SHELF AND CASSETTE ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES

Abstract: In a shelf and cassette arrangement for use in automobiles for postal deliveries, where the automobile has been provided with transverse, trough-formed recesses on each side of the instrument panel, the recesses are formed with an inclined wall or plate (6, 7) which is forwardly-sloping in relation to the direction of travel, under which there is disposed a support member (8, 9), thus providing room for at least one removable cassette (10), said cassette having a swingable handle (13) capable of swinging freely inwards in the cassette (10) around a substantially horizontal axis. The handle (13) is suspended in elongated holes by means of triangular support elements (14), so that the handle can be displaced substantially parallel with the bottom plate of the cassette. The handle's own weight is used to secure the items of mail which are to be delivered. Achieved herewith is a shelf and cassette arrangement which renders the items of mail to be delivered easy to see and easily accessible, while still securing said items so that they do not come into disorder while the automobile is being driven.

Description: SHELF AND CASSETTE ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMOBILES This invention relates to a shelf and cassette arrang¬ ement for use in automobiles for postal deliveries, where the automobile has been provided with trans¬ verse, trough-formed recesses on each side of the instrument panel. With the automobile-based delivery of post and sim- ilar items of mail, various kinds of aids are used in the form of boxes or holding elements, such elem¬ ents being arranged for mounting within the reach of the driver so that he can quickly find out the next address to which he must deliver post or similar items of mail. If postal deliveries with automobiles is to be efficient and speedy, the items of mail must be placed in an easy-to-see and easily accessible manner, so that the driver can concentrate on his driving while still having a full view over the del- iveries and can easily take hold of the next item or items of mail to be delivered. Automobiles are often provided with transverse, trough-formed recesses or shelves on each side of the instrument panel, into which one can place various articles, and such recesses or shelves can naturally also be used if. such a. vehicle is to be used for postal deliveries. However, by having the post lying in such recesses, disorder is easily created among the items for delivery which must lie loosely or in smaller bundles, the reason being that the items of mail easily slide in between one another while the automobile is being driven. The object of the invention is to provide a shelf and cassette arrangement which fulfils the demand for an easy-to-see layout and accessibility of the deliver¬ ies, e.g. items of mail, which are to be brought out and delivered to different addresses. This is achieved by forming the arrangement as pres¬ ented in claim 1. By using one or more cassettes pos¬ itioned on shelves in front of and on each side of the driver, said shelves being mounted as instrument panels on each side of the actual instrument panel, the driver is given a clear view over those items of mail which have still to be delivered, while at the same time the items are secured by the swingable handle and thus remain standing in the cassette dur- ing the drive, also even though this is taking place on an uneven road. Moreover, the removable cassettes provide the driver with the possibility of being able to' take the empty cassettes in with him when he has to collect the post he is to deliver, and either fill them up or exchange them for filled cassettes. By forming the cassette as presented in claim 2, one achieves that the handle, due to its own weight nd^. special suspension, always slides down towards the back wall because the cassette is positioned up against the inclined, forwardly-sloping wall in one of the transverse recesses. The items for delivery are hereby automatically secured regardless of their thickness and number, thus rendering it unnecessary to bundle them up. By forming the cassette as pres¬ ented in claim 3 , one ensures that the handle is.-*always moved perpendicular to the cassette's side pieces as a kind of parallel motion, in that the handle is forced to move in an elongated hole in each side, so that the handle in both sides always finds itself at the same place in the elongated holes. By forming the cassette as presented in claim 4, one achieves that the special movement and suspension can be locked as soon as one attempts to lift the cass¬ ette by means of the handle. One can herewith also lock the point of engagement of the handle in the cassette in any given position according to require¬ ments, determined by the weight and the positioning of the items of mail in the cassette. In the following the invention will be explained more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings which show a preferred embodiment of the invention, and where fig. 1 shows an example of a cassette and its position.in a shelf arrangement accord¬ ing to the invention, and fig. 2 shows a cassette's construction in closer detail. In fig. 1 will b . seen a driver's cab for an automo- bile of the type where a pivotable seat 3, a steering wheel 1 and an instrument panel 2 are arranged around the centre line of the vehicle, so that the driver can climb down via the right-hand door or the left -hand door as required. On both sides of the instru- ment panel 2 there is thus room to mount a shelf ar¬ rangement 4 and 5 which, in relation to the normal direction of travel, comprises forwardly-sloping back plates 6 and 7 and bottom members 8 and 9, which together form trough-formed recesses in which cassettes can be placed. As an example in fig. 1 one cassette 10 is shown positioned to the left of the instrument panel 2. The cassette is an upwardly open container with two side walls or side pieces 11 and 12, said side pieces having a slot in which a freely pivotable handle is mounted. In fig. 1 the cassette is shown in empty condition. The handle 13 can be used to carry the cassette 10 to and from the auto¬ mobile, while at the same time the freely pivotable handle can also serve by virtue of its own weight to hold the deliveries or similar items of mail in place in the cassette in an easily accessible and easy-to -see manner, in that the handle functions as a kind of letter holder. Fig. 2 shows in closer detail how a cassette can be arranged, in that it comprises a back wall 16, a bot¬ tom 30, two side pieces \L1 and 12 and a pair of smaller front plates 28 and 29. As shown in the draw¬ ing, the back wall 16 can be made higher than the side pieces 11, partly so that it comprises a sup¬ port for the items for delivery.which, for example, are placed vertically and against the back wall, and partly to provide the possibility for a carrying or suspension hole 17.. The two side pieces of the cassette are provided with two elongated holes 27 which are substantially par¬ allel with the bottom 30, and in which the handle 13 is inserted in a kind of parallel guide. The handle 13 consists of a shaped rod, for example a metal rod or tube which is bent or in another manner formed as a crank. The two ends of the handle pass through the two elongated holes in the two side pieces 11 and 12 and are pivotably mounted at each side in a triangu- lar support piece 14 by means of a bearing 23 or sim- ilar element. The arrangement is for the remainder the same, but naturally laterally reversed when looking in towards the cassette's side pieces from the outside. The triangular support piece 14 is movably mounted in two curved slots 19 and 24. The first slot 19 also houses a connection piece 22 which is pivotably coupled together with the triangular support piece 14 by means of a stud 31. The connection piece is also pivotably secured to a coupling arm 15 which is firmly connected to a rotatable spindle 18. Since there is a coupling arm 15 on each side of the cassette it is thus ensured that the mechanisms on both sides of the cassette always follow one another. The top side of the connection piece 22 is moreover provided with a tooth gearing 21 capable of engaging with a corres¬ ponding tooth gearing .20 in the upper edge of the curved slot 19. A connection piece 22 thus slides into or. is ' .guided..into the curved slot 19 in each side piece. The second curved slot 24 which is formed in each side piece has a stud element 25 which with a roller or a similar member can run inside the curved slot 24, in that the stud element 25 is secured to the triangular support piece 14.. When the cassette is empty, as shown in fig. 2, the weight of the handle and the triangular support pieces 14 will force the connection piece 22 down- wards, so that the toothed gearing 20 and 21 are not in engagement with each other, but the connec¬ tion piece 22 can slide on the smooth side of the curved slot 19. The curved slot 19 lies on a circular arc which has its centre in the axis of the rotatable spindle 18, and the curved slot 24 also lies on a circular arc but with its centre 26 lying at the same height as the spindle 18. The two circular arcs have the same radius. The handle can thus slide in the elongated holes 27 as a kind of parallel guide, i.e., the handle will always stand at right angles to the side surfaces 11 and 12. When the cassette is lifted by the handle 13, the toothed gearing 21 im¬ mediately engages with the toothed gearing 20 in the curved slot 19, and the handle can no longer be dis¬ placed in the elongated holes 27, thus enabling the cassette to be transported without it tipping over. When one desires to transport the cassette by carry¬ ing it by the handle 13, it is possible by shifti g the handle in the elongated holes 27 to get the han¬ dle to remain in any desired position in the holes 27. When the cassette is placed in an inclined position, as shown in fig. 1, due to its own weight the handle will slide towards the back wall 16 and can here secure the items for delivery which are placed up against the back wall.

Claims: C L A I M S 1. Shelf and cassette arrangement for use in auto¬ mobiles for postal deliveries, where the automobile has been provided with transverse, trough-formed re¬ cesses on each side of the instrument panel (2) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d , in that the transverse recesses comprise a wall, or plate (6, 7) which is inclined and forwardly-sloping in relation to the driving direction, under which there is disposed a support member (8, 9) , and with room for at least one removable cassette (10) , said cassette having a swingable handle (13) capable of swinging freely in¬ wards in the cassette around a substantially hori¬ zontal axis. 2. Shelf and cassette arrangement according to claim 1, .c h a r a c t e r ! z e d in that the cas¬ sette is in the form of an open box, the back wall . (16) of the box and the bottom plate (30) being join¬ ed with side pieces (11, 12) , and where the handle (13) is suspended in elongated holes (27) substan¬ tially parallel with the bottom plate (30) , so that the handle can be displaced parallel with said bot¬ tom plate.. 3. Shelf and cassette arrangement according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the dis¬ placement of the handle is established by means of a . rotatable transverse spindle (18) which runs through the side pieces (11, 12) and has two firmly attached coupling arms (15) , each provided with a connection piece (22) and coupled together with two handle sup¬ port elements ' (14) provided with a stud (31), hat runs in an arcuate slot (19). in each side piece together with a connection piece (22) , so that the handle supporting element will follow the arcuate slot (19) , and where a second stud (25) , at a distance from the first-mentioned stud, follows a 5 similarly arcuate slot (24) provided in each side piece, the handle (13) thus being pivotably secured to the two handle support elements (14) . 4. Shelf and cassette arrangement according to 0 claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the top side of the connection piece (22) is provided with a toothed gearing (21) which, when the cassette is . lifted by means of the handle (13) , is brought into engagement with a toothed gearing (20) in the arc- 5 uate slot (19), and hereby preventing the handle (13) from being displaced in the elongated holes (27) which carry the handle. Q OMPI

Inventors: MOSEGAARD LARS, MOSEGAARD, LARS
Applicants: DABILFA AS, A/S DABILFA
Application year: 1982
Main classification: B60K37
IPC codes: B60R7