Patent ID: 8061290

Claim:
An assembly for covering an opening of a vehicle, comprising: a base frame having a pair of mirror image guide rails with a stop at a forward end and a continuous peripheral sealing surface; a movable panel slidably attached to the guide rails and configured to substantially cover the opening in a closed position and rearwardly movable above a vehicle roof to an open position, the panel having a sealing surface that substantially conforms to the base frame peripheral sealing surface in the closed position; the slidable panel attachment comprising a pair of mirror image slide assemblies on a front panel portion and a pair of mirror image rear brackets on a rear panel portion; the rear brackets being pivotably attached to the guide rails; and the slide assemblies having a panel raising mechanism comprising a drive slide slidably disposed within the guiderails, a locator fixed within the guiderails, and a raising lever disposed between the drive slide and the guide rails, wherein the locator is configured to raise the panel to an open position and a closing position, and the drive slide configured to move the panel to a sealing and an unsealing position.