Patent ID: 7584574

Claim:
A sliding window assembly for a vehicle comprising: a track member including a base and a front wall extending from said base and a back wall spaced from and parallel to said front wall and extending from said base to define a generally U-shaped channel defined between said front and back walls, a sliding panel being moveable along said track member between an open position and a closed position, said sliding panel having a generally planar major surface, a pair of shoes each having a unitary, one piece construction immovably connected to and supporting said sliding panel on said track member as said sliding panel moves between said open and closed positions, each said shoe having a tab portion immovably mounted on said sliding panel generally parallel to said planar surface, a body portion extending generally perpendicularly away from said tab portion and said generally planar surface of said sliding panel, and a heel portion extending generally perpendicularly away from said body portion and generally parallel to said tab portion into said channel and slidably engaging said track member, each said heel portion having a heel length parallel with a longitudinal axis of said track member, said front wall defining a pair of gaps extending laterally through said front wall and into said channel and each of said gaps having a gap length along said longitudinal axis of said track member, each said heel length being less than each said gap length to allow each said heel portion to be aligned with and to pass through a respective one of said gaps for removing said sliding panel from said channel of said track member, and said shoes being mounted on said sliding panel such that said shoes are spaced apart from one another along said longitudinal axis of said track member, wherein each said heel portion extends at least partially beyond a respective lateral edge of said sliding panel.