Patent ID: 7669635

Claim:
A window shade arrangement ( 14 ) for motor vehicles comprising: a rotatably mounted window shade shaft ( 19 ), a drive ( 21 ) for turning the shaft in one direction of turning movement, a window shade web ( 15 ) having one edge fastened to the window shade shaft ( 19 ) and an opposite edge that is selectively moveable from the window shade shaft ( 19 ), a pull rod ( 22 ) connected to said moveable window shade web edge, a pair of guide rails ( 16 ) disposed in spaced-apart relation to each other for guiding movement of said pull rod ( 22 ) with said window shade web ( 15 ), a locking device ( 36 , 47 , 48 , 51 ) for temporarily locking said pull rod at an extended position away from said winding shaft ( 19 ), said locking device including an elongated locking element ( 33 ) fixed to an end of said pull rod for movement with said pull rod in one of said guide rails, said locking element ( 33 ) having opposed elongated side surfaces and an abutment surface ( 36 ) at an end of said side surfaces, said one guide rail having a fixed locking abutment surface ( 47 ) disposed at a predetermined location along the guide rail transverse to the direction of movement of said locking element in the guide rail, said one guide rail having a fixed swivel edge ( 51 ) at a predetermined location along the guide rail arranged opposite said guide rail abutment surface ( 47 ) and transverse to the direction of movement of said locking element in said one guide rail, and said locking element ( 33 ) being movable with said pull rod ( 22 ) to a position adjacent said swivel edge ( 51 ) and as an incident to swivel movement of the pull rod ( 22 ) about the longitudinal axis of said pull rod one of said_side surfaces_of said elongated locking element is engageable with said fixed swivel edge for swivel movement about said fixed swivel edge ( 51 ) for enabling movement of said locking element abutment surface ( 36 ) into locking engagement with said oppositely located fixed abutment surface ( 47 ) for retaining the pull rod ( 22 ) in a locked position, and wherein said locking element abutment surface ( 36 ) is movable into engaging relation with said fixed abutment surface ( 47 ) in response to swivel movement of said one locking element side surface in one direction about side swivel edge ( 51 ), and said locking element abutment surface ( 36 ) being releasable from engaging relation with said fixed abutment surface ( 47 ) in response to swivel movement of said one locking element side surface about said swivel edge in an opposite direction.