Automobile door and seat armrest

Abstract

Various advances are disclosed pertaining to vertically sliding automobile doors of the type which retract under the vehicle floor to open, and rotate upward to close, and in the elevated closed position become an integral part of the vehicle's structural chassis frame. The inventive improvements include: a belly pan spaced below the vehicle floor and side sills under the door openings which serve as fully stressed structural members of the vehicle's chassis; a flap acting as a threshold and serving to cover the door when in a recessed position; door guides which allow the door to 'float' in the door tracks; a door drive system employing a perforated, flexible tape; a latching system to hold the door in the elevated, closed position; an improved side intrusion member and anchoring system therefor; and an outboard armrest pivotally mounted, having a lowered working position and a raised retracted position, also serving to open and close the door, house at least one side impact air bag, and or carry progressively deformable material. An embodiment is also disclosed wherein a rear door and window of a vehicle are cooperatively retractable into a pocket formed on the roof of the vehicle.