Patent ID: 7874609

Claim:
A method of releasing a door of a vehicle having a door opening and closing means and a door latching means, the door opening and closing means operative to apply an opening force to the door, whereby the door is urged in an open direction, and to apply a closing force to the door, whereby the door is urged in a closed direction, the door latching means operative to move a latch to draw the door from a latched, nominally-closed position, P N , wherein a first portion of the door is proximate to, and is separated by a distance S N from a first portion of a door frame of the vehicle and wherein the door compresses a compressible seal interposed between the first portion of the door and the first portion of the door frame to a compression C N , to a latched, fully-closed position, P F , wherein the first portion of the door is separated by a distance S F from the first portion of the door and the door compresses the seal to a compression C F , and wherein the door latching means is operative to move the latch to an unlatched position in which the latch does not engage the door, the method comprising the steps of: (a) signaling the door opening and closing means to apply a closing force to the door, whereby the door is urged in the closed direction beyond the fully-closed position, P F , to an over-closed position, P O , and the separation distance between the first portion of the door and the first portion of the frame is reduced to S O and the seal is further compressed to C O ; and then (b) signaling the door latching means to move the latch to the unlatched position, whereby the latch moves to the unlatched position and the door is unconstrained by the latch.