Patent Abstract:
A car seat catch all and storage device of a resilient deformable material adapted to fill the gaps between the front seats of a vehicle and the center console. The device has an interior for trapping and retaining items and debris therein and conforms to the width of the gap. The device is reversible so that it can conform and fill each gap in the vehicle.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     Not Applicable.  
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The invention relates to a device for a vehicle mounted in the space between the vehicle console and a seat for catching debris or like or storing articles therein. 
     2. General Background 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART INCLUDING INFORMATION DISCLOSED UNDER 37 CFR 1.97 AND 1.98 
     Generally speaking, most vehicles have a console in the front or passenger section of the vehicle with a driver&#39;s seat on one side of the console and a passenger&#39;s seat on the other side of the console. 
     There is generally a space between the front console and each of the passenger and driver&#39;s seats. Anything that falls in this space ends up on the floor beneath the seat and is difficult to retrieve. Also, on some vehicles, there is no place to store items such as cell phones, pens, tissues, etc. 
     There is a need for a device that is located in the space between a console and a car seat that not only deflects items that fall into this space but easily traps and collects such items. Such a device should also provide storage for small items, work in all vehicles and be easy to remove and clean. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to provide a device that fills the spaces between the console of a vehicle and the passenger and driver&#39;s seat on opposite sides of the console. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device that traps and collects items that normally would fall into the spaces between the console and the seats or provides a storage area for incidental items. 
     It is still another object of this invention to provide such a device which is quickly and easily installed in all vehicles, is inexpensive to manufacture and easily removable for cleaning and/or emptying. 
     These and other objects are preferably accomplished by providing a one-piece insert, generally V-shaped in cross-section, of a resilient material that is closed off at the ends, accommodates itself to the spaces between a vehicle console and the front seats and traps or holds items therein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the car seat catch all and storage device in accordance with the teachings of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an elevational side view of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an elevational side view of the side opposite that of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the device of  FIGS. 1 to 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an end view of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a pair of devices, as in  FIG. 1 , shown installed between the center console and the front passenger and driver&#39;s seats on each side of the console, the upper surface of the console being higher than the upper surfaces of the seats; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 6  where the upper surface of the console is lower than the upper surfaces of the seats; 
         FIG. 8  is a plan view of a portion of the front of a vehicle showing a device in accordance with the teachings of the invention installed between the front driver&#39;s seat of a vehicle and the center console; 
         FIG. 9  is a top plan view of a modification of the device of  FIGS. 1 to 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the device of  FIG. 1  illustrating a modification thereof; and 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the device of  FIG. 1  illustrating a further modification thereof. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1  of the drawing, a car seat catch all and storage device  10  is shown having a generally Vee shaped configuration in cross-section with a first vertical elongated side wall  11 , a second elongated side wall  12  connected to side wall  11  along center line  13 , extending at an angle of about 35° to 45° to side wall  11 , and terminating in an outwardly extending, elongated generally horizontally extending lip  14 . Side wall  11  terminates along its upper elongated end in a flange  17 . 
     Device  10  is closed off at each end by end walls  15 ,  16  (see also  FIG. 4 ). As such, as seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , wall  11  is higher than wall  12  (see also  FIG. 4 ). 
     The V-shaped cross-section of device  10  is clearly shown in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the front interior of a vehicle showing a center console  22 . A passenger seat  18  is disposed on one side of console  22  and a driver&#39;s seat  19  is disposed on the other side of console  22 . A space  20  is normally provided between seat  18  and console  22  and a space  21  is normally provided between seat  19  and console  22 . 
     As previously discussed, these spaces  20 ,  21  provide areas into which pens, keys, waste material, etc. may fall into and be difficult to retrieve. Further, in many vehicles, there is no place to store one&#39;s pen, cell phone, tissues, etc. 
     As particularly contemplated in the invention, a pair of devices  10  are inserted into the spaces  20 ,  21  between seats  18 ,  19  and console  22 . In the illustration in  FIG. 6 , the upper end of the console  22  is higher than the upper surfaces of seats  18 ,  19 . Device  10  fills the space  20 , and being of a resilient material, spreads out with lip  14  resting on the upper surface of seat  18 . The flange  17  on wall  11  abuts against the side  23  of console  22 . 
     Device  10 , filling the space  21 , is reversed in orientation from device  10  filling space  20 . Thus, lip  14  rests on top of seat  19  and flange  17  abuts against the side  24  of console  22 . 
     The versatility of device  10  can be appreciated in the set-up of  FIG. 7 . Here, the upper surface of console  25  is lower than the upper surfaces of seats  26 ,  27 . Device  10 , disposed the space  28  between seat  26  and console  25 , is oriented as device  10  in  FIG. 6  to the right of console  22 . That is, lip  14  ( FIG. 7 ) rests on the top of console  25  and flange  17  abuts against the side  29  of seat  26 . The device  10 , disposed in space  30 , has its lip  14  resting on the top of console  25  and flange  17  abuts against the side  31  of seat  27 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates another unique feature of the invention. Here, device  10  is disposed in space  32  between the driver&#39;s seat  33  and console  34 . The device  10 , again being of a resilient material, curves to follow the contour of seat  33 . That is, lip  14  overlies seat  33  and curves along the upper surface thereof. 
     A modified device  35  is shown in  FIG. 9 . Here, end walls  36 ,  37  are curved and, as seen in  FIG. 10 , the intersection of walls  11 ,  12  is curved along bottom  38 . Also, as seen in  FIG. 11 , instead of being curved at bottom, the intersection of walls  11 ,  12  may be flat as indicated at bottom wall  39 . Like numerals in  FIGS. 9-11  refer to like parts of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
     Devices  10  and  35  may be of one piece of a molded resilient plastic. The configurations of devices  10  and  35  have built in hanging mechanisms and end walls which retain items falling into devices  10  and  35 . Flange  17  provides structural support. 
     In summary, device  10  is preferably made of a resilient material, such as a thermoplastic rubber material, so that it conforms to the spacings  19 ,  20 . Further, a device  10  may be inserted into space  20  and another device  10  may be reversed and inserted into space  21 . 
     As seen in  FIG. 6 , the device  10  in space  20  has its vertical wall  11  abutting against the side wall  22  of console  17  with wall  12  extending at an angle therefrom with lip  14  overlying the top of seat  18 . Similarly, the device  10  disposed in space  22  has its vertical wall  11  abutting against the side wall  24  of console  17  with wall  12  extending at an angle therefrom and terminating in lip  14  overlying the top of seat  19 . 
     The end walls  15 ,  16  retain debris or articles inside of device  10 . The device  10  can be quickly and easily lifted out, emptied, or even placed in a dishwasher for cleaning. Due to the resiliency of device  10 , it follows the contour of the car seat, such as the seat  33  in  FIG. 8 , extending between seat  33  and console  34  in front of the seat belt connector. A conventional cup holder and tray compartment is shown in console  34 . 
     Thus, device  10  eliminates the need to dig between the seats of a car to retrieve valuables or the like. Device  10  both traps and stores articles or debris and fits all spaces or gaps between car consoles and car seats. It is of one piece and its V-shape and resilient material provides for material expansion and contraction to fit all sizes of gaps in a vehicle. 
     One side of the V-shaped device  10  has a flap or lip  14  to hang onto whatever is lower, the seat or console, and the other side  11  of the Vee is higher and straighter so that, when the V tilts from hanging onto the lower surface, the taller straight side  11  is tilted to the higher side (seat or console) to prevent device  10  from falling into the space between the seat and console. The configuration of walls  11 ,  12  allows device  10  to fit into all irregular heights of seats and console. 
     It can be seen that there is described a device for not only deflecting items or objects that fall into the spaces between a vehicle console and the front passenger and driver&#39;s seat, but traps or captures objects therein. The device can be easily accommodated to these spaces in all vehicles and be easily removed for cleaning. It can be used in vehicles where the passenger and driver&#39;s seats are the same height as the console, or the console is higher or lower than the seat&#39;s height. 
     The device can be installed in either longitudinal direction of these spaces, front to rear, or rear to front, be easily removable for cleaning and of an elastomeric material, such as a thermoplastic rubber, to follow the contours of the seats. It can be of a one piece construction, dishwasher safe, and less expensive to manufacture than known prior art devices and molded or otherwise formed from one piece of material. Thus, being of a resilient material, the hanging mechanism is built in to accommodate spacings of differing widths. It collapses easily and in the same place each time to accommodate the differing widths. The built-in end walls serve to allow items and debris to be collected inside of the device without losing such items or debris out of the ends. 
     The device is designed to hang onto the lower of either the console or the seat, the 90 degree flap or lip protruding from one side of the V shaped device. This causes the device to tilt in the opposite direction, where that side of the V is taller and has a straight wall without a 90 degree flap. Thus, this side tilts against the wall of the higher of the seat or console. 
     The strategic placement of the folds of the device allows it to be molded in a malleable material, such as thermoplastic rubber or equivalent, that uses the unique design to allow it to adapt its shape to that of the gap between the car seats and the vehicle console, wide in some areas adjacent the seat belt and narrower toward the front of the seats. Also, most vehicle seats are not straight or linearly extending and have a side curvature adjacent the spacing between the seat and console and the unique design herein curves and still maintains the integrity of the inner collecting trough. 
     If desired, patches of hook and loop material may be provided for adhering the same to either the upper surface of a seat or console and the undersurface of lips  14  for securing the device  10  in position. 
     Although a particular embodiment of the invention is disclosed, variations thereof may occur to an artisan, and the scope of the invention should only be considered in conjunction with the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1