Device for dividing the storage space behind a seat in a vehicle, especially a private car

• US 6,729,668 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Johann Borgers GmbH & Company KG (Borgers AG)
• Original Assignee: Johann Borgers GmbH & Company KG (Borgers AG)
• Inventors: Maibom, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, D. Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): ENGLE, PATRICIA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US10/312,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20030122397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 296/37.8, 296/37.16, 296/24.1, 296/63, 296/65.01, 296/65.16, 296/69, 160/226, 160/227, 297/334, 297/335, 297/336
• US Class Current: 296/24.4
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/20 the back-rest being tiltable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/04, B60N2/22 , B60N2/3002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/36 into a loading platform B60N2/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/363 characterised by provisions for enhancing the cargo floor surface, e.g. elements closing gaps or enlarging the back-rest surface
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2205/30 Seat or seat parts characterised by comprising plural parts or pieces
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 5/04 arranged at rear of vehicle B60R5/003, B60R5/006 take precedence; external trunks arranged at rear of vehicle B60R9/065

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for dividing (41, 42) the storage space behind a seat, comprising a storage floor (21) having a horizontal hinge (22). The storage floor (21) can be unfolded (46) or folded up in relation to the vehicle floor. Said hinge (22) enables the storage floor (21) to alternate between being in a storage position and a non-storage position. The invention aims to facilitate structure and handling. In order to achieve this, the storage floor (21) is fixed to the rear (19) of the seat by means of the hinge (22), forming a unit comprising the storage floor (21) and seat, which can be pre-assembled. In the non-storage position, the storage floor (21) folds onto the rear side (19) of the back of the seat (12) and is fixed thereto by a retaining means (30). In the storage position (21.2), the storage floor (21) juts out of the back of the seat (12) and is held in position by means of supporting surfaces (28). Said storage floor forms an upper storage floor (25) located above the vehicle floor.

Claims

1. Device for dividing a single large storage space (40) behind a seat in a vehicle,

the seat (10) consists of a flat seat part (11) and a backrest (12), which is connected to the flat seat part (11) by a joint axis (32);

a cover panel (21), which has a horizontal hinge (22) alone one edge;

the cover panel (21) is attached by the hinge (22) to a rear surface (19) of the seat (10) and forms a preassembled structural unit (20) together with the seat (10);

the hinge allows the cover panel to fold up and down between a storage (down) position and a non-storage (up), the hinge (22) of the cover panel (21) is attached to a bottom edge of the backrest (12) in the region of the joint axis (32) of the seat (10);

stationary support means, which position the cover panel in its storage down, position relative to the backrest (12) a defined vertical distance from a floor of the vehicle, the support means being fixed support surfaces (28) on an inner wall of the vehicle, the support surfaces (28) supporting the cover panel (21) in the storage position;

the cover panel (21) having a utility surface (25) on which a load can be placed in the vehicle when the cover panel (21) is in the storage position;

when the cover panel (21) is in the non-storage position the utility surface (25) of the cover panel (21) is directed toward the rear surface (19) of the backrest (12) so as to be concealed, and when the cover panel is in the storage position the utility surface (25) of the cover panel (21) as well as the rear surface (19) of the backrest (12) are exposed and the single large storage space (40) is divided into two levels, one above the other.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the utility surface (25), which is invisible in the non-storage position (21.1) but which supports the cargo when in storage position (21.2), is designed differently from a decorative surface (24) of the cover panel (21), which decorative surface is visible in the non-storage position (21.1) of the panel,

where the utility surface (25) is mechanically strong, and the decorative surface (24) matches the style of its surroundings.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein the cover panel (21) is made up of multiple layers, and in that these layers (51-54) are assembled to form a laminate (50),

where, when the cover panel (21) is in the storage position (21.2), the utility surface (25) forms an uppermost layer (51) then a dimensionally stable support layer (52), and where a decorative surface (24) is the lowermost, decorative layer (54).

4. Device according to claim 3, wherein an upholstery layer (53), which has acoustic damping properties, is provided between the support layer (52) and the decorative layer (54).

5. Device according to claim 3, wherein the utility surface (25) of the cover panel (21) is provided with functional parts.

6. Device according to claim 5, wherein the functional parts are one of friction strips, tie-down rings and handles.

7. Device according to claim 3, wherein the support layer (52) has a honeycomb structure (48).

8. Device according to claim 1, wherein the storage position (21.2) of the cover panel (21) is held in place by latching means (35) in the interior of the vehicle.

9. Device according to claim 1, wherein the backrest (12) can pivot with respect to the flat seat part (11) between a seating function where the backrest (12) is at an angle to the seat part (11) and a loading function, in which the backrest (12) is supported against the seating surface (13) of the flat seat part (11) by the support surface (14) of the backrest (12), in this loading function;

the utility surface (25) of the cover panel (21) and the rear surface (19) of the folded-forward backrest (12) form a single, large, essentially continuous storage surface (45).

10. Device according to claim 1, wherein the cover panel (21) is configured to correspond in at least one of the non-storage position (21.1) and the storage position (21.2) to at least one of 3-dimensional spaces present in the seat area and a shape of the car body in the storage space (40).

11. Device according to claim 1, wherein:

the cover panel (21′

) is made up of at least two sub-panels (26, 27) arranged in sequence in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;

in that

the sub-panels (26, 27) are connected to each other by an auxiliary hinge (29).

12. Device according to claim 11, wherein the manner in which the cover panel (21′

) is divided into sub-panels conforms to the way in which the seat (10′

) is divided in the lateral direction of the vehicle.

13. Device according to claim 1, wherein at least one additional auxiliary panel is provided, which is underneath the cover panel (21) when the cover panel in its storage position (21.2);

and in that

the auxiliary panel and the cover panel (21) cooperate to divide the single large cargo space (40) of the vehicle into several sub-spaces.