Patent ID: 7975434

Claim:
A window regulator for moving a window glass in an automotive door, comprising: at least one rail; a lift plate for mounting the window glass, slidably coupled to the at least one rail; a drive assembly for moving the lift plate along a portion of the rail via a cable connected to the lift plate; and means for locking the lift plate at any position along the at least one rail when the drive assembly is not engaged and the cable is not tensioned by the drive assembly, and for enabling motion of lift plate when the drive assembly is engaged and the cable is tensioned by the drive assembly, wherein the means for locking includes a locking shoe slidably mounted to an edge of the at least one rail and movable between a locked state achieved by frictional engagement of the locking shoe with the at least one rail to resist motion by the lift plate, and an unlocked state wherein the locking shoe slides along the edge of the at least one rail, wherein the at least one rail includes: a channel running longitudinally along a first surface of the at least one rail, and the locking shoe extends over the channel, the locking shoe further including a pair of opposing ramps abutting a second surface of the at least one rail; a pair of grooves formed in the locking shoe opposite the channel on the at least one rail; at least one ball located between the inner surface of the locking shoe and the at least one rail; wherein disengaging the drive assembly wedges a leading ball of the at least one ball between the channel and one groove of the pair of grooves to frictionally hold the locking shoe in place on the at least one rail and engaging the drive assembly dislodges the leading ball from between the channel and the one groove to permit the locking shoe to slide along the edge of the at least one rail.