transfer arm 40 may be 
directly pivotally connected to the handle 54. 
In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 4, a third hole 61 is formed through 
the swivel plate 53, and a second actuator link 59 is attached thereto by 
appropriate fasteners (not shown). The second actuator link 59 is attached 
at its opposite end by appropriate fasteners (not shown) to a second 
transfer arm 60 which is operable to slidably move a second retaining 
member when the handle 54 is rotated to retentively engage or disengage a 
second retaining member in a second pin member to retain the second pin 
member in a second receiving plate of the keeper assembly 9. The second 
pin member is located at the opposite side of the header bow 14 from the 
first pin member 18 and is substantially identical to the first pin member 
18. Rotation of the handle 54 in this embodiment moves both transfer arms 
40, 60 simultaneously. 
The connection of the handle 54 to the transfer arm 40, whether an actuator 
link is used or not, enables slidable movement of the transfer arm 40 in a 
direction outwardly away from the pivot pin when the handle 54 is 
pivotally rotated about the pivot pin 50 in a counter clockwise direction 
as shown by the arrows in FIGS. 1 and 4. This slidable movement of the 
transfer arm 40 forces the retaining member 45 out of the cutaway section 
25 in the first pin member 18 and disengages the retaining member 45 from 
engagement with the latch pin 22. This allows the foldable top assembly 12 
to be moved upwardly as shown in FIG. 3, allowing the top assembly 12 to 
be disconnected from the windshield header 16 to permit the convertible 
top assembly 12 to be lowered. A different movable roof section, such as 
e.g., T-tops or a convertible hardtop, could be disconnected in a similar 
fashion. 
Referring to FIG. 4, the keeper assembly 9 of the present invention also 
includes means for biasing the first transfer arm 40 towards the pivot pin 
50, such as a spring 62 shown. A boss 63 is fixedly attached to the 
transfer arm 40 and extends upwardly and substantially normally therefrom. 
The attachment of the boss 63 to the transfer arm 40 may be by welding or 
the like. Extending outwardly from the boss 63 and substantially parallel 
to the transfer arm 40 is a spring retaining pin 64 for supporting and 
retaining the spring 62 thereon, on which the spring 62 is mounted. A 
spring resistance tab 65 is provided on the support plate 30 to provide 
resistance to the spring 62 while allowing the spring retaining pin 64 to 
pass through an opening 71 provided in the tab 65. 
In this embodiment, the handle 54 is operatively connected to both the 
first and second transfer arms 40, 60 for simultaneous movement of the 
arms outwardly away from the pivot pin 50 when the handle 54 is pivotally 
rotated about the pin 50. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first and 
second transfer arms 40, 60 are substantially diametrically opposed in 
their orientation relative to the handle 54. 
It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the present 
invention is, also, suitable for use, generally, in latching a movable 
section of a vehicle to a stationary structure of the vehicle. The present 
invention may be used with automotive "T" tops and with the convertible 
hardtops which are now popular.