Masco Industries, Inc.

Timothy J Farrar

James G Boyko

Stephen B Peterson

A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body is disclosed. The door is supported adjacent its forward end on at least one forward guide member and is supported adjacent its rear end on a rear guide member. The guide members guide the door through (i) an initial closing movement generally parallel to the side panel, (ii) a final closing movement generally parallel to the side panel, (iii) at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of the door opening, and (iv) at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of the door opening. The door operator comprises means including a cable member coupled to the rear end of the door for driving the door along the guide members to thereby move the door through its initial and final opening and closing movements. When used as part of a system, the powered sliding door operating system also includes a clamping means including a rotatable striker plate mounted on the vehicle body and having an eccentrically mounted striker pin thereon engagable by a latch bolt member on the door for clamping the door to the vehicle body with the door in a finally closed position in the door opening.

Powered sliding door opener/closer for vehicles

A door operator for a slide door that is slidingly supported relative to a door opening in a side panel of a vehicle body is disclosed. The door is supported adjacent its forward end on at least one forward guide member and is supported adjacent its rear end on a rear guide member. The guide members guide the door through (i) an initial closing movement generally parallel to the side panel, (ii) a final closing movement generally parallel to the side panel, (iii) at least a portion of its final closing movement generally toward the plane of the door opening, and (iv) at least a portion of its initial opening movement generally away from the plane of the door opening. The door operator comprises means including a first cable member coupled to the rear end of the door and a second cable member coupled to the forward end of the door for driving the door along the guide members to thereby move the door through its initial and final opening and closing movements. When used as part of a system, the powered sliding door operating system also includes a clamping means including a rotatable striker plate mounted on the vehicle body and having an eccentrically mounted striker pin thereon engagable by a latch bolt member on the door for clamping the door to the vehicle body with the door in a finally closed position in the door opening.

A final closing device for a closure member on a vehicle is disclosed. The closure member, which may be swingably, slidably or otherwise mounted for movement between open and closed positions on a vehicle body member, includes a latch bolt movable between latched and unlatched positions. The final closing device includes a striker support plate mounted on the body member for rotational movement about an axis perpendicular to such plate, a striker carried by the striker support plate and projecting therefrom at a position eccentrically offset from the axis, means carried by the body member and connected to the striker support plate for rotating the striker support plate, and means coupled to the rotating means and constructed and arranged to preclude reverse rotation of the striker plate for preventing unintended opening of the closure member when high opening forces are applied thereto. The striker is movable between extended and retracted positions upon unidirectional rotation of the striker support plate so that when the striker is engaged by the latch bolt and the striker support plate is rotated, the closure member is moved between a partially open position, away from the body member, and a fully closed position, in sealing engagement therewith.

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Buxton, ME, United States of America

Timothy J Farrar