U.S. patent application number 09/755370 was filed with the patent office on 2002-07-11 for vehicle accessory with sliding cover.
Invention is credited to Scheerhorn, Daniel J..
Application Number | 20020089217 09/755370 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25038851 |
Filed Date | 2002-07-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020089217 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Scheerhorn, Daniel J. |
July 11, 2002 |
VEHICLE ACCESSORY WITH SLIDING COVER
Abstract
An armrest storage compartment includes a hinged cover assembly
including a base hinged to the storage compartment and a cover
slidably mounted to the base by a slide assembly. The slide
assembly, in one embodiment, includes a U-shaped rod which is
secured to the base and a pair of sleeves mounted to the cover with
a polymeric slide material extending between the rod and sleeves to
allow the cover to slide forwardly and aft with respect to the
base. In a preferred embodiment, the base, when uncovered by moving
the cover forwardly, includes a storage tray, cup holder or other
accessory, which is stacked above the storage compartment.
Inventors: |
Scheerhorn, Daniel J.;
(Holland, MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PRICE HENEVELD COOPER DEWITT & LITTON
695 KENMOOR, S.E.
P O BOX 2567
GRAND RAPIDS
MI
49501
US
|
Family ID: |
25038851 |
Appl. No.: |
09/755370 |
Filed: |
January 5, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
297/188.19 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 7/04 20130101; B60N
2/773 20180201; B60N 2/793 20180201 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/188.19 |
International
Class: |
A47C 007/62 |
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A console comprising: a body having a central opening defining a
storage compartment; and a cover assembly mounted to said body,
said cover assembly including a base, a hinge extending between
said base and said body, and a cover slidably mounted to said base,
said cover assembly further including a slide assembly defined by
at least one rod secured to said base, at least one sleeve coupled
to said cover, and a polymeric slide extending between said rod and
said sleeve.
2. The console as defined in claim 1 wherein said cover assembly
includes a pair of spaced rods and a pair of spaced sleeves aligned
to receive said rods.
3. The console as defined in claim 2 wherein said spaced rods are
legs of a generally U-shaped member having a base leg.
4. The console as defined in claim 3 wherein said hinge comprises a
torque fitting coupled to said base leg and to said body for
pivotally mounting said cover assembly to said body.
5. The console as defined in claim 4 and further including detent
structure extending between said cover and said base to selectively
hold said cover in at least one position displaced from said
base.
6. The console as defined in claim 5 wherein said detent structure
comprises a rib extending from said cover toward said base and
having a plurality of notches therein and a spring-loaded follower
mounted to said base and extending into engagement with said
rib.
7. An armrest comprising: a support; and a cover assembly mounted
to said support, said cover assembly including a base, a cover, and
a slide assembly slidably coupling said cover to said base, said
slide assembly defined by a pair of spaced rods secured to one of
said base and said cover, and a pair of sleeves coupled to the
other of said cover and base, and polymeric slides extending
between said rods and said sleeves.
8. The armrest as defined in claim 7 wherein said base includes at
least one of a cup holder and a storage bin formed therein which
are exposed for use when said cover is slidably moved from a
position aligned with said base to a position displaced from said
aligned position.
9. The armrest as defined in claim 8 and further including detent
structure extending between said cover and said base to selectively
hold said cover in at least one position displaced from said
base.
10. The armrest as defined in claim 9 wherein said detent structure
comprises a rib extending from said cover toward said base and
having a plurality of notches therein and a spring-loaded follower
mounted to said base and extending into engagement with said
rib.
11. The armrest as defined in claim 10 and further including a
hinge coupling said cover assembly to said support.
12. The armrest as defined in claim 11 wherein said spaced rods are
legs of a generally U-shaped member having a base leg.
13. The armrest as defined in claim 12 wherein said hinge comprises
a torque fitting coupled to said base leg and to said support for
pivotally mounting said cover assembly to said support.
14. The armrest as defined in claim 13 wherein said support
includes a storage compartment selectively covered by said
cover.
15. A vehicle console comprising: a body having a central opening
defining a storage compartment; and a cover assembly mounted to
said body, said cover assembly including a base and a hinge
extending between said base and said body, said cover assembly
further including a cover and a slide assembly slidably coupling
said cover to said base.
16. The console as defined in claim 15 wherein said slide assembly
is defined by at least one rod secured to said base, at least one
sleeve coupled to said cover, and a polymeric slide extending
between said rod and said sleeve.
17. The console as defined in claim 16 wherein said cover assembly
includes a pair of spaced rods and a pair of spaced sleeves aligned
to receive said rods.
18. The console as defined in claim 17 wherein said spaced rods are
legs of a generally U-shaped member having a base leg.
19. The console as defined in claim 18 wherein said hinge comprises
a torque fitting coupled to said base leg and to said body for
pivotally mounting said cover assembly to said body.
20. The console as defined in claim 19 and further including detent
structure extending between said cover and said base to selectively
hold said cover in at least one position displaced from said
base.
21. The console as defined in claim 20 wherein said detent
structure comprises a rib extending from said cover toward said
base and having a plurality of notches therein and a spring-loaded
follower mounted to said base and extending into engagement with
said rib.
22. The console as defined in claim 15 wherein said base includes
at least one of a cup holder and storage bin formed therein which
are exposed for use when said cover is slidably moved from a
position aligned with said base to a position displaced from said
aligned position.
23. A vehicle accessory comprising: a support for attachment to a
vehicle; a hinged cover assembly mounted to said support, said
hinged cover assembly including a base, a cover, and a slide
slidably mounting said cover to said base, wherein said base
includes at least one of a cup holder and storage bin formed
therein which are exposed for use when said cover is slidably moved
from a position aligned with said base to a position displaced from
said aligned position.
24. The accessory as defined in claim 23 wherein said cover defines
an armrest.
25. A vehicle armrest comprising: a support for attachment to a
vehicle, said support having a storage compartment; and a cover
assembly hingedly mounted to said support for selectively gaining
access to said storage compartment, said cover assembly including a
base, a cover, and a slide assembly slidably coupling said cover to
said base, said slide assembly defined by a pair of spaced rods
secured to one of said base and said cover, and a pair of sleeves
coupled to the other of said cover and base, and polymeric slides
extending between said rods and said sleeves, wherein said base
includes at least one of a cup holder and a storage bin formed
therein which are exposed for use when said cover is slidably moved
from a position aligned with said base to a position displaced from
said aligned position, and further including detent structure
extending between said cover and said base to selectively hold said
cover in at least one position displaced from said base.
26. The armrest as defined in claim 25 and further including a
hinge coupling said cover assembly to said support.
27. The armrest as defined in claim 26 wherein said spaced rods are
legs of a generally U-shaped member having a base leg.
28. The armrest as defined in claim 27 wherein said hinge comprises
a torque fitting coupled to said base leg and to said support for
pivotally mounting said cover assembly to said support.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle accessory with a
sliding cover and particularly an armrest with a storage
compartment having a hinged cover assembly having a base and a
slidably mounted cover.
[0002] Vehicle interior components are increasingly including
convenience items for the vehicle operator and passengers. Center
consoles located between seats is a typical accessory with may
include a storage compartment having a hinged cover also forming an
armrest at the top of the console. In the past, the armrest covers
could be raised on a hinge mechanism to expose a storage
compartment. Some armrests can be slidably moved to a variety of
adjusted positions for comfortably locating the armrest for
supporting the passenger's and/or operator's forearm. The following
patents disclose adjustable armrests or armrests with various
storage compartments: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,598,948, 4,818,017,
5,076,641, Re. 34,333, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,433,509, 5,562,331, and
5,810,434.
[0003] A difficulty with some adjustable armrests or consoles with
adjustable armrests is that the mounting mechanism can be very
complex and, therefore, expensive to manufacture and prone to
failure during use. As a result, there exists a need for an
assembly for a vehicle interior component which includes a sliding,
hinged cover for gaining access to a storage compartment and
preferably one which also defines an armrest which can be adjusted
to a variety of positions for use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The system of the present invention provides these features
in an economical and reliable system in which a storage compartment
includes a hinged cover assembly with the assembly including a base
hinged to the storage compartment and a cover slidably mounted to
the base by a slide assembly. The slide assembly, in one
embodiment, includes a U-shaped rod which is secured to the base
and a pair of sleeves mounted to the cover with a polymeric slide
material extending between the rod and sleeves to allow the cover
to slide with respect to the base. The cover assembly can be
pivoted open to gain access to the storage compartment. In a
preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover defines an armrest
and the base, when uncovered by moving the cover forwardly,
includes a storage tray, cup holder or other accessory, which is
stacked above the storage compartment to provide vertically stacked
storage areas. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the
polymeric slide is integrally molded between the rod and sleeves to
provide the sliding interface between them. Such an assembly is
relatively inexpensive to manufacture, durable, and reliable to
provide the desired functional features for a sliding armrest
cover.
[0005] These and other features, objects and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent upon reading the following
description thereof together with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, shown partly in
phantom form, of a vehicle with a console and armrest assembly
embodying the present invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the console
shown in FIG. 1, shown with the armrest cover assembly in an open
position for access to a storage compartment therebelow;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the console
shown in FIG. 1, showing the armrest cover assembly in a closed
position with its cover moved to a forwardly adjusted position;
[0009] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the cover
assembly;
[0010] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the slide assembly
employed in the cover assembly;
[0011] FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cover
assembly taken along section line VI-VI in FIG. 1; and
[0012] FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the detent
mechanism employed for allowing the cover to be detentably adjusted
with respect to the base of the cover assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0013] Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is shown a vehicle 10,
such as an automobile, van, sport utility vehicle, or truck, which
includes a floor console 20 mounted to the floor 12 of the vehicle
between seats (not shown), such as the driver's and front
passenger's seats, although it could be located elsewhere in a
vehicle. Console 20 includes a body 22 defining therein a storage
compartment 28 (FIG. 2) having sidewalls 21, a rear wall 24, and a
curved forward wall 23 which may integrally include a cup holder
25. The body 22 may also include a rear cup holder 26 for rear seat
passengers. The storage compartment 28 is covered by a hinged cover
assembly 30 embodying the present invention.
[0014] Assembly 30 includes a base 40 (as best seen in FIG. 4), a
cover 60 and a slide assembly 80 which slidably couples the cover
60 to base 40. Base 40, in turn, is pivotally mounted to console 20
to pivot from a closed position (as shown in FIG. 1) to a pivoted
open position (as shown in FIG. 2). Additionally, cover 60 can be
moved forwardly to one of numerous adjusted positions, as seen in
FIG. 3. As seen in FIG. 2, with cover assembly 30 in an open
position, storage compartment 28 can be accessed by the vehicle
operator or passenger. A latch 48 (FIGS. 4 and 7) on base 40
engages a latch catch 29 on the forward inside edge of wall 23
(FIG. 2) in a conventional manner. An explanation of the
construction of cover assembly 30, including base 40, cover 60, and
slide 80, is best understood by initially discussing the
construction of slide assembly 80 with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and
6.
[0015] Slide assembly 80 comprises a generally U-shaped solid steel
rod 82 having a first elongated leg 81, a second elongated leg 83,
and an integral base leg 84. Attached to the base leg is a pair of
torque fittings 85 and 86 having tangs 87 with apertures 88 for
mounting the torque fittings and, therefore, slide assembly 80 to
the top of rear wall 24 of body 22, as seen in FIG. 2. Torque
fittings 85 and 86 define a hinge for coupling the cover assembly
30 to body 22. Each fitting 85 and 86 has an inner surface which is
coated with tetrafluoroethylene to control the rotation of base leg
84 and, therefore, the pivot opening of cover assembly 30 with
respect to console body 22. Fittings 85 and 86 can be of the type
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,197, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference. The slide assembly 80 further
includes a pair of sleeves 92 and 94 which can be extruded aluminum
members having a generally C-shaped cross section, each with an
open bottom slot 91 and 93, respectively, and an interior cross
section which corresponds to that of polymeric intermediate slides
95 and 97 on rod legs 81 and 83 to provide a sliding interface
between sleeves 92 and 94 and U-shaped rod 82 via the polymeric
cylindrical slides 95 and 97. Slides 95 and 97 can be of any
suitable lubricious polymeric material, such as a silicone-filled
acetal such as CELCON.RTM.. In a preferred embodiment of the
invention, the slides 95 and 97 are integrally molded in place
between sleeves 92 and 94 and U-shaped rod 82 by a process
described in connection with U.S. patent application entitled
EXTRUDED VISOR CONTROL, filed on Feb. 26, 1998, Ser. No.
09/031,405, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
[0016] The slide assembly 80, once molded, is secured to both the
cover 60 and base 40 by inserting the sleeves 92 and 94 through
openings 62 and 64 in end wall 61 of the integrally molded
polymeric cover 60 and through semicylindrical guide bosses 63 and
65 spaced along the surface 67 of cover 60, as best seen in FIG. 4.
The trailing edges 96 of each of the sleeves 92 and 94 are lockably
held within the bosses of cover 60 by snap-locking tangs 66, which
engage the edges 96 of the sleeves 92 and 94 to lockably hold the
sleeves in fixed position with respect to cover 60. The legs 81 and
83 of rod 82 are secured to base 40 within semicylindrical troughs
42 and 44 by means of fastening screws 45, which extend through
apertures 47 in troughs 42 and 44 in the base 40, as best seen in
FIG. 6. Fasteners 45 extend through slots 91 and 93 of sleeves 92
and 94, respectively, thereby allowing cover 60, which is lockably
mounted to the sleeves, to slide along legs 81 and 83 with
fasteners 45 securing rod 82 to base 40 and clearing the sleeves
92, 94 during such motion.
[0017] Cover 60 defines an armrest in a preferred embodiment and
includes, as seen in FIGS. 1-3 and 6, a foam polymeric padded
section 70 with a suitable flexible covering upholstery material
72, which can be leather, fabric, vinyl or the like, which extends
around the outer peripheral edges 68 of cover 60 and is tucked into
locking engagement in a peripheral trough 69 therewith by means of
a locking ring 74, as best seen in FIG. 6. Base 40 and the body of
cover 60 are each integrally molded of a suitable polymeric
material such as polycarbonate, thermoplastic resin, or the like,
typically used in the automotive environment for interior
components.
[0018] With base 40 secured to rod 82, which is pivotally mounted
to the console wall 24, the entire cover assembly, including base
40 and slidable cover 60, can be pivoted to a raised open position
exposing storage compartment 28, as shown in FIG. 2, by disengaging
latch 48 from catch 29 (FIG. 2). The cover 60 can also be slid with
respect to base 40, as seen in FIG. 3, to multiple detented
positions by the detent mechanism shown in FIGS. 4 and 7.
[0019] The detent mechanism includes a leaf spring 100 having a
base 102 which is secured to surface 41 on base 40 by suitable
attachment means, such as by rivets or the like. Leaf spring 100
includes a roller follower 104 at an opposite end which extends
upwardly into engagement with a rib 76 integral with cover 60 and
having a plurality of spaced notches 78 extending downwardly from
the center area of cover floor 67, as best seen in FIG. 7. As cover
60 is moved with respect to base 40 by slide 80, follower 104
selectively detents into notches 78 to releasably hold the cover in
an adjusted position, such as shown in FIG. 3. As seen in FIG. 7,
the cover 60 includes a downwardly extending wall 71 which defines
a stop preventing the cover 60 from being withdrawn from the slide
assembly 80 by engaging the edge 105 of leaf spring 100. This
prevents removal of the cover from slide assembly 80, which is
secured to the base 40.
[0020] The top surface 43 of base 40 may include a recessed cup
holder 50 and a storage tray 52, such that when cover 60 is moved
to a forward position, as seen in FIG. 3, the base, which remains
over storage compartment 28, provides access to additional
vertically stacked storage areas or features which supplement the
main storage compartment 28 associated with console 20.
[0021] Thus, with the cover assembly of the present invention,
additional storage is provided as well as the flexibility of
providing an adjustable armrest for use in providing access to a
console storage compartment. The structure is relatively
inexpensive to manufacture and provides a solid, reliable structure
which can withstand the rigors of the automotive interior
environment.
[0022] It will become apparent to those skilled in the art that
various modifications to the preferred embodiment of the invention
as described herein can be made without departing from the spirit
or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *