Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Auxiliary article compartments
Patent
1982-03-26
1984-06-12
Song, Robert R.
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Auxiliary article compartments
220 23, 108 44, B60R 700
Patent
active
044537590
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to floor consoles for automobiles and more particularly to such consoles including article-carrying trays and to the mounting of such trays in automobile passenger compartments.
BACKGROUND ART
It is well known in the automobile body arts to provide for the mounting of trays or other receptacles in the passenger compartment of an automobile to permit relatively stable support of items of food and drink and other small articles.
Some such trays or receptacles have been carried with storage structures known as floor consoles which are positioned between the two front seats of automobiles having bucket seats. Exemplary of such trays and receptacles are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,409 to Belsky et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,110,397 to Peck et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,136,461 and 3,804,233 to Gregg, Jr., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,589 to Larkin.
Others have provided for the detachable securing of beverage trays and the like to other passenger compartment structures, such as the seats, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,629 to Drees and U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,159 to Hemmen, or to the dashboard as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,742 to Pellegrino.
Among the deficiencies noted in all the prior art devices is that the article-carrying trays have used valuable interior space and usable surfaces in the passenger compartment to perform a function for which demand is intermittent. This deficiency is seen whether the article-carrying trays are included in auxiliary structures which by their nature consume otherwise useful space and surface or are integrally formed on existing structure such as floor consoles.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Responsive to the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved floor console having a housing attachable to the floor of a vehicle body between a pair of seats and having a tray carried with the housing and slidingly moveable between a storage position enclosed in the housing and an operative position exposed for use.
Movement between the two positions of the tray is facilitiated by a novel spring assembly operatively carried between the tray and the housing, and secure positioning of the tray in the storage position is effected through a new axially actuated rotary latch mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention can be understood by reading the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention with reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved console of the present invention installed in the passenger compartment of an automobile;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the invention console partially sectioned to show its tray in stored and operative positions;
FIG. 3 is a top view of the invention console with the tray in its operative position, certain portions removed for clearly showing spring and latch configuration;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the latch of the invention console;
FIG. 5 is a pictorial perspective view of the latch embodied in the invention console showing the relative position of its parts in the latched position;
FIG. 6 is a pictorial perspective view of the parts when the tray is positioned fully inward for unlatching;
FIG. 7 is a pictorial perspective view of the parts as the tray is moved outwardly;
FIG. 8 is a pictorial perspective view of the latch embodied in the invention console showing the relative position of its parts when the outward moving tray is free of the latch; and
FIG. 9 is a pictorial perspective view of the latch embodied in the invention console showing the relative position of its parts as the tray is moved inward to relatch.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Turning now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, a floor console 10 is illustrated as being installed in the passenger compartment 12 of a vehicle. The console 10 is secured to a floor portion 14 of the vehicle body and extends axially rearwardly from a position adjacent the dashboard shown
REFERENCES:
patent: 3163287 (1964-12-01), Barnett
patent: 3215467 (1965-11-01), McFarland
patent: 3356409 (1967-12-01), Belsky
patent: 3497076 (1970-02-01), O'Brien
patent: 3561589 (1971-02-01), Larkin, Jr.
patent: 3606112 (1971-09-01), Cheshier
patent: 3804233 (1974-04-01), Gregg, Jr.
patent: 3899982 (1975-08-01), Fetzek
patent: 4146159 (1979-03-01), Hemmen
patent: 4262962 (1981-04-01), Yust
Ford Motor Company
Sadler Clifford L.
Song Robert R.
Stock Daniel M.
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