Combination Roof Rack and Removable Soft Top

• US 20150123422A1
• Filed: 11/03/2014
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omix-Ada Incorporated (Truck Hero, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Omix-Ada Incorporated (Truck Hero, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, Patrick W., Van Buren, Christopher Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 9,376,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/136.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/061 sliding and folding
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/102 Readily detachable tarpaulins, e.g. for utility vehicles; Frames therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 9/04 Carriers associated with vehicle roof B60R9/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49622 Vehicular structural member making

Abstract

A roof rack and soft top assembly for a vehicle having an exposed passenger compartment protected by a windshield and a roll cage. The assembly includes an outer frame mounted to the vehicle exterior to the roll cage and surrounding a rear passenger compartment, and a plurality of slide rails mounted to the top of the roll cage above a front passenger compartment. The assembly further includes a soft top suspended from the outer frame with fasteners and a header assembly attached to a forward portion of the soft top that slides along the slide rails to engage with the top edge of the windshield, thereby covering the front passenger compartment. When open air driving is desired, the soft top can be withdrawn or removed from the slide rails and the outer frame and stored in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A roof rack and soft top assembly for a vehicle body having an exposed passenger compartment protected by a windshield and a roll cage, the assembly comprising:

an outer frame mounted to the vehicle body exterior to the roll cage and surrounding a rear portion of the passenger compartment; and

a soft top between the outer frame and the roll cage, the soft top including;

a fabric body having a plurality of fasteners spaced across a back portion thereof and operable to removably attach the back portion of the fabric body to the outer frame and cover the rear portion of the passenger compartment; and

a header assembly attached to a forward portion of the fabric body and having a front edge that is operable to removably engage with the top edge of the windshield while drawing the forward portion of the fabric body over a front portion of the passenger compartment.

2. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 1, wherein the header assembly further includes a header bar forming the front edge and having at least one latch for securing the header bar to the upper edge of the windshield.

3. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 2, wherein the header assembly is rotatably engageable with the top edge of the windshield.

4. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of rails mounted to the top of the roll cage above the front passenger compartment; and

a plurality of movable blocks forming a portion of the header assembly and that are translatably engageable with the rails,

wherein the header assembly is operable to translate along the rails while drawing the forward portion of the fabric body over the front portion of the passenger compartment.

5. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 4, wherein the header assembly further includes side bars extending from the header bar and pivotably coupled to the movable blocks to allow the header bar to rotate into and away from engagement with the top edge of the windshield.

6. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 4, wherein the rails are slide rails and the movable blocks are slidably engageable with the slide rails.

7. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fasteners are operable to removably suspend the back portion of the fabric body from the outer frame.

8. A roof rack and soft top assembly for a vehicle body having an exposed passenger compartment protected by a windshield and a roll cage, the assembly comprising:

an outer frame mounted to the vehicle body exterior to the roll cage and surrounding a rear passenger compartment;

a pair of slide rails mounted to the top of the roll cage above a front passenger compartment; and

a soft top between the outer frame and the roll cage, the soft top including;

a fabric body having a plurality of fasteners spaced across a back portion thereof and operable to removably suspend the back portion of the fabric body from the outer frame and cover the rear passenger compartment; and

a header assembly attached to a forward portion of the fabric body, the header assembly including a pair of slide blocks that are slidably engageable with the slide rails and a front edge that is engageable with a top edge of the windshield, the header assembly being operable to slide along the slide rails to removably engage with the top edge of the windshield while drawing the forward portion of the fabric body over the front passenger compartment.

9. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 8, wherein the plurality of fasteners further comprise snap fasteners.

10. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 8, wherein the plurality of fasteners further comprise loops of fabric secured to the fabric body and closeable around selected bars of the outer frame.

11. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 10, wherein the loops of fabric are secured with hook and loop fasteners or zippers.

12. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 8, wherein the fabric body further comprises a top front panel, a top rear panel, and rear corner flaps.

13. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 12, wherein the top front panel, the top rear panel and the rear corner flaps are foldably storable above a sound bar extending between the rearward portion and the front passenger compartment.

14. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 12, wherein the soft top further includes a back panel and at least two side panels that are removably secured to the fabric body with zippers.

15. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 8, wherein the header assembly further includes a header bar forming the front edge and having at least one latch for securing the header bar to the upper edge of the windshield.

16. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 15, wherein the header assembly further includes side bars extending from the header bar and pivotably coupled to the pair of slide blocks to allow the header bar to rotate into and away from engagement with the top edge of the windshield.

17. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 15, further comprising a spring-loaded tension cable extending between the roll cage and the header bar along outer edges of the forward portion of the fabric body, and configured to support the outer edges of the forward portion of the fabric body against a door surround when the header bar is rotated into engagement with the top edge of the windshield.

18. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 8, wherein the outer frame is adapted to support at least one rack feature above the soft top.

19. The roof rack and soft top assembly of claim 18, wherein the at least one rack feature is selected from the group consisting of a bicycle rack, a canoe rack, a ski rack, a snowboard rack, a surfboard rack, and cage rack.

20. A method of covering an exposed passenger compartment of a vehicle body protected by a windshield and a roll cage, the method comprising:

mounting an outer frame to the vehicle body exterior to the roll cage and surrounding a rear passenger compartment;

mounting a plurality of rails to the top of the roll cage above a front passenger compartment;

positioning a soft top between the outer frame and the roll cage, the soft top including a fabric body having a plurality of fasteners spaced across a back portion thereof and a header assembly attached to a forward portion thereof, the header assembly including a pair of movable blocks that are translatably engageable with the rails and a front edge that is engageable with a top edge of the windshield;

engaging the pair of movable blocks with the rails;

coupling the plurality of fasteners to the outer frame to attach the back portion of the fabric body from the outer frame and cover the rear passenger compartment;

moving the header assembly forwardly along the rails to draw the forward portion of the fabric body toward the windshield and cover over the front passenger compartment; and

engaging the front edge of the header bar with the top edge of the windshield to secure the soft top to the vehicle body.