Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Auxiliary article compartments
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-26
2003-07-29
Patel, Kiran (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Auxiliary article compartments
C296S037120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06598925
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing structure for a storage device such as a coin case, a small-article container and an ashtray of an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a proposed small-article container for an automobile comprises a housing
101
fixed in a mounting hole formed in an instrument panel on the side of a vehicle member, and a storage member
102
supported in the housing
101
so that the storage member
102
can be opened and closed. Especially the housing
101
is integrally formed at its outer peripheral wall in the vicinity of an opening of the housing
101
with retaining projections
103
which are forcibly retained to hole edges of a mounting hole on the side of the instrument panel.
According to the proposed small-article container, the housing
101
is pushed into the mounting hole of the instrument panel, the retaining projections
103
are forcibly retained to hole edges of the mounting hole from back side. With this, the container can be used as a small-article container. However, the housing
101
itself is usually made of resin material, which is relatively hard and has low toughness such as ABS resin (acrylonitryle-butadiene-stylene resin). Therefore, the retaining projections
103
integrally formed on the housing
101
are inevitably hard and do not have the necessary resilience. Thus, there is a problem that mounting condition and mounting state of the housing
101
are deteriorated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been accomplished to solve the above problem, and it is an object of the invention to provide a fixing structure for a storage device such as a coin case for an automobile.
The first aspect of the present invention provides a fixing structure for a storage device comprising: a mounting hole; a housing fixed to the mounting hole; a storage member supported in the housing such that the storage member can be opened and closed; a frame member mounted to an outer periphery of the housing; and a resilient leg piece integrally provided on the frame member and retained to a hole edge of the mounting hole, wherein the frame member is made of resin material having greater toughness than that of the housing.
According to the first aspect, the resilient leg pieces to be retained to the hole edges of the mounting hole on the side of the vehicle member are not provided to the housing but are integrally provided to the frame member made of resin material having greater toughness than the housing, and this frame member is mounted to the outer periphery of the housing. Thus, the characteristics of the molding resin material can be obtained, and the resilient leg pieces can be resiliently retained to the hole edges of the mounting hole on the side of the vehicle member.
The second aspect of the present invention provides the fixing structure for a storage device according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the frame member has a U-shaped cross section, and each of three surfaces of the frame member are provided with the resilient leg piece.
According to the second aspect, in addition to the first aspect, since the frame member has U-shaped cross section, the resilient leg piece can be provided to each of three surfaces of the frame member. Thus, a remarkable enhancement of the mounting fixing force of the housing can be expected.
The third aspect of the present invention provides the fixing structure for a storage device according to first aspect of the present invention, further comprising: a projection provided in the storage member; and a rail provided in the frame member, wherein when the storage member is opened and closed in the housing, the projection is guided by the rail and moved, and wherein the frame member is made of the resin material having greater abrasion resistance than that of the housing.
According to the third aspect, in addition to the first aspect, the pair of rails for guiding the storage member is made of resin material having greater wear resistance than the housing. With this, the storage member can be moved extremely smoothly.
The fourth aspect of the present invention provides the fixing structure for a storage device according to third aspect of the present invention, wherein a notch window is formed on the housing toward which the rail face, and the resin material having greater toughness and abrasion resistance is engineering plastic.
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Ookawara Toshihiko
Sawatani Seiji
Watanabe Toshiko
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Patel Kiran
Piolax Inc.
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