Abstract:
An apparatus for temporarily retaining a component within a vehicle passenger compartment includes a cable having opposed ends with hooks for attaching the ends of the cable to corresponding attachment points within the vehicle passenger compartment. The cable passes through an opening in the component and a portion of the cable is attached to another of the attachment points, whereby the cable is placed under tension and retains the component in the passenger compartment.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to storage and retaining devices for use in automotive vehicles and, in particular, to an apparatus for temporarily retaining a component within a vehicle passenger compartment.  
           [0002]    Large components, such as vehicle spare tire and wheel assemblies, are typically carried outside the vehicle or in a location in the vehicle interior that maximizes interior storage space. Geometry constraints often make it difficult if not impossible to place a flat road wheel and tire outside the passenger space of the vehicle where the spare tire is normally carried. As a result, the flat tire and wheel is often stowed temporarily in the vehicle interior.  
           [0003]    Any original vehicle equipment, such as the flat road wheel and tire, that is required to be stowed in the vehicle interior, even temporarily, must be provided with a retaining device. Various regulations require that the retaining device must be able to withstand the loads experienced in a 30 mph frontal barrier test without separating from the vehicle or from the stowed equipment. A typical prior art means for temporarily positioning and retaining a flat tire and wheel inside a vehicle is the use of a J-bolt, wing nut and D-ring retaining assembly to bolt the wheel to a mounting surface such as the vehicle floor, the side panel or the back of the rear seat. In addition to the bolt, nut, and ring retaining assembly, additional structures, such as heavy permanent brackets, are often required at the mounting surface to support the mass of the retaining device, tire and wheel. In some vehicles, a retaining assembly is occasionally required that will allow the flat wheel and tire assembly to be oriented vertically, which requires additional robust structures, which disadvantageously increase the weight of the vehicle.  
           [0004]    It is desirable, therefore, to provide a means for temporarily retaining a component, such as a flat road tire and wheel, safely within the passenger compartment that can utilize existing attachment points in the vehicle without the use of heavy, permanent brackets and that is economical, lightweight, and easy to use for the average consumer. It is also desirable to provide a means for temporarily retaining a component safely within the passenger compartment that is economical to produce and easy to use for the average consumer and that is aesthetically pleasing and easy to store when not in use. It is also desirable to provide an apparatus for temporarily retaining a component safely within the passenger compartment that allows the component to be oriented vertically within the passenger compartment.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention concerns an apparatus for retaining a component within a vehicle passenger compartment. The present invention includes at least one cable having opposed ends. Each of the opposed ends of the cable includes a means for attaching mounted thereon. The cable is preferably constructed of rigid steel aircraft-type cable, or a cable of similar strength, quality, and flexibility. The means for attaching is preferably a hook, clip, or the like. The cable and means for attaching are preferably of sufficient strength to withstand the loads without separating from the vehicle or from the stowed component. The cable is preferably of a sufficient length to attach to at least two attachment points within the vehicle interior while still maintaining a tension on the component sufficient to retain the component from moving significantly during vehicle operation. Preferably, a portion of the cable is also adapted to conform to another attachment point, providing at least three attachment points to retain the component. The means for attaching is preferably adapted to attach to the component to which it is to be attached, such as by passing through an aperture in the component, and to the attachment points for the vehicle to which it is installed. Alternatively, the present invention includes a plurality of cables, each of the cables having a means for attaching on each opposed end of the cable.  
           [0006]    In operation, the component is placed in the vehicle interior, the cable is attached to or passed through the component, and each of the opposed ends of the cable extended towards the attachment points. The attachment means and the portion of the cable that is adapted to conform to an attachment point are then attached to the attachment points, tensioning the cable and securing the component within the vehicle interior.  
           [0007]    In a preferred embodiment, the component is a flat road wheel that is oriented vertically in the cargo area of the passenger compartment adjacent a lift gate. The cable passes through a door striker for the lift gate and the center of the wheel and the attachment means are hooks that attach to the two lift gate hinges.  
           [0008]    The present invention advantageously supports and contains the flat road wheel inside the vehicle without adding any structure or support hardware. The present invention advantageously utilizes existing vehicle structures and hardware and does not require any change on the production parts on the vehicle or additional reinforcement to accommodate the road wheel stowage. The present invention is easy to use and advantageously works for all size wheels and with or without a tire on the wheel. The present invention provides a lighter weight and cheaper solution than other bracket-based systems, advantageously stows out of sight when not in use, and eliminates the need for permanent brackets or hardware. The present invention uses fewer parts and weighs significantly less than a comparable prior art bolt down retaining assembly.  
           [0009]    The present invention advantageously provides a lightweight solution for stowing flat tire and wheel assemblies safely until the flat can be repaired. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art retaining apparatus;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a retaining apparatus in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 shown attached to a vehicle passenger compartment;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion  4  of FIG. 3 showing the cable attached to an attachment point in the vehicle passenger compartment;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion  5  of FIG. 3 showing an attachment means of the cable attached to another attachment point in the vehicle passenger compartment; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a retaining apparatus in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0017]    Referring now to FIG. 1, a retaining means according to the prior art is indicated generally at  10 . The retaining means  10  is adapted to retain a vehicle wheel assembly  12  in a substantially vertical orientation while resting on a floor surface in the interior of a vehicle. The wheel assembly  12  includes a wheel  14  having a tire  16  mounted on the circumference thereof. The retaining means  10  includes a D-ring  18  attached to a mounting surface  20  in the vehicle interior, such as the back of the rear seat. A J-bolt  22  having a hook portion  24  and a threaded shank portion  26  passes through the center aperture of the wheel assembly  12 . The hook portion  24  of the J-bolt  22  attaches to the D-ring  18 . A nut  28  threadably attaches to the shank portion  26  of the J-bolt  22  and retains the wheel assembly  12  to the mounting surface  20  with the wheel assembly resting on the floor of the vehicle interior.  
         [0018]    Referring now to FIG. 2, a retaining apparatus in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally at  30 . The retaining apparatus  30  includes an elongated cable  32  having a first end  34  and a second end  36 . The cable  32  is preferably constructed of rigid steel aircraft-type cable, or a cable of similar strength, quality, and flexibility. The first end  34  passes through an aperture  38  in a first hook  40  and is attached to itself by a plurality of cable clamps  42 , attaching the first hook  40  to the cable  32 . The second end  36  passes through an aperture  44  in a second hook  46  and is attached to itself by a plurality of cable clamps  48 , attaching the second hook  46  to the cable  32 . The hooks  40  and  46  are operable to be attached to attachment points, outlined in more detail below. The cable  32  has a substantial length thereof enclosed by a pair of flexible sheaths  50 . The sheaths  50  are preferably constructed of tubular transparent plastic and provide a less harsh surface which the user of the retaining apparatus  30  can grasp in manipulating the retaining apparatus  30  to attach the hooks  40  and  46  to attachment points in the vehicle, outlined in more detail below. Alternatively, the sheaths  50  are a plastic coating that adheres to the exterior surface of the cable  32  and provides a less harsh surface which the user of the retaining apparatus  30  can grasp in manipulating the retaining apparatus  30  to attach the hooks  40  and  46  to attachment points in the vehicle.  
         [0019]    The cable  32  includes a central portion  52  that is encased in an opaque tubular covering or shroud  54 . The central portion  52  and the covering  54  are operable to attach to an attachment point, outlined in more detail below, within the vehicle interior. The covering  54  is preferably constructed of a rigid plastic material for facilitating the attachment of the central portion  52  and covering  54  to the attachment point.  
         [0020]    Referring now to FIGS.  3 - 5 , the retaining apparatus  30  is shown retaining a vehicle wheel assembly  56  in a vehicle passenger compartment, indicated generally at  58 , while the wheel assembly rests on the floor in a vertical orientation. The central portion  52  of the cable  32  is doubled over to form a loop and the loop is passed through the center aperture or axle opening of the wheel assembly  56 , such that the central portion  52  is on the rearward facing side of the wheel and the hooks  40  and  46  are on the forward facing side of the wheel. The central portion  52  extends through and is retained by a door striker  60 , best seen in FIG. 4. Each of the hooks  40  and  46  extends upwardly to attach to an associated hinge  62  that mounts a lift gate or rear door  64  on the vehicle, best seen in FIG. 5. With the central portion  52  attached to the door striker  60 , and the hooks  40  and  46  attached to respective hinges  62 , the cable  32  is under tension and the wheel assembly  56  is retained in place in a vertical orientation within the vehicle passenger compartment  58 .  
         [0021]    Referring now to FIG. 6, an alternative embodiment of a retaining apparatus in accordance with the present invention is indicated generally at  65 . The retaining apparatus  65  includes an elongated first cable  66  and an elongated second cable  68  received and loosely connected by a generally tubular connector  69 . The cables  66  and  68  are preferably constructed of rigid steel aircraft-type cable, or a cable of similar strength, quality, and flexibility. The first cable  66  includes a first end  70  and a second end  72 . The first end  70  passes through an aperture  74  in a first hook  76  and is attached to itself by a plurality of cable clamps  78 , attaching the first hook  76  to the first cable  66 . The second end  72  passes through an aperture  79  in a first spring-loaded clip  80  and is attached to itself by a plurality of cable clamps  82 , attaching the first spring-loaded clip  80  to the first cable  66 . The second cable  68  includes a first end  84  and a second end  86 . The first end  84  passes through an aperture  88  in a second hook  90  and is attached to itself by a plurality of cable clamps  92 , attaching the second hook  90  to the second cable  68 . The second end  86  passes through an aperture  94  in a second spring-loaded clip  96  and is attached to itself by a plurality of cable clamps  98 , attaching the second spring-loaded clip  96  to the second cable  68 . Thus, the apparatus  65  can be considered as the equivalent of the single cable  32  with the central portion  52  cut to form two cable portions such as the two cables  66  and  68 .  
         [0022]    In operation, the connector  69  is positioned in the central aperture of the wheel assembly (not shown) with the hooks  76  and  90  on the forward side of the wheel assembly and the clips  80  and  96  on the rearward side of the wheel assembly. The hooks  76  and  90  are operable to be attached to attachment points in a vehicle interior (not shown), such as the hinges  62  shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. The spring-loaded clips  80  and  96  are operable to be attached to other attachment points (not shown) in the vehicle interior such that the wheel assembly is maintained in a vertical orientation as shown in FIG. 3. Each cable  66  and  68  has a substantial portion thereof enclosed by a pair of flexible sheaths  100 . The sheaths  100  are preferably constructed of transparent tubular plastic and provide a less harsh surface which the user of the retaining apparatus  65  can grasp in manipulating the retaining apparatus  65  to attach the hooks  76  and  90  and the spring-loaded clips  80  and  96  to the various attachment points in the vehicle interior. Alternatively, the sheaths  100  are a plastic coating that adheres to the exterior surface of the cables  66  and  68  and provides a less harsh surface which the user of the retaining apparatus  65  can grasp in manipulating the retaining apparatus  65  to attach the hooks  76  and  90  and the spring-loaded clips  80  and  96  to the various attachment points in the vehicle interior.  
         [0023]    In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope. For example, while the present invention has been described for the purpose of retaining a tire and wheel assembly, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to retaining only tire and wheel assemblies and may be utilized to retain numerous components.