Apparatus for accommodating box-like articles

Abstract: An apparatus for accommodating box-like articles is disclosed, which comprises a case (12) open at least at the front for permitting a plurality of box-like articles [e.g., cassettes (11)] to be slidably accommodated through the front opening (13) independently of one another and in a plurality of rows disposed one above another, biasing means [e.g., compression springs (27) and (34)] for independently forwardly urging the box-like articles (11) accommodated in the case (12), locking means [e.g., heart-­ like cam groove (30c) and locking pin (36)] for locking the box-like articles (11) in their retreated positions in the case (12) against the biasing forces of the biasing means (27, 34), and stopper means [e.g., shoulder surface (40) of the case (12), front edge (14″) of upper slide holder (14), upright surfaces (15c) of lower slide holder (15) and rear wall surface of recessed portion (19)] for stopping the box-like articles (11) such that these in a row partly project outwardly from the opening (13) of the case (12) to a smaller extent than that in the next lower row.

Description: This invention relates to an apparatus for accommodating box-like articles, e.g., cassettes Figures 1 and 2 show a prior art apparatus for accommodating cassettes which is installed in an automobile. This prior art apparatus comprises a box-like case 1 open at the front, a plurality of partition members 3 depending from the upper wall of the case 1 and arranged in parallel and spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of cassettes 2 accommodated and leaf springs 4 each secured to the aforesaid upper wall between adjacent partition members 3 for downwardly urging each cassette 2. The case 1 is wholly accommodated in a lateral hole or recess 6 in a car center console panel. In the prior art accommodation apparatus as noted above, adjacent cassettes 2 accommodated in the case 1 are spaced apart by a very small distance, so that it is rather difficult to take out a given cassette 2 because adjacent cassettes 2 hinder the removal. Further, the cassettes 2 accommodated in the case 1 partly project from the front of the center console panel 5, which is not desirable from the standpoint of appearance. Further, the accommodated cassettes are liable to be flung out of the case 1 and scattered about when the car stops suddenly. Published International Application No. WO-A-86/03878 discloses a container comprising a housing for accommodating therein, in a multi stage fashion, a plurality of disc holders each having a lid which covers the opening of the housing during the storage of the discs and tilts transversly to the displacement plane of the disc during removal of the disc. Whilst this container is very suitable for storage of thin members such as discs, it is not suitable for storing thicker members such as cassettes because the lid would constitute an obstacle in storing and removing the cassette. FR-A-2542714 discloses an apparatus which presents an oil damper for braking movement of a slide holder with respect to a case. An object of the invention is to provide an accommodation apparatus which permits an intended box-like article to be taken out readily and reliably. Another object of the invention is to provide an accommodation apparatus from which accommodated articles are not flung out even under a strong shock. An apparatus for accommodating box-like articles comprising: a case body (20) having a front opening (13); at least a slide holder (15) slidably accommodated in said case body (20) and presenting a support surface (15') on which at least a box-like article (11) is supported, said box-like article (11) being inserted into and extracted from the case body (20) through the front opening (13); a lid (17) pivotally connected through pivoting points (42) to the front end of said slide holder (15) wherein said lid (17) is forwardly pivotally turned down for opening said front opening (13) and is pivotally turned in its upright state for closing said front opening (13); first biasing means (34) for forwardly biasing said lid (17) and said slide holder (15); and lock means (30c, 36) for locking the lid (17) in its upright state and the slide holder (15) in its retreated position into said case body (20); said apparatus being characterized in that: said case body (20) is vertically divided into a plurality of spaces (19a, 19b) and accommodates in each of said spaces (19a, 19b) a slide holder (15, 14) disposed one above another; the lid being connected to the lower slide holder (15); said slide holders (14, 15) supporting the box-like articles (11) thereon are maintained in their retreated position into said case body (20) by said lid (17) when said lid is locked in its upright state by said lock means (30c, 36); said first biasing means (34) push against the lid (17) for biasing it forwardly, as said lower slide holder (15) is pivotally connected to said lid (17) it is consecutively pulled forwardly owing to the biasing force of said first biasing means (34); second biasing means (27) push forwardly said upper slide holder (14) so that said box-like article (11) positioned thereon, is pushed toward its extracted position and its front end abuts against the inside face of the lid (17) when said lid is in its upright state; wherein as long as the lid (17) is maintained in its upright state by the lock means (30c, 36) and the opening (13) of the case body (20) is closed by said lid (17), the slide holders (14, 15) are kept into the case body (20); with a pressure on the outside face of the lid (17) the lock means (30c, 36) are released thus owing to the biasing force of the first biasing means (34), the lid (17) and the lower slide holder (15) are pushed forwardly and the lid (17) is turned down until it abuts against the angle restriction means (15'', 17'') for restricting the maximum open angle of said lid (17) to a position where said lid (17) lies substantially in the same plane as the support surface (15') of the lower slide holder (15), and the upper slide holder (14) owing to the biasing force of the second biasing means (27), slides forwardly; thus box-like articles (11) accommodated on the slide holders (14, 15) are extracted from the case body (20) through the opening (13) of said case body (20) and this until said slide holders (14, 15) abut against stopper means (40) for restricting the foremost position of said slide holders (14, 15) outside of the said case body (20); and box-like articles (11) accommodated on the upper slide holder (14) project outwardly from the opening (13) of the case body (20) to a lesser extent than the next lower box-like article (11) accommodated on the lower slide holder (15). To store a box-like article in the case, the article is pushed directly or indirectly into the depth of the case from the front opening thereof against the biasing force of the biasing means. As a result, the article is locked in a retreated position in the case by the locking means. To take out an accommodated box-like article, the article is slightly pushed either directly or indirectly toward the depth of the case. This pushing operation has an effect of releasing the lock of the locking means. As a result, the article is pushed by the biasing force of the biasing means to be ejected outwardly from the front opening of the case. In this state, the article can be easily taken out of the case by grasping its portion projecting from the front opening of the case. Further by closing the case front opening by turning a lid to an upright state, dust can no longer easily enter the case interior. Moreover, the appearance becomes good. Further, by providing air dampers for damping the sliding operation of articles and opening and closing operations of the lid, it is possible to provide a box-like article accommodation apparatus giving a high class impression. The above and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing a prior art apparatus for accommodating box-like articles; Figure 2 is a sectional view showing the apparatus of Figure 1 mounted in a car; Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the apparatus for accommodating box-like articles according to the invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the apparatus of Figure 3 in an assembled state; Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-V in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 4; Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the apparatus of Figure 3 with a lid turned down into an open state; Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in Figure 7; Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX in Figure 7; Figure 10 is a sectional view for explaining opening and closing operations of the lid; Figure 11 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the relation between an upper slide holder and a case of the apparatus of Figure 3; Figure 12 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the relation between a lower slide holder and the case of the apparatus shown in Figure 3; Figure 13 is a fragmentary sectional view, showing the lid held upright by an urging member; Figure 14 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view showing the urging member of Figure 13 in an inverted state; Figure 15 is a perspective view showing a different example of the case of the apparatus according to the invention; Figure 16 is a perspective view showing a different example of locking means of the apparatus according to the invention; Figure 17 is a plan view showing the locking means of Figure 16 in an assembled state; Figure 18 is a sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in Figure 17; and Figure 19 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the locking means of Figure 16. Figures 3 to 14 illustrate one embodiment of the apparatus for accommodating box-like articles according to the invention. Referring to the Figures, reference numeral 10 generally designates the apparatus. In this embodiment, the apparatus 10 is mounted in a motor car for accommodating cassettes 11 for cassette tapes. The apparatus 10 generally comprises, as shown in Figure 3, a case 12 open at least at the front, upper and lower slide holders 14 and 15 slidably accommodated one above the other in the case 12 through the front opening 13 thereof and having respective support surfaces 14' and 15', on each of which two cassettes 11 can be supported side by side, and a lid 17 pivotally coupled by pins 16 to the front end of lower slide holder 15 for opening and closing the opening 13 of the case 12, the lid being turned down about the pins 16 into an open state. The case 12 has a vertically flat box-like shape open at the front and also at the rear. It has a transversal partition wall 18 extending substantially midway of its height and toward its depth from the opening 13. The partition wall 18 defines an upper space 19a and a lower space 19b in the interior of the case 12. The top wall of the case 12 has a substantially central box-like recessed portion 19 open at the top. The upper space 19a defined by the partition wall 18 is defined into a left space and a right space by the left and right side walls of the recessed portion 119, these left and right spaces each being capable of receiving a cassette 11 inserted therein (Figure 7). The open rear end of the case 12 is covered by a cover member 22 having a pair of, i.e., upper and lower, cylinder portions 20 and 21 rearwardly projecting from a substantially central portion (Figures 4, 10 and 11). Either the case 12 or the cover 22 is provided with a recess 23 while the other is provided with a projection 24, so that the cover 22 can be mounted by a one-touch operation on the open rear end of the case 12 by the engagement of the recess 23 and projection 24 with each other. Of course the cover 22 can be removed by releasing the engagement of the recess 23 and projection 24. Of the two slide holders 14 and 15, the upper slide holder 14, as shown in Figure 3, integrally has a substantially central rectangular portion 14a, a pair of, i.e., left and right, holding portions 14b extending laterally from the opposite sides of the central rectangular portion 14a and a hollow piston portion 14c rearwardly projecting from the rectangular portion 14a. As shown in Figures 5 and 11, the hollow piston portion 14c is inserted in the upper cylinder portion 20, these two portions constituting an air damper. Reference numeral 25 designates an O-ring fitted in an annular groove 26 formed in the piston portion 14c adjacent to an end thereof, numeral 27 a compression spring to be compressed between the piston and cylinder portions 14c and 20, numeral 28 an orifice formed in the cylinder portion 20, and numeral 29 a throttle screw screwed in the orifice 28. The annular groove 26 has a greater width than the O-ring and is provided with an exhausting passage 26′ communicating with the interior of the piston portion 14c adjacent to the rear end thereof. As shown in Figure 3, the lower slide holder 15 integrally has a central hollow rectangular portion 15a open at the front and at the rear and a pair of, i.e., left and right, holding portions 15b extending laterally from the opposite sides of the hollow rectangular portion 15a. A piston rod 30 is slidably inserted in the hollow rectangular portion 15a. The piston rod 30 is a one-piece plastic molding elongate in the longitudinal direction. It has a heat-like cam groove 30c formed in an intermediate portion of its length and constituting part of locking means and also has a hollow piston portion 30a adjacent to its rear end, the piston portion 30a being inserted in the lower cylinder portion 21, these piston and cylinder portions constituting another air damper (Figures 5, 12). Reference numeral 31 designates a check valve for opening and closing an exhausting hole 32 formed in the hollow piston portion 30a, numeral 33 an O-ring fitted on the outer periphery of the piston portion 30a, numeral 34 a compression spring to be compressed between the piston and cylinder portions 30a and 21, and numeral 35 an orifice formed in the cylinder portion 21. The front end of the piston rod 30, as shown in Figure 3, constitutes a pin section 30b having a pair of, i.e., left and right, pins. The heart-like cam groove 30c formed in the upper surface of an intermediate portion of the piston rod 30 in the length thereof co-operates with a locking pin 36 provided on the case 12, the cam groove 30c and locking pin 36 together constituting locking means. The locking pin 36, as shown in Figure 3, is formed by bending a metal wire into a substantially U-shaped form. It has a comparatively short stem portion 36a and a comparatively long tracing portion 36b. As shown in Figures 5 and 8, the stem portion 36a of the locking pin 36 is inserted in a hole formed in the bottom of the recessed portion 19 of the case 12 and secured thereto. The tracing portion 36b of the locking pin 36 penetrates a through hole 37 formed in the bottom of the recessed portion 19 and a slot 15d formed in the central hollow rectangular portion 15a of the lower slide holder 15. Its free end extends into the cam groove 30c of the piston rod 30. As the piston rod 30, and hence the cam groove 30c, is moved back and forth, the free end of the tracing portion 36b completes an excursion along the cam groove 30c while swinging to the left and right about the stem portion 36a, whereby the lower slide holder 15 is released from locking. The locking pin 36 is retained from above by a retaining leaf spring 38 so that the free end of the tracing portion 36b is reliably held in the bottom of the cam groove 30c. An end of the retaining leaf spring 38 is secured by a screw 39 to the bottom of the recessed portion 19. The locking means consisting of the combination of the cam groove 30c and locking pin 36 releases the locked state in response to an operation of pushing the lid 17 as will be described later in detail. When the lower slide holder 15 etc. experiences a strong shock as when the car suddenly stops, the locking means is liable to erroneously release the locked state. In such a case the lower slide holder 15 will be projected to fling out the accommodated articles. Therefore, the locking means is provided with safety means for preventing the erroneous operation. Such locking means will now be described with reference to Figures 15 to 19. This locking means, like that in the above embodiment, consists of a heart-like cam groove 30c provided in a piston rod 30 and a locking pin 36. As shown in Figures 16 and 18, however, the locking pin 36 is mounted in the recessed portion 19 of the case with its stem portion 36a rotatably supported in a bearing hole 62 of a base 61 and its tracing portion 36b at the other end penetrates the slot 15d formed in the central hollow rectangular portion 15a of the lower slide holder 15 from the through hole 37 of the recessed portion 19 and extending into the cam groove 30c of the piston rod 30. On one side portion of the base 61 are provided a weight 63 made of a metal and slidable in the longitudinal direction and a coil spring 64 biasing the weight 63 in a retreating direction. More specifically, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, the weight 63 is inserted sidewise in a longitudinally elongate slide groove 65 formed in the base 61 along one side thereof and slidable along the slide groove 65 in the longitudinal direction thereof. The weight 63 has a sidewise projection 66 projecting from one side. When the weight 63 is in an advanced position, the sidewise projection 66 opposes sidewise the tracing portion 36b of the locking pin 36 to prevent a swing of the locking pin 36 in the releasing direction, i.e., displacement of the free end of the tracing portion 36b from a stop section 30d to an escapement section 30e of the cam groove 30c (Figure 19). The coil spring 64 has an end portion fitted on a pin-like projection 68, which projects from the inner surface of an end portion of an L-shaped extension of the base 61 into the slide groove 65, and the other end portion fitted in a groove 69 formed in the bottom of the weight 63, the spring 64 being thus compressed between the inner surface noted above and an end surface of the groove 69. The open bottom of the groove 69 of the weight 63 is closed by the upper surface of the slide groove 65 of the base 61 in frictional contact with the weight 63. The coil spring 64 thus is never detached from but is reliably retained in the groove 69 to bias the weight 63 and hold the weight 63 in the slide groove 65. The upper slide holder 14 is forwardly pushed by the coil spring 27 via its piston portion 14c, while the lower slide holder 15 is forwardly pushed by the coil spring 34 via the piston rod 30. These two slide holders 14 and 15 are pushed to their most advanced positions, which are determined by stopper means. more specifically, as shown in Figures 7 and 9, the slide holders 14 and 15 are pushed to their most advanced positions such that the cassettes 11 held on their support surfaces 14′ and 15′ partly project from the opening 13 of the case 12 in a staircase-like fashion, that is, the cassettes 11 held by the upper slide holder 14 project to a smaller extent than the cassettes 11 held by the lower slide holder 15. More specifically, in this embodiment the most advanced position of the upper slide holder 14 is determined by a shoulder surface 40 provided in the opposite side wall inner surfaces of the case 12 and the rear surface of the recessed portion 19, so that the upper slide holder 14 is stopped at a position at which the leading end 14″ of the upper slide holder 14 is in contact with the two surfaces noted above (Figures 8, 9 and 11). The most advanced position of the lower slide holder 15 is also determined by the shoulder surface 40. In this case, however, upright end surfaces 15c provided in a rear portion of the lower slide holder 15 are in contact with the shoulder surface 40. Thus, in its stopped position, the lower slide holder 15 projects to a greater extent than the upper slide holder 14 (Figures 9, 10 and 12). In this embodiment the stopper means, therefore, is constituted by the shoulder surface 40 of the case 12, rear surface of the recessed portion 19, front end 14″ of the upper slide holder 14 and upright end surfaces 15c of the lower slide holder 15. The rear end of the transverse partition wall 18 defining the upper and lower spaces in the case 12 coincides with the shoulder surface 40 noted above. As shown in Figures 3 and 7, the lid 17 is a thick plate member. It has a pair of, i.e., left and right, triangular ribs 41 projecting from its inner surface adjacent to the opposite sides. The ribs 41 have respective bearing holes 42, in which the left and right pins 16 of the lower side holder 15 are pivoted. A substantially central portion of the inner surface of the lid 17 is provided with a pivotal section 43 having a pair of, i.e., left and right, pins. To the pivotal section 43 is pivoted one end of a joint 44, the other end of which is pivoted at the pin section 30b of the piston rod 30 slightly rearwardly of the front end thereof, the piston rod 30 and lid 17 being thus coupled to each other. The lower surface of the joint 44 is provided with a leaf spring 45 extending in a rearwardly slanted direction. The leaf spring 45 has an effect of preventing the joint 44 from directly striking the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17 when the lid 17 is turned down to open the opening 13. The top of the hollow rectangular portion 15a adjacent to the front end thereof is formed with a slit which permits the joint 44 to be upwardly tilted or become horizontal. Reference numeral 46 in Figures 3 and 7 designates a joint cover covering the joint 44. The distance between each side surface of the joint cover 46 and the inner surface of the corresponding rib 41 of the lid 17 with the joint cover 46 fitted is set to be substantially equal to the width of the cassettes 11. The ribs 41 and joint cover 46 thus serve as a guide means that determines the direction in which a cassette 11 is inserted or taken out. Reference numeral 47 designates a coil spring biasing the joint cover 46 to be pulled toward the lid 17. Reference numeral 48 in Figures 3, 13 and 14 designates an urging member for urging a portion of the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17 lower than the pins 16 in the closed state of the lid 17. The urging member 48 is longitudinally slidably retained in a guide 49 provided substantially on the center of the bottom of the case 12. It is biased by a coil spring 50, which is compressed between it and the guide 49, in a direction to project forwardly from the guide 49 (Figure 3). Reference numeral 51 in Figures 13 and 14 designates a pair of guide slots formed in the lower wall of the guide 49 and extending in the direction of sliding of the urging member 48, and numeral 52 a pair of pawls projecting from the lower surface of the urging member 48, the pawls 52 being received in the guide slots 51. Reference numeral 53 in Figures 6, 9 and 12 designates a pair, i.e., left and right, of buttons, which extend through respective holes 54 formed in the rear wall of the lower slide holder 15 into the interior thereof to be in elastic contact with and forwardly push the rear surface of cassettes 11 in the lower slide holder 15. Each of the buttons 53 is slidably held in a cylinder-like button holder 55 secured to the cover member 22 and is biased by a coil spring 56 compressed between it and the rear end of the button holder 55. The outer periphery of a longitudinally intermediate portion of the button 53 has a flange-like portion 57 having a greater diameter than the inner diameter of the hole 54. When no cassette 11 is accommodated in the lower slide holder 15, the slide holder 15 itself can be urged forwardly via this flange-like portion 57. The button 53 has a pair of pawls provided on the rear end opposite sides, these pawls being received in longitudinal notches formed on the opposite sides of the button holder 55 and received by the front ends of the notches so that the button 53 will not be detached from the button holder 55. The operation of the apparatus 10 will now be described. To open the case 12 from the closed state, the front surface of the lid 17 is slightly pushed by the hand, as shown in Figures 4 to 6. As the lid 17 is pushed, the piston rod 30 is retreated via the joint 44. This retreat causes the locking pin 36 locked in the heart-like cam groove 30c of the piston rod 30 to be moved in the cam groove 30c, thus releasing the locked state. When the locked state is released, the piston portion 30a of the piston rod 30 is pushed forwardly by the restoring force of the coil spring 34 in the lower cylinder portion 21, so that the piston rod 30 is advanced. This advancement of the piston rod 30 causes the lid 17 to be pushed forwardly and separated from the front surface of the case 12, as shown in Figure 10, so that the lower slide holder 15 with the pins 16 thereof pivoted in the holes 42 in the ribs 41 of the lid 17 are advancedly pulling. Subsequently, the lid 17 is turned down about the pins 16 to be gradually opened. The maximum opening angle is determined by an angle determination means. In this embodiment, the lid 17 is stopped when it is opened to a horizontal position, at which a lowermost portion 17″ of the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17 is in contact with the lower surface 15″ of the lower slide holder 15 (Figures 8 and 9). At this open position of the lid 17, the inner surface 17′ thereof lies substantially in the same plane as the support surface 15′ of the lower slide holder 15 (Figure 7). The lower slide holder 15 is stopped at its most advanced position, at which the upright end surfaces 15c are in contact with the shoulder surface 40 of the case 12 (Figures 8 and 9 and left side of Figure 12). Further, the advancement of the piston rod 30 causes controlled air to be withdrawn into the lower cylinder portion 21 through the orifice 35. Thus, a braking force is produced, so that the piston rod 30 and lower slide holder 15 are advanced quietly and also the lid 17 is opened quietly. Further, when the lid 17 is opened, the leaf spring 45 of the joint 44 is brought into elastic contact with the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17 and provides a cushioning effect. The lid 17 is thus opened even more quietly. When the upper slide holder 14 is accommodating a cassette 11 on at least one of the left and right holding portions 14b, the front surface of the cassette case 11 is urged against the inner surface 17′ of the closed lid 17 by the coil spring 27, so that the upper slide holder 14 is at its retreated position. Therefore, when the lid 17 is opened, the upper slide holder 14 is advanced with the cassette 11 held on the holding portion 14b by the restoring force of the coil spring 27 to its most advanced position, at which the front end 14″ is in contact with the shoulder surface 40 of the case 12 and rear surface of the recessed portion 19 (Figures 8 and 9 and broken lines in Figure 11). Further, when the upper slide holder 14 is advanced, the O-ring 25 on the piston portion 14c is moved rearwardly along the annular groove 26 in frictional contact with the inner wall surface of the cylinder portion 20, thus closing and sealing the exhausting passage 26′. The upper cylinder portion 20 which has thus been sealed withdraws controlled air through the orifice 28. Thus, a braking force is produced, and the upper slide holder 14 is advanced slowly and quietly. When no cassette 11 is accommodated in the upper slide holder 14, the holder 14 is biased forwardly by the restoring force of the coil spring 27, so that it is at its most advanced position, with its front end 14″ in contact with the shoulder surface 40 and recessed portion 19 as noted above. The holder 14 thus is held in this state even when the lid 17 is opened. When the lid 17 is opened, a cassette 11 may be inserted into each of the holders 14 and 15 from the opening 13 of the case 12. In this embodiment, a total of four cassettes 11 can be loaded. When loading a cassette 11 in the upper slide holder 14, the cassette 11 may be pushed forward with its end placed on the upper surface of the transverse partition wall 18 of the case 12. When the cassette 11 is pushed, it is partly transferred from the partition wall 18 onto the support surface 14′ of the upper slide holder 14 and is stopped at a position at which the rear surface of the cassette is in contact with the rear wall of the upper slide holder 14 (Figure 9). When loading a cassette 11 in the lower slide holder 15, the cassette 11 may only be pushed toward the depth of the holder along the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17 because the inner surface 17′ lies substantially in the same plane as the support surface 15′ of the lower slide holder 15. At this time, the cassette 11 is positioned between one rib 41 of the lid 17 and the joint cover 46. When the cassette 11 is pushed in this way, the direction of insertion of the cassette 11 is determined by the rib 41 and joint cover 46. The lower surface of the cassette is thus transferred onto the support surface 15′ of the lower slide holder 15, lying substantially in the same plane as the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17, and the cassette is stopped at a position, at which the rear surface is in contact with the rear wall of the lower slide holder 15 (Figure 9). When cassettes 11 are loaded in the two slide holders 14 and 15, the front end portions of the upper and lower cassettes 11 project in a staircase-like fashion (Figures 7 and 9). To accommodate the cassettes 11 in the case 12, the lid 17 is raised and pushed toward the case 12 with the hand. When the lid 17 is raised, it is turned about the pins 16 to the upright state, thus causing a slight retreat of the piston rod 30. When the lid 17 is pushed subsequently, the lower slide holder 15 and piston rod 30 are both retreated. Subsequently, the front surface of the cassettes 11 loaded in the upper slide holder 14 is urged by the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17, so that the upper slide holder 14 and the piston portion 14c are retreated likewise. When the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17 is brought into contact with the front end of the case 12, the lid 17 can no longer be pushed, so that it is released. As a result, it is pushed back by the restoring force of the coil spring 34 acting on the piston rod 30. With a slight retreat of the lid 17, however, the locking pin 36 is engaged in the cam groove 30c of the piston rod 30 to stop the piston rod 30 having been pushing back the lid 17. This lid 17 thus held upright at a position slightly spaced apart from the opening 13 of the case 12 (Figures 5, 6 and 13). When closing and pushing the lid 17 in this way, the cylinder portions 20 and 21 provide no braking force. Thus, the lid 17 can be pushed without need of exerting any extra force. More specifically, in a step of retreat of the piston portion 14c of the upper slide holder 14, the O-ring 25 is advanced in the annular groove 26 to open the exhausting passage 26′, air in the upper cylinder portion 20 is exhausted to the outside through the exhausting passage 26′. The outer diameter of the flange-like portions at the front and rear ends of the annular groove 26, therefore, is preferably set to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder portion 20. Likewise, in the step of retreat of the piston portion 30a of the piston rod 30, air in the lower cylinder portion 21 is exhausted to the outside through the check valve 31. Therefore, no braking action is provided when closing the lid 17 or pushing the lid 17. When the lid 17 is upright, a portion of the inner surface 17′ lower than the pins 16 is forwardly pushed by the urging member 48. Thus, when cassettes 11 are loaded in the slide holders 14 and 15, the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17 is brought into contact with the front surface of each cassette 11. Thus, the lid 17 will not rattle even when external vibration is transmitted to it (Figures 5 and 13). This is so because there is a slight gap between the lid 17 and the front edge of the case 12 for pushing the lid 17 to take out the case 11, and this gap prevents the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17 from striking the front end of the case 12 when the lid 17 is turned down about the pins 16. Further, the cassettes 11 inside the case 12 will not rattle even when external vibration is transmitted to the apparatus 10. More specifically, this is so because the cassettes 11 in the upper slide holder 14 are normally urged against the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17 by the coil spring 27 acting on the upper slide holder 14, so that back-and-forth movement of the cassettes 11 is prevented (Figure 5). In the lower slide holder 15, the rear surface of the cassettes 11 is forwardly urged by the buttons 53 projecting into the lower slide holder 15 through the holes 54 so that the front surface of the cassettes 11 is urged against the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17. Thus, back-and-forth movement of the cassettes 11 is prevented likewise. Further, the slide holders 14 and 15 will not rattle in the case 12 even when no cassette 11 loaded in the slide holders 14 and 15. More specifically, when no cassette 11 is loaded in the upper slide holder 14, this holder 14 is advanced by the coil spring 27 and held urged at its most advanced position as shown by the broken lines in Figure 11 so that it cannot be moved back and forth. Therefore, it will not rattle even when external vibration is transmitted to it. When there is no cassette 11 in the lower slide holder 15, the holder 15 is urged forwardly by the flange-like portions 57 of the buttons 53, and its end is urged against the inner surface 17′ of the lid 17, so that it cannot be moved back and forth. Therefore, it will not rattle even when external vibration is transmitted to it. When taking out the cassette 11, the lid 17 which is held upright at a position slightly spaced apart from the front end of the case 12 is slightly pushed by the hand in the manner as described above. As a result, the lid 17 is advanced and forwardly turned down to the open state, causing the front portions of the cassettes 11 to project from the opening 13 in a staircase-like fashion. Thus, the desired cassette 11 can be easily taken out by grasping its projecting portion. Further, a cassette 11 can be easily loaded in an empty space. In the above embodiment, the box-like articles are cassettes 11 for cassette tapes. However, according to the invention it is possible to accommodate as box-like articles cassette halves, video tapes, tapes for digital audio tape recorders, tape cases thereof or disk cases for compact disks and floppy disks. Further, the apparatus is not limited to one mounted in a car, but may be of the type built into audio or office equipment or of general furniture type. Further, the coil springs 27 and 34 of the biasing means may be replaced with leaf springs. Further, while in the above embodiment the cassettes 11 are biased indirectly via the slide holders 14 and 15, it is possible to directly bias the cassettes 11 using coil or leaf springs. Further, it is possible to dispense with the slide holders 14 and 15 and lid 17. Further, it is possible to accommodate any desired number of slide holders of either horizontal or vertical type. Further, while in the above embodiment the locking means capable of releasing consists of the heart-like cam groove 30c of the piston rod 30 and locking pin 36 for tracing the groove, it is possible to construct locking means using a hook and a locking pin having the same function. As has been described in the foregoing, according to the invention box-like articles are completely accommodated in the case in their stored state, which is desirable in view of appearance. Further, when taking out an accommodated box-like article, by merely pushing it, it can be projected to a state that it can be readily taken out. It is thus possible to provide a box-like article accommodation apparatus which permits very easy and ready insertion and removal of box-like articles. Further, the number of box-like articles that can be accommodated can be freely selected by appropriately selecting the positions and interval of partition walls of the case, while a neat appearance is presented after the box-like articles are completely accommodated in the case. Further, the individual stored box-like articles can be easily taken out at the time they are projected from the case opening in a staircase-like fashion. Further, when the box-like articles are stored, the case opening is closed by the lid in the upright state so that dust is shut out from the case, and a neat appearance is presented. Further, the lid is slidingly opened together with the slide holders in response to an operation of merely slightly pushing it, so that a high class impression can be obtained. Furthermore, when the lid is fully opened, the inner surface thereof lies in the same plane as the slide holder support surface, permitting smooth loading and removal of a box-like article. Further, as noted above the operation of the lid and slide holders is performed in a manner controlled by the air dampers, so that it can be performed smoothly and quietly. Further, the locking means is provided with release prevention means, so that it is possible to provide a highly safe article accommodation apparatus, which is free from accidental turn-down of the lid to cause forward projection of slide holders from the case opening even when a momentum is exerted on the slide holders due to a sudden stopping of the motor car or like causes.

Claims: An apparatus for accommodating box-like articles comprising: a case body (20) having a front opening (13); at least a slide holder (15) slidably accommodated in said case body (20) and presenting a support surface (15') on which at least a box-like article (11) is supported, said box-like article (11) being inserted into and extracted from the case body (20) through the front opening (13); a lid (17) pivotally connected through pivoting points (42) to the front end of said slide holder (15) wherein said lid (17) is forwardly pivotally turned down for opening said front opening (13) and is pivotally turned in its upright state for closing said front opening (13); first biasing means (34) for forwardly biasing said lid (17) and said slide holder (15); and lock means (30c, 36) for locking the lid (17) in its upright state and the slide holder (15) in its retreated position into said case body (20); said apparatus being characterized in that: said case body (20) is vertically divided into a plurality of spaces (19a, 19b) and accommodates in each of said spaces (19a, 19b) a slide holder (15, 14) disposed one above another; the lid being connected to the lower slide holder (15); said slide holders (14, 15) supporting the box-like articles (11) thereon are maintained in their retreated position into said case body (20) by said lid (17) when said lid is locked in its upright state by said lock means (30c, 36); said first biasing means (34) push against the lid (17) for biasing it forwardly, as said lower slide holder (15) is pivotally connected to said lid (17) it is consecutively pulled forwardly owing to the biasing force of said first biasing means (34); second biasing means (27) push forwardly said upper slide holder (14) so that said box-like article (11) positioned thereon, is pushed toward its extracted position and its front end abuts against the inside face of the lid (17) when said lid is in its upright state; wherein as long as the lid (17) is maintained in its upright state by the lock means (30c, 36) and the opening (13) of the case body (20) is closed by said lid (17), the slide holders (14, 15) are kept into the case body (20); with a pressure on the outside face of the lid (17) the lock means (30c, 36) are released thus owing to the biasing force of the first biasing means (34), the lid (17) and the lower slide holder (15) are pushed forwardly and the lid (17) is turned down until it abuts against the angle restriction means (15'', 17'') for restricting the maximum open angle of said lid (17) to a position where said lid (17) lies substantially in the same plane as the support surface (15') of the lower slide holder (15), and the upper slide holder (14) owing to the biasing force of the second biasing means (27), slides forwardly; thus box-like articles (11) accommodated on the slide holders (14, 15) are extracted from the case body (20) through the opening (13) of said case body (20) and this until said slide holders (14, 15) abut against stopper means (40) for restricting the foremost position of said slide holders (14, 15) outside of the said case body (20); and box-like articles (11) accommodated on the upper slide holder (14) project outwardly from the opening (13) of the case body (20) to a lesser extent than the next lower box-like article (11) accommodated on the lower slide holder (15). The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said lock means comprises a cylinder (21) fixed to said case body (20), a piston rod (30) sliding within said cylinder (21), a heart-shaped cam groove (30c) formed in an upper portion midway the length of said piston rod (30), and a lock pin (36) having a stem portion (36a) fixed to said case body (20) and a tracing portion (36b) thrust into and moving along said cam groove (30c). The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said lock means includes safety means for preventing the slide holders (14, 15) from being released from the locked state when the force of inertia has acted on said slide holders. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said safety means comprises a weight (63) slidable along the side of a lock pin (36) and biasing means (64) for biasing said weight (63) in a retreated direction at all times and that when the force of inertia acts on the slide holders (14, 15) said weight (63) moves to the side of said lock pin (36) to prevent said lock pin (36) from moving in the direction releasing the locked state of said slide holders (14, 15). The apparatus according to any one of the preceeding claims, characterised in that the forward rotation of said lid (17) is damped by an air damper (30a, 21).

Inventors: FUKUMOTO MASUMI, FUKUMOTO, MASUMI
Applicants: NIFCO INC, NIFCO INC.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G11B23
IPC codes: B60N3, G11B23