Glove compartment for motor vehicle

• US 4,596,416 A
• Filed: 08/30/1985
• Issued: 06/24/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Auto OOO (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Muller, Helmut E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Olson, Carol L.
• Application Number:
  US06/770,964
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• Field of Search: 296/37.12, 296/37.1, 296/37.8, 296/70, 180/90, 312/323, 312/242, 224/282, 224/42.42, 224/42.45 R
• US Class Current: 296/37.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 7/06 mounted on or below dashboards

Abstract

A glove compartment in the dashboard of a motor vehicle is closed by a movable door having brackets which carry pins slideably retained in arcuate guide tracks provided in the side walls of the glove compartment. By virtue of the appropriate curvature of guide tracks, the door, while being opened, is able to move along the outer contour of the dashboard and inside of the dashboard. The glove compartment is preferably divided into upper and lower compartments. A spring acts between the compartment and the door and one of the pairs of guide tracks have depressions into which the spring pulls the pins to retain the door in either the fully closed position closing both compartments and a partly closed position opening the upper compartment.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle glove compartment accessible through a dashboard opening comprising:

a molded plastic compartment fixedly mounted on the dashboard and having laterally spaced apart side walls and a bottom wall defining the floor of the compartment;

first and second arcuate guide tracks integrally molded on the outside of each of the side walls of the compartment;

a door having a surface configuration matching the curvature of the dashboard and adapted to close the dashboard opening through which the compartment is accessible;

upper and lower brackets extending from the door adjacent to both of the side walls of the compartment and respectively carrying first and second pins movably engaged in the first and second arcuate guide tracks so that the arcuate guide tracks define a path of movement of the door;

spring means acting between at least one of the brackets and the compartment and arranged generally radially with respect to the door; and

a depressed upper end zone in the guide track receiving the pin at the urging of the spring to establish and retain the door at a normal fully closed position with respect to the compartment.

2. A motor vehicle glove compartment accessible through a dashboard opening comprising:

a molded plastic compartment fixedly mounted on the dashboard and having laterally spaced apart side walls and a bottom wall defining the floor of a lower compartment and an intermediate floor defining the bottom of an upper compartment;

first and second arcuate guide tracks integrally molded on the outside of each of the side walls of the compartment;

a door having a surface configuration matching the curvature of the dashboard and adapted to close the dashboard opening through which the compartment is accessible;

upper and lower brackets extending from the door adjacent to both of the side walls of the compartment and respectively carrying first and second pins movably engaged in the first and second arcuate guide tracks so that the arcuate guide tracks define a path of movement of the door;

spring means acting between at least one of the brackets and the compartment and arranged generally radially with respect to the door; and

a depressed upper end zone in the guide track receiving the pin at the urging of the spring to establish and retain the door at a normal fully closed position with respect to the upper and lower compartments; and

an intermediate depression provided in the guide track adapted to receive the pin under the influence of the spring to retain the door at an intermediate position along its path of movement thereby opening only the upper compartment while closing the lower compartment.