U.S. patent application number 10/679440 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-24 for receptacle.
This patent application is currently assigned to NIFCO INC.. Invention is credited to Shinomiya, Ken.
Application Number | 20040118851 10/679440 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32588407 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040118851 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shinomiya, Ken |
June 24, 2004 |
Receptacle
Abstract
A receptacle includes a box member having an opening, a guide
rail extending along the opening, a flexible sliding lid sliding in
the guide rail, a housing portion provided at an end of the box
member for storing the sliding lid, and a drive device provided at
the end of the housing portion for opening or closing the sliding
lid. When the sliding lid is opened or closed, the sliding lid is
pulled in a traveling direction of the sliding lid, and the sliding
lid can be opened smoothly.
Inventors: |
Shinomiya, Ken;
(Utsunomiya-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KANESAKA AND TAKEUCHI
Suite 2
1423 Powhatan Street
Alexandria
VA
22314
US
|
Assignee: |
NIFCO INC.
|
Family ID: |
32588407 |
Appl. No.: |
10/679440 |
Filed: |
October 7, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/345.1 ;
220/345.2; 220/345.4; 220/348 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 7/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/345.1 ;
220/348; 220/345.2; 220/345.4 |
International
Class: |
B65D 043/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 24, 2002 |
JP |
2002-371199 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A receptacle comprising: a box member having an opening, a guide
rail extending along the opening of the box member, a sliding lid
slidably situated in the guide rail for opening and closing the
opening of the box member, a housing portion provided at one end of
the box member for storing the sliding lid, and drive means
attached to the sliding lid for moving the same in an opening or
closing direction.
2. A receptacle according to claim 1, wherein said drive means
includes an arm having an end engaging the sliding lid and a
torsion spring for urging the arm to move in the opening or closing
direction.
3. A receptacle according to claim 2, wherein said drive means
further includes a damper for controlling a moving speed of the
sliding lid.
4. A receptacle according to claim 2, wherein said drive means is
disposed at an end of the box member close to the housing.
5. A receptacle according to claim 4, wherein said housing portion
has a curved shape so that the sliding lid is stored therein in a
curved state.
6. A receptacle according to claim 1, further comprising locking
means disposed at one end of the box member for locking the sliding
lid in a closed or open position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
[0001] The present invention relates to a receptacle or holder such
as a glove compartment including a flexible sliding lid for opening
and closing the receptacle.
[0002] A receptacle is provided in a center console of an
automobile. A lid for closing the receptacle includes, for example,
a sliding lid having projections disposed in parallel on a backside
of a soft and thin sheet material. The sliding lid slides in a pair
of guide rails disposed at both right and left sides of the
receptacle (refer to Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No.
2002-087167).
[0003] The sliding lid disclosed in the reference bends freely at a
thin portion between adjacent projections. When the sliding lid is
opened, the sliding lid is housed like a shutter door in a housing
portion continuously formed at an end of an opening. When the
sliding lid is closed, the sliding lid extends along the guide
rails to close the opening, and the projections provide rigidity to
support a weight applied on a top of the sliding lid.
[0004] In the conventional sliding lid, when the lid is closed, a
front end in the traveling direction of the sliding lid made of a
flexible material is pulled. When the lid is opened, a rear end in
the traveling direction of the sliding lid is pushed and the
sliding lid slides in the housing portion by its own weight.
Accordingly, especially when the lid is opened, the front end of
the sliding lid tends to be caught in the guide rails, and it is
difficult to smoothly open the sliding lid.
[0005] In view of the problem described above, the present
invention has been made, and an object of the present invention is
to provide a receptacle such as a glove compartment in which a lid
can be opened smoothly.
[0006] Further objects and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0007] In order to achieve the objects described above, according
to the present invention, a receptacle includes a box member having
an opening; a guide rail extending along the opening; a flexible
sliding lid sliding in the guide rail; a housing portion provided
at an end of the box member for storing the sliding lid; and drive
means (open drive mechanism) provided at the end of the housing
portion for opening the sliding lid. When the sliding lid is
opened, a front end of the sliding lid is pulled in a traveling
direction of the sliding lid, and the sliding lid can be opened
smoothly.
[0008] According to the present invention, the sliding lid may be
housed in the housing portion in a curved state, and the drive
means may include an arm having a central axis and a free end. A
torsion spring urges the central axis of the arm to rotate, and the
free end engages the sliding lid. Accordingly, it is possible to
reliably store the sliding lid in the housing portion with a simple
configuration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an inside of an
automobile where the present invention is applied; and
[0010] FIG. 2 is a side cross sectional view of a receptacle of the
present invention taken along a longitudinal direction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] Hereunder, embodiments of the present invention will be
explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows
a center console box 1 of an automobile where a receptacle of the
present invention such as a glove compartment is applied. The
center console box 1 is disposed between a driver seat 2 and a
front passenger seat 3 of the automobile, and a box member 4 with
an opening is attached to the center console box 1. A sliding lid 5
capable of sliding freely usually closes the opening of the box
member 4.
[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, guide rails 6 are provided on both sides
of the opening of the box member 4, and the sliding lid 5 slides in
the guide rails 6. A latching mechanism 7 is provided at a front
end of the opening (left side in FIG. 2) for holding the sliding
lid 5 in a closed state. A housing portion 8 is provided at a rear
end of the opening (right side in FIG. 2), and is formed of an arc
groove with a proper curvature for allowing the sliding lid 5 to be
bent and housed when the sliding lid 5 is opened.
[0013] The sliding lid 5 has a shape of a shutter in which
elongated thick-wall portions 9 are connected with thin-wall
portions 10, and the sliding lid 5 is made of a flexible synthetic
resin. Both ends of the thick-wall portions 10 slide in the guide
rails 6 formed in the box member 4. When the sliding lid 5 is
closed, the sliding lid 5 extends horizontally, and when the
sliding lid 5 is opened, the sliding lid 5 is bent and smoothly
slides in the housing portion 8.
[0014] The sliding lid 5 has a knob 11 at a front end thereof in a
direction that the sliding lid 5 closes the opening, so that a
fingertip is placed on the knob 11 to close the sliding lid 5. The
knob 11 has a groove 13 in an inner surface thereof for engaging a
locking claw 12 of the latching mechanism 7. The locking claw 12 is
made of a hard synthetic resin, and freely slides vertically in a
depression 14 provided at a front end of the box member 4. A
helical compression spring 15 constantly urges the locking claw 12
upwardly.
[0015] A drive mechanism 21 is provided in the box member 4 at a
side of the housing portion 8. The drive mechanism 21 is composed
of an arm 16 supported on a sidewall of the box member 4 and
capable of rotating within an angle of about 180 degrees; an
intermediate gear 19 urged by a coil spring 18 to rotate and
engaging a gear 17 formed at a base of the arm 16; and a rotational
damper 20 engaging the intermediate gear 19 for controlling a
rotational speed of the arm 16. A free end of the arm 16 of the
drive mechanism 21 is inserted in a slit 22 provided at a rear end
of the sliding lid 5, so that the rotational force of the arm 16 is
transmitted to the sliding lid 5.
[0016] In the receptacle with the structure described above, when
the sliding lid 5 is closed, the knob 11 is fully moved forward
against the rotational force of the coil spring 18 applied to the
arm 16, so that the locking claw 12 engages the groove 13 at the
backside of the front end of the sliding lid 5 to maintain the
closed state of the sliding lid 5 automatically.
[0017] When a button 23 integrated with the locking claw 12 is
pushed to release the locking claw 12 from the groove 13, the arm
16 is rotated with the rotational force of the torsion coil spring
18 at a moderate speed damped by the rotational damper 20, so that
the sliding lid 5 connected to an end of the arm is automatically
opened. At this time, the driving force is applied to the front end
of the sliding lid 5 in the sliding direction to open the sliding
lid 5. Therefore, it is possible to open the sliding lid 5 smoothly
and surely.
[0018] The present invention is explained with reference to the
embodiment applied to the console box of the automobile. The
present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above,
and can be applied to a furniture or office equipment. Also, the
present invention may be used not only as a box-like receptacle,
but also as a cup holder with a holder for a beverage
receptacle.
[0019] The drive mechanism includes the arm 16 urged by the coil
spring 18 to rotate. Alternatively, the drive mechanism may
include, for example, a wire wrapped around a bobbin to be
rotatable and urged by a torsion spring or a well-known constant
force spring in order to provide a sliding force to the sliding
lid.
[0020] According to the present invention, the sliding lid is
opened by the driving force applied to the front end of the sliding
lid in the traveling direction. Therefore, it is possible to open
the sliding lid smoothly. Also, it is possible to store the sliding
lid in the housing portion reliably because of the simple
structure.
[0021] While the invention has been explained with the specific
embodiment of the invention, the explanation is illustrative and
the invention is limited only by the appended claims.
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