U.S. patent application number 10/068658 was filed with the patent office on 2003-11-06 for accessory support system.
Invention is credited to Richter, Herbert.
Application Number | 20030205651 10/068658 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29268604 |
Filed Date | 2003-11-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030205651 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Richter, Herbert |
November 6, 2003 |
Accessory support system
Abstract
In a support system for supporting objects on an air outlet
register, a mounting body is provided with opposite spaced parallel
front and rear walls and the rear wall includes adjustable clips
for engaging ribs of the register for supporting the mounting body
adjacent the register and the front wall of the body includes
engagement means for engaging various objects or articles to be
supported on the mounting body.
Inventors: |
Richter, Herbert;
(Engelbrand, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KLAUS J. BACH & ASSOCIATES
PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS
4407 TWIN OAKS DRIVE
MURRYSVILLE
PA
15668
US
|
Family ID: |
29268604 |
Appl. No.: |
10/068658 |
Filed: |
February 6, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/231.81 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N 3/104 20130101;
B60N 3/103 20130101; B60R 2011/0059 20130101; B60R 11/0241
20130101; B60R 2011/0071 20130101; B60R 11/00 20130101; B60R
2011/0073 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/231.81 |
International
Class: |
E04G 005/06; A47B
096/06 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A support system for supporting objects on an air outlet
register, comprising a mounting body having opposite spaced
parallel front and rear walls, said rear walls being provided with
clips for engaging ribs of said register for supporting said
mounting body adjacent said register and said front wall including
engagement means for engaging various objects to be supported on
said mounting body.
2. A support system according to claim 1, wherein said engagement
means are claws adapted for reception in corresponding openings
formed in said objects for engaging said objects with said mounting
body.
3. A support system according to claim 1, wherein said engagement
means includes a front plate having a permanent magnet disposed
therein for engaging and supporting an article including a magnetic
material.
4. A support system according to claim 1, wherein said engagement
means includes a front plate having a U-shaped raised portion
forming an open-ended recess for receiving a button-like support
member as it is provided on certain objects.
8. A support system according to claim 1, wherein the rear wall of
said mounting body is provided with at least one slot having a
predetermined width and said clips have roots with grooves having a
width corresponding to the thickness of said rear body wall said
receiving the edges of said rear wall forming said slots.
9. A support system according to claim 8, wherein said slots each
has an enlarged center area and the roots of said clips have
several longitudinally spaced circumferential grooves with a groove
core area of square cross-section and the root portions between and
adjacent said grooves have a diameter corresponding to the width of
the enlarged center area permitting the insertion of a selected one
of said grooves into said slot in said rear body wall.
10. A support system according to claim 9, wherein more than one
such slot is formed in the rear wall of said mounting body said
slots being arranged in spaced parallel relationship.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to an accessory support system for
supporting articles on registers, particularly the heating and
cooling air registers in the dashboard of a motor vehicle.
[0002] Automobile drivers often wish to support certain articles
such as a cellular telephone or a cup readily accessible at the
dashboard of the automobile. To this end, support structures are
known which can be mounted to the dashboard by screws which however
causes some damage. It is also known to mount the support
structures by cementing using an adhesive surface. Such an
arrangement, however, also leaves generally visible marks on the
dashboard and, furthermore, the structure may come loose when
subjected to excessive heat for example by exposure to the sun in
the summertime. Particular support structure have also been offered
which can be mounted to the air outlet registers of the dashboard
of an automobile by way of clips by which one or more of the
register fins are firmly engaged. However, the registers of
different vehicles are often quite different in width and spacing.
And although most register fins extend horizontally in some
automobiles, the outer accessible register fins extend vertically.
To accommodate the registers of all automobiles support structures,
different clip arrangements must therefore be made available.
Furthermore, the various devices must all be provided in different
design depending on the type of register to which they are to he
mounted. This of course causes increased manufacturing and
particularly increased handling and storage expenses.
[0003] It is therefore the object of the present invention to
provide a support system, wherein a single mounting arrangement is
adaptable to the various air outlet register designs independently
of the width or the orientation of the register fins and also to
the various articles to be supported.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In a support system for supporting objects on an air outlet
register, a mounting body is provided with opposite spaced parallel
front and rear walls and the rear wall includes adjustable clips
for engaging ribs of the register for supporting the mounting body
adjacent the register and the front wall of the body includes
engagement means for engaging various articles to be supported on
the mounting body.
[0005] With this support system, the support body can be mounted in
proper positions on any air outlet, no matter whether the outlet
fins are horizontal or vertical and it can be mounted with a
selectable spacing therefrom and even at selectable angles relative
thereto. A particular support device or article as desired can then
be attached to the support face of the support device depending on
what article the user wishes to be supported.
[0006] The invention will become more readily apparent from the
following description of preferred embodiments thereof on the basis
of the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the support system
according to the invention showing a support body with mounting
clips at one side and engagement means on the other side for the
mounting of certain support devices or articles, which are designed
to be engaged by the engagement means,
[0008] FIG. 2 is a top view of FIG. 1 showing the engagement clip
arrangement,
[0009] FIG. 3 is a side view of the support structure as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2,
[0010] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the support body as shown in FIG.
1 with the clips removed to show the support slots, in which the
clips are adjustably engaged,
[0011] FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with a support magnet
integrated directly into the support body for holding articles
including magnetic material,
[0012] FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with a U-shaped support
structure integrated into the front face of the support for
engaging articles provided with a button-like support member like
certain cellular phones, and
[0013] FIG. 7 is a top view of the arrangement as shown in FIG. 6
to show the shape of the U-shaped support structure.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] The accessory support system as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a
hollow body 1 having spaced parallel front and rear walls 2 and 3
and side walls 4 extending between the front and rear walls. The
front wall 2 includes claws 2a for engaging various support
accessories such as telephone holders or cup holders in a way as
disclosed for example in Applicant's earlier U.S. Pat. No.
5,790,995.
[0015] The rear wall 3 as shown in plain view in FIG. 4 includes
spaced parallel slots 4, 5, and 6 provided with enlarged center
portions 4a, 5a, and 6a for mounting clips 7 (FIGS. 1 and 3) to the
rear wall 3. Each mounting clip 7 has a root portion 8 and a clip
portion 9. The root portion 8 includes a square stem 10 provided
with engagement wall members 11, which are disposed in spaced
relationship from each other by a distance corresponding to the
thickness of the rear wall 3. The diameter of the engagement wall
members 11 corresponds to the width of the enlarged center portions
4a, 5a, 6a of the parallel slots 4, 5, and 6, so that the rout
portion 8 can be inserted into the parallel slots 4, 5, 6 through
the center portions 4a, 5a, 6a and then moved toward the narrower
ends of the slots for engagement of the root portions with the rear
wall of the hollow body 1. The square stem sections 10 of the root
portion have a diameter corresponding to the width of the parallel
slots 4, 5, 6 and an axial length corresponding to the thickness of
the rear wall 3 of the body 1. The root portions can therefore be
installed in the slots 4, 5, 6 selectively in any 90.degree.
displaced angular position so that they can be set for the clip
structures at their opposite ends to engage selectively vertical or
horizontal air outlet fins.
[0016] The clip portion 9 includes a support bar 12 with a
hook-like end portion 13 and a resilient clip member 14 for holding
an air outlet fin in engagement with the support bar 12. The
support bar has a toothed area 12a and carries an abutment member
15, which is longitudinally movably supported on the support bar
12. The abutment member 15 is provided with a projection 16 for
engaging an outlet fin longitudinally between the end portion 13 of
she support bar 12 and the projection 16 of the abutment member 15.
The abutment member 15 also includes ratchet means engaging the
tooted area 12a in order to retain the abutwent member 15 in
position in engagement with a particular fin of the air outlet
register.
[0017] FIGS. 1 and 3 snow the mounting clip 7 attached in the sane
mounting slot 4 in an orientation as they should be installed with
register including horizontal fins. They could however also be
installed in different mounting slots and be turned by 90.degree..
Furthermore, they are shown mounted with the stem section 10
closest to the clip portion engaged in the slot 4 so that the body
1 is arranged closest to the air outlet. Other sections 10 could be
used for the installation of the mounting clips on the body 1
whereby the body 1 can be supported in a selectably spaced
relationship from the air outlet.
[0018] While FIGS. 1 and 2 show the front wall provided with claws
arrangement means other engagement means may be provided on the
front wall.
[0019] FIG. 5 shows for example a hollow body with a front wall 2',
in which a magnet 20 is mounted. The magnet 20 and the front wall
2' is additionally covered by a foamed rubber sheet 21. This
provides for a support structure engaging any article that includes
a magnetic material as for example most cellular telephones do.
[0020] FIGS. 6 and 7 show a hollow body with a front wall 2"
provided with a U-shaped raised portion 22 forming an open channel
23 for receiving a button-like mounting member as they are provided
on certain articles such as for example on some cellular telephones
for engaging and supporting the cellular telephone.
[0021] Such magnetic support or U-shaped engagement structures may
of course also be provided on plates, which have openings for
receiving the claws 2a as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and which can
therefore be mounted on the hollow body 1 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2
for supporting specific articles so that no special hollow body
with the support structures embodied therein needs to be
provided.
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