Abstract:
An accessory mounting system for a vehicle, comprising an accessory support including a first wall portion defining an outer support surface and an inner support surface; and a fastening device for fastening an accessory to the accessory support; wherein the fastening device includes a first structure and a clamping formation arranged to engage with the inner support surface so as to clamp the accessory support between the clamping formation and the first structure of the fastening device. A further aspect of the invention relates to an accessory for use in the system.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a mounting system with which an accessory can be removably mounted to a support by way of a fastening device and, in particular, to a support provided in a passenger cabin or load space of a vehicle. Aspects of the invention also include a fastening device for use in the mounting system, and a vehicle that incorporates the accessory mounting system. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Vehicle load spaces provide an area within a vehicle to store different forms of loads or cargo. The usability of such load spaces can be improved in various ways, for example by installing removable shelves to split the load space vertically or horizontally, by providing eyelets into which retaining clips of a cargo net can be engaged to stretch the cargo net across a portion of the load space, or by providing a variety of secure anchor points that are integrated into the interior walls or floor of the load space. 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example of such a load space feature, in which a hook formation  2  is molded into a trim component in the form of a surround  4  of a storage recess  6 , also referred to as a ‘cubby’, that is provided in the wall  8  of the vehicle load space, although the cubby  6  could also be provided in the passenger cabin of the vehicle. The hook formation  2  allows various items to be attached to it. For example, bag handles may be secured over the hook formation  2  or bungee cords may be secured to it in order to tie-down items of cargo that may be placed in the load space. However, the configuration of the hook formation  2  in  FIG. 1  has limited usability, and it is against this background that the invention has been devised. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    According to one aspect of the invention, the invention provides an accessory mounting system for a vehicle, comprising an accessory support including a first wall portion defining an outer support surface and an inner support surface; and a fastening device for fastening an accessory to the accessory support. The fastening device includes a first structure and a clamping formation arranged to engage with the inner support surface so as to clamp the accessory support between the clamping formation and the first structure of the fastening device. 
         [0005]    The invention therefore provides a system by which an accessory incorporating the fastening device can be removably mounted to an accessory support quickly and easily by a user. The accessory which incorporates the fastening device may take on many forms, some example of which are a hook device for mounting bags, bungee cords and the like, holders for mobile devices and drinks cups, rubbish bins and pouches for clothing and other loose articles. 
         [0006]    The clamping formation may include a resilient member which is positioned into a compressed condition when the fastening device is engaged with the accessory support. The resilience of the member permits it to deflect during engagement with the accessory support so it exerts a gripping force thereon. 
         [0007]    The resilient member may include a cam feature to bear against the inner support surface. The cam feature may be located at or near to the mid-point of the resilient member. Preferably, the cam feature includes a profiled outer surface that defines a first contact region for bearing against the inner support surface of the accessory support in the region of the first wall portion and a second contact region for bearing against the inner support surface of the accessory support in the region of the second wall portion. The cam feature therefore serves to brace the fastening device against two wall portions of the accessory support which provides a robust engagement. The arrangement of the contact regions enables the device to define a snap-fit engagement so that it ‘clicks’ into its home position. 
         [0008]    In order to provide a tactile ‘click’ when the fastening device locates in position, it is preferred that the first and second contact faces are substantially flat, and that a further flat surface or ‘chamfer’ extends obliquely between the first and second contact faces. 
         [0009]    To provide flexibility in the configuration of the accessory support, the inner support surface of the first wall portion may include an extension feature that extends inwardly from the first wall portion towards the clamping formation and so provides a bearing part for the resilient member. The extension feature may extend along the length of the accessory support to allow engagement of the fastening device at a range of locations which provides the user with a great deal of flexibility over where the device is positioned. In one embodiment, the extension feature is generally in parallel with the second wall portion. 
         [0010]    Beneficially, the accessory support may include means defining a plurality of discrete positions at which the fastening device can engage with the accessory support. The positioning means may be in the form of a plurality of partitions defining a plurality of indexed positions at which the fastening device can engage with the accessory support. This feature helps to guard against the device sliding on the accessory support in use. 
         [0011]    Preferably the fastening device may include a portion that extends away from the accessory support, when engaged therewith, so as to provide a contact area to facilitate removal of the fastening device from the support. 
         [0012]    The invention also resides in the fastening device for use in the accessory mounting system described above. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a prior art hook formation defined in a section of trim in a vehicle load space; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an accessory mounting system in situ within a section of trim that may define part of a vehicle load space; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are perspective views from alternative angles of an accessory incorporating a fastening device of the mounting system and  FIG. 5  is a side view of the accessory; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6 a    is a section view taken along the centerline of the accessory in  FIGS. 3 to 5  when it is engaged with an accessory support of the mounting system, and  FIG. 6 b    is a schematic view of the accessory from underneath illustrating deflection of a resilient member thereof; 
           [0018]      FIGS. 7 a  to 7 e    together provide a sequence of section views which show the accessory being engaged with the accessory support; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view from the rear of the mounting system in  FIGS. 2 to 7  showing the accessory engaged with the accessory support; 
           [0020]      FIGS. 9 to 11  are views of an accessory and an accessory support of an alternative configuration of mounting system; 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view from the rear of an accessory of an alternative configuration of mounting system and  FIG. 13  is a view from underneath of the same accessory; and 
           [0022]      FIGS. 14 a , 14 b , 15 a  and 15 b    are views of alternative embodiments of an accessory mounting system. 
       
    
    
       [0023]    For the avoidance of doubt, throughout the description, terms such as ‘upper’, ‘lower’, ‘horizontal’, ‘vertical’ and so on relate to the orientation of the components of the accessory mounting system as shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be appreciated, however, that the mounting system may be used in any suitable orientation so the aforementioned terms are not to be interpreted as requiring a particular orientation. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0024]    With reference to  FIG. 2 , an accessory mounting system  10  includes an accessory  12  incorporating a fastening device  14  which is attachable to an accessory support  16 . In this case, the accessory support  16  includes a section of interior trim piece  18  defined in the vehicle load space, although the trim piece  18  could be anywhere in the interior cabin-space of the vehicle. 
         [0025]    The trim piece  18  is shown here as defining a storage recess or ‘cubby’  20  into which various items may be placed by the user of the vehicle, although other forms of trim pieces are also envisaged not necessarily defining a cubby space. The opening of the cubby  20  is defined by a frame-like surround  22 , and the accessory support  16  is integrated into a portion of the surround  22 . 
         [0026]    The accessory support  16  is configured in the form of a linear rail  16  onto which the accessory  12  may be clipped and unclipped using the fastening device  14  at a variety of positions along the rail  16 . As shown here, the accessory  12  includes a hook formation  13  onto which items may be hung and the fastening device  14  forms an integral part of the accessory  12  in that the hook formation  13  blends into the fastening device  14 . For example, bag handles bags may be hung from the hook or other accessories may be configured to be mounted upon the hook, or between a pair of such hook formations located in opposed locations on opposite sides of the vehicle load space. 
         [0027]    At this point it should be noted that although the accessory  12  is described here as including a hook, the fastening device  14  may be incorporated into other forms of accessories, such as a cup holder, rubbish bin, media pouch for printed media or electronic devices, stuff pouches for articles of clothing, cycle accessories such as pneumatic pumps and helmets, or a mobile phone holder to name a few non-limiting examples. Also, the fastening device  14  may be a separable component of the accessory, although it is shown as an integral part of the accessory in this embodiment. 
         [0028]    As mentioned above the fastening device  14  is releasably engageable with the rail  16  and, when in an engaged position, it is robust against forces applied to it in a wide range of directions, as illustrated by the arrows F shown in  FIG. 5 . Conveniently, the fastening device  14  can be attached to the rail  16  and then released from it easily by a user simply by moving the device  14  angularly with respect to the rail  16  as will be explained more fully later. Although not essential, measures are preferably provided to ensure that the fastening device  14  is unable to slide along the rail  16  when it is engaged with it, as will become apparent from the following description. 
         [0029]      FIGS. 3 to 6   a,b  show the fastening device  14  in more detail. With reference firstly to  FIG. 6 a    which is a cross section through the rail  16  taken through the centerline of the fastening device  14 , the rail  16  includes a first, major, wall portion  24  and a second, minor, wall portion  26 . The major wall portion  24  is substantially vertical in the orientation shown here, as the rail  16  would be mounted in the load space of the vehicle. However, it should be noted that the term ‘vertical’ is used here only in the context of the drawings and that it is not essential for the major wall portion  24  to be vertically oriented for the mounting system to function. 
         [0030]    The minor wall portion  26  is adjacent to an upper part of the major wall portion  24  and extends, via a corner edge  28 , transverse to the major wall portion  24  and, preferably, substantially at right angles so that it oriented horizontally as shown in the figures. Other configurations are possible. The rail  16  therefore takes the general form of an inverted ‘L’ shape in cross section. The corner edge  28  is radiused slightly to improve the tactility of the rail  16  during user interaction. The minor wall portion  26  terminates in an outer edge  30  that is also radiused to improve its tactility. Due to its profile, the rail  16  can be considered to have an outer support surface  32  which faces outwards and is visible to a user, and an inner support surface  33  defined by the posterior surfaces of the major and minor wall portions  24 , 26  and which is not ordinarily visible to a user. 
         [0031]    At its lower end the major wall portion  24  recedes into a V-shaped groove  29 , as shown partly in  FIG. 6 a   , but viewed more fully in  FIG. 8 . The V-shaped groove  29  is a profiling feature designed to maximize load space volume and to accommodate the fingertips of a user when clipping and unclipping the accessory  12  to the rail  16 , and is not essential to the inventive concept. Furthermore, bosses  31  are provided on the reverse side of the rail  16  by which the rail  16  may be mounted to a section of vehicle interior. 
         [0032]    The fastening device  14  is configured to extend about and grip or clamp onto the major and minor wall portions  24 , 26  of the rail  16  and this is illustrated clearly in  FIG. 6 a   . To this end, the fastening device  14  includes a includes a first, ‘hanger’, structure in the form of a first wall portion  34  from which the hook formation  13  extends, a second ‘upper rest’ structure in the form of a second wall portion  36 , and a clamping formation  38 . The fastening device  14  engages with the rail  16  in an angular or rotary movement so that the clamping formation  38  grips onto the inner support surface  33  of the rail  16  and holds the fastening device  14  securely to the rail  16 . The hook formation  13  extends from a lower end of the first wall portion  34  and, in this particular embodiment, the hook formation  13  includes an opening  40  to allow items to be clipped to it, for example carabineers and bungee cord clips. In this embodiment, the first wall portion  34 , the second wall portion  36 , the hook formation  13  and the clamping formation  38  are formed from a single component. However, it should be appreciated that these features could be formed from separate attached or interconnecting parts. 
         [0033]    In order to ensure that the fastening device  14  attaches onto the rail  16  in a snug fit, the first wall portion  34  and the second wall portion  36  of the fastening device  14  are transverse to one another so as to complement or conform to the profile of the rail  16 . As a result, when the accessory  12  is clipped onto the rail  16 , the first wall portion  34  of the fastening device  14  lies adjacent the major wall portion  24  of the rail  16 , and the second wall portion  36  lies adjacent to the minor wall portion  26 . The first and second wall portions  34 , 36  of the fastening device  14  define a corner edge  42  between them, the internal elbow of which is radiused generally to complement the corner edge  28  of the rail  16 . 
         [0034]    The clamping formation  38  extends from the rear of the second wall portion  36  of the fastening device  14  and provides a means by which the fastening device  14  may clamp or grip the rail  14 , as will now be described in more detail. 
         [0035]    The clamping formation  38  comprises first and second posts or legs  44  which depend downwardly from respective short sides  36   a  of the second wall portion  36 . A resilient structure  46  is provided in the form of a bow-like member that extends between, and so is joined to, the first and second legs  44 . The resilient member  46  is curved along its length so that it extends underneath the second wall portion  36  and, when the fastening device  14  is attached to the rail  16 , the resilient member  46  extends underneath the minor wall portion  26  of the rail  16  so as to abut against it. Here the resilient member  46  is curved to define a bow-like shape so that it projects furthest under the outer edge  30  at its mid-position. Other forms are possible, for example the resilient member  46  may be substantially straight between the first and second leg members but include a projection at its midpoint that extends underneath the outer edge  30 . In this embodiment, it can be seen that the resilient member  46  defines a cam feature or ‘lobe’  50  about which the fastening device  14  pivots as it is engaged with the rail  16 . The cam feature  50  includes a curved underside  56 , an upper contact face or region  52 , a front contact face or region  53  and an oblique chamfer  54  extending between them which provides the fastening device with a tactile ‘snap’ as it is moved into an engaged position on the rail  16 , as will be explained. Note that the cross sectional profile of the cam feature  50  is shown most clearly in  FIG. 6   a.    
         [0036]    The angle of the chamfer is selected based on factors such as the material of the fastening device  14  and the force considered necessary to engage the fastening device  14  onto the rail. In the embodiment shown, the angle that the chamfer  54  defines with the upper contact face  52  is approximately 35 degrees, although this is not to be considered limiting. 
         [0037]    When in the engaged position, as is shown in  FIG. 6 a   , the resilient member  46 , and more specifically the cam feature  50 , is in contact with, and is put under compression by, an extension feature  55  which, in this embodiment, is in the form of a bracing rib that extends from the major wall portion  24  along the length of rail  16  generally parallel to, but slightly divergent from, the minor wall portion  26 . The bracing rib  55  thereby functions as an extension of the inner support surface  33  of the rail  16  against which the clamping formation  38  engages to clamp the rail  16  between it and the first wall portion  34  of the fastening device  14 . 
         [0038]    The loading of the resilient member  46  into a compressed condition establishes a clamping force, shown as ‘F’ on  FIG. 6 a   , which is generally perpendicular to the first wall portion  34  and which ensures that the fastening device is held securely on the rail  16 . In effect, the resilient member  46  acts to pull the first wall portion  34  inwards in a direction perpendicular to the major wall portion  24  of the rail  16 . It would also be acceptable for the fastening device to be configured such that the resilient member  46  pulls the first wall portion  34  towards it at a downwards angle. 
         [0039]    The deflection of the resilient member is illustrated schematically in  FIG. 6 b   , which shows the underside of the accessory  12 . On the left of the Figure the resilient member  46  of the clamping formation  38  is shown in its unloaded condition as would be the case where the accessory  12  is not attached to the rail  16 . On the right hand side of the Figure, the accessory  12  is shown in what can be considered to be a mounted position, although the rail is not shown here for clarity. Instead, the effect of the rail is shown by arrow F and the resilient member  46  is shown to have deflected rearwards so that the central, curved, section of the resilient member  46  is put into compression between the first and second legs  44 . The reaction force to the loading of the resilient member  46  by the rail  16  provides the clamping force, as shown on  FIG. 6 a   , against the surface  33  of the upright portion  24  of the rail  16 . 
         [0040]    At this point it should be mentioned that the dimension L1 defined between the underside of the second wall portion  36  and the contact face  52  of the resilient member  46  is substantially equal to the thickness of the minor wall portion  26  of the rail  16  which ensures that the clamping formation  38  is able to clamp onto the rail  16 . Also, the dimension L2 defined between the first wall portion  34  and the clamping formation  38  is substantially equal to the distance between the outer surface  32  of the major wall portion  24  and the outer edge  30  of the rail  16 . Finally, the dimension L3 from the outer surface of the major wall portion  24  and the end of the bracing rib  55  is slightly smaller than the distance between the cam feature  50  and the first wall portion  34  of the fastening device  14 , when the fastening device is not fastened to the rail  16 , so as to establish the clamping force between the cam feature  50  and the first wall portion  34 . 
         [0041]    The sequence through which the fastening device  14  is moved angularly to clamp onto the rail will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 7 a    to  7   e.    
         [0042]      FIGS. 7 a  and 7 b    illustrate the fastening device  14  being moved to an initial position with respect to the rail  16 . In  FIG. 7 a    the fastening device  14  is tilted backwards with respect to the rail  16  so that the clamping formation  38  extends to the rear of and below the outer edge  30  of the rail  16  and, in this position, the first wall portion  34  of the fastening device  14  rests on the front corner edge  28  of the rail  16 . In  FIG. 7 b   , the resilient member  46  is brought into contact with the underside  26   a  of the minor wall portion  26  near to the outer edge  30 , and it also abuts up against the bracing rib  55 , which is shown more clearly in the enlarged inset view. In this position, the fastening device  14  is in contact with the rail  16  at three regions or points: a first contact point P 1  is defined between the corner edge  28  of the rail  16  and the first wall portion  34  of the fastening device  14 , a second contact point P 2  is defined between the oblique chamfer  54  of the cam feature  50  of the resilient member  46  and the underside  26   a  of the minor wall portion  26  and a third contact point P 3  is defined at where the cam feature  50  meets the bracing rib  55 . It should be noted that the resilient member  46  therefore bears against the inside surface of the rail  16  at two contact regions (P 2  on the underside  26  of the minor wall portion  26  and P 3  on the bracing rib  55 ) as the fastening device  14  is secured in position, as is described below, and in doing so provides a resistance to angular movement of the fastening device  14 . 
         [0043]    In  FIG. 7 c   , the fastening device  14  is being moved angularly in an anti-clockwise direction with respect to the rail  16 , as can be achieved through the application of a force F applied to the hook formation  13 . Due to the oblique chamfer  54  on the cam feature  50  and the contact between the cam feature  50  and the bracing rib  55 , the cam feature acts in the manner of a cam and initially resists being moved angularly. However, on application of a sufficient force the resilient member  46  deflects elastically by a small amount which allows the fastening device  14  to rotate about the resilient member  46  whilst the first wall portion  34  of the fastening device  14  slides relative to the corner edge  28 . 
         [0044]    In the position shown in  FIG. 7 d   , the fastening device  14  has almost fully rotated about the resilient member  46  into its engaged or ‘home’ position. As the device rotates, the contact region P 2  between the cam feature  50  and the underside  26   a  of the minor wall portion  26  transitions between the oblique chamfer  54  towards the upper contact face  52  of the cam feature  52  and the bracing rib  55  slides along the curved underside  51  of the cam feature  50  towards the flat front face  53  of the cam feature  50 . As this transition occurs, the fastening device  14  no longer opposes anti-clockwise angular movement and so it ‘snaps’ in the engaged position that is shown in  FIG. 7 e   , in which the clamping formation engages with the inner support surface  33  of the rail  16  so that it is clamped between it and the first structure (wall portion  34 ) of the fastening device  14 . The ‘snap location’ helps the user to gauge when the fastening device  14  is in a ‘home’ position purely by feel, which may be helpful in circumstances when visibility is poor, for example in low light conditions or if obscured by other items in the load space. Alternatively, a radiused profile may be provided instead of the chamfer  54  which would not affect the ability of the fastening device  14  to engage with the rail  16 , although the snap-location effect would not be achieved. 
         [0045]    As has been mentioned, the bracing rib  55  serve as a bearing point for the resilient member  46  such that, as the cam feature  50  moves angularly the bracing rib  55  puts the resilient member  46  into a compressed condition. The rail  16  is therefore clamped between the front face  53  of the cam feature  50  and the front wall portion  34  of the fastening device  14 . 
         [0046]    The fastening device  14  may be removed from the rail  16  simply by reversing the steps described above through the application of a force shown by arrow F in  FIG. 7 e   ; typically this will be achieved by a user using their finger to lever the device  14  off of the rail  16 . Conveniently, it will be appreciated here that the shape of the device  14  means that a portion of it extends away from the rail  16  and provides a comparatively large zone (indicated by hatched area ‘A’) in which the user may place their finger underneath the device  14  to facilitate its removal. Note that although this feature is provided by a combination of the hook formation  13  and the fastening device  14 , it will be appreciated that the same advantageous feature could be provided by just the fastening device  14 , suitably configured, in embodiments where it is incorporated into a form of accessory which isn&#39;t a hook. 
         [0047]    The fastening device  14  may be made from any suitable material, although it is currently envisaged that it will be injection molded from a suitable plastics material such as a polycarbonate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene blend (PC-ABS), polypropylene (PP), or polyamide acrylonitrile butadiene styrene blend (PA-ABS). Similarly, the rail  16  may be formed from any suitable material, such as pressed steel or aluminum, but it is currently envisaged that it will be formed from molded plastics such as PC-ABS or PP. 
         [0048]    The configuration of the fastening device  14  described above enables it to grip onto the rail  16  securely so that it resists being moved linearly along the rail  16 . However, in order to eliminate the risk of the fastening device  14  slipping along the rail  16 , the length of the rail is delimited by a series of partition walls  60  that are a molded feature of the rail  16 . As can be seen in  FIG. 8 , the resilient member  46  is able to extend underneath the outer edge  30  of the rail at positions between adjacent pairs of the partition walls  60 . Adjacent pairs of the partition walls  60  therefore define discrete locations at which the fastening device  14  may be attached to the rail  16 —the curved shape of the resilient member allows easy self-location between adjacent pairs of walls  60 . Other configurations are possible; partitions may be formed by providing the edge  30  of the minor wall portion  26  with an irregular profile along its length, for example a serrated or an undulating profile, or the major wall portion  24  may be provided with a suitable formation on its surface such as corrugations or notches. Selection of the dimension L3 between the cam feature  50  and the first wall portion  34  to be a less tight fit would enable the fastening device to be slid along the rail in an indexed manner for easy adjustment by the user. 
         [0049]    Some variations on the specific embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2 to 7  have already been described above. Further variations for the accessory mounting system will now be described. 
         [0050]    Firstly,  FIGS. 9, 10 and 11  show an alternative accessory mounting system that includes a rail  16  identical to that described above, and an accessory  12  that is a shaped metal wire component. As can be seen in  FIGS. 9 to 11  the overall shape of the accessory  12  is very similar to the accessory in  FIGS. 2 to 8  and it performs the same function of clamping onto the rail  16 . 
         [0051]    Briefly, the accessory  12  include a single length of metal wire or rod  68  that is bent to define a hook formation  70  a hanger structure  72 , an upper rest structure  74  and a clamping formation  76 . A suitable thickness for the rod is 5 mm, although this is not to be considered limiting. 
         [0052]    It should be noted that the hanger structure  72  is equivalent to the first wall portion  34  of the previous embodiment and that upper rest structure  74  is equivalent to the second wall portion  36 . Therefore, when the fastening device is engaged with the rail, as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the hanger structure  72  lies adjacent the major wall portion of the rail  16 , the upper rest portion  74  lies adjacent the minor wall portion  26  of the rail  16 , and the clamping formation  76  extends over the outer edge  30  of the minor wall portion  26  so as to grip onto the inner support surface  33 ,  26   a.    
         [0053]    The hanger structure  72  comprises parallel sections of the rod  68  which extend from the hook formation  70  in an upwards direction and then curve through a right angle to form parallel arms of the upper rest structure  74 . From there the parallel arms curve downwards to define the clamping formation  76 . As in the previous embodiment, the clamping formation  76  is shaped so as to extend underneath the rail  16  and, to this end, the rod sections are angled inwardly so as to converge at an apex point  80 . It is to be noted that in this embodiment the rod ends do not meet at the apex point but that a gap is formed between then and this provides a degree of resilience to the clamping formation  76  to enable the fastening device to be pivoted over the rail  16  in the manner of the previous embodiment. However, in variants of this embodiment the rod sections may be configured to meet so as to form a continuous rod, or the split between the rod sections may be offset instead of in a central position as in the present embodiment. 
         [0054]    A further alternative configuration is shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . This embodiment is similar to the embodiment described above with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 8  and so the same reference numerals will be used to describe the same features where appropriate for clarity. Common to the previous embodiment, the fastening device  14  includes a hook formation  13 , a hanger structure defined by a first wall portion  34 , an upper rest structure  36  defined by a second wall portion  26  substantially perpendicular to the first wall portion  34 , and a clamping formation  38  that extends from the second wall portion  36 . 
         [0055]    In this embodiment, however, the clamping formation  38  has a different configuration, in that the resilient member  46  does not bridge the entire distance between the first and second legs  44 . Instead, the pivot member  46  stops short of one of the legs  44  to define a gap  82 , although the resilient member  46  still has the curved profile which pre-loads the pivot member  46  against the bracing member  55  of the rail  16  to ensure that the fastening device  14  grips onto the rail  16 . 
         [0056]    The mounting system has been described here in the context of a vehicle load space and, indeed, it is envisaged that the mounting system will be particularly useful in a vehicle load space. However, the mounting system may also be used in a different location within a vehicle such as integrated into an instrument panel, door card or side pillar, or in a different context, for example in a home, office space or aircraft cabin space to name a few examples. 
         [0057]    In the above embodiments, the hanger structure  34  and the top rest structure  36  have been described as being perpendicular to one another. However, it will be appreciated that precise perpendicularity is not essential. 
         [0058]    Further embodiments are shown in  FIGS. 14 a , 14 b , 15 a  and 15 b   , in which components equivalent to those in the embodiments described above are referred to with the same reference numerals. 
         [0059]    Firstly, with reference to  FIGS. 14 a  and 14 b   , it will be noted that the accessory support  16  in this embodiment does not have an ‘L’ shaped cross section profile as in the previous embodiment. Instead, the accessory support  16  simply includes the major wall portion  24 . The length of the accessory support  16  is provided by a plurality of partition walls  60  between pair of which the accessory incorporating the fastening device  14  can be mounted. The accessory  12  is shown separated from the accessory support  16  in  FIG. 14 a   , but is shown in the mounted position in  FIG. 14   b.    
         [0060]    A recess  100  is defined in the inner support surface  33  of the accessory support  16  and extends along it in a longitudinal direction between the partition walls  60 . The resilient member  46  of the fastening device  14  engages into the recess  100  when it is placed into the ‘home’ position on the accessory support  16 . The looped profile of the fastening device  14  enables the resilient member  46  to accommodate the wall thickness of the accessory support  16  whilst the resilient member  46  clicks into place within the recess  100  thus clamping the accessory support between the front wall portion  34  of the fastening device  14  and the resilient member in the same manner as the previous embodiments. It should be noted that the resilient member  46  protrudes into the recess  100  such that the upper section  24   a  of the wall overhangs the resilient member  46  and such that the cam feature  50  of the resilient member  46  engages the floor of the recess. 
         [0061]    Turning to the embodiment of  FIGS. 15 a  and 15 b   , it will be noted that the accessory support  16  is similar to that in  FIGS. 14 a  and 14 b   , but includes a slightly curved top section  102  at the upper part of the first wall portion  24  that terminates in an outer edge  30 .  FIG. 15 b    shows the accessory  12  mounted on the accessory support  16  such that the accessory is located between a pair of the partitions  60 . It can be seen that the outer edge  30  of the accessory support overhangs the resilient member  46  and the resilient member  46 , and more specifically the cam feature  50 , grips the accessory support  16  between it and the first wall portion  34  of the fastening device  14 .