Device for holding at least one container in a vehicle interior and armrest unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845037-B2
Application number	US-201615182085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2016
Priority date	Jun 15, 2015
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

Device for holding at least one container in a vehicle interior and armrest unit. The device has a carrier housing which encloses a receiving cavity open towards one end face, and having a carrier slide which is mounted to the carrier housing to be movable between a rest position plunged in the receiving cavity and a functional position moved out of the end face of the receiving cavity, wherein the carrier slide has at least one container recess and at least one bottom support part pivotably mounted to the carrier slide. The bottom support part is designed as a sheet-type component made of a flat material having uniform thickness connected to the carrier slide by at least one articulated hinge.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for holding at least one container in a vehicle interior, said device comprising a carrier housing enclosing a receiving cavity which opens outwardly through an end face of said carrier housing, a carrier slide mounted to said carrier housing for movement between a non-use position wherein said carrier slide is located within said receiving cavity and a functional use position wherein said carrier slide is extended outwardly from said end face, said carrier slide having at least one container recess configured to support therein an upper part of a container, said device further comprising a bottom support part disposed beneath said carrier slide and pivotably mounted thereto, said bottom support part including a flat and foldable sheet component comprising a uniform thickness throughout, said sheet component being an integral and unitary one-piece component and forming the sole component of said bottom support part which supports a lower part of a container located in said recess in the functional use position of said carrier slide, said sheet component being pivotably connected to said carrier slide by a first hinge, said sheet component including first and second folding wall sections having respective inner end regions interconnected to one another by a predetermined bending line provided on said sheet component, said predetermined bending line defining a second hinge extending along said sheet component in a direction parallel with an axis of said first hinge.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said first folding wall section, when said carrier slide is in the functional use position, is located a greater distance from said end face of said carrier housing than said second folding wall section, said first folding wall section having an outer end region spaced from said inner end region thereof, said outer end region being directly connected to said carrier slide by said first hinge, said first hinge defining a hinge axis about which said first folding wall section is pivotable relative to said carrier slide, the hinge axis of said first hinge being the sole hinge axis about which said outer end region of said first folding wall section pivots relative to said carrier slide, the hinge axis of said first hinge being disposed immediately adjacent both said outer end region of said first folding wall section and said carrier slide in both the functional use position and the non-use position of said carrier slide.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein said second folding wall section has an outer end region spaced from said inner end region thereof, said outer end region of said second folding wall section being connected to said carrier slide by a third hinge spaced inwardly from said first hinge and defining an axis about which said second folding wall section is pivotable relative to said carrier slide.

4. The device according to claim 2 , wherein said first folding wall section extends from said first hinge to said second hinge and is oriented in a single plane when said carrier slide is in the functional use position.

5. The device according to claim 3 , wherein said first and second folding wall sections are disposed vertically beneath said carrier slide when in the functional use position and together define an upwardly-opening V-shaped web for receiving a lower part of a container located in said recess of said carrier slide.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein said second hinge defines an apex of said V-shaped web when said carrier slide is in the functional use position.

7. The device according to claim 2 , wherein said predetermined bending line is a first predetermined bending line and said sheet component includes a second predetermined bending line extending along said first folding wall section in a direction parallel with said first predetermined bending line, said second predetermined bending line being disposed substantially centrally between said first predetermined bending line and said first hinge.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein said second predetermined bending line divides said first folding wall section into first and second wall parts, wherein when said carrier slide is moved from the functional use position to the non-use position said first and second wall parts pivot about said second predetermined bending line and in the non-use position of said carrier slide are disposed in juxtaposed and facing relation with one another within said receiving cavity.

9. The device according to claim 8 , wherein said second hinge and said second predetermined bending line respectively comprise film hinges, said film hinge of said second predetermined bending line extending along said sheet component in a direction parallel with the axis of said first hinge, said film hinge of said second predetermined bending line being configured to prevent movement of said first and second wall parts, in the functional use position of said carrier slide, in a direction away from said second folding wall section.

10. The device according to claim 8 , wherein said first and second wall parts of said first folding wall section in the functional use position of said carrier slide are oriented in a single plane.

11. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the axes of said first and third hinges are oriented transversely to a direction of movement of said carrier slide between the functional use and non-use positions.

12. The device according to claim 3 , wherein said third hinge comprises a film hinge.

13. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said first folding wall section, when said carrier slide is in the functional use position, is located a greater distance from said end face of said carrier housing than said second folding wall section, and said first folding wall section includes a resilient supporting element formed in one-piece with said first folding wall section and disposed vertically beneath said recess of said carrier slide, said resilient supporting element being biased inwardly for laterally supporting a container located in said recess of said carrier slide when same is in the functional use position.

14. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said second hinge comprises a film hinge.

15. An armrest unit for a vehicle interior, wherein said device according to claim 1 is integral therewith.

Assignees

• Bohlke Hartmut
• Sitzler Wolfgang
• Zummack Wolfram
• Tutelea Bogdan
• Goebbels Andreas
• Pink Tanja
• Heine Hartmut
• Boddenberg Jan
• Bos Gmbh

Inventors

• Bohlke Hartmut
• Sitzler Wolfgang
• Zummack Wolfram
• Tutelea Bogdan
• Goebbels Andreas
• Pink Tanja
• Heine Hartmut
• Boddenberg Jan

Classifications

• B60N3/102 Primary

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

• B60N2/468

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/79

  Adaptations for additional use of the arm-rests · CPC title