Rotatable and stowable parcel shelf assembly for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9428113-B2
Application number	US-201414244356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2014
Priority date	Apr 3, 2014
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A rotatable and stowable parcel shelf assembly for a motor vehicle is provided. The parcel shelf assembly may include a parcel shelf body having a first edge and at least one attachment feature configured to attach the parcel shelf body to the vehicle within a cargo area. The parcel shelf body first edge is disposed proximate a partition, which is disposed between the cargo area and a passenger compartment of the vehicle. The parcel shelf body may occupy one of a deployed position and a stowed position, and may be rotatable about the at least one attachment feature in a first direction from the deployed position to the stowed position and in a second direction from the stowed position to the deployed position. The parcel shelf body may be secured in the stowed position to prevent further rotation in the first direction from the stowed position into the cargo area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A parcel shelf assembly for a motor vehicle having a passenger compartment, a cargo area, and a vehicle floor, the passenger compartment and the cargo area being at least partially separated by a partition, the parcel shelf assembly comprising:
a parcel shelf body having a plurality of edges including at least a first edge and a second edge, such that the first edge has a first end and a second end, and wherein the parcel shelf body further includes a plurality of notches disposed along the first edge;
a first attachment feature configured to directly attach the parcel shelf body to the vehicle along the first edge of the parcel shelf body, such that the first attachment feature attaches the first end of the first edge of the parcel shelf body to the vehicle at a first trim piece and attaches the second end of the first edge of the parcel shelf body to the vehicle at a second trim piece, wherein each of the first trim piece and the second trim piece are disposed in the cargo area of the vehicle;
wherein the parcel shelf body is disposed in the cargo area and proximate to the partition and is further configured to selectively occupy each of a deployed position and a stowed position, such that the parcel shelf body is rotatable about the first attachment feature in a first direction from the deployed position to the stowed position and the parcel shelf body is rotatable about the first attachment feature in a second direction from the stowed position to the deployed position, and wherein when the parcel shelf body occupies the stowed position, each of the first edge and the second edge of the parcel shelf body is adjacent to the partition, the parcel shelf body is substantially parallel with the partition, and the second edge of the parcel shelf body is positioned between the vehicle floor and the first edge of the parcel shelf body, such that the second edge is disposed closer to the vehicle floor than the first edge of the parcel shelf body; and
wherein each of the plurality of notches is configured to control the rotation of the parcel shelf body between the deployed position and the stowed position, such that when the parcel shelf body occupies the stowed position the plurality of notches interacts with each of the first trim piece and the second trim piece, such that the interaction between one of the plurality of notches and the first trim piece and another of the plurality of notches and the second trim piece restrains the parcel shelf body from rotating in the first direction from the stowed position into the cargo area.

2. The parcel shelf assembly of claim 1 wherein the parcel shelf body is secured in the stowed position via at least one coupling mechanism configured to couple the parcel shelf body with the partition.

3. The parcel shelf assembly of claim 1 wherein the first attachment feature is a hinge having at least two attachment points configured to attach the parcel shelf body within the cargo area of the vehicle, such that the at least two attachment points include at least a first attachment point and a second attachment point.

4. The parcel shelf assembly of claim 3 wherein the parcel shelf body is attached to the first trim piece at the first attachment point and the parcel shelf body is attached to the second trim piece at the second attachment point.

5. The parcel shelf assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the first trim piece and the second trim piece include a lip, the first trim piece having a first lip and the second trim piece having a second lip, such that the first lip and the second lip are integrally connected to each of the first trim piece and the second trim piece and extend from each of the respective first trim piece and second trim piece into the cargo area.

6. The parcel shelf assembly of claim 5 wherein the parcel shelf body rests upon the first lip and the second lip when occupying the deployed position.

7. The parcel shelf assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of notches includes at least a first notch located at the first end of the first edge and a second notch located at the second end of the first edge.

8. The parcel shelf assembly of claim 7 wherein the first notch interacts with the first trim piece and the second notch interacts with the second trim piece, when the parcel shelf body occupies the stowed position, such that each of the interaction between the first notch and the first trim piece and the interaction between the second notch and the second trim piece restrain the parcel shelf body from further rotation in the first direction from the stowed position into the cargo area.

9. The parcel shelf assembly of claim 1 wherein the parcel shelf body includes a plurality of moveable sections, such that each moveable section may occupy one of a first position and a second position when the parcel shelf body occupies the deployed position.

10. A vehicle comprising:
a passenger compartment;
a cargo area;
a vehicle floor disposed within and extending through each of the passenger compartment and the cargo area;
a partition disposed between and at least partially separating the passenger compartment and the cargo area, wherein the partition is configured to selectively occupy each of a locked upright position and a folded cargo position;
a first trim piece and a second trim piece disposed within the cargo area and proximate to the partition, each of the respective first trim piece and second trim piece having a lip formed along an interior of the respective trim piece that extends from the interior of the respective trim piece and into the cargo area;
a parcel shelf assembly including:
a parcel shelf body having a plurality of edges including at least a first edge and a second edge;
a first attachment feature configured to directly attach the parcel shelf body to the first trim piece and the second trim piece, such that the first edge of the parcel shelf body is disposed adjacent to the partition;

wherein the parcel shelf body is disposed in the cargo area and proximate to the partition and is further configured to selectively occupy each of a deployed position and a stowed position, such that when the parcel shelf body occupies the stowed position, each of the first edge and the second edge of the parcel shelf body is adjacent to the partition, the parcel shelf body is substantially parallel with the partition, and the second edge of the parcel shelf body is positioned between the vehicle floor and the first edge of the parcel shelf body, such that the second edge is disposed closer to the vehicle floor than the first edge of the parcel shelf body;
wherein the parcel shelf body is locked in one of the deployed position and the stowed position when the partition occupies the locked upright position, and
wherein the parcel shelf body is rotatable between the deployed position and the stowed position when the partition occupies the folded cargo position, such that the parcel shelf body is rotatable about the at least one attachment feature in a first direction from the deployed position to the stowed position when the partition occupies the folded cargo position and the parcel shelf body is rotatable about the at least one attachment feature in a second direction from the stowed position to the deployed position when the partition occupies the folded cargo position.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the first edge of the parcel shelf body includes a first end and a second end, and wherein the parcel shelf body includes a plurality of notches configured to control the rotation of the parcel shelf body, such that the plurality of notches includes at least a first notch located at the first end of the first edge and a

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• V Babu Govardhan
• Gawade Tushar Rajaram
• Soundararaju Deepak Kumar

Classifications

• B60R5/048 Primary

  of accordion-type, i.e. collapsible by sliding and folding · CPC title

• B60R13/0268

  Rear parcel liners (used as luggage covering means B60R5/044) · CPC title

• B60R5/045 Primary

  collapsible or transformable · CPC title