Patents by Inventor Manfred Faerber

Manfred Faerber 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).

  • Publication number: 20080258510
    Abstract: The invention relates to an openable vehicle roof which comprises at least one cover element (18) which is guided in lateral guiding rails (20B), by means of which said roof opening can be selectively closed or at least partially opened, and an anti-blocking device which guides along the guiding rails (20B). In order to offer active anti-blocking protection for vehicle passengers, the anti-blocking devices are formed, respectively, by a strip-shaped switching device (28) which interacts with respective guiding rail (20B) and which is connected to the control element of a cover element drive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Inventors: Manfred Faerber, Gerhard Skorianz, Andreas Josef Zunzer
  • Patent number: 7017972
    Abstract: A motor vehicle is provided which includes a passenger compartment, a vehicle roof which in its closed position closes the passenger compartment, and a cargo bed open to the top and located behind the passenger compartment. The vehicle roof can be swiveled from its closed position into an open position in which its rear edge is located behind the passenger compartment near the cargo bed. A multiple-joint arrangement is provided for swiveling the motor vehicle roof out of the closed position into the open position and thus allowing the vehicle to be easily converted from a pick-up into a convertible. The multiple-joint arrangement includes a first part attached to the roof at or near the rear edge of the roof and a second part attached to a middle area of the roof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Webasto AG
    Inventors: Thomas Rudolph, Michael Kölbl, Peter Oberhaus, Francois De Gaillard, Manfred Färber
  • Patent number: 6669277
    Abstract: The invention relates to a wind deflector for a closable motor vehicle roof or a roof module, in which the wind deflector has a flexible layer formed at least in part as air-permeable net. The flexible layer is attached on at least two opposing sides to braces, one of the braces being connected laterally to a swiveling raising arm which is located on a roof frame of the motor vehicle roof or module. At least one other brace, which is connected to another swiveling raising arm, is attached to the layer. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle roof or roof module including the wind deflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Färber, Jadi Karami, Bodo Von Czarnowski
  • Patent number: 6527337
    Abstract: A sliding roof cover for selectively closing and at least partially opening a roof opening in a motor vehicle roof. The cover is movably supported by at least one bearing mechanism on a pair of longitudinal guides located on either side of the roof opening. Each bearing mechanism includes a crank mechanism which is movable relative to the cover for raising or lowering the cover, and a vertical guide on the longitudinal guide is assigned to the front edge or the rear edge of the cover, in which a cover guide element of the cover is supported for vertical movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Färber
  • Patent number: 6457771
    Abstract: The invention relates to a motor vehicle roof with a series of cover elements (louvers 10a-d) for selectively closing and at least partially exposing a roof opening (13) in a fixed roof surface (11), the cover elements bordering one another in the closed position to form a flat panel system, each louver on its narrow end being connected to a pivoting fastening element (20a-d) which is guided along a roof-mounted guideway (75). The flat panel system is pushed together by pushing on the front and/or the back end to form a bundle of swung-out cover elements and it can also be moved as a bundle. At least some of all fully swung-out fastening elements (20a-d) are securely engaged to a common coupling element which can move along the roof-mounted guideway or can be fixed relative to it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Färber
  • Patent number: 6382713
    Abstract: A device for adjusting a crank element of a openable motor vehicle roof, with a holding element which engages the crank element such that the crank element and the holding element can be moved relative to one another along a fin-like guideway on the crank element. The fin-like guideway is surrounded by a slide element which is formed on the holding element whereby the slide element can be rotated with respect to the holding element around an axis which is perpendicular to the plane in which the crank element and the holding element move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Färber
  • Patent number: 6261024
    Abstract: A rocker device for an openable motor vehicle roof, with support element (14), rocker element (12) and spring (30) has the rocker element (12) connected to pivot relative to the support element (14) via an axle (10). The spring (30) is located between the rocker element and support element such that it applies a pre-stressing force to the rocker element (12) with respect to the direction of pivoting motion. Furthermore, the spring is a helical spring arranged and formed such that it provides pre-stressing force between the rocker element and support element in an axial direction. The axle is stationary with respect to one element and is guided in the other element through a corresponding axial opening (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Färber
  • Patent number: 6224147
    Abstract: A sliding roof with at least one slidable and optionally also raisable rigid cover element for selectively closing or at least partially exposing a roof opening of a motor vehicle in which the cover element is guided along at least one roof-mounted guide for a sliding motion between an open position and a closed position and is equipped with a brake mechanism which takes effect only in case of a crash, the brake mechanism remaining inactive during normal movements of the cover element between the open and closed position, and braking the cover element over a path which has a length which is dependent on the acceleration forces which occur during a crash.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Färber, Wolfgang Ettl, Jadi Karami-Malamiri, Wolfgang Dittrich, Andreas Engl
  • Patent number: 5150631
    Abstract: Flexible thermoplastic rack bar for meshing with a gear wheel, particularly for the drive of displaceable vehicle elements, like roof elements, sliding windows, and the like, having a series of supported teeth and a pull-resistant reinforcement embedded essentially parallel to a pitch line of the rack bar. The rack bar teeth are supported on at each lateral side and the reinforcement is disposed only in a cross-sectional area of the rack bar which lies heightwise between the head and the root of the rack bar teeth, preferably, substantially along a central transverse plane of the rack bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1992
    Assignee: Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik
    Inventors: Manfred Faerber, Otto Wienchol, Bernd Schleicher