Patent ID: 6899368

Claim:
An articulating decklid system for a vehicle having a body and a retractable roof selectively covering a passenger compartment disposed in the body, the vehicle further having a luggage storage compartment positioned rearward of the passenger compartment and disposed in the body, the luggage compartment having a forward end and a rearward end, the system comprising: a first linkage member having a forward end pivotally interconnected with the vehicle body and a rearward end spaced therefrom; a decklid having a forward end and a rearward end, the rearward end being pivotally interconnected with the rearward end of the first linkage member; a second linkage assembly having an upper end pivotally interconnected with the decklid and a lower end pivotally interconnected with the first linkage member between the forward and rearward ends, the second linkage assembly having a folded position wherein the upper end and the lower end are separated by a first distance and an unfolded position wherein the upper and lower ends are separated by a distance greater than the first distance; an actuator; the decklid system having a first closed position wherein the rearward ends of the first linkage member and the decklid are adjacent the rearward end of the luggage compartment, the second linkage assembly is in the folded position, and the forward end of the decklid is adjacent the forward end of the luggage compartment; the decklid system having a second top receiving position wherein rearward ends of the first linkage member and the decklid are adjacent the rearward end of the luggage compartment, the second linkage assembly is in the unfolded position, and the forward end of the decklid is spaced from the vehicle body so as to define a generally forward facing opening to receive the retractable roof therethrough; and the decklid system having a third luggage receiving position wherein the rearward ends of the first linkage member and the decklid are spaced from the rearward end of the luggage compartment so as to define a generally rearward facing opening to receive luggage therethrough, the second linkage assembly is in the unfolded position, and the forward end of the decklid is spaced from the forward end of the luggage compartment.