Patents by Inventor Arpad Fuerst

Arpad Fuerst has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5248278
    Abstract: Ventilator roof for use in motor vehicles with a roof opening in a fixed roof surface which can be closed by a cover. The cover can be swung by pivoting around a pivoting axis, at, or near its rear edge, into a ventilation position in which the cover front edge is below the roof surface, while the cover rear edge is kept at the height of the roof surface, and a ventilation gap is formed between the cover front edge and the front edge of the roof opening. At least one electrically powered blower is built into a ventilation channel leading from the ventilation gap into the vehicle interior. The blower can be powered by solar cells or the on-board vehicle power unit (battery) with safeguards to prevent use when the vehicle power unit lacks sufficient charge. In some embodiments, arrangements are also provided to enable the blower to provide ventilation of the interior space of the vehicle even when the cover is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1993
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventors: Arpad Fuerst, Thomas Schreiter, Burkhard Reinsch, Werner Paetz
  • Patent number: 5090767
    Abstract: A sliding roof and/or a sliding lifting roof and/or a lifting sliding roof for motor vehicles has a safety device for preventing detachment from the motor vehicle of the cover which is displaceable for closing and at least partially unblocking a roof opening and which optionally can also be vented. The safety device has at least one flexible safety element, which is connected to the cover and at least indirectly to a part which is integral with the body of the motor vehicle. The flexible safety element can be designed as a catch band or catch cloth, and with the design as a catch cloth it can, at the same time, serve as a making screen. Further the flexible safety element can be physically or operatively connected to the sliding device and/or the vent device. This means at least one end of the flexible safety element can be movably guided, optionally in separate channels, on the guide rail which is fastened to the roof frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventors: Thomas Schreiter, Arpad Fuerst, Werner Paetz
  • Patent number: 5069500
    Abstract: Ventilation roof for vehicles with a roof opening made in a roof skin, a roof opening that can be closed by a cover that is connected to an adjustment mechanism having front and rear height adjustment devices. The cover can be swung by the front height adjustment devices, starting from a closed position, around a pivot axis, lying near its rear edge, into a ventilation position in which the cover front edge lies below the height of roof skin, while the cover rear edge is kept at approximately the height of the roof skin. The rear of the cover can be lowered below the roof skin by the rear height adjustment devices, and the lowered cover can be slid rearward underneath the roof skin into an open position. The front height adjustment devices each have a positively adjustable pivoted lever that is rotatable about an axis that is fixed relative to the roof and with which the cover is detachably coupled only when it is shifted fully forward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1991
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventors: Peter Reihl, Arpad Fuerst, Bernhard Wingen, Alfred Schmid, Thomas Schreiter, Erich Haendler
  • Patent number: 5052746
    Abstract: A vehicle roof with a roof opening made in the stationary roof panel is described, wherein the roof opening can alternately be closed or at least partially opened by an adjustable covering that moves in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle combined with a wind deflector that includes a wind deflector plate mounted to pivot between a pushed-out position and a rest position around a transverse pivoting axis, which can be adjusted along a guide mechanism in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The wind deflector when pivoted into the rest positions can be pushed into a receiving space located below the stationary roof panel in front of the front edge of the roof opening. A catch mechanism is provided for automatic slaving the transverse pivot axis of the wind deflector plate for movement in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with a part connected to the cover during at least a part of the adjustment movement of the covering that occurs in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventors: Peter Reihl, Arpad Fuerst
  • Patent number: 4978165
    Abstract: Motor vehicle roof with a roof opening made in a fixed roof skin which can be closed or at least partially opened as desired by a cover. The cover can be pushed out into a raised ventilation position, in which its rear edge is located above the fixed roof skin, by being pivoted around an axis lying at or near its front edge and can, then, be slid rearward above the roof skin into a slid-back position. Additionally, the cover can be pivoted around an axis lying at or near its rear edge into a lowered ventilation position in which the cover front edge is lowered below the roof skin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 18, 1990
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventors: Thomas Schreiter, Arpad Fuerst, Bernhard Wingen
  • Patent number: 4911496
    Abstract: Vehicle roof having a front cover and a rear cover adjoining each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle which, in a closed position, close a roof aperture in a fixed roof surface.Due to the effects of pure translational movement, the front cover is rearwardly displaceable into an open position, while the rear cover can be moved into a position permitting a sliding back of the front cover thereover. In accordance with the invention, the rear cover can be pivoted around an axis near its rear edge into a venting position, in which the front edge of the rear cover is lowered, relative to the rear edge of the front cover (FIG. 3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 27, 1990
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventor: Arpad Fuerst
  • Patent number: 4911497
    Abstract: A ventilator roof for use in motor vehicles with a roof opening made in a front part of a fixed roof skin. The roof opening can be closed by a single cover that can be swung, by pivoting around a pivoting axis at or near its rear edge, into a ventilation position in which the cover front edge is at a distance below the fixed roof surface, while the cover rear edge is kept approximately at the height of the fixed roof skin. Starting from the ventilation position, the cover can be lowered at its rear edge below the fixed roof surface and can then be slid as a whole rearwardly under the roof skin into an open position that at least partially opens the roof opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 27, 1990
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventors: Thomas Schreiter, Arpad Fuerst, Werner Paetz
  • Patent number: 4893869
    Abstract: A vehicle roof having a cover which, at its front edge, is displaceably guided in lateral guide rails extending below a fixed roof surface, and which is additionally supported at the guide rails by lifting levers. The lifting levers are connected at one end with the corresponding guide rail, and at the other end with the cover, and are both translatable in the vehicle longitudinal direction and pivotable around parallel axes. During the longitudinal movememt, the levers pivot as a result of interaction with a roof-mounted retaining bracket. The cover can be closed, can be lifted above the fixed roof surface into a vent position by a pivoting movement about an axis at or near its front edge, and can be retracted rearwardly over the fixed roof surface. For the longitudinal movement of the cover, and of the pivotal axis, located at one end of the lifting lever, there are provided separate drive components, which are in permanent engagement with the cover, or with one of the lifting lever ends, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1990
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventor: Arpad Fuerst
  • Patent number: 4841812
    Abstract: Device for controlling the sliding and lifting movements of a cover in sliding and lifting roofs of vehicles, which device has an input drive element and an output drive element from which both the sliding and the lifting movements are derived. To this end, there is provided a gear assembly having a planetary gear that is operationally controlled between the input drive and the output drive elements. During operation of the drive elements, starting from a predetermined gear position that corresponds to a reference cover position, the planetary gear automatically changes its gearing ratio, based upon the drive direction, in such a way that at equal input drive speeds, the lifting movement is slower than the sliding movement. The gear assembly has a double epicyclic gear. Additionally, a blocking device is provided which, when driving the input drive element from the predetermined gear position automatically blocks either a first or a second gear element of the epicyclic gear, depending on the drive direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1989
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventors: Arpad Fuerst, Bernhard Wingen
  • Patent number: 4749225
    Abstract: Vehicle roof, particularly for passenger vehicles, connected to whose roof there are side panels forming roof struts. The connection areas between the roof panel and side panels are downwardly offset and are respectively covered by a molded strip. The roof has a roof opening which extends approximately up to the connecting areas. A tiltable cover which can be moved rearwardly is provided for selectively closing and at least partially uncovering of the roof opening. The outer edge of the cover in its closed position is pressed against a cover gasket from above. The gasket at the side of the roof opening, at least supplements the respective molding strip by replacing the molding strips in the area of the roof opening, or by extending along the side of the molding strip facing the roof opening, or by forming a portion of the molding strip itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1988
    Assignee: Webasto-Werk W. Baier GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Arpad Fuerst, Alfons Lutz
  • Patent number: 4746165
    Abstract: Vehicle roof with an operating device of the type having a cover arrangement with at least one cover which, from a position in which it closes a roof opening, can be swung into a raised position from which it can then be slid back. On both sides of the roof opening are fastened guide rails in each of which a first slider and a second slider connected to a drive device are guided in a sliding manner. The cover is supported on the first slider in a swinging manner. The second slider is connected by a lifting device to a raising lever which is pivotally connected to the first slider at one end and is pivotally connected to the cover at an opposite end. A locking device prevents the cover from sliding in relation to the guide rails during swinging between the closed position and the raised position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 24, 1988
    Assignee: Webasto-Werk W. Baier GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Arpad Fuerst, Burkhard Reinsch
  • Patent number: 4659140
    Abstract: Vehicle having a cover arrangement which, in a closed position, covers a roof opening. The cover arrangement is movable by way of an actuating mechanism, having a minimum of two synchronized members, with differeing speed ratios, which are connected to a single primary drive. For transmitting the primary drive to the members to be moved, there is a reversible distributor gear assembly which has a plurality of gear elements. The distributor gear assembly has one input shaft and a minimum of two output shafts which, based upon the relative position of the gear elements of the distributor gear assembly can be individually actuated or jointly actuated via the gear elements with differing transmission ratios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1987
    Assignee: Webasto-Werk W. Baier GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Arpad Fuerst, Bernhard Wingen
  • Patent number: 4647104
    Abstract: A sliding and lifting roof for vehicles having a cover that is guided in lateral guide rails and that can selectively be either lowered at its rear side out of an opening in the roof and then slid back under a fixed part of the roof, or tilted out so that its rear side is lifted above the fixed part of the roof. The cover, close to its rear edge, at each side, has a hold-down device which, when the cover is tilted out, passes through an opening in the corresponding guide rail, and when the cover is being closed, engages against an upstanding guide surface in the area of the rear edge of the opening, and which, when the rear side of the cover is being lowered and pushed back under the fixed part of the roof, dips into the guide rail and is secured by said guide rail against upward adjusting movements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1987
    Assignee: Webasto-Werk W. Baier GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Georg Kohlpaintner, Arpad Fuerst, Horst Bienert
  • Patent number: 4630860
    Abstract: A vehicle roof having a cover which, in a closed position, closes an opening in the roof and is rearwardly slidable along guide rails from the closed position toward the rear into an open position and provided with a wind deflector which is raised and lowered automatically as a function of the position of the cover. The wind deflector forms a part of the roofing located in front of the cover and is pivotable about an axis extending transversely relative to the sliding direction of the cover. The cover can be tilted out into a ventilating position in which it forms a continuous extension of the wind deflector, which is at least partially raised in conjunction with the tilting of the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1986
    Assignee: Webasto-Werk W. Baier GmbH & Co
    Inventors: Arpad Fuerst, Alfons Lutz