Patent ID: 7694712

Claim:
A motor vehicle comprising a vehicle body portion, a window supported in close relation to the vehicle body portion, a window shade assembly supported adjacent a side of said window, said window shade assembly including a shade element that is extendable for covering all or a portion of said window; an elongated window shade housing having a slot from which said shade element is extendable; a winding shaft within said shade housing on which an edge of the shade element is fixed, the winding shaft including a first positive driving element for turning the winding shaft in a direction in which the shade element is wound up on the winding shaft; a coil spring for tensioning the winding shaft in the direction in which the shade element is wound up on the winding shaft; a coil spring housing mounted externally of said window shade housing in which an end of the coil spring is anchored, said coil spring housing including first and second parts said first part including an end wall for mounting adjacent an end of said shade housing and an integrally formed cup-shaped side wall sized smaller than the end wall and the end of said shade housing extending in an axial direction away from the shade housing and wind-up shaft and defining a cavity containing said coil spring therein, said second coil spring housing part also being sized smaller than said end wall and the end of said shade housing configured to form a cover for the first part, and said coil spring housing being disposed within said vehicle body portion such that it is concealed from viewing by a user of the window shade assembly; and a coupling shaft having an end coupled to the coil spring, the coupling shaft including a second positive driving element for producing a positive connection with the first driving element of the winding shaft.