Holding apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11370342-B2
Application number	US-201916667576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2019
Priority date	Oct 30, 2018
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus for a vehicle having a carriage and a rotatable insert configured to be moved between a stowed position and an open position in the carriage. The carriage is configured to be mounted within a side-ledge and includes a first carriage panel having a first slot and a second slot. The first slot has an arcuate curve thereto and the second slot is linear. The rotatable insert includes a first insert panel and a compartment. The first insert panel includes first and second protrusions extending therefrom that are configured to respectively engage the first and second slots such that, as the rotatable insert is moved to the open position, the first and second protrusions travel respectively up the first and second slots. The compartment that is hidden when in the stowed position and can carry at least one item when in the open position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
a carriage and a rotatable insert configured to be moved between a stowed position and an open position in the carriage, the carriage is configured to be mounted within a side-ledge of the vehicle, the carriage comprises:
a first carriage panel having a first slot and a second slot therein, wherein the first slot has an arcuate curve thereto and the second slot is linear;

and wherein the rotatable insert comprises:
a first insert panel having a first and second protrusion extending therefrom, the first protrusion is configured to engage with the first slot and the second protrusion is configured to engage with the second slot such that, as the rotatable insert is moved to the open position, the first and second protrusions travel respectively up the first and second slots, wherein, when the carriage is mounted within the side-ledge, an outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage is substantially parallel with a horizontal surface of the side-ledge and an outwardly facing side-perimeter of the carriage is substantially parallel with a vertical surface of the side-ledge, and wherein the first slot extends closer to the outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage than the second slot; and
a compartment that is hidden when the rotatable insert is in the stowed position and is configured to carry at least one item when the rotatable insert is moved to the open position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , the first slot having a bottom portion that is parallel to the second slot.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , the carriage further comprising a second carriage panel having a third slot and a fourth slot therein, the third slot is congruent in shape to the first slot and the fourth slot is congruent in shape to the second slot, wherein the second carriage panel is opposite the first carriage panel.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , the rotatable insert further comprising:
a second insert panel having a third and fourth protrusion extending therefrom, the third protrusion is configured to engage with the third slot and the fourth protrusion is configured to engage with the fourth slot such that, as the rotatable insert is moved to the open position, the third and fourth protrusions travel respectively up the third and fourth slots; and
a rear insert panel having a curved transition extending between the first insert panel and the second insert panel, the curved transition prevents binding between the carriage and the rotatable insert as the rotatable insert is placed in the open position.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a lifting mechanism coupled to the carriage, the lifting mechanism is configured to vertically lift the rotatable insert from the stowed position to an intermediate position between the open position and the stowed portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 , the rotatable insert is configured such that, (i) when the rotatable insert is in the stowed position, the second protrusion is closer to the outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage than the first protrusion and (ii) when the rotatable insert is in the open position, the first protrusion is closer to the outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage than the second protrusion.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first and second slots are configured such that, as the rotatable insert travels from the stowed position to the open position, the first and second protrusions first travel towards the outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage before rotating.

8. An apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
a carriage configured to be mounted to a side-ledge of a vehicle, the carriage comprises:
a first carriage panel having a having a first slot and a second slot therein, the first slot is vertically longer than the second slot, wherein the second slot is substantially linear and the first slot has a concave portion facing the second slot; and

a rotatable insert configured to be rotatable from a stowed position to an open position in the carriage, the rotatable insert comprises:
a first inert panel having a first protrusion configured to enter the first slot and a second protrusion configured to enter the second slot such that the first and second protrusions travel up the respective first and second slots as the rotatable insert moves from the stowed position to the open position; and
a compartment that is hidden from view when the rotatable insert is in the stowed position and is configured to carry at least one item when the rotatable insert is rotated to the open position.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein, when the carriage is mounted to the side-ledge, an outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage is substantially parallel with a horizontal surface of the side-ledge and an outwardly facing side-perimeter of the carriage is substantially parallel with a vertical surface of the side-ledge.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , the first slot having a bottom portion that is substantially linear and substantially parallel to the second slot, and wherein the first slot extends closer to the outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage than the second slot.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the carriage further comprising a second carriage panel opposite the first carriage panel, the second carriage panel having a third slot and a fourth slot therein, the third slot is congruent in shape to the first slot and the fourth slot is congruent in shape to the second slot; and
wherein the rotatable insert further comprises:
a second insert panel having a third protrusion and a fourth protrusion, the third protrusion configured to enter the third slot and the fourth protrusion configured to enter the fourth slot such that the third and fourth protrusions travel up the respective third and fourth slots as the rotatable insert moves from the stowed position to the open position; and
a rear insert panel having a curved transition extending between the first insert panel and the second insert panel, the curved transition prevents binding between the carriage and the rotatable insert as the rotatable insert is placed in the open position.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , the rotatable insert is configured such that, (i) when the rotatable insert is in the stowed position, the second protrusion is closer to the outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage than the first protrusion and (ii) when the rotatable insert is in the open position, the first protrusion is closer to the outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage than the second protrusion.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the first and second slots are configured such that, as the rotatable insert travels from the stowed position to the open position, the rotatable insert first travels vertically before rotating.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a lifting mechanism coupled to the carriage, the lifting mechanism configured to vertically lift the rotatable insert to an intermediate position between the stowed position and the open position.

15. A method of manufacturing a holding apparatus for a side-ledge of a vehicle comprising:
creating a carriage affixable to the side-ledge of the vehicle such that an outwardly facing top-perimeter of the carriage is substantially parallel with a horizontal surface of the side-ledge and an outwardly facing side-perimeter of the carriage is substantially parallel with a vertical surface of the side-ledge;
forming a first protrusion on a first insert panel of a rotatable insert, the first protrusion is engageable with a first slot of a first carriage panel

Assignees

• Bombardier Inc

Inventors

• Bang Seung Joon
• Fagan Tim

Classifications

• B64D11/003

  Stowage devices for passengers' personal luggage · CPC title

• B60N3/102 Primary

  storable or foldable in a non-use position · CPC title

• B60R2011/0045

  with visible part, e.g. flush mounted · CPC title

• B60R7/04

  in driver or passenger space {, e.g. using racks (B60R7/005, B60R7/08 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B60N3/105

  for receptables of different size or shape · CPC title