Abstract:
The development relates to a cargo net for a two-passenger vehicle that is designed to create a barrier between the vehicle&#39;s cargo boot and the passenger seating section. The net has a solid fabric edging with a mesh central portion. Fasteners secure the net to one wall of the boot; attachment devices secured to a flexible cord hold the net upright behind the passenger seats of the vehicle. An alternative embodiment of the cargo net includes a pocket that can extend essentially the entire length of the cargo net, allowing the user to store smaller articles within the pocket rather than in the cargo boot.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/156,761, filed Sep. 29, 1999, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to a cargo net for a two passenger vehicle, or a similar vehicle that has a cargo holding area directly behind the passenger seats. 
     Small sporty vehicles are popular among drivers of all ages. These vehicles, because of their overall small size, typically do not have traditional trunks or storage areas that are isolated from the passenger seats, but rather have a storage cargo space or boot directly behind the passenger seats where cargo can be placed. If the vehicle has a convertible top, when the top is down, it is stored in the boot. 
     Because the cargo space is limited, large items are typically not transported in these vehicles and predominantly small, relatively light weight articles are stored in the boot. If the driver has to stop the vehicle or make another quick move while driving, these small items can shift suddenly and may move forward into the passenger seat area, creating obstacles around the driver&#39;s seat. 
     Cargo nets and restraining devices for station wagon type vehicles and truck beds have been reported in the prior art. However, most of these nets are complex in design. For example, the net of U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,474, issued to Ament, describes a cargo net for a station wagon that includes breakaway stitching along the top and lower edge. If the net is impacted by a large object the stitching rips allowing the net to expand to a larger size to retain the object. While such a restraining net is useful in a vehicle that can transport large articles, it is unduly complex for restraining small, light weight objects. 
     Thus, it would be beneficial to have a cargo net with a simple design that could contain articles within a storage space directly behind the passenger seats of a two-passenger vehicle. 
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The development relates to a cargo net for a two-passenger vehicle that is designed to fit over the vehicle&#39;s cargo boot. The net has a mesh central portion and a solid fabric edging along the periphery. Along one edge is a channel through which a flexible cord, having an attachment device on each end, is threaded. Along a second edge are a series of heavy duty fasteners. The fasteners secure the net to one wall of the boot; the attachment devices hold the net open and properly positioned behind the passenger seats of the vehicle. An alternative embodiment of the cargo net includes a pocket that can extend essentially the entire length of the cargo net, allowing the user to store smaller articles within the pocket rather than in the cargo boot. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a cargo net made in accordance with the present invention mounted in the cargo boot of a small vehicle; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cargo net of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a cargo net made in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The cargo nets depicted in the various Figures are selected solely for the purposes of illustrating the invention. Other and different cargo nets may utilize the inventive features described herein as well. 
     Reference is first made to FIGS. 1 and 2 in which the cargo net constructed in accordance with the present invention is generally noted by the character numeral  10 . The cargo net  10  has as major components a central mesh portion  12 , a solid fabric edging  14 , a flexible cord  22  with at least two attachment devices  24 , and at least one heavy duty fastener  30 . As shown in FIG. 1, the net  10  is designed for use in a vehicle  50  that has a boot area  42  located immediately behind the passenger seats  52 . The boot area  42  typically includes a shelf  40 . Mounted to the shelf  40  are parts of fastening devices (not shown), such as snaps, hooks, Velcro®, or combinations thereof. The net  10  is secured to the shelf  40  by the fasteners  30 , selected to complement the fastening devices mounted on the shelf  40 , and is pulled upward just behind the passenger seats  52 , thereby isolating the boot  42  from the passenger area. The attachment devices  24  latch onto supports (not shown), such as rods or hooks located behind the passenger seats  52  and secured to the vehicle  50 , or to supports permanently attached to the passenger seats  52 , to hold the net  10  upright. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the net  10  includes a solid edged mesh net  15  which preferably has a rectangular shape defining a top edge  32  and a bottom edge  33 , each having a length “ 1 ”, and two side edges  34 ,  35 , each having a length “w”. The solid edged net  15  has a central mesh portion  12 , defining a length “ 1   m ” and a width “w m ” and a periphery  17 . Typically, the mesh  12  can be any loose weave material, such as nylon fishnet or a similar material. Such materials, when cut to size for the net, tend to leave raw edges along the periphery. A solid fabric edging  14  is attached along the periphery  17  of the center mesh portion  12  such that the raw edges of the mesh  12  are completely covered by the edging  14 . Preferably, the edging  14  is made from a relatively tight weave material, such as cotton cloth fabric, and is attached to the mesh by any commonly known method, such as stitching, gluing, heat sealing, or a combination thereof. The edging  14  can be secured to the mesh  12  either just along the periphery of the edging  14  or wherever the mesh  12  contacts the edging  14 . Typically the edging  14  will be two layered, with one layer attached to a front face  11  of the mesh  12  and the second layer attached to a rear face  13  of the mesh  12 . However, a single layer or more than two layers of edging  14  may be used provided the raw edge of the mesh  12  is secured to the edging  14 . Alternatively, the edging  14  and the mesh  12  may be made from polymeric materials, such as nylon, Lycrag®, Spandext®, or combinations thereof, and may be made as a single molded piece with the raw edge of the mesh  12  melding into the edging  14 , such as would be produced through injection molding of a nylon based polymer. Along the top edge  32  the edging  14  further includes a channel  20 . The channel  20  extends along the entire length “ 1 ” of the top edge  32  and is wide enough to encase the flexible cord  22 . 
     The flexible cord  22  is encased in the channel  20  along the top edge  32  of the mesh net  15 , and protrudes from either end of the channel  20  slightly. On each end of the cord  22  is at least one attachment device  24 . In use, the attachment devices  24  attach to supports, such as rods or hooks, that are mounted in the vehicle  50  to hold the net  10  upright. The cord  22  can be any highly elastic material, such as a bungee-type cord or a stretchable rope. The attachment device  24  can be any device that will allow the user to secure the cord  22  to the vehicle, such as an open hook, or a loop with a reversible closure similar to a keyring, and can be secured to the cord  22  by a variety of commonly known methods, such as gluing, hot melting, sewing, tying, and combinations thereof. 
     On the edging  14  along the lower edge  33  of the mesh net  15  are attached one or more heavy duty fasteners  30 . The fasteners  30  allow the lower edge  33  of the net  10  to be secured to the shelf  40  in the boot  42 . Preferably the fasteners  30  complement fastening devices, such as snaps, hooks, Velcro®, or combinations thereof, already in the vehicle. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the cargo net  10  is designed to fit the boot  42  of a Mazda Miata produced during model years 1989-1999. The cargo net  10  has a solid edged mesh net  15  having a rectangular shape with a length “ 1 ” of about 44″ and a width “w” of about 7″. The central mesh portion  12  is made from nylon fishnet, and the edging  14  is made from heavy duty polished cotton fabric. The edging  14  is formed from two layers of cotton fabric and is sewn onto the mesh  12  so that the exposed mesh  12  has a length “ 1   m ” of about 41″ and a width “W m ” of about 4″. Along the top edge  32  a second row of stitches is made to create the channel  20 , which has a diameter of approximately ⅝″. A bungee cord  22 , having a length of about 45″ is threaded through the channel  20 , and plastic hooks  24  are attached to each end of the cord  22 . Two Tenex fasteners  30  are centered about 1″ from each comer of the lower edge  33 , and five Prym-Dritz fasteners 30′ are essentially evenly spaced between the two Tenex fasteners  30 . 
     FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of a cargo net  110  which is essentially identical to the net  10  of FIGS. 1 and 2 except two layers of the fabric edged mesh net  115 ,  115 ′ are secured to each other to create a pocket  138 . The fabric edged mesh net  115  is essentially identical to the mesh net  15  of FIG. 2, and has solid fabric edging  114  along the periphery  117 . Along the top edge  132 , the edging  114  includes a channel  120  wide enough to encase a flexible cord  122 . The mesh portion  115 ′ is essentially identical to the mesh portion  115 , and is trimmed in edging  114 ′ with a channel  120 ′ along the top edge  132 ′. The mesh portions  115 ,  115 ′ are secured to each other along the side  134 ,  135  and bottom  133  edges across the edging  114 ,  114 ′, preferably along the periphery  117 , by any of a variety of commonly known methods, such as sewing, gluing, hot melting, or a combination thereof, so as to create a pocket  138  between the mesh portions  115 ,  115 ′. Alternatively, the two mesh nets  115 ,  115 ′ can be secured together along the bottom  133  and side  134 ,  135  edges by a single layer of edging  114  secured to the nets  115 ,  115 ′ so as to cover the raw edges of the nets  115 ,  115 ′ and form a double thickness layer of edging  114 . 
     The edgings  114 ,  114 ′ along the top edges  132 ,  132 ′ are preferably not secured to each other so that each channel  120 ,  120 ′ remains independent. The flexible cord  122  is threaded through one channel  120  and then through the second channel  120 ′, and is optionally secured to itself so as to form a single continuous length of cord  122 . The cord  122  secures at least one attachment device  124 ,  124 ′ at each end of the channels  120 ,  120 ′. Heavy duty fasteners  130  are attached along the lower edge  133  of the cargo net  110 , preferably such that they  130  protrude through the edging  114 ,  114 ′. Optional closures  131 , such as snaps, Velcro strips, or zippers, may be included along the edging  114 ,  114 ′ to keep the pocket  138  closed. 
     It is understood that, in light of a reading of the foregoing description and drawings, those with ordinary skill in the art will be able to make changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as defined herein.