Roof frame for stiffening the roof aperture of motor vehicles

Claim 1

IN A MOTOR VEHICLE HAVING A ROOF OPENING AND A ROOF PANEL RECIPROCABLE IN SAID ROOF OPENING, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR INTEGRAL ROOF FRAME FOR SUPPORTING SAID PANEL AND STIFFENING SAID OPENING, AN OPENING IN SAID ROOF FRAME BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID ROOF OPENING, SAID ROOF FRAME HAVING TWO SIDE PORTIONS AND TRANSVERSE FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS, ALL OF SAID FRAME PORTIONS HAVING Z-SHAPED PROFILE SECTIONS AND INVERTED U-SHAPED PROFILE SECTIONS INWARDLY FROM SAID Z-SHAPED SECTIONS ALONG AT LEAST TWO OPPOSITE ONES OF SAID FRAME PORTIONS, THE UPPER FLANGES OF SAID Z-SHAPED SECTIONS FORMING THE OUTWARDLY DIRECTED UPPER EDGES OF SAID ROOF FRAME WHILE THE LOWER FLANGES OF SAID Z-SHAPED SECTIONS ARE CONNECTED TO SAID INVERTED U-SHAPED SECTIONS, SAID INVERTED U-SHAPED AND Z-SHAPED PROFILE SECTIONS DEFINING TOGETHER CHANNEL-SHAPED TROUGH PORTIONS PROVIDING A WATER GUIDE, SAID INVERTED U-SHAPED SECTIONS BEING ADAPTED TO CARRY GUIDE RAILS ALONG SAID TWO OPPOSITE FRAME PORTIONS TO SLIDABLY RECEIVE THE RECIPROCABLE ROOF PANEL AND CONSTITUTE THE INNER WALLS OF SAID TROUGH PORTIONS, A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR REINFORCING MEMBER EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THAT OF SAID ROOF FRAME BETWEEN AND INTEGRAL WITH SAID SIDE PORTIONS AT A LOWER REARWARD PART OF SAID ROOF FRAME, AND A TRANSVERSE REINFORCING BAR RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO UPPER PARTS OF SAID SIDE PORTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE REAR END OF SAID FRAME OPENING.