Lockable cover arrangement for vehicle luggage compartment

• US 5,037,154 A
• Filed: 12/17/1990
• Issued: 08/06/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Senba, Ryoji, Sugiura, Fumio, Fujita, Shumei
• Primary Examiner(s): Stormer, Russell D.
• Application Number:
  US07/627,917
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 296/37.1, 296/37.8, 296/37.16, 296/76, 296/65.1, 292/107, 292/209, 292/216, 292/304
• US Class Current: 296/37.16
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 5/044 luggage covering means, e.g. parcel shelves

Abstract

A vehicle body structure having a lock device for use of a package tray installed in a vehicle. A package tray is provided within a luggage compartment to conceal a luggage from the outside. In a two box car, a luggage compartment is communicated with a passenger compartment. Hence, even if a hatch back door is closed and locked, a luggage put in a luggage compartment might be stolen if a front or rear door is opened. The lock device makes the package tray locked, thereby disconnecting the communication between the passenger compartment and the luggage compartment.

Claims

1. A vehicle body structure having a luggage compartment located between a back of a seat and a rotatably mounted back door, comprising:

a package tray provided in the luggage compartment, to conceal luggage located in the luggage compartment, the package tray being positioned between the back of the seat and the back door and the package tray separating the luggage compartment from a passenger compartment when the back door is closed, said package tray having a front edge, a rear edge, a bottom surface and a top surface;

a bracket for mounting the package tray thereon, said bracket comprising a main portion which is substantially flush with an upper surface of the package tray, and a stepped portion located under the main portion;

a first pivot means mounted on said bottom surface of said package tray closer to said front edge than said rear edge, the first pivot means including a fastener fixed on the package tray and a pin fixed on the fastener at one end thereof;

a second pivot means mounted on said bottom surface of said package tray closer to said rear edge than said front edge, wherein when said back door is closed said bottom surface of said rear edge is located adjacent said back door; and

a lock means provided between the package tray and the bracket, said lock means located within the luggage compartment on a side of a stepped portion of the bracket, the lock means including a clamp fixed on the stepped portion of the bracket, said lock means adapted to secure said first pivot means, whereby when said lock means secures said first pivot means said package tray is locked to said bracket and said lock means is blocked from the passenger compartment by said package tray thus rendering said luggage compartment inaccessible from said passenger compartment, whereby said pin of the first pivot means is placed in said clamp to lock said package tray.

2. The vehicle body structure of claim 1, wherein said pin of the first pivot means extends outwardly in a lateral direction of the package tray from the fastener, and wherein the clamp of the lock means includes an aperture which corresponds in size to the pin of the first pivot means.

3. The vehicle body structure of claim 2, wherein the lock means further comprises a bias means which contacts the clamp.

4. The vehicle body structure of claim 3, wherein the clamp has two concave portions which the bias means contacts alternatively, whereby when the bias means contacts a first of said two portions said clamp is biased so as to enage with the pin and when the bias means contacts a second of said two portions, said clamp is biased away from said pin.

5. The vehicle body structure of claim 1, wherein the clamp includes an aperture in which the first pivot means is mounted, and the lock means further comprises a slider slidably mounted on the bracket and a bias means for biasing the slider toward the aperture of the clamp.

6. The vehicle body structure of claim 5, wherein the bracket has a guide hole in which the slider is inserted.

7. The vehicle body structure of claim 6, wherein the slider comprises a main portion which closes the aperture of the clamp at a foremost position, and a guide portion which is fitted into the guide hole and which is connected with the bias means.

8. The vehicle body structure of claim 6, wherein the guide hole is L-shaped.

9. The vehicle body of claim 1, wherein the lock means further comprises at least one projection, said projection being mounted on said package tray, and the clamp includes an aperture in which the pin of the first pivot means is mounted, whereby when the package tray is located on the bracket, the projection is positioned under the bracket to prevent the package tray from separating from the bracket.

10. The vehicle body structure of claim 9, wherein said at least one projection comprises a pair of projections, and wherein said package tray includes lateral ends, each projection of said pair of projections being located at a lateral end of the package tray, said pair of projections being connected by a rod.

11. The vehicle body structure of claim 1, wherein the lock means comprises a slider which is mounted within the fastener fixed on the package tray such that the slider may slide to the outside of the fastener, and when the slider projects to the outside of the fastener, a part of the slider is positioned under the bracket to prevent the package tray from being separated from the bracket.

12. The vehicle body structure of claim 11, wherein the slider has a h-shaped form.

13. The vehicle body structure of claim 11, wherein the fastener has a hole in which the slider is fitted and guided when the slider moves and projects to the outside of the fastener.

14. The vehicle body structure of claim 1, further comprising a fixing means which fixes a foldable rear seat onto a vehicle body, and another lock means which interlocks the fixing means to prevent the fixing means from being released from a fixed condition, wherein the another lock means is a lever which has a notch therein, and the lever engages with the fixing means at the notch.

15. The vehicle body structure of claim 1, wherein said back door includes an inner projection, said inner projection being located in the vicinity of the top surface of the rear edge of the package tray when the back door is closed.

16. A vehicle body structure defining a passenger compartment and a luggage compartment, said luggage compartment being located between a back of a rear seat and a back door, the back door being rotatably mounted on an outer portion of the vehicle body structure, said vehicle body structure comprising:

a package tray provided in the luggage compartment to conceal an inside of the luggage compartment, the package tray being positioned between the back of the seat and the back door and the package tray separating the luggage compartment from a passenger compartment when the back door is closed, the package tray including a front edge, a rear edge, a top surface and a bottom surface;

a bracket for mounting the package tray thereon, the bracket being fixed on the vehicle body structure, the bracket being located between the back of the seat and the back door, said bracket comprising a main portion which is substantially flush with an upper surface of the package tray, and a stepped portion located under the main portion;

a first pivot means being mounted on the bottom surface of the package tray, the first pivot means being located closer to said front edge than said rear edge, the first pivot means including a fastener fixed on the package tray and a pin fixed on the fastener at one end thereof;

a second pivot means being mounted on the bottom surface of the package tray, the second pivot means being located closer to said rear edge than said front edge, said rear edge being adjacent to the back door when the back door is closed; and

a lock means provided between the bottom surface of the package tray and the bracket, said lock means located within the luggage compartment on a side of a stepped portion of the bracket, the lock means including a clamp fixed on the stepped portion of the bracket, whereby when the lock means locks the package tray to the bracket the lock means is blocked from the passenger compartment by said package tray and when the back door is closed the lock means cannot be manipulated from the passenger compartment, whereby said pin of the first pivot means is placed in said clamp to lock said package tray.

17. A vehicle body structure defining a passenger compartment and a luggage compartment between a back of a rear seat and a back door, the back door being mounted on the vehicle body structure, comprising:

a package tray provided in the luggage compartment to conceal an inside of the luggage compartment, the package tray being positioned between the back of the seat and the back door and the package tray separating the luggage compartment from a passenger compartment when the back door is closed, the package tray including a front edge, a rear edge, an upper surface and a bottom surface;

a bracket for mounting the package tray thereon, the bracket being located between the back of the seat and the back door, said bracket comprising a main portion which is substantially flush with an upper surface of the package tray, and a stepped portion located under the main portion;

a first pivot means being mounted on the bottom surface of the package tray, the first pivot means being located closer to said front edge than said rear edge, the first pivot means including a fastener fixed on the package tray and a pin fixed on the fastener at one end thereof;

a second pivot means being mounted on the bottom surface of the package tray, the second pivot means being located closer to said rear edge than said front edge, said rear edge being adjacent to the back door when the back door is closed; and

a lock means provided between the package tray and the bracket, the lock means being located between the first pivot means and the bracket, said lock means located within the luggage compartment on a side of a stepped portion of the bracket, the lock means including a clamp fixed on the stepped portion of the bracket, whereby when the lock means locks the first pivot means with the bracket and the back door is closed, said lock means is blocked from the passenger compartment by said package tray, the back door is positioned adjacent to the top surface of the rear edge of the package tray, whereby the lock means cannot be manipulated from the passenger compartment, whereby said pin of the first pivot means is placed in said clamp to lock said package tray.