Abstract:
A side car window and sunscreen assembly for selectively moving the sunscreen with the movement of the window includes a window located within a window track of a side door and selectively movable between an open and closed position, a sheet material or sunscreen positionable within the window track adjacent to the side car window wherein the sheet material has one edge selectively attachable to the car window. Selective attachment between the sunscreen and window may be accomplished through a magnetic strip attached to one of the window and sunscreen and may further include a portion of the sunscreen pivotable about a hinge.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to vehicle windows and especially for a sunscreen for a car window. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     During certain daytime driving conditions, the driver and his passengers may be annoyed by the beating of the sun rays through the side windows of the vehicle. Currently there are many devices available for the aftermarket that can be attached to the side of a window or the window frame which reduces the heat and glare from the sun upon the interior of the vehicle. All of these aftermarket devices require a manual installation or removal of the device against the window. As a result if during the middle of a ride the sun begins to glare into the side window where a child is seated, the driver must pull over to the side to manually install the sunscreen to protect the child from the sun glare. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the intent of the present invention to address the aforementioned concerns by providing a side car window and sunscreen assembly for selectively raising and lowering the sunscreen with the movement of the window within the window track. The car window and sunscreen assembly of the present invention is aesthetically pleasing without any cumbersome installation by the driver. The assembly comprises a window located in a window track of a side door of a vehicle and that is selectively moveable between open and closed positions. A semi-flexible sheet material is positioned adjacent to the side car window within the window track. The sheet material may simply move adjacent to but independently of the window or may have one edge that is selectively attachable to the car window. 
     In one aspect of the invention one edge of the sunscreen has a magnetic strip attached thereon and one edge of the car window has a metallic strip thereon, wherein the magnetic strip is selectively movable toward the metallic strip for connection thereto. 
     In another aspect of the sheet material has a lip along its upper edge for manually raising and lowering the screen with the operator&#39;s fingers. 
     In another aspect of the invention the sheet material has a U-shaped hinged portion along one edge for selectively gripping one edge to the window. 
     In yet another aspect of the invention the assembly the sheet material is flexible and the assembly further includes a roller wherein the flexible sheet material is retractable onto the roller when not connected to the window. 
     Other applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description of the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an end cross-sectional view of a vehicle car door having a car window and sunscreen assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the interior of a vehicle car door having a car window and a sunscreen assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2B is an end cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the invention of FIG. 2A; 
     FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3B is an end cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 4A is an end cross-sectional elevational view of a fourth embodiment of the invention: 
     FIG. 4B is an end cross-sectional elevational view of a fifth embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 5A is an end cross-sectional elevational view of a sixth embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 5B is an end cross-sectional elevational view of a seventh embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 6A is a cross sectional view of a eighth embodiment of the invention; and 
     FIG. 6B is a cross sectional view of a ninth embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention as shown in the Figures, provides a car window and sunscreen assembly  10  for a car door  12  or other side window (not shown) on a vehicle. The car window and sunscreen assembly include a window  14  and a sunscreen  16  positionable within the track  18  of a conventional car door  12  or side window frame (not shown). The sunscreen  16  can be a tinted plastic or a screen mesh material that minimizes sun rays from penetrating past the sunscreen and provides either transparent, semi-transparent or opaque coverage. 
     The conventional window  14  includes means for raising and lowering the window. The means for raising and lowering the window may include a button  22  to activate the power window mechanism (not shown) or a handle (not shown) for mechanically raising and lowering the Window  14 . 
     The present invention includes a sunscreen  16  positioned within the same track  18  as the window  14  or in an adjacent track to the window. In the first embodiment, the sunscreen  16  is a semi-flexible material that can be raised independently from the window  14  by manually gripping a lip  17  located along an upper peripheral edge  38  of the sunscreen  16 . An operator can raise the sunscreen by manually lifting the lip  17  on the sunscreen  16 . The operator can lower the sunscreen by manually applying a download force on the lip  17  of the sunscreen  16 . The sunscreen  16  can be raised or lowered regardless of the position of the window  14 . 
     In a second embodiment, shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B the car window and sunscreen assembly  10  is configured so that the car window  14  can be raised and lowered independently of the sunscreen  16 , but the sunscreen  16  is only raised and lowered with the car window  14 . An activation sunscreen button  24  coordinates with the window button  22  to raise the window  14  so that the sunscreen  16  is activated to move along with the window  14 . 
     FIG. 2B shows a cross sectional view of the car door  12  showing the window  14  and sunscreen  16  in a lowered position within the track  18  of the door. The sunscreen  16  is positioned adjacent the interior  26  of the door panel  12 . The car window and sunscreen assembly  10  includes a means for attaching the sunscreen  16  to the window  14  so that when the window  14  is raised by the power button  22  or handle (not shown) then the sunscreen  16  will also be raised with the movement of the window  14 . FIGS. 2A and 2B shows one embodiment for providing the means for raising the sunscreen  16  with the window  14 . The sunscreen  16  is provided at its lower end with a magnetic strip  28  extending along the lower peripheral edge  30  of the sunscreen  16 . The magnetic strip  28  is hingedly connected to the peripheral edge  30 , so that the magnetic strip  28  may pivot within the track  18  about edge  30 . The lower peripheral edge  32  of the window  14  is provided with a metallic strip  34  attached to the inner surface of the window  14 . 
     FIG. 5A shows an alternative embodiment to FIGS. 2A and 2B. In FIG. 5A, a magnetic strip  28  is located along the upper peripheral edge  36  of the window  14 . A metallic strip  34  is hingedly connected to the upper peripheral edge  38  of the sunscreen  16 . The metallic strip  34  pivots about the hinge  40  by actuation of the sunscreen button  24  which communicates mechanically or electronically to the hinge  40 . Therefore it can be seen by viewing FIGS. 2S,  2 B and  5 A that the metallic strip  28  can be located on either the upper or lower peripheral edges of either the window  14  or sunscreen  16 . When the magnetic strip  28  is located on one of the window  14  or sunscreen  16 , the metallic strip  34  is located on the other one of the window  14  or sunscreen  16 . In addition, either the magnetic strip  28  or the metallic  34  may be hingedly connected to the sunscreen  16 . 
     The embodiments shown in FIGS. 2A,  2 B and  5 A work similarly. If the sunscreen switch  24  is activated, the hinge  40  which mechanically or electronically communicates with the switch  24  will pivot so that the magnetic strip  28  or metallic strip  34  will move toward the window  14 . The magnetic strip  28  or metallic strip  34  on the sunscreen  16  will only connect with the corresponding strip on the window  14  when both the window  14  and sunscreen  16  are in the same position, either fully lowered or raised. With the strip on the sunscreen  16  connected to the corresponding strip on the window  14 , both the sunscreen and window will be raised or lowered by the window handle or power window button  22 . If the sunscreen switch  24  is not activated, the window  14  can be raised and lowered independently. 
     FIG. 5B shows an additional aspect of the activation assembly  10  wherein the magnetic strip  28  and metallic strip  34  are located along the upper peripheral edges of the window  14  and sunscreen  16 . FIG. 5B shows that the sunscreen  16  also has a horizontal ledge  42  along its lower peripheral edge  30 . The horizontal ledge  42  will be positioned under the lower peripheral edge  32  of the window  14 . When both the window  14  and sunscreen  16  are in the lower position as shown in FIG. 2B, if the occupant of the vehicle wants both the window  14  and the sunscreen  16  in an up or closed position, the occupant will activate sunscreen switch  24  which will pivot the magnetic strip  28  or the metallic strip  34  toward each other. When the power window button  22  or handle is activated both the window  14  and sunscreen  16  will raise simultaneously since the sunscreen  16  is magnetically attached to the window  14 . If the occupant deliberately or inadvertently deactivates sunscreen button  24  while the window and sunscreen are raised, the magnetic strip  28  will be spaced or removed from the metallic strip  34 . Although the sunscreen  16  will not fall into the track  18  of the door or panel of the vehicle because of the friction within the frame opening, if the occupant decides to lower the window  14 , the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A would not necessarily lower the sunscreen  16  also. Therefore, the horizontal ledge  42  provides a means for lowering both the window  14  and sunscreen  16  simultaneously upon lowering the window  14 . The lower peripheral edge  32  of the window will provide a downward force upon the horizontal ledge  42  to thus move the sunscreen  16  also into the lowered position. 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B show other embodiments. In FIGS. 4A and 4B, the sunscreen  16  is provided with a pivotally hinging U-shaped member  44  along its upper peripheral edge  38 . The U-shaped member  44  will pivot about its hinge  40  to surround and grip the upper peripheral edge  36  of the window  14  as shown in FIG. 4B, either mechanically or electronically by the activation of sunscreen button  24 . When the sunscreen button  24  is in the off or deactivated position, the U-shaped member  44  will pivot away from the window  14  as shown in FIG.  4 A. The U-shaped member  44  preferably is a resilient member that has gripping properties for providing a frictional grip about the upper peripheral edge  36  of the window  14 . When the U-shaped member  44  is gripping the window  14 , and the occupant powers the window  14  in the up position by power button  22 , the window  14  will carry the sunscreen  16  into the upward position also. 
     Again, the sunscreen  16  and window  14  must be in the same position for this U-shaped member  44  to grip the upper peripheral edge  36  of the window when the sunscreen button  24  is activated. A spring  45  is attached to the lower peripheral edge  30  of the sunscreen  16 . The spring  45  biases the sunscreen  16  to the lowered position when the U-shaped member  44  is not gripping the upper peripheral edge  36  of the window  14 . FIG. 4B shows the embodiment without the spring  45  but provides the additional feature of the horizontal ledge  42  positioned under the lower peripheral edge  32  of the window. As discussed supra regarding FIG. 5B, if the occupant deliberately or inadvertently deactivates the sunscreen button  24  the U-shaped member  44  will pivot away from its gripping position so that the sunscreen  16  is no longer connected to the window  14 . If the occupant deactivates the sunscreen button  24  when the window  14  and sunscreen  16  are in the up and closed position, then if the occupant decides to lower the window the lower peripheral edge  32  of the window  14  will place a downward force on the horizontal ledge  42  to carry the sunscreen  16  to the downward or open position also. 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B show yet another embodiment for raising the sunscreen  16  independently from the window  14 . In this embodiment the sunscreen  16  is powered by a conventional motor  46  and cam assembly  48  similar to the motor and cam assembly (not shown) for a window  14 . A separate button or switch  23  will actuate the motor  46  to raise or lower the sunscreen  16  by means of the cam assembly  48 . The movements of the sunscreen  16  and window  14  are independent from each other, wherein each of the window  14  and sunscreen  16  has its own actuation button  22  and  23  respectively for activating its own motor and cam assembly. 
     FIGS. 6A and 6B respectively shows the embodiments of a magnetic and metallic strip on the window and sunscreen, and the U-shaped member  44  along the upper peripheral edge of the sunscreen accompanying a retractable roller mechanism  50 . The roller mechanism  50  is a conventional device which includes a roller  52  disposed between two end caps  54 . The roller  52  rotates on and between the end caps  54 . The roller mechanism  50  is disposed within a cavity  56  cut into the interior of the door frame  12  or side panel of the vehicle. The flexible material of the sunscreen  16  is wound about the roller  52 . An upper peripheral edge  38  of the sunscreen is allowed to be exposed even when the sunscreen is in its lowered position. The exposed upper peripheral edge  38  of the sunscreen  16  from the roller  52  allows for the hinged end on the sunscreen  16  to pivot toward the window  14  when the sunscreen switch  24  is activated and when both the window  14  and the sunscreen  16  are in the fully lowered position. With the roller mechanism  50 , the occupant may deactivate the sunscreen switch  24  when both the window  14  and the sunscreen  16  are in the raised position so that the sunscreen  16  will disconnect from the window  14 . The roller mechanism  50  is biased to wind the flexible sunscreen material about the roller. Therefore, when the sunscreen switch  24  is deactivated, the sunscreen  16  will automatically retract around the roller  52 . 
     The invention provides the advantages of being an assembly that is original equipment installed by the manufacturer and therefore requiring no installation by the owner of the vehicle. Further, the sunscreen  16  can be selectively raised with the window  14  automatically without the driver stopping the vehicle. When the sunscreen  16  is in the raised position, the interior of the vehicle is kept cooler and protected from sun damage. Articles stored in the vehicle are hidden from view from passers-by. -The semi-flexible sunscreen provides further protection to the interior of the vehicle in instances where the side window is shattered. The sunscreen material does not shatter and prevents the shattered window glass from falling into the interior of the vehicle. In addition, the car window and sunscreen assembly is virtually unnoticeable to the occupants and is therefore an aesthetically appealing option. 
     While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.