A sliding window assembly, a cable drive system and methods of operating the same, are disclosed. The sliding window assembly includes a guide track and a sliding window movable relative to the guide track. A heating element is coupled to the sliding window for heating the sliding window. A drum of a drive assembly rotates and includes a conductive terminal connected to a power supply of the vehicle. A cable is coupled between the sliding window and heating element and the drum. The drum rotates to mechanically wind or unwind the cable for moving the sliding window. A conductive element is coupled to at least one of the drum and the cable and is electrically connected to the cable and is movable during movement of the sliding window. The conductive element contacts the conductive terminal to provide electrical current to the cable for energizing the heating element.

A vehicular slider window assembly includes a frame portion having an upper rail and a lower rail, a fixed window panel, and a movable window panel that is movable along the rails between an opened position and a closed position. A drive system is operable to move the movable window panel between the opened position and the closed position. The drive system includes a single flexible drive element that, when the drive system is actuated to move the window panel in one direction, the flexible drive element pulls the movable window panel along the rails, and when the drive system is actuated to move the window panel in the opposite direction, the flexible drive element pushes the movable window panel along the rails. The lower rail includes guide structure that limits flexing of the flexible drive element when the flexible drive element pushes the movable window panel along the rails.

A vehicular rear slider window assembly includes a movable window panel that is movable along upper and lower rails of a fixed window panel. A first heater grid is disposed at a first fixed panel, a second heater grid is disposed at a second fixed panel, and a third heater grid disposed at the movable window panel. A jumper electrical connector electrically connects between the first and second fixed panels, and a flexible electrical connector electrically connects between the first or second fixed panel and the movable window panel. The first fixed panel has positive and negative terminals configured to electrically connect to at least one electrical connector of a vehicle wire harness when the vehicular rear slider window assembly is installed at a vehicle. When the positive and negative terminals are electrically powered, electrical current may flow in a single direction across the first and second heater grids.

A window assembly for a vehicle includes a window panel that has an electrically conductive trace established at a surface of the window panel. The electrically conductive trace includes a single continuous electrically conductive trace that has a positive end for electrically connecting to a positive terminal and a negative end for electrically connecting to a negative terminal. The electrically conductive trace includes a plurality of spaced apart trace segments disposed across the surface of the window panel and a plurality of connecting trace segments that electrically connect adjacent ends of adjacent trace segments, with each connecting trace segment electrically connecting to adjacent ends of only two adjacent trace segments. An electrical connector is connected to the positive and negative terminals at the window panel to provide electrical power to the electrically conductive trace. The provided electrical power may be from a 48 volt power supply of the vehicle.

A vehicle window assembly is disclosed that includes a screen assembly mountable within an opening and a motor operable to move a movable window to engage the screen assembly and hold the screen assembly within the opening. A controller is provided that is configured to operate the motor to apply a desired force against the screen assembly with the movable window to hold the screen assembly within the opening.

A sliding window assembly includes a frame with a track, and a sliding window portion disposed in the frame and displaceable in the track between a closed position and an open position. The sliding window portion includes a handle pivotable between a lock position and a slide position, and a driving pin coupled with the handle and engaging the track. The driving pin defines a pivot axis for the handle. A guide pin spaced from the driving pin is selectively engageable with the track when the handle is pivoted from the lock position to the slide position. With the handle in the slide position, the sliding window portion is displaceable from its closed position to an open position.

An apparatus for window used for moving a sliding window plate between an insertion position to be inserted into an opening portion of a fixed window plate, an extraction position to be extracted from the opening portion, and an open position to be shifted in a slide direction from the extraction position and to uncover the opening portion, includes a rotary member rotatably supported with respect to the sliding window plate; a drive member moved in a predetermined direction with respect to the sliding window plate; a fixation guide configured to convert a movement of the drive member in the predetermined direction with respect to the sliding window plate into a movement of the sliding window plate in an extraction/insertion direction with respect to the fixed window plate; and a wire configured to pull and move the drive member in the predetermined direction.

A method of applying a film to upper and lower appliques of a rear slider window assembly includes providing a support structure and positioning a rear slider window assembly at the support structure, with the rear slider window assembly including spaced apart fixed window panels, upper and lower appliques extending between the spaced apart fixed window panels, and a frame portion attached at the fixed window panels and appliques. An applicator includes first and second applicating devices for dispensing a strip of film onto a respective applique. The applicator is moved to a starting position where a roller of each applicating device presses an end region of the film onto the respective applique, and then is moved along the appliques with the rollers rolling along the respective appliques to press the film onto the appliques. The film strips are cut and pressed onto the respective appliques.

A rear slider window assembly for a vehicle includes a movable window panel that is movable along upper and lower rails of a fixed window panel. The lower rail includes a water drainage element having (i) a hole established through the lower rail and (ii) a drainage receiving conduit attached at the fixed window panel beneath the hole of the lower rail and spaced from the lower rail. The drainage receiving conduit includes a receiving portion disposed below the opening to receive water from the opening and a guiding portion to guide received water toward an exit of the drainage receiving conduit. The drainage receiving conduit provides a passageway for water to flow from the lower rail, through the hole of the lower rail, and into the drainage receiving conduit, which drains the water exterior the rear slider window assembly.

An automotive vehicle has a fixed glass panel with an aperture and a sliding glass panel mounted to the fixed glass panel adapted to selectably cover the aperture. The glass panels carry a heater grid having a plurality of vertical bus bars interconnected by a plurality of horizontal defrost traces. The bus bars are configured to be selectably connected to a power supply for providing resistive heating. The sliding glass panel is limited to a plurality of restricted positions. Each restricted position has at least one bus bar on the sliding glass panel overlapping one of the bus bars on the fixed glass panel to provide capacitive coupling between the overlapping bus bars of RF signals impinging on the horizontal traces. An antenna coupler connected to a bus bar on the fixed glass panel transmits the RF signals to an RF receiver.