Shelf for the back part of the backrest in a vehicle

Abstract: SHELF FOR THE BACK PART OF THE BACKREST IN A VEHICLE, of the type basically made up of two molded material parts, consisting in a fixed part corresponding to the support (1) that secures the shelf and is attached to the frame of the seat (3), and the shelf (2) itself, which is mounted on the support (1), so that two stable positions are adopted, one unfolded to be used and in other in the closed position. It is characterized by the fact that an opening in the shelf (2) has been provided by means of sliding two axles (4, 5), located on the sides of the support (1), which are received inside lateral grooves (6) in the form of runners, provided for such purpose in the shelf (2) that when the shelf (2) is pulled down to the bottom of the runners (6) it turns around the axles until it becomes placed in the horizontal position. Stability in this position is obtained by means of a butt (7) arranged on the support (1) and a side support (8) located at the same level as the axles.

Description: PURPOSE The purpose of this request for a Patent is a shelf for the back part of the backrest in a vehicle that provides various advantages for the object for which it is intended, to be detailed later one, apart from others inherent to its organization and constitution. More specifically, the invention proposes a shelf to be attached to the back part of the front backrest of vehicle to offer the passenger seated in the back seat the possibility of placing objects, to use it as a writing desk, both for writing as well as installing a portable computer, as a glass holder, etc., at the same time as it provides a useful surface for placing various elements. A small hook for hanging a bag, clothing, etc. has been provided on the side. HISTORY At present, and as a reference to the state-of-the-art, it should be mentioned that other shelves are known, consisting of articulated platforms installed on the back part of airplane seats adopting two fixed positions, one which is embedded in the airplane seat when the shelf is not being used and the other horizontal, when the shelf is used, normally as a support to place objects such as glasses with drinks and others. DE-A1-3623163 discloses a shelf for the back part of a backrest in a vehicle, consisting of a support which is attached to the backrest, and the shelf itself. The shelf is mounted on the support in such way that it is pivotable and can adopt either a horizontal position, when it is in use, or a vertical position, when it is not in use. The shelf is mounted to the support by means of two bearing brackets which are arranged on the sides of the support and which are provided with stops which serve to stabilize the shelf when it is moved into its horizontal position. The bearing brackets are provided with axles which are suitable to be received inside lateral grooves in the form of runners which are provided for this purpose at both sides of the shelf. When the shelf is pulled to the bottom of the runners, it can be turned around the axles until it adopts a horizontal position where it is stabilized by means of said stops. By turning the shelf into its vertical position and applying a slight downward pressure on its upper part, the shelf brought into its vertical position. When it is in the vertical position, the shelf is not stabilized and may swing freely around the axles, which may cause disturbing noises. The support is typically made of sheet steel, the bearing brackets are preferably made of molded plastic, and the shelf may be made of wood. The problem underlying the present invention was to provide a shelf as defined in the preamble of claim 1 but having a reduced tendency to produce noise. This problem is solved by means of the combination of features mentioned in the characterizing part of claim 1, as well as by the embodiments described in the subclaims. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The shelf for the back part of the backrest of a vehicle, purpose of the invention, basically consists of two molded material components: a fixed part, the support, the function of which is to secure the shelf which ends up attached to the framework of the seat; and another part, movable, which is the shelf itself, mounted on a support and with two possible positions, one unfolded so that it can be used and the other folded, in the closed position. As regards the general characteristics it should be mentioned that the support can include an adornment in the center which can optionally have the initials of the vehicle or an anagram, so that when the shelf is open and being used this can be seen. In the closed position, the set has a correct adjustment between the two parts so that no noise is produced when the vehicle is in movement. It should be mentioned that the set has been conceived so that opening of the shelf is made by sliding two axles located on the sides of the support and inside lateral grooves in the form of runners, provided for this purpose on the shelf when the shelf is pulled down to the bottom of the runners it turns on the axles and is placed in the horizontal position, with the peculiarity that maintaining it in the position to used is obtained with the help of a butt on the support and a lateral support level with the axles. The end of the axles has a special sloping surface forming a certain angle with the horizontal, which serves as a support for the shelf and this, in turn, adopts a complementary surface on the lower end of the bottom of the strip. In order to close the shelf, it has to be returned to its vertical position and then slight pressure is applied downwards on its upper part to close it. This shelf is conceived to offer the user the possibility of having an accessory that breaks loose in the case of overloading To guarantee this option, the support is provided with a mechanism consisting of the movable axle located on one side, whilst the axle of the other side is fixed. This system is integrated in a box located on the invisible part of the mechanism and is controlled by a spring that allows the movable axle to slide laterally. As the load on the shelf increases, the spring starts to be compressed and causes the axle to withdraw and forces the shelf to slide along the sloping surface of the axle towards the end, so that when there is a certain load the distance traveled by the axle is such that the support is not sufficient and the shelf becomes unhooked and falls, without the set suffering any damage Afterwards, it is possible to mount the shelf on the support by means of a very simple operation. It is sufficient to place the fixed axle on the corresponding side at the bottom of the groove of the shelf and on the other side place the lower part of the shelf on the movable axle, so that by applying a slight pressure on the upper part of the shelf the movable axle is forced to enter in its box and lets the shelf descend, thus finally allowing it to be housed in the runner and available to be used again. In order to mount the support on the frame of the seat, this has two arches on the back part that are inserted into the supports of the corresponding headrest. Anchoring on the cross piece is made with the help of two anchoring points located on the ends of the part in the curved area underneath the adornment and covered by the shelf. In order to guarantee the support operates correctly, a centering device has been provided which is housed on top of the cross piece, on the invisible face, to avoid the part tilting during mounting. In order to complement the following description and for the purpose of helping to better understand the characteristics of the invention, this descriptive report includes a set of drawings in which the most significant details of the invention have been represented in an illustrative and unlimited way: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a practical performance of the invention with the shelf in the operative position or in use. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a practical performance in which the shelf appears in the closed position. Figure 3 shows an elevated back view in which the operating mode of the invention is indicated, as well as its main components. Figure 4 shows the detail indicated as "A" in figure 3 above. Figure 5 shows the detail indicated as "B" in figure 3 above. DESCRIPTION OF A PERFORMANCE EXAMPLE OF THE INVENTION In view of the figures indicated above and in accordance with the numbering used, a performance example of the invention can be seen, which consists of a shelf for the back part of the backrest in a vehicle composed mainly of two parts -1- and -2- of molded material, including a fixed part corresponding to a support -1- that secures the shelf and is attached to the frame of the seat -3-, and a movable part consisting of the shelf -2- itself which is mounted on the support -1-, so that two stable positions can be adopted, one unfolded for its use and the other folded, in the closed position, thus obtaining a perfect adjustment between both parts -1- and -2-. The support -1- has an adornment -1a- in the center where the initials of the vehicle, anagram, etc. are shown. Opening of the shelf -2- is made by sliding the two axles -4- and -5-, placed on the respective sides of the support -1-, which are located inside lateral grooves -6- in the form of runners inserted in said shelf -2-, so that when the shelf -2- is pulled to the bottom of said runners -6- it turns around the axles -4- and -5- until it becomes placed in the horizontal position, obtaining stability in said position by means of a butt -7- that rests on the support -1- and a side support -8- located at the level of the axles. The end of the axles has a sloping surface forming a certain angle with the horizontal and serves as a support for the shelf -2-, which adopts a complementary surface on the lower end of the bottom of the strip. Closing of the shelf -2- includes placing it in the vertical position and then applying a slight pressure downwards on its upper part in order to make it close. The shelf has an accessory that makes it become loose in the event of overloading. This consists in providing the support with a mechanism including the movable axle -4- placed on the corresponding side, whilst the axle -5- of the other side is fixed. This system in included in a box -12- and is controlled by means of a spring -9- that permits the movable axle -4- to slide sideways so that, as the load applied on the shelf is increased, said spring -9- starts to become compressed and causes the axle to be withdrawn and forces the shelf to slide along the sloping surface of the axle towards the end, so that when there is a certain load the distance traveled by the axle is such that the support is not sufficient and the shelf becomes unhooked and falls, without the set suffering any damage. The shelf -2- can be mounted again on the support -1- if the fixed axle is placed on the corresponding side at the bottom of the groove of the shelf, whilst the lower part of the shelf is placed on the other side on top of the movable axle -4- in such a way that the movable axle -4- is forced to enter into its box -12- to permit the shelf -2- to descend, thus permitting it to be housed in the runner -6- and the set is able to used again. In order to mount the support -1- on the frame of the seat -3-, this has two arches -10- on the back part that are installed in the supports -11- of the headrest of the seat -3-, whilst anchoring on the cross piece is made with the help of two anchoring points placed on the ends of the part, in the curved area, underneath the adornment and hidden by the shelf. Good operation of the support is ensured by means of a centering piece housed on top of said cross piece, on the invisible face, avoiding tilting of the part during mounting. Finally, the shelf -2- has a glass-holder orifice -13- and a side hook -14- to hang a bag or another object.

Claims: Shelf for the back part of the backrest in a vehicle, consisting of two parts, one fixed part which corresponds to a support (1) that secures the shelf (2) and is attached to the frame of the seat (3), and the shelf (2) itself which is mounted on the support (1), wherein two axles (4, 5) are placed on the sides of the support (1), said axles being suitable to be received inside lateral grooves (6) in the form of runners provided for this purpose in the shelf (2), so that when the shelf (2) is pulled to the bottom of said runners (6), it turns around the axles (4, 5) until becoming placed in the horizontal position, obtaining stability in said position by means of stops which are provided on the support, said shelf being characterized in that said two parts (1, 2) are made of molded material; the shelf (2) is mounted on the support (1) in such a way that two stable positions of the shelf can be adopted, one unfolded for its use and the other one folded, in the closed position, thus obtaining a perfect adjustment between both parts (1, 2); the end of the axles (4, 5) has a sloping surface forming a certain angle with the horizontal and serving as a support for the shelf (2) which adopts a complementary surface on the lower end of the bottom of the molded part (2); and opening of the shelf (2) is performed by means of sliding said two axles (4, 5) inside the lateral grooves (6) of the shelf; stability in the horizontal position is obtained by means of a butt (7) of the shelf that rests on support (1), and a side support (8) located at the level of the axles (4, 5); and placing the shelf (2) in its vertical position and applying downwards pressure on its upper part makes the shelf close. Shelf according to claim 1, characterized in that it has an accessory that causes the shelf to become loose in the case of overload, wherein said accessory consists in providing the support (1) with a mechanism including a movable axle (4) on one side of the shelf whilst the axle (5) on the other side is fixed, and said mechanism is integrated in a box (12) and is controlled by a spring (9) that allows the movable axle (4) to slide sideways so that when the load applied on the shelf (2) is increased, said spring (9) starts to become compressed, causing the axle (4) to be withdrawn and forcing the shelf (2) to slide along the sloping surface of the axle towards the end, so that when there is a certain load, the distance travelled by the axle is such that the support is not sufficient and the shelf becomes unhooked and becomes loose. Shelf according to claim 2, characterized in that subsequent mounting of the shelf (2) on the support (1) can be achieved by placing the fixed axle (5) at the bottom of the groove of the shelf, placing the lower part of the shelf on the movable axle (4) and applying pressure on the upper part of the shelf (2) in such way that the movable axle (4) is forced to enter into its box (12) to permit the shelf to descend and thus permitting the shelf to be housed in the runner (6). Shelf according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that mounting of the support (1) on the frame of a seat (3) is made by means of two arches (10) on the back part which are suitable for inserting into the supports (11) of the corresponding headrest of the seat (3), whilst anchoring to the cross piece is made by means of two anchoring points located on the ends of the part and hidden by the shelf, and a centering piece housed on the crosspiece, on the invisible face, is provided to avoid tilting of the part during mounting, thus guaranteeing correct operation of the support.

Inventors: GONZALEZ GARCIA JESUS, GONZALEZ GARCIA, JESUS
Applicants: MOELLERTECH S A, PEUGEOT CITROEN AUTOMOBILES SA, MOELLERTECH S.A.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B60N3
IPC codes: B60N3