Vehicle equipment console

• US 6,428,072 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2000
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Auto Additions Inc. (Bowmer & Kirkland Limited)
• Original Assignee: Auto Additions Inc. (Bowmer & Kirkland Limited)
• Inventors: Moore, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Stephen T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, GREGORY A
• Application Number:
  US09/658,822
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 296/24.1, 296/37.8, 296/37.12, 296/70, 296/74, 224/483
• US Class Current: 296/24.34
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/774 on or in the centre console
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/00 Dashboards as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0262 Mid-console liners
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0007 Mid-console
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0052 using screws, bolts, rivets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2304/076 by add-on parts, e.g. retrofit

Abstract

An equipment console for use in a vehicle having a driver compartment including a dashboard, floor and driver seat. The equipment console has a console body for supporting equipment in a location accessible to a person seated in the driver seat. The front of the console body includes a front portion configured to receive and support the equipment. The console body also has a back generally opposite the front of the console body. The back of the console body may be integrated with the dashboard by providing the back with a profile that conforms at least partially to a contour of the dashboard. In addition, the console body may be adapted to cover an area of the dashboard in which climate controls were originally installed, with an upper portion of the console body being adapted to receive and secure the climate controls in a relocated position so that they may be operated from the front of the console body.

Claims

1. An equipment console for use in a vehicle driver compartment having a dashboard, floor and driver seat, the equipment console comprising:

a console body configured to support add-on equipment in a location accessible to a driver seated in the driver seat when the equipment console is installed within the vehicle driver compartment, the console body having;

a front, including a mounting frame configured to receive and support the add-on equipment; and

a back generally opposite the front, the back having a profile that conforms at least partially to a contour of the dashboard, where the console body is configured to cover an area of the dashboard in which climate controls were originally installed, and where an upper portion of the console body is adapted to receive and secure the climate controls in a relocated position so that they may be operated from the front of the console body; and

a floor plate configured to be mounted within the vehicle driver compartment so that the floor plate extends adjacent the floor between the driver seat and a passenger seat included in the vehicle driver compartment, where a front end of the floor plate is secured to a bottom of the console body.

2. The equipment console of claim 1, where the console body further includes two sides that are spaced from each other by the front of the console body and that each extend from the front of the console body toward the back of the console body.

3. The equipment console of claim 2, where the two sides are each formed as a sidewall having a back edge that partly defines the back of the console body.

4. The equipment console of claim 3, where the back edges of the sidewalls are shaped to at least partially conform to a dashboard having an irregular curved cross section.

5. The equipment console of claim 4, where a first one of the back edges of the sidewalls is shaped differently than a second one of the back edges of the sidewalls, enabling the back edges of sidewalls to be closely fitted to a dashboard having a cross section that varies along the length of the dashboard.

6. The equipment console of claim 1, where the back of the console body is shaped to at least partially conform to a dashboard having an irregular curved cross section.

7. The equipment console of claim 1, where the back of the console body includes a protruding tab configured to extend into the area of a dashboard in which climate controls were originally installed.

8. The equipment console of claim 1, where the front of the console body is generally vertical, but is configured so that, when the equipment console is installed in a vehicle, the front of the console body is angled toward the dashboard so that the front of the console body faces upward toward the driver seat.

9. An aftermarket equipment console for use in a vehicle driver compartment having a dashboard, floor and driver seat, the equipment console comprising:

a console body configured for aftermarket installation into a vehicle, the console body having;

a front configured to receive and support multiple pieces of add-on equipment so that front faces of the pieces of add-on equipment define a generally planar instrument panel operable from the front of the console body; and

a back shaped to integrate the equipment console with the dashboard, where the console body is proportioned so that, when the console body is installed in the vehicle, the instrument panel is located entirely forward of mounting hardware used to secure the driver seat to the floor; and

a floor plate configured to be mounted within the vehicle driver compartment so that the floor plate extends adjacent the floor between the driver seat and a passenger seat included in the vehicle driver compartment, where a front end of the floor plate is secured to a bottom of the console body.

10. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 9, where the back of the console body is shaped to at least partially conform to a dashboard having an irregular cross section.

11. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 9, where the back of the console body includes two elongate edge portions shaped to at least partially conform to a dashboard having in irregular curved cross section.

12. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 11, where a first one of the elongate edge portions is shaped differently than a second one of the elongate edge portions, enabling the back of the console body to be closely fitted to a dashboard having a cross section that varies along the length of the dashboard.

13. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 9, where:

the console body further includes two spaced sidewalls that extend generally parallel to each other between the front and back of the console body; and

the front, back and sidewalls of the console body partly define a generally wedge-shaped case including a shallow top and a deeper bottom, depth being measured between the front and back of the console body.

14. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 13, where the sidewalls of the console body each include a back edge configured to at least partially conform to an irregular curved cross section of a dashboard.

15. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 9, where the console body is configured to cover an area of a dashboard in which climate controls were originally installed, and where the console body is adapted to receive and secure the climate controls in a relocated position so that the climate controls are operable from the front of the console body.

16. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 15, where the back of the console body includes a protruding tab configured to extend into an area of a dashboard in which the climate controls were originally installed.

17. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 9, where the back of the console body is positioned so that it contacts or is closely spaced from a central portion of a dashboard, while permitting free access to climate controls in an original factory-installed location of the climate controls on the dashboard.

18. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 9, where the front of the console body is shaped so that, when the console body is installed in a vehicle driver compartment, the instrument panel is generally vertical but angled toward the dashboard so that the instrument panel faces upward toward the driver seat.

19. An equipment console for use in a vehicle driver compartment having a dashboard, floor and driver seat, the equipment console comprising:

a generally wedge-shaped equipment case integrated with and extending outward from the dashboard, the equipment case including;

a front configured to receive and support multiple pieces of add-on equipment so that front faces of the pieces of add-on equipment define a generally planar instrument panel operable from the front of the equipment case; and

two sides spaced from each other and extending parallel to each other from the front of the equipment case, the sides each including an elongate back edge portion generally opposite the front of the equipment case, where each elongate edge portion is shaped to conform to a cross section of the dashboard, where the equipment case is proportioned so that the instrument panel is entirely forward of mounting hardware used to secure the driver seat to the floor, and where the equipment case covers an area of the dashboard in which climate controls were originally installed, an upper portion of the equipment case being adapted to receive and secure the climate controls in a relocated position so that the climate controls are operable from the front of the console body equipment case; and

a floor plate configured to be mounted within the vehicle driver compartment so that the floor plate extends adjacent the floor between the driver seat and a passenger seat included in the vehicle driver compartment, where a front end of the floor plate is secured to a bottom of the equipment case.

20. An automobile, comprising:

a driver compartment having a dashboard, floor and driver seat; and

a console installed in the driver compartment and having a console body for supporting add-on equipment in a location accessible to a driver seated in the driver seat, the console body having;

a front, including a mounting frame configured to receive and support the add-on equipment; and

a back generally opposite the front, the back having a profile that conforms at least partially to a contour of the dashboard, where the console body covers an area of the dashboard in which climate controls were originally installed, and where an upper portion of the console body is adapted to receive and secure the climate controls in a relocated position so that they may be operated from the front of the console body; and

a floor plate configured to be mounted within the driver compartment so that the floor plate extends adjacent the floor between the driver seat and a passenger seat included in the driver compartment, where a front end of the floor plate is secured to a bottom of the console body.