ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,296,663, issued on May 13, was assigned to MAGNA EXTERIORS INC. (Ontario, Calif.).
"Thermoplastic hardtop roof" was invented by John S. Muglia (Shelby Township, Mich.), Mohan Girijeshwar (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Keijo J. Huotari (Fenton, Mich.), Brian Staley (Bloomfield, Mich.), Larry Richard Erickson (Birmingham, Mich.), Marc Cogswell (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Robert M. Horner (Ferndale, Mich.) and Luyao Zhu (Troy, Mich.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The present invention is directed to a hardtop for a vehicle that has an exterior thermoplastic roof panel and sides. The hardtop includes a top frame formed of at least two longitudina...