Foldable holding device in floorboard

• US 9,604,577 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yuzuru Ito
• Original Assignee: Yuzuru Ito
• Inventors: Ito, Yuzuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniels, Jason S
• Application Number:
  US14/690,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20160159288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 296/24.4, 296/37.5, 296/37.14, 296/37.16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 5/045 collapsible or transformable
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 7/02 in separate luggage compartment B60R7/005 takes precedence

Abstract

A foldable holding device that is provided in a floorboard, the foldable holding device including: a housing recess that is provided in the floorboard; a top panel that fits into the housing recess, the top panel having a plurality of legs that are continuously and outwardly formed from a lower edge of the top panel, top surfaces of the top panel and the floorboard forming a plane surface when the top panel is housed in the housing recess; a pair of side panels foldably connected to the side edges of the top panel such that when the top panel is raised, the pair of side panels are raised to mutually opposed positions; side panel holding protrusions that are provided in the housing recess; and a plurality of leg-holding members that respectively hold the plurality of legs when the top panel is raised.

Claims

1. A foldable holding device that is provided in a floorboard of a luggage compartment, the foldable holding device comprising:

a housing recess that is provided in the floorboard;

a raisable top panel that fits into the housing recess while the raisable top panel is housed in the housing recess, the raisable top panel having an upper edge, a lower edge and side edges, the raisable top panel having a plurality of legs that are continuously and outwardly formed from the lower edge so that a top surface of the raisable top panel, a top surface of the plurality of legs and a top surface of the floorboard form a planar surface while the raisable top panel is housed in the housing recess;

a pair of side panels foldably connected to at least one of the side edges of the raisable top panel such that as the raisable top panel is raised, the pair of side panels move to mutually opposed positions to form, together with the raisable top panel, the foldable holding device in an open state;

side panel holding protrusions that are provided in the housing recess and maintain a raised position of the pair of side panels; and

a plurality of leg-holding members that are provided in the housing recess and that respectively hold the plurality of legs as the raisable top panel is raised,

wherein the pair of side panels, when opened, are connected at a slant to the raisable top panel so that a first shortest distance between upper edges of the pair of side panels is longer than a second shortest distance between lower edges of the pair of side panels.

2. The foldable holding device according to claim 1,

wherein the raisable top panel is formed by a rigid core material and a fabric material fixed to the rigid core material, and

the pair of side panels are formed of the same rigid core material as the raisable top panel and are integrally connected to the raisable top panel by living hinges formed of a thinned part of the rigid core material.

3. The foldable holding device according to claim 1,

wherein the pair of side panels are connected to the raisable top panel by flexible fabric components.

4. The foldable holding device according to claim 1,

wherein the pair of side panels are connected to both of the side edges of the raisable top panel, respectively.

5. A foldable holding device that is provided in a floorboard of a luggage compartment, the foldable holding device comprising:

a housing recess that is provided in the floorboard;

a raisable pair of top panels that fit into the housing recess while the raisable pair of top panels are housed in the housing recess, each lower edge of the raisable pair of top panels being swingably supported by the floorboard so that the raisable pair of top panels stand when the raisable pair of top panels are outwardly opened from top edges of the raisable pair of top panels, each of the raisable pair of top panels having side edges connected between the top and lower edges; and

a pair of side panels respectively and foldably connected to at least one of the side edges of each of the raisable pair of top panels so that as the raisable pair of top panels are raised, the pair of side panels move to mutually opposing positions to form the holding device into a rectangular parallelepiped shape in a plan view,

wherein one of the pair of side panels is configured with;

a first pair of triangular side panels that are generally triangularly shaped, a first edge of each of the first pair of triangular side panels being foldably connected to one of the side edges of each of the raisable pair of top panels, respectively;

a second triangular side panel, two edges of the second triangular side panel being respectively and foldably connected to two of second edges of the first pair of triangular side panels, and a lower edge of the second triangular side panel forms a lower edge of each of the pair of side panels; and

mating surfaces of the first pair of triangular side panels and the second triangular side panel being provided with raised-position support components, and

wherein the raised-position support components are magnets and magnet-attractable fittings.

6. The foldable holding device according to claim 5,

wherein the first pair of triangular side panels, the second triangular side panel, and at least one of the side edges of each of the raisable pair of top panels are connected to each other by flexible fabric components so that the first pair of triangular side panels, the second triangular side panel, and the raisable pair of top panels fold relative to each other.

7. The foldable holding device according to claim 5,

wherein four of the first edges of the first pair of triangular side panels of the pair of side panels are connected to four of the side edges of the raisable pair of top panels, respectively.

8. A foldable holding device that is provided in a floorboard of a luggage compartment, the foldable holding device comprising:

a housing recess that is provided in the floorboard;

a raisable top panel that fits into the housing recess while the raisable top panel is housed in the housing recess, a lower edge of the raisable top panel being swingably supported by the floorboard so that the raisable top panel stands as the raisable top panel is outwardly opened from a top edge of the raisable top panel, the raisable top panel having side edges connected between the top and lower edges; and

a pair of side panels foldably connected to at least one of the side edges of the raisable top panel such that as the raisable top panel is raised, the pair of side panels move to mutually opposed positions to form, together with the raisable top panel, the foldable holding device in an open state,

wherein one of the pair of side panels is configured with;

a first triangular side panel that is generally triangularly shaped, and a first edge of the first triangular side panel being foldably connected to the one of the side edges of the raisable top panel; and

a second triangular side panel, one edge of the second triangular side panel is foldably connected to a second edge of the first triangular side panel, a lower edge of the second triangular side panel forms a lower edge of each of the pair of side panels;

mating surfaces of the first triangular side panel and the second triangular side panel being provided with raised-position support components, and

wherein the raised-position support components are a magnet and a magnet-attractable fitting.

9. The foldable holding device according to claim 8,

wherein the first triangular side panel and the raisable top panel are connected by a flexible fabric component so that the first triangular side panel and the raisable top panel fold relative to each other.

10. The foldable holding device according to claim 8,

wherein two of the first edges of the first triangular side panels of the pair of side panels are connected to two of the side edges of the raisable top panel, respectively.

11. A foldable holding device that is provided in a floorboard of a luggage compartment, the foldable holding device comprising:

a housing recess that is provided in the floorboard;

a raisable pair of top panels that fit into the housing recess while the raisable pair of top panels are housed in the housing recess, each of lower edges of the raisable pair of top panels being swingably supported by the floorboard so that the raisable pair of top panels stand as the raisable pair of top panels are outwardly opened from top edges of the raisable pair of top panels, each of the raisable pair of top panels having side edges connected between the top and lower edges; and

a pair of side panels foldably connected to at least one of the side edges of the raisable pair of top panels so that as the raisable pair of top panels are raised, the pair of side panels move to mutually opposing positions to form the holding device into a rectangular parallelepiped shape in a plan view,

wherein one of the pair of side panels is configured with;

a first pair of triangular side panels that are generally triangularly shaped, a first edge of each of the first pair of triangular side panels being foldably connected to one of the side edges of each of the raisable pair of top panels, respectively;

a second triangular side panel, two edges of the second triangular side panel being respectively and foldably connected to two of second edges of the first pair of triangular side panels, and a lower edge of the second triangular side panel forms a lower edge of each of the pair of side panels; and

mating surfaces of the first pair of triangular side panels and the second triangular side panel being fitted with raised-position support components, and

wherein the raised-position support components are flexible components so that when the raisable pair of top panels are raised, the pair of side panels are outwardly bowed.

12. The foldable holding device according to claim 11,

wherein four of the first edges of the first pair of triangular side panels of the pair of side panels are connected to four of the side edges of the raisable pair of top panels, respectively.

13. The foldable holding device according to claim 11,

wherein the raised-position support components are flexible fabric components, and

the pair of side panels are foldably connected to at least one of the side edges of the raisable pair of top panels by the flexible fabric components.

14. The foldable holding device according to claim 11,

wherein the raised-position support components are flexible plastic components, and

the pair of side panels are foldably connected to at least one of the side edges of the raisable pair of top panels by the flexible plastic components.