Patent ID: 7500709

Claim:
A folding top for a convertible vehicle, comprising: a roof covering, a rigid rear window assembly arranged and constructed to be pivotably borne on a vehicle body, the rigid rear window assembly comprising a rear window, a foldable top framework having a plurality of side frame parts and being arranged and constructed to be pivotably mountable on the vehicle body rearward of a passenger compartment of the convertible vehicle, wherein the side frame parts are arranged and constructed to support at least a side edge of the roof covering in a closed state of the folding top and wherein the side frame parts are arranged and constructed to move during opening of the folding top such that the side frame parts are at least partially retractable into a rear portion of the vehicle body together with the roof covering and the rear window assembly, and a linkage connecting the rear window assembly to a rearmost one of the plurality of side frame parts, wherein a rear area of the roof covering is affixed to an upper edge and a side edge of the rear window and to the rearmost side frame part and wherein at least the rear area of the roof covering is made of a flexible material, and wherein the linkage is arranged and constructed such that a distance between the rearmost side frame part and the side edge of the rear window passes through a maximum shortly before reaching the fully closed state of the folding top, so that tensioning of the flexible material of the roof covering between the side edge of the rear window and the adjacent side frame part counteracts against an opening of the folding top.