US 11,913,260 B2
Locking mechanism for slidable vehicle doors
Zhibing Deng, Northville, MI (US); Joseph E. Abramczyk, Farmington Hills, MI (US); and Deepak Patel, Canton, MI (US)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Jul. 12, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/373,419.
Prior Publication US 2023/0012096 A1, Jan. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. E05B 77/48 (2014.01); E05B 81/04 (2014.01); E05B 81/16 (2014.01); B60J 5/04 (2006.01)
CPC E05B 77/48 (2013.01) [B60J 5/0479 (2013.01); E05B 81/04 (2013.01); E05B 81/16 (2013.01); E05Y 2900/531 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An assembly comprising:
a first door and a second door moveable relative to each other from an open position to a closed position;
a first locking member supported by the first door, the first locking member being moveable relative to the first door along a first axis in an upward direction to a raised position and in a downward direction relative to the first door to a lowered position; and
a second locking member supported by the second door, the second locking member being movable relative to the second door along a second axis transverse to the first axis from a retracted position to an extended position;
the first locking member being lockingly engaged with the second locking member when the second locking member is in the extended position and the first locking member is in one of the lowered position or the raised position, the first locking member being disengaged with the second locking member when the second locking member is in the retracted position and the first locking member is in the other of the lowered position or the raised position.