AU2018202176B2 - Positioning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Positioning apparatus including: a first part mountable to a vehicle against relative movement therebetween; a second part operatively connected to said first part for substantially linear movement at one level relative thereto from a stowage position within the vehicle to an extended position at the one level substantially outside the vehicle and for movement from the one level at the extended position to an access position at a lower level; said second part being operatively connected to said first part by a track and a carriage, said track being secured to said first part and said carriage being arranged to move along said track; said second part including support means for supporting a refrigerator thereon, said support means being connected to said carriage by a linkage assembly including two arms spaced apart along said carriage, one of said arms being a proximal arm pivotally connected at one end to said support means at or near its proximal end and at the other end to said carriage remote from its distal end and the other of said arms being a distal arm also pivotally connected at one end to said support means spaced distally from said proximal arm and to said carriage intermediate its ends distally from said proximal arm to provide a link portion linking said support means and said carriage and a free end portion for actuating movement of said link portion; a handle connected to said free end portion of said distal arm at a predetermined position remote from said carriage, said predetermined position being selected to give a desired mechanical advantage, the lengths of the arms being less than the distance between the pivots such that in the stowage position, the arms are in substantial end-to-end alignment with one another and a locking mechanism interposed between said handle and said distal arm such that when locked, the handle is in substantial end-to-end alignment with the distal arm and when cMIL15177 27March2018asliled unlocked may be pivoted out of end-to-end alignment with said distal arm. cMIL15177 27March20]8asiiled 40 31 31a 10 21a 1 Fig. 6 40 - 31 10 40 Fig. 7 140a 11 12 Fig. 8

Description

unlocked may be pivoted out of end-to-end alignment with said

distal arm.

cMIL15177 27March20]8asiiled

40 31 31a

21a 1

Fig. 6 40 - 31

10

40 Fig. 7

140a

11

12

Fig. 8

POSITIONING APPARATUS

This invention relates to positioning apparatus for

positioning items between a stowage position and an access

position, or for storing or holding items.

In order that four-wheel-drive and off-road enthusiasts may

undertake lengthy journeys into wilderness areas, it is common

for four drives and off-road enthusiasts to fit their vehicles

with appropriate food, some of which will require a

refrigerator. Tradesmen often have to carry many tools in their

vehicles and frequently use large tool boxes.

One common storage system fitted to four wheel drive and

commercial vehicles includes sliding drawers mounted to the

luggage compartment of four wheel drive vehicles. The sliding

drawers typically have a common top surface that provides a

further surface for storing further items. It will be understood

that the top surface is positioned at a height above the height

of the floor of the luggage compartment of the vehicle.

Refrigerators (which are typically called "car

refrigerators" or "car fridges") and tool boxes that are used

'0 by four-wheel-drive and off-road enthusiasts or tradesmen

typically have a lid that pivots upwardly about a top edge of

one of the sidewalls. In order to provide access to such

refrigerators or tool boxes, they may be mounted on a sliding

arrangement that itself is mounted to the common top surface of

the storage drawers. In order to store the fridge or tool box,

the sliding arrangement is slid into the vehicle such that the

refrigerator or tool box sits over the top surface of the storage

drawers. In order to access the refrigerator or tool box, it is

slid outwardly so that the sliding arrangement is extended and

the refrigerator or tool box extends out of the luggage

compartment of the vehicle.

cMIL15177 27arch2018asfiled

The applicant's Australian patent No.2009245888 which is a

divisional of application number 2007229415 filed 22 October

2007 describes apparatus for storing or holding items and the

present invention relates to apparatus of that type and is

particularly aimed at reducing manufacturing costs of such

apparatus, although there are other advantages. As with the

earlier invention, the present invention has particular

application to positioning apparatus for storing or holding a

portable refrigerator in a vehicle, such as a four-wheel-drive

vehicle, but being able to position the refrigerator in one of

two positions, one where the refrigerator is stowed for

travelling and the other where the refrigerator is lowered for

access from the top.

Positioning apparatus according to the prior art includes

a handle extending from a pair of support arms nearer to the

vehicle. Such an arrangement requires the lever to overlie the

other one of the support arms when the support is in the sliding

position. One of the issues pertaining to positioning apparatus

according to the prior art is the height of the apparatus for

'0 packaging and transport. In order to minimise the height, an

offset leaver has been provided to permit pivoting arms to nest

one into the other.

Inasmuch as positioning apparatus would normally be used

as a motor vehicle accessory, terms such as proximal and distal

are used in this specification in relation to the relative

position of parts or elements with respect to the vehicle.

Accordingly, the term "proximal" refers to elements closer to

the vehicle and "distal" refers to element more remote from the

vehicle.

The positioning apparatus according to the present

invention aims to alleviate one or more of the aforementioned

problems of the prior art. Other aims and advantages of the

invention may apparent from the following description.

cMIL15177 27arch2018asfiled

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides broadly

in positioning apparatus including:

a first part adapted to be mounted to a vehicle against

relative movement therebetween;

a second part operatively connected to said first part for

substantially linear movement at one level relative thereto from

a retracted (or stowage) position within the vehicle to an

extended position at said one level substantially outside the

vehicle and for movement from the one level at the extended

position to a second (or access) position at a lower level;

said second part being operatively connected to said first

part by a track and a carriage, said track being secured to said

first part and said carriage being arranged to move along said

track;

said second part including support means adapted to support

a refrigerator thereon, said support means being connected to

said carriage by a linkage assembly including two arms spaced

apart along said carriage, one of said arms being a proximal arm

pivotally connected at one end to said support means at or near

'0 its proximal end and at the other end to said carriage remote

from its distal end and the other of said arms being a distal

arm also pivotally connected at one end to said support means

spaced distally from said proximal arm and to said carriage

intermediate its ends distally from said proximal arm so as to

provide a link portion linking said support means and said

carriage and a free end portion for actuating movement of said

link portion;

a handle connected to said free end portion of said distal

arm at a predetermined position remote from said carriage, said

predetermined position being selected to give a desired

mechanical advantage, the lengths of the arms being less than

the distance between the pivots such that in the stowage

position, the arms are in substantial end-to-end alignment with

each other and wherein

cMIL15177 27arch2018asfiled a locking mechanism is interposed between said handle and said distal arm such that when locked, the handle is in substantial end-to-end alignment with the distal arm and when unlocked may be pivoted out of end-to-end alignment with said distal arm.

Preferably, the arms and slides are provided in pairs so as to support the item, suitably a refrigerator, from both sides. Preferably, the arms are biased to the stowage position by biasing means such as a gas strut to that, in use, it is easier to lift the refrigerator from the access position to the level required for sliding movement to the stowage position and to make the drop from the upper level to the lower level safer and less prone to damage the refrigerator.

In a preferred form, the second part slidably moves from the stowage position to an intermediate access position (and vice versa). When in the stowage position, the second part may at least partially overlie the first part. Preferably, when in the stowage position, the second part is be positioned at essentially the same level as the first part. Preferably, the positioning apparatus is provided with a sliding mechanism that can slidably move relative to the first part, the apparatus further including a linkage arrangement mounted to the sliding mechanism, the linkage mechanism mounting the second part to the sliding mechanism, the linkage mechanism operative to move the second part between the intermediate position and the access position.

Preferably, the first part includes opposed rails or sliding guides. The opposed rails or sliding guides can slidably receive sliding tracks therein. The opposed rails or sliding guides are mounted to a surface or a wall. The opposed rails or sliding guides preferably have one or more openings through which appropriate fasteners may pass to fasten the opposed rails

cMIL15177 27arch2018asfiled or sliding guides to a surface, such as the luggage tray of a vehicle or other equipment or furniture fixed in the vehicle. Alternatively, the opposed rails or sliding guides may be fitted to brackets that can be mounted to a side wall. As a further alternative, the opposed rails or sliding guides may be provided with attachment means for mounting to a surface. For example, the attachment means may comprise a strip of adhesive or adhesive tape. The rails or sliding guides may be mounted directly to the vehicle or indirectly by way of a base or frame.

Preferably, the second part includes a support frame, more preferably, or as an alternative the support frame, a support platform. The second part is suitably adapted to support one or more items, such as, but not limited to a small refrigerator, such as a refrigerator commonly used in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It will be appreciated that the second part may provide support for a number of other items and that the present invention should not be considered to be limited solely to use in supporting small refrigerators.

Movement from the upper position to the second access position may be sequential or simultaneous vertical and horizontal movement. Preferably the one or more items are maintained substantially level (i.e. not tilted or angled) when being moved from the storage position to the intermediate position, and also from the intermediate position to the access position. The second part, or at least a portion of the second part, may by extendable in the second access position.

Preferably, a locking mechanism is provided to lock the second part in the stowage position. The locking mechanism may also be adapted to lock the second part in the access position or a second locking mechanism may be provided for such purpose. In either form, the locking mechanism is interlocked against being "locked" between when the parts are between the stowage

cMIL15177 27arch2018asfiled position or access position, but it will be appreciated that, if desired, the parts may be locked at some intermediate position is some circumstances.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the following drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of positioning apparatus according to the invention in the access position;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 collectively comprise an orthographic projection of the positioning apparatus of Fig. 1 in the stowed position, Fig. 2 being a side elevation, Fig. 3 a front elevation and Fig. 4 a plan view;

Fig. 5 is a pictorial view of the positioning apparatus of Figs. 2, 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the positioning apparatus of Fig. 1 in both the stowed position and the access position illustrated with an example of a refrigerator supported thereon;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the positioning apparatus and refrigerator in the stowed position of Fig. 6 with the handle pivoted further back; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic pictorial view of the positioning apparatus and refrigerator of Fig. 6 in both the stowed position and the access position.

In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts, but, in order to avoid cluttering up the drawings, not all of the drawings include all of the reference numerals. That is to say, the absence of one or more reference

cMIL15177 27March2018asfiled numerals from one or more of the drawings is not to be taken as an indication that the element is absent from that drawing.

The positioning apparatus 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 to 8 includes a first frame assembly 11 comprising the first part as herein described, being adapted to be mounted to a support surface, such as a vehicle and a second frame assembly 12 comprising the second part as herein described, being adapted to support an item such as a refrigerator as shown in particular in Figs. 6 and 7.

The first frame assembly includes two opposed slide assemblies 13, each slide assembly being arranged in mirror image of the other and held parallel to each other by two cross struts 14. Each slide assembly has a fixed rail 15, a floating rail 16 and a sliding rail 17. The floating rail is supported by the fixed rail on wheels and in interposed between the fixed rail and the sliding rail. The sliding rail is supported by the floating rail on wheels. The wheels may be mounted to the fixed rail and/or the floating rail and/or the sliding rail in similar fashion to the mechanical arrangements for mounting filing cabinet drawers to the cabinet housing.

The second frame assembly is mounted to the first frame assembly by four arms, two on each sliding rail. There are two proximal arms 21 and two distal arms 22. The arms are of substantially equal length, having a pivotal connection to the sliding rail at their upper ends (upper pivots 23) and a pivotal connection at their lower ends (lower pivots 24) to a support frame 25. The upper pivots on each sliding rail are spaced from one another by a distance greater than the length of the arms by an amount sufficient that each one of the pair of distal arms and its corresponding proximal arm may pivot substantially through 90° to be in substantial alignment with each other

cMIL15177 27arch2018asfiled lengthwise and also in substantial alignment with the sliding rail.

The second frame assembly also includes a handle assembly 31 mounted to the distal arms for pivoting therewith. The handle assembly has two side arms 32, one mounted to each of the distal arms, and a handlebar 33 extending between the side arms. The side arms are mounted to the distal arms at or near a proximal end and connected to the handlebar at or near the distal ends. The mounting of the side arms to the distal arms is by way of a locking mechanism which locks to prevent pivoting of the side arms relative to the distal arms when axially aligned therewith, but can be unlocked to permit such rotation.

The arrangement of the side arms and distal arms permits the handle assembly to be used to raise and lower the second frame assembly between the access position and an intermediate position at which the second frame assembly is raised, but the first frame assembly is extended. Once raised into the intermediate position, the first frame assembly may be pushed back or retracted to the stowed position. At the stowed position, the locking mechanism is reset to unlock the handle assembly to allow it to be pivoted from the position indicated at 31a in Figs. 6 and 8 to 90° to the axis of the distal arms to the position indicated at 31 in Figs. 6 and 8. If desired, the handle may be further pivoted out of the way as illustrated in Fig. 7, bearing in mind that the side arms of the handle assembly protrude outwardly from the remainder of the positioning apparatus.

The locking mechanisms may be in the form of retractable bolts, dogs, latches and the like and may further include slotted, keyhole or other shaped apertures, lost motion linkages or combinations thereof. For example, the handle assembly and proximal arms may connected by two pins on each side, the pins

cMIL15177 27arch2018asfiled of one side being aligned with the pins of the other side, and arranged in spaced disposition from each other. In such form, one set of pins provides for the pivoting of the side arms of the handle with respect to the distal arms, but also provides a limited sliding of the side arms along the axis of the arms between a locking position and a pivoting position. The other set of pins engages with a slot permitting pivoting when in the pivoting position, but the slot is so formed that the handle cannot so pivot when in the locking position or the sliding position, thereby securing the handle for a user to either slide the second part of the positioning apparatus with respect to the first part of the positioning apparatus to or from the stowed position, or alternatively to raise or lower the refrigerator to or from the access position.

The locking mechanism may also be used to interlock with the first frame portion against sliding outwardly when the handle assembly is folded back out of the way as described above. In the embodiment illustrated, locking actuators are provided on the outward end of the second frame at 36 and on one side of .0 the outward end of the first frame assembly at 37 for providing the two or three locking functions or, if interlocking is implemented, to override one more of the interlocking functions. The locking function(s) may also be provided as a security measure.

It is to be understood that the above has been given by way of illustration of this invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as described herein and defined by the appended claims.

cMIL15177 27March2018asfiled

Claims (12)

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. Positioning apparatus including:

a first part adapted to be mounted to a vehicle against

relative movement therebetween;

a second part operatively connected to said first part for

substantially linear movement at one level relative thereto from

a stowage position within the vehicle to an extended position

at said one level substantially outside the vehicle said second

part being operatively connected to said first part by a track

and a carriage, said track having a proximal end and a distal

end and said carriage being mounted to said track for sliding

or rolling movement of said carriage therealong;

said second part including support means adapted to support

a portable refrigerator thereon and being connected to said

carriage by a linkage assembly arranged to raise and lower said

support means between the one level outside the vehicle and a

second lower level outside the vehicle, said linkage assembly

including two arms spaced apart along said carriage, one of said

arms being a proximal arm connected at one end to said support

means at or near its proximal end for pivotal movement relative

thereto about a first axis and pivotally connected at the other

end to said carriage remote from its distal end, and the other

of said arms being a distal arm connected at one end to said

support means for pivoting movement about a second axis spaced

distally from said proximal arm and pivotally connected to said

carriage intermediate its ends distally from said proximal arm

so as to provide a link portion linking said support means and

said carriage and a free end portion for actuating movement of

said link portion;

a handle operatively connected to said free end portion of

said distal arm at a predetermined position remote from said

carriage, said handle being arranged to actuate said linkage

cMIL15177claimsamd8February2O23 assembly to move said support means from the one level to the second lower level and vice versa, the lengths of the arms being less than the distance between the first axis and the second axis such that in the stowage position the arms are in substantial end-to-end alignment with one another and lie wholly between the proximal end of said track and the distal end of said track; and wherein a locking mechanism is interposed between said handle and said distal arm such that when locked, the handle is in substantial end-to-end alignment with the distal arm and when unlocked may be pivoted out of end-to-end alignment with said distal arm to a stowage position in which the handle is between the proximal end of the track and the distal end of the track.

2. Positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the

arms are provided in pairs so as to support the support means

on two sides.

3. Positioning apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2,

including biasing mean for biasing the arms towards the stowage

position.

4. Positioning apparatus according to any one of the preceding

claims, wherein the first part and the second part are arranged

such that in the stowage position the second part may

substantially overlie the first part.

5. Positioning apparatus according to any one of the preceding

claims wherein said track includes opposed outer rails or guides

and the carriage includes opposed inner rails or guides adapted

to slide or roll relative to said opposed outer rails or guides.

6. Positioning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the

rails or sliding guides are adapted to be mounted to a vehicle

indirectly by way of a base or frame.

cMIL15177claimsamd8February2O23

7. Positioning apparatus according to any one of the preceding

claims, wherein the second part includes a support frame or a

support platform.

8. Positioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to

6 wherein the parts are arranged for simultaneous horizontal and

vertical movement of the second part from the extended position

outside the vehicle to the lower level outside the vehicle.

9. Positioning apparatus according to any one of the preceding

claims and including a second locking mechanism for locking the

second part in the stowage position.

10. Positioning apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the

second locking mechanism is adapted to also lock the second part

in the lower level position.

11. Positioning apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the

locking of the second part is by way of a third locking

mechanism.

12. Positioning apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to

11, wherein the second locking mechanism is interlocked against

being locked when the second part is between the stowage position

and the second lower level.

cMIL15177claimsamd8February2O23

EDITORIAL NOTE

2018202176

- There are 2 pages of Drawings only