Vehicular trim panel with storage and interfacing of electronic devices

• US 8,157,311 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fowler, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kiran B
• Application Number:
  US12/722,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20110220430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 296/37.12, 296/146.7, 296/146.5, 296/146.6, 296/153, 296/187.05, 296/214, 296/37.13, 296/39.1, 296/70, 280/728.3, 280/732, 280/751, 280/728.2, 280/730.1, 280/730.2, 495/02, 180/90
• US Class Current: 296/37.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/02 electric constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0005 Dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0075 using a containment or docking space

Abstract

An interior system of a vehicle includes an instrument panel substrate having a driver side, a passenger side, and a center section between the driver and passenger sides. The instrument panel substrate has an opening on the passenger side. A trim panel is mounted to the instrument panel substrate covering the opening and comprising a connector hub having a plurality of electrical connectors for mobile electronic devices. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the trim panel is releasable and pivotable after mounting in order to access a rear side of the trim panel. The trim panel may further include a cradle on the rear side to receive a printer, a paper holder on the rear side to receive and supply paper for the printer, and an elongated slot aligned with the cradle for feeding printed paper from the printer to a front side of the trim panel.

Claims

1. An interior system of a vehicle comprising:

an instrument panel substrate having a driver side, a passenger side, and a center section between the driver and passenger sides, the instrument panel substrate having an opening on the passenger side; and

a trim panel mounted to the instrument panel substrate covering the opening and comprising a connector hub having a plurality of electrical connectors for providing electrical power to mobile electronic devices;

wherein at least a portion of the trim panel is releasable and pivotable after mounting in order to access a rear side of the trim panel, and wherein the trim panel further comprises a cradle on the rear side to receive a printer, a paper holder on the rear side to receive and supply paper for the printer, and an elongated slot aligned with the cradle for feeding printed paper from the printer to a front side of the trim panel.

2. The interior system of claim 1 wherein the trim panel includes at least a portion which is pivotable by a user of the vehicle.

3. The interior system of claim 1 wherein the trim panel comprises a storage well, wherein at least a portion of the connector hub is mounted within the storage well.

4. The interior system of claim 1 wherein the trim panel comprises a storage well, wherein the trim panel further comprises a recharging station for docking one of the mobile electronic devices.

5. The interior system of claim 1 wherein the trim panel comprises a storage well having a floor, an upper side of the floor having a non-skid surface and a lower side of the floor having an inductive charging unit mounted thereon.

6. The interior system of claim 1 wherein the cradle and the connector hub receive a service loop of a wiring harness of the vehicle.

7. The interior system of claim 1 wherein the trim panel includes manually operable connectors for selectably releasing or locking the trim panel with the instrument panel substrate.