External down stops for glove box

• US 9,637,061 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mazzocchi, Nicholas Andrew, Townsend, Robert, Platz, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): ROMAIN, PINEL E
• Application Number:
  US14/554,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20160144793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 999 3712, 999 72, 99918705
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 7/06 mounted on or below dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/30 for glove compartments
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/04 with a movable bar or equivalent member extending between frame and wing

Abstract

A glove box supported by an instrument panel includes a storage compartment displaceable between an open position and a closed position, and at least one resilient arm protruding from an exterior surface of the storage compartment through an aperture in the instrument panel. The resilient arm may have a first surface for contacting an edge of the aperture and deflecting the resilient arm during installation of the storage compartment and a second surface for limiting displacement of the storage compartment once installed. An application of a force to the resilient arm allows displacement of the storage compartment beyond the open position allowing removal of the glove box from the instrument panel.

Claims

1. A glove box supported by an instrument panel, comprising:

a storage compartment displaceable between an open position and a closed position; and

at least one resilient arm protruding from an exterior surface of said storage compartment through an aperture in the instrument panel, said resilient arm having a first surface for contacting an edge of the aperture and deflecting said resilient arm during installation of said storage compartment and a second surface for limiting displacement of said storage compartment once installed;

wherein application of a force to said resilient arm allows displacement of said storage compartment beyond the open position allowing removal of said glove box from the instrument panel.

2. The glove box of claim 1, wherein said first surface gradually projects from said arm to deflect said resilient arm through contact with the edge.

3. The glove box of claim 2, wherein said second surface projects from said arm to contact the edge.

4. The glove box of claim 3, wherein said second surface is substantially flat and substantially perpendicular to said arm.

5. The glove box of claim 3, wherein said at least one resilient arm includes two resilient arms positioned adjacent side exterior surfaces of said storage compartment.

6. The glove box of claim 5, wherein said first and second surfaces of said two resilient arms project away from each other.

7. The glove box of claim 6 further comprising at least one hinge rib for rotatably supporting said storage compartment between the open position and the closed positions.

8. The glove box of claim 3, wherein said resilient arm includes a tab formed adjacent a distal end of said resilient arm for receiving the force, and said second surface projects from said arm adjacent to said tab.

9. A vehicle incorporating the glove box of claim 1.

10. A glove box for a vehicle, comprising:

a storage compartment displaceable between an open position and a closed position; and

at least one resilient arm protruding from an exterior surface of said storage compartment, said resilient arm having a first surface for contacting an edge of a vehicle aperture and deflecting said resilient arm during installation of said storage compartment and a second surface for limiting displacement of said storage compartment once installed in the vehicle;

wherein application of a force to said arm allows displacement of the storage compartment beyond the open position, and

wherein said resilient arm includes a tab formed adjacent a distal end for receiving the force.

11. The glove box of claim 10, wherein said at least one resilient arm includes two resilient arms protruding from a bottom exterior surface of said storage compartment.

12. The glove box of claim 11, wherein said first surface of each resilient arm gradually projects from said resilient arm to deflect said resilient arm through contact with the edge, and said second surface of at least one of said two resilient arms is substantially flat and substantially perpendicular to the at least one of said two resilient arms.

13. The glove box of claim 12, wherein said first and second surfaces of each resilient arm project in the same direction, and said first surface of a first resilient arm of said two resilient arms project away from said first surface of a second resilient arm of said two resilient arms.

14. The glove box of claim 10, further comprising at least one hinge rib for rotatably supporting said storage compartment between the open position and the closed position.

15. A method of removing a glove box from an instrument panel of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

applying a force to at least one resilient arm protruding from an exterior surface of a storage compartment of the glove box, the force sufficient to temporarily displace said at least one resilient arm allowing a second projecting surface of said at least one resilient arm to avoid contact with an edge of an aperture in the instrument panel;

rotating the glove box from the closed position past the open position while applying the force such that the second projecting surface of said at least one resilient arm passes the edge of the aperture in the instrument panel; and

removing the glove box from the instrument panel of the vehicle.

16. The method of removing the glove box from the instrument panel of the vehicle of claim 15, wherein the force is applied to a tab formed adjacent a distal end of said at least one resilient arm.

17. The method of removing the glove box from the instrument panel of the vehicle of claim 16, wherein the second projecting surface of said at least one resilient arm is substantially flat and substantially perpendicular to said at least one resilient arm preventing rotation of the glove box past the open position when the force is not applied.

18. The method of removing the glove box from the instrument panel of the vehicle of claim 16, wherein said at least one resilient arm includes a first projecting surface for contacting the edge of the aperture in the instrument panel and deflecting said resilient arm during installation of said glove box.

19. The method of removing the glove box from the instrument panel of the vehicle of claim 16, wherein said first projecting surface projects from said resilient arm between said tab and said second projecting surface.