Patent Abstract:
A storage compartment has a bottom pivotable by a first hinged joint out of a substantially horizontal position into a substantially vertical position. A wall is pivotably mounted by a second hinged joint on the bottom and pivotable out of a position lying flat against said bottom into a position standing away from the bottom. A driving mechanism pivots the wall out of the position lying flat against the bottom into the position standing away from the bottom, and vice versa, as the bottom is pivoted out of the substantially vertical position into the substantially horizontal position.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a storage compartment for a container, especially in a motor vehicle. 
     More particularly it relates to a storage compartment which is intended in particular for mounting on an inner side of a side wall of the container, while the container can be housed, for example beneath a central armrest in the motor vehicle. The storage compartment is intended, for example, for the storage of small items in a larger container. 
     Such storage compartments are known in the art. The known storage compartments have a disadvantage that they require a substantial space in a larger container. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of present invention to provide a storage compartment for a container, especially in a motor vehicle, which is designed so that it can be housed with a minimal use of space in the larger container. 
     In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in a storage compartment which has a bottom pivotable by a first hinged joint out of an substantially horizontal position into a substantially vertical position; a wall pivotably mounted by a second hinged joint on said bottom and pivotable out of a position lying flat against said bottom into a position standing away from said bottom; a driving mechanism which, as said bottom is pivoted out of the substantially vertical position into the substantially horizontal position, pivots said wall out of said position lying flat against said bottom into said position standing away from said bottom, and vice versa. 
     The storage compartment according to the invention is pivotable onto the inner side of the side wall of the container, on which the storage compartment is mounted, so that the storage compartment occupies only little space when not in use. For that purpose, the storage compartment according to the invention has a bottom that is pivotable by means of a hinged joint out of an approximately horizontal position standing away from the side wall into the container, into an approximately vertical position lying flat against the inner side of the side wall of the container. When not in use, the bottom is pivoted against the side wall of the container, so that the entire volume of the container is available as a storage space. 
     In accordance with the present invention one wall of the storage compartment is pivotally mounted on the bottom of the storage compartment, and is pivotable out of position standing away from the bottom into a position lying flat against the bottom. When the storage compartment is not in use, the wall is pivoted to rest on the bottom and the bottom is pivoted into its approximately vertically upright position. 
     Furthermore, the storage compartment according to the invention has a driving mechanism (gear mechanism) which positively co-ordinates the pivoting movements of the wall and bottom of the storage compartment with one another, so that, as the bottom is pivoted from the approximately vertical position into the approximately horizontal position, the wall of the storage compartment pivots out of the position lying flat against the bottom into the position standing away from the bottom. If the bottom is pivoted out of the approximately horizontal into the approximately vertical position, the driving mechanism pivots the wall out of the position standing away from the bottom into the position lying flat against the bottom. The invention has the advantage that it offers an opportunity for a container to be divided up and enables small items to be stored tidily in a larger container, wherein, when not in use, the storage compartment according to the invention can be housed with a minimum use of space against the inner side of a side wall of the container. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the driving mechanism comprises a cam mechanism. In a development thereof, the cam mechanism has a fixed guideway in a plane perpendicular to a pivot axis of the bottom. The guideway runs in an arc about the pivot axis of the bottom at a changing distance therefrom. The wall of the storage compartment has a guide element, for example, a laterally projecting guide pin, which engages in the guideway. By virtue of the cam mechanism, an angular position of the wall relative to the bottom of the storage compartment is dependent on the pivoted angle of the bottom, and the pivoting movement of the wall is necessarily derived from the pivoting movement of the bottom, so that the wall stands away from the bottom when the latter takes up its approximately horizontal position, and so that the wall lies flat against the bottom when the latter takes up its approximately vertical position. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom of the storage compartment has an overload protection means, which supports the bottom in the approximately horizontal position. If the storage compartment is overloaded, for example, because a heavy object is placed on the storage compartment, the overload protection means gives way, so that the bottom is able to fold away downwards. Damage to the storage compartment is consequently avoided. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the bottom of the storage compartment is pressed by a spring mechanism into the approximately horizontal position and the wall is passed into the position standing away from the bottom. When not in use, the bottom is held by a releasable holding arrangement in the approximately vertical position. The releasable holding arrangement can comprise, for example, a snap-action projection, which is pressed away resiliently to the side when the bottom is pressed out of the approximately vertical position towards the horizontal position. After overcoming the holding arrangement, the bottom pivots under spring action into its approximately vertical position. Push-push or cardioid locking mechanisms known per se can also be used as releasable holding arrangement. 
     The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a storage compartment according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows a cross-section through the storage compartment of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 shows a cross-section as shown in FIG. 2 when the storage compartment is not in use; 
     FIG. 4 shows a cross-section as shown in FIG. 2 with the storage compartment overloaded, and 
     FIG. 5 shows a longitudinal section through the storage compartment of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A storage compartment  10  according to the invention shown in exploded view in FIG. 1 comprises essentially a base member  12 , a bottom  14  and a wall  16 , which are manufactured from plastics material as injection-moulded parts. The base member  12  has a longitudinal wall  18 , from the two ends of which project end walls  20 . The bottom  14  is pivotable by means of a hinged joint through 90° out of a vertical position parallel to the base plate  12  into a horizontal position standing away from the base plate  12  at right angles. In its horizontal position, the bottom  14  is located at the lower edges of the end walls  20 . The hinged joint is formed by two pins  22 , which are inserted through holes  24  in the end walls  20  of the base part  12  into holes  26  of the bottom  14 . The two pins  22  are arranged close to the longitudinal wall  18  and just above the lower edges of the end walls  20 ; they define a swivel axis of the bottom  14  parallel to the longitudinal wall  18 . Helical torsion springs  28  are placed on the pins  22 , the spring being supported, as is apparent from FIGS. 2 to  4 , on the base part  12  and pressing the bottom  14  into the horizontal position. 
     The bottom  14  has laterally projecting ribs  30 , which, in the vertical position of the bottom, co-operate with snap-action projections  32  on the inner side facing one another of the end walls  20  and form a releasable holding arrangement  30 . In the horizontal position of the bottom  14 , the ribs  30  lie on supporting ledges  34  (compare FIG.  5 ), which are likewise arranged on the inner sides of the end walls  20  and together with the ribs  30  form an overload protection means  30 ,  34  of the storage compartment  10 . 
     The wall  16  is pivotally connected to the bottom  14  and can be pivoted through 90° out of a position lying flat against the bottom  14  into a position standing away from the bottom. For the pivotal connection, the bottom  14  and the wall  16  have a hinged joint, which is formed by two pins  36 , which are pushed through holes  38  in lugs on end faces of the wall  16  into holes  40  in the bottom  14 . A helical torsion spring  42  is placed on the pins  36 . The helical torsion spring  42  is supported on the bottom  14  and presses the wall  16  into the position standing away from the bottom  14 . 
     The storage compartment  10  according to the invention can be inserted in a box-shaped container  44 , which has in one side wall an aperture  46  for receiving the longitudinal wall  18  of the base part  12  of the storage compartment  10 . 
     On the inner sides of the end walls  20  there are provided guideways  48 , which are in the form of grooves and run in an arc (not necessarily a circular arc) around the holes  24  that define the pivot axis of the bottom  14 . The spacing of the guideways  48  from the holes  24  changes: the guideways  48  could be regarded as portions of spirals that start near the holes  24  and run spirally away from the holes  24  over an angular portion of less than 180°. Spaced from the holes  38  in its lugs, the wall  16  has laterally projecting pegs  50 , which form the guide elements and engage in the guideways  48 . The fixed guideways  48  and the pegs  50  form a cam mechanism  48 ,  50  for the wall  16  pivotally connected to the bottom  14 . 
     The function of the storage compartment  10  according to the invention is explained below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 shows the storage compartment  10  in a position of use inserted in the container  44 . The longitudinal wall  18  on the base member  12  of the storage compartment  10  is mounted on the inside of a side wall  52  of the container  44 . The bottom  14  stands at right angles and horizontally away from the side walls  52  of the container  44  into the inner space of the container  44 . The bottom  14  lies with its lateral ribs  30  on the supporting ledges  34  of the end wall  20  of the storage compartment  10 , the helical torsion springs  28  pressing the bottom  14  into engagement with the supporting ledges  34 . The wall  16  pivotally connected to the bottom  14  stands perpendicularly upwards away from the bottom  14 . It is pressed into this position by the helical torsion springs  42  and held in this position by the pegs  50 , which engage in the guideways  48 . 
     If the storage compartment  10  is not needed, it can be brought into the non-functional position shown in FIG.  3 . To that end, the bottom  14  is pressed against the force of the helical torsion spring  28  upwards into the vertical position illustrated in FIG.  3 . In the vertical position, between the bottom  14  and the longitudinal wall  18  there is a gap, in which the wall  16  lies. On pivoting the bottom  14  upwards, the wall  16 , the pegs  50  of which slide in the guideways  48 , is pivoted out of its position standing perpendicularly away from the bottom  14  into a position lying flat against the bottom  14  between the bottom  14  and the longitudinal wall  18 . The guideways  48  and the pegs  50  form a cam mechanism  48 ,  50 , which constrains the wall  16  to the pivot into contact with the bottom  14  as the bottom  14  is pivoted upwards. If the bottom  14  is pivoted back in the horizontal a position, the guideways  48  and the pegs  50  constrain the wall  16  to pivot into the position standing perpendicularly upwards away from the bottom  14 . 
     In its position pivoted vertically upwards, the bottom  14  is held against the spring force of the helical torsion springs  28  by its lateral ribs  30 , which snap in against the snap-action projections  32  of the end walls  20 . To bring it into its functional position, the bottom  14  is pressed away from the longitudinal wall  18 , the ribs  30  undergoing resilient deformation to overcome the snap-action projections  32  and the bottom  14  subsequently being pivoted by gravitational force and by the torsion spring elements  28  into the horizontal position. The ribs  30  of the bottom  14  and the snap-action projections  32  of the end walls  20  form a releasable holding arrangement  30 ,  32 , which holds the bottom  14  in the vertical position against the force of the helical torsion spring  28 . 
     If the wall  16  or the bottom  14  of the storage compartment  10  is overloaded in the functional position, for example, because a heavy object is placed thereon, the ribs  30  of the bottom  14  undergo resilient deformation to overcome the supporting ledges  34  of the end walls  20 , and the bottom  14 , together with the wall  16 , pivots beyond the horizontal position downwards, as shown in FIG.  4 . The ribs  30  of the bottom  14 , together with the supporting ledges  34  of the end walls  20 , form an overload protection means, which enables the bottom  14  to fold away downwards together with the wall  16  when overloaded. After being overloaded, the bottom  14  is pressed upwards, until its ribs  30  have overcome the supporting ledges  34  and the storage compartment  10  is ready for use again. 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in STORAGE COMPARTMENT FOR A CONTAINER, ESPECIALLY IN A MOTOR VEHICLE, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention. 
     What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

Technology Classification (CPC): 1