Lid mountings for automobile interior storage cabinets

• US 4,239,277 A
• Filed: 12/20/1978
• Issued: 12/16/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Oda, Takaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Love, John J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carroll, John A.
• Application Number:
  US05/971,443
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 180/90, 296/37.1, 296/37.8, 296/37.12, 312/242, 312/248, 312/294, 312/295
• US Class Current: 296/37.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 7/06 mounted on or below dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1016 with a canted-coil torsion spring
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/538 Interior lids

Abstract

The storage cabinet comprises a lid hingedly mounted thereon, an arcuate arm extending from the lid inwardly of the cabinet and having a slot formed at the end remote from the lid, and a coil spring having one end born at a convenient stationary part and the other end slidably received in the slot, whereby the lid can be passively held in a half-open position while being manually movable to a full open position against the action of the spring.

Claims

1. Automobile interior storage cabinet comprising

a body of the cabinet defining an opening,

a lid hingedly mounted on the cabinet body to cover the opening and adapted to be releasably held in a closed position,

stop means for stopping the turning movement of the lid in an open position,

means biasing the lid toward the closed position, and

a lost motion connection between the lid and the biasing means for rendering the biasing means active on the lid only after the lid turns toward the open position exceeding a predetermined angular position.

2. Automobile interior storage cabinet as defined in claim 1, in which said storage cabinet is a glove box mounted in a recess of an automobile instrument panel.

3. Automobile interior storage cabinet as defined in claim 1, in which said stop means includes an arcuate arm having one end secured to the lid and extending from the lid inwardly of the cabinet.

4. Automobile interior storage cabinet as defined in claim 3, in which said biasing means includes a coil spring having one end pivotally carried by any adjacent stationary part of the automobile and in which said lost motion connection includes means defining a slot in said other end of the arcuate arm for slidably carrying the other end of said coil spring.

5. Automobile interior storage cabinet as defined in claim 4, in which the load of the coil spring is so selected to substantially overweigh the lid.

6. An automobile interior storage cabinet comprising:

a body member opening on the interior of the automobile, a lid hinged to said body to cover said opening and adapted to be releasably held in a closed position, means for stopping movement of the lid in an open position including an arcuate arm having one end secured to the lid and an opposite end extending from the lid inwardly of the cabinet, means biasing the lid toward a closed position including a coil spring having one end pivotally carried by an adjacent stationary part of the automobile, a lost motion connection between the lid and the biasing means for rendering the biasing means active on the lid only after the lid turns beyond a predetermined angle toward an open position, said lost motion connection including a slot in said opposite end of the arcuate arm for slidably carrying the other end of said coil spring.

7. In an automotive interior storage cabinet having a body and a lid hinged to said body for pivotal movement between an open and a closed position, a spring connected at one end thereof to said body;

and a lost motion device interconnecting the other end of said spring with said lid so that said lid can open to a predetermined angular position between said open position and said closed position before said lost motion device conncts said spring with said lid, so that the bias of said spring resists the further opening of said lid, thus preventing the lid from accidentally assuming a fully open position.