Pilkington North America, Inc.

Libbey-owens-ford Co.

H Richard Voght

Charles E Ash

Shane C Seiple

David W Lahnala

Gary W Bernier

John H Gillen

A flush-flush horizontal vehicle window assembly is provided that includes a sliding panel with guide pins, formed with a load-bearing shoulder, on sliding panel corners, and a frame defining a window opening. The frame is attached to two fixed panels. Upper/lower tracks are attached above/below the window opening. Each track has a leading and a trailing guide path formed through a surface of the respective tracks, where the pins partially project into the guide paths and where load-bearing shoulder surfaces smoothly and reliably slide on the track surfaces. Each leading guide path is 'S' shaped and each trailing guide path is shaped in a perpendicular manner at one end, which causes the sliding panel to smoothly enter and seal the window opening in a flush manner. An aesthetically pleasing flush-flush slider results when the sliding panel is in the plane of the window opening and further in the plane of the outer vehicle body panel.

Vehicle window assembly

A vehicle slider assembly has a frame, upon which a fixed panel and an upper and a lower track are attached, and a slider panel assembly that moves in the tracks. The frame defines a window opening that the moving slider panel assembly opens and closes. The interior surfaces of the frame provide constant sealing surfaces for seals attached to the outwardly directed slider panel surfaces. The lower horizontal portion of the frame is adjacent to the lower track and has drain holes through it. The lower track has a reservoir channel defined in it, such that, moisture that is interior to the vehicle slider assembly accumulates in the reservoir channel and flows through the drain holes to the exterior of the vehicle slider assembly. An appliqu&#xe9; may be disposed over the exterior of the lower frame portion so that the flow of the moisture is hidden in an unencumbered and aesthetically pleasing manner.

Vehicle slider assembly

Vehicle window assembly with horizontal slider

A molding apparatus and method of use thereof. The molding apparatus has a stationary mold base, and at least one moveable mold core rotatable into and out of a facing relationship with the stationary mold base. When the moveable mold core is in its closed position, it cooperates with the stationary mold base to define a mold cavity. The mold base may be shaped so as to aid in forming a part, or to hold a sheet of material onto which molding material is to be deposited so as to encapsulate the part on one or more edges or surface regions. Structure may also be encapsulated onto the surface of the material during the molding operation.

Molding method for encapsulating a part

Molding apparatus for encapsulating a part

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Perrysburg, OH, United States of America

H Richard Voght