Tailgate sealing arrangement

Abstract

A tailgate sealing arrangement for sport utility and other vehicles having a removable, flexible top. The sealing arrangement includes an elongated, rigid member attached to the lower section of the rear portion of the flexible top. The rigid member is removably mounted to extend across the tailgate opening and has a flexible seal depending downwardly from it. The tailgate in the preferred embodiment is mounted for pivotal movement about a vertical axis and has a horizontally extending, flat, upper surface. In operation and as the tailgate is closed, the depending seal contacts and wipes across the flat, upper surface of the tailgate to form an effective sealing arrangement. All of this is done without having to disturb or otherwise manipulate the top.

I claim:  
     
         1 . In a vehicle having a tailgate and a flexible top with a downwardly extending rear portion wherein said tailgate is mounted for movement between an open position providing access to the interior of the vehicle through a tailgate opening in the rear of the vehicle and a closed position preventing access to the interior through said tailgate opening, said rear portion of said flexible top having a lower section extending substantially horizontally and said tailgate having an upper, substantially flat surface with said flat surface extending substantially horizontally in said closed position, the improvement including: 
 an arrangement for sealingly engaging the lower section of the rear portion of said flexible top and the substantially flat, upper surface of said tailgate in said closed position, said arrangement including a substantially rigid, elongated member attached to the lower section of the rear portion of said flexible top, said rigid member having end portions spaced from each other, said arrangement further including a flexible seal mounted to said rigid member and extending therealong substantially between the end portions of said rigid member and means for removably mounting said rigid member to said vehicle in a first position extending across the tailgate opening with said flexible seal extending downwardly and substantially across said tailgate opening and sealingly engaging the horizontally extending, flat, upper surface of said tailgate in said closed position, said arrangement additionally including means for permitting said tailgate to be moved between said closed and opened positions independently of said flexible top without removing said rigid member from said first position mounted across said tailgate opening with the lower section of the rear portion of said flexible top attached thereto.    
     
     
         2 . The improvement of    claim 1    further including means for moving said flat, upper surface of said tailgate along a path intercepting said flexible seal wherein said flexible seal wipes across said flat, upper surface of said tailgate as said tailgate moves toward said closed position.  
     
     
         3 . The improvement of    claim 2    wherein said flexible seal and said flat surface have respective widths and the width of said flat surface is greater than the width of said flexible seal.  
     
     
         4 . The improvement of    claim 3    wherein the width of said flat surface is at least twice the width of said flexible seal.  
     
     
         5 . The improvement of    claim 2    wherein said flexible seal is a hollow, bulb seal and the path of the flat, upper surface of said tailgate as said tailgate moves toward said closed position intercepts a lower section of said seal.  
     
     
         6 . The improvement of    claim 2    wherein said tailgate mounting means mounts said tailgate for pivotal movement between said open and closed positions about a substantially vertical axis.  
     
     
         7 . The improvement of    claim 1    wherein said tailgate mounting means mounts said tailgate for pivotal movement between said open and closed positions about a substantially vertical axis.  
     
     
         8 . The improvement of    claim 1    wherein said tailgate opening is defined in part by two vertically extending walls in the rear of the vehicle, said walls being spaced a first distance apart and said flexible seal extending along said rigid member for a distance at least equal to said first distance.  
     
     
         9 . The improvement of    claim 8    wherein said flexible seal extends along said rigid member for a distance greater than said first distance.  
     
     
         10 . The improvement of    claim 9    wherein said vehicle has substantially horizontal surfaces respectively extending outwardly of said vertically extending walls of said tailgate opening and said rigid member is mounted so that parts of said seal adjacent the end portions of said rigid member sealingly engage said horizontal surfaces outwardly of said tailgate opening.  
     
     
         11 . The improvement of    claim 1    wherein said tailgate opening is defined in part by two vertically extending walls in the rear of the vehicle, said vertical walls having upper and lower portions, said rigid member in said first position being mounted to extend across the tailgate opening substantially between the upper portions of said vertical walls.  
     
     
         12 . The improvement of    claim 1    wherein said means for removably mounting said rigid member to said vehicle in said first position extending across said tailgate opening includes first and second clips mounted to said vehicle on respective sides of said tailgate opening.  
     
     
         13 . The improvement of    claim 12    wherein each of said clips includes a first member extending substantially horizontally and each end portion of said rigid member includes a substantially U-shaped channel, said first member of each clip being respectively received in said U-shaped channel of the respective end portion of the rigid member to maintain the rigid member in said first position extending across the tailgate opening.  
     
     
         14 . The improvement of    claim 13    wherein each horizontal member of each clip respectively received in the U-shaped channel of each end portion of said rigid member forms a respective pair and each pair of horizontal member and U-shaped channel has means for locking the pair in place.  
     
     
         15 . The improvement of    claim 14    wherein said locking means of each pair includes a mating protuberance and recess.  
     
     
         16 . The improvement of    claim 15    wherein the U-shaped channel of each pair has two legs and a base and the protuberance of each pair is on one of the legs of the U-shaped channel and the recess is in the horizontal member of the clip.  
     
     
         17 . The improvement of    claim 16    wherein the one leg of said U-shaped channel extends from the base of said U-shaped channel to a free end and said protuberance is located along said one leg spaced from said free end toward said base.  
     
     
         18 . The improvement of    claim 16    wherein the legs of each U-shaped channel are spaced apart a first distance and said horizontal member of each clip has a thickness less than the first distance and said improvement further includes means for rotating said U-shaped channel about said horizontal member to mate said protuberance in said recess to lock said U-shaped channel on said horizontal member.  
     
     
         19 . A retaining arrangement primarily intended for removably attaching a flexible top to a vehicle body, said retaining arrangement including: 
 a substantially rigid member having first and second sides, said first side having a U-shaped channel therein with two legs and a base and said second side having means for attaching said rigid member to said flexible top, said retaining arrangement further including a clip with a flange and means for mounting said clip to said vehicle body with the flange spaced from the vehicle body and receivable in the U-shaped channel of said rigid member between the legs of the U-shape, and means for locking said flange in said U-shaped channel, said locking means including a mating protuberance and recess, said protuberance extending outwardly from one of said flange and said U-shaped channel and said mating recess extending inwardly of the other of said flange and said U-shaped channel.    
     
     
         20 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 19    wherein said protuberance is on said U-shaped channel and said recess is in said flange.  
     
     
         21 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 19    wherein said protuberance is on one of the legs of said U-shaped channel and said recess is in said flange.  
     
     
         22 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 21    wherein the one leg of said U-shaped channel extends from the base of the U-shaped channel to a free end and said protuberance is located along said one leg spaced from said free end toward said base.  
     
     
         23 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 21    wherein the legs of said U-shaped channel are spaced apart a first distance and the protuberance extends inwardly from said one leg a second distance toward the other leg and said flange has a thickness less than the first distance minus the second distance.  
     
     
         24 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 23    further including means for rotating said U-shaped channel about said flange to mate said protuberance in said recess to lock said rigid member on said flange.  
     
     
         25 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 24    wherein said rotating means includes means for applying a force to said rigid member.  
     
     
         26 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 25    wherein said flexible top is stretchable and resilient and supported on the vehicle body so that the flexible top is stretched as the flange is received in the U-shaped channel wherein said force applying means to rotate said U-shaped channel includes said stretched, resilient top attached to said rigid member.  
     
     
         27 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 25    wherein said force applying means includes a compressible, resilient seal.  
     
     
         28 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 19    wherein the legs of the U-shaped channel are spaced apart a first distance and said flange has a thickness less than the first distance and said retaining arrangement further includes means for rotating said U-shaped channel about said flange to mate said protuberance in said recess to lock said U-shaped channel on said flange.  
     
     
         29 . A retaining arrangement primarily intended for removably attaching a flexible, stretchable, resilient top to a vehicle body, said retaining arrangement including: 
 a U-shaped channel means with legs and a base, a flange, means for attaching one of said U-shaped channel means and said flange to said flexible top, and means for mounting the other of said U-shaped channel means and said flange on the vehicle body, said flange being receivable in said U-shaped channel means between the legs of the U-shape, and means for locking said flange in said U-shaped channel means, said locking means including a mating protuberance and recess, said protuberance extending outwardly from a first of said flange and said U-shaped channel means and said mating recess extending inwardly of a second of said flange and said U-shaped channel means.    
     
     
         30 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 29    wherein the legs of said U-shaped channel means are spaced apart a first distance and the flange has a thickness less than said first distance and said retaining arrangement further includes means for rotating the one of said U-shaped channel means and said flange attached to said flexible top about the other of said U-shaped channel means and flange mounted on the vehicle body to mate said protuberance in said recess to lock said flange in said U-shaped channel means.  
     
     
         31 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 30    wherein the protuberance is on one of the legs of the U-shaped channel means and the recess is in the flange.  
     
     
         32 . The retaining arrangement of    claim 30    wherein the protuberance is on the flange and the recess is in one of the legs of the U-shaped channel means.