GB2079700A

GB2079700A - Means for storing articles under a seat of a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2079700A
Application number: GB8122097A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: MAN Maschinenfabrik Augsburg Nuernberg AG
Current assignee: MAN AG
Priority date: 1980-07-17
Filing date: 1981-07-17
Publication date: 1982-01-27
Also published as: DE3027007C2; GB2079700B; AT390922B; FR2486886A1; ATA298281A; FR2486886B1; DE3027007A1

Abstract

In an article storing arrangement in a vehicle, each article, e.g. a warning triangle, a warning lamp, or a first-aid kit, is accommodated in a container (2), preferably formed of polyurethane foam or polystyrene which is held, under pressure, within storage space (3) under the seat (34) of a vehicle between a wall (32) at the side of the storage space (3) and a cover or flap (31). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Means for storing articles under a seat of a vehicle The present invention relates to means for storing articles, e.g. a warning triangle, warning lamp or first-aid kit, under a seat of a vehicle.

Known means for storing emergency equipment in vehicles are either too expensive, since separate clamping devices have to be provided for each article, or they are too difficult to handle, or they are not sufficiently well secured, so that stored articles can move out of the storage space if the vehicle accelerates fast, and can thus become damaged or broken.

An object of the present invention is to provide a storage means which ensure that the articles are held free of rattling, allow fast and simple access to the articles and, above all, require minimal expenditure.

The invention provides means for storing articles under a seat of a vehicle in which a storage space is defined by the seat underframe and a wall on the side facing the middle of the vehicle and is accessible on the side facing the outer side of the vehicle via a removable cover or a flap, wherein a container is provided for each article to be stored and has a cross-sectional contour matching this article, the container having a height so that the article can be completely inserted through an opening into the container, the external height of the container corresponding to the free depth of the storage space so that when the cover or flap is closed, the container is compressed between the cover or the flap on the one side and the said wall on the other side.

Such means have the advantage that the articles are very easily accessible, since only an external cover or flap must be opened to provide direct access to the articles in the container. The reverse is also true; an article can be very quickly stored, since it is merely inserted in the storage space and then the cover is put in place or the flap is closed. A particular advantage of the means according to the invention is that several articles or individual clamping devices can be accommodated in the same storage space, and only containers suitable for the individual articles are used. A further particular advantage of the invention is that, because of the covering usually provided for the underframe of vehicles, the additional expense for the storage device can be kept to the minimum, since the covering usually provided can be formed as a cover or pivotable flap.

Preferably, the container is formed from plastics material, preferably, polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene. This gives the additional advantage of low manufacturing costs, since the packing frequently used for the emergency articles under consideration is expanded polystyrene or polyurethane foam. Thus, the packing need only be shaped in the form of the container, and this can be done at minimal cost, and at least does not give rise to any costs for further materials. Although such containers cannot usually be secured with very great milihilit\r it ic ci IffiriPnt fnr the nresent nuroose, since emergency equipment is used only relatively seldom. The advantage of such materials is the low hardness, which allows a clamping fit as proposed in claim 3 without fear of damage to the surface of the articles.

The clamping fit according to claim 4 has the advantage that, even on reversing the container, an article therein cannot fall out, but it can still be withdrawn by hand for use. To facilitate withdrawal and insertion of the article, the container is preferably formed in accordance with claim 5. Finally, a cuboid-shaped container can be used by the manufacturer as packing material for the article.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a so-called forwardly-pivoting driver's cab of a lorry, with a driver's seat and a storage space thereunder, Figure 2 is an enlarged view of part of the driver's cab of Figure 1 with the storage room beneath the driver's seat open, Figure 3 is a co-driver's seat of the driver's cab of Figure 1 with the storage place closed, Figure 4 illustrates the withdrawal of a warning lamp from the container stored under the seat in accordance with Figure 2 or Figure 3, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the container of Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the container of Figure 4.

In Figure 1, the forwardly-pivoting driver's cab for a lorry has been taken by way of example only to illustrate the storage device according to the invention. The storage device according to the invention could be used in a similar manner in a fixed driver's cab or in a lorry body.

The forwardly-pivoting driver's cab 4 comprises essentially side walls 41, a roof 42, a front wall 43 and a sheet-metal floor 45. An engine tunnel 44 is arranged in the middle of the floor of the driver's cab. A driver's seat 34 is arranged on the left-handside, and a co-driver's seat (not shown) is arranged on the right-hand side of the engine tunnel 44 when viewed in the direction of travel. Underneath the driver's seat 34 there is a storage space 3 limited at the top by the underframe of the seat. The storage space 3 extends from the floor 45 to the underside of the seat 34, and is limited on its side facing the middle of the vehicle by a wall 32, which in the embodiment shown in Figure 1 coincides with the side wall of the engine tunnel 44, since the underframe of the driver's seat 34 (and also of the co-driver's seat) extends right up to the engine tunnel 44.On the side facing the outside of the vehicle, the storage space 3 is limited by a removable cover 31 or a pivotable flap. The front and rear sides of the storage space 3 may be completely or partially closed.

In Figure 2, the storage space 3 beneath the driver's seat 34 is shown enlarged. In this embody ment, the front side of the storage space 3 is limited by a pierced sheet-metal wall 35. The storage space 3 is visible in Figure 2, since the side cover 31 has been removed. This Figure shows how easy it is to gain access to the storage space 3. A cuboid-shaped container 2 lies on the floor 45 within the storage space 3. The height of the container 2 is the same as the height of the storage space 3 so that when the cover 31 or the flap is closed, the container 2 is held clamped between the cover 31 or the flap and the side wall 32. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the opening of the container 2 faces the side wall 32. In Figure 4, the container 2 has been shown turned round and a warning lamp 1 is being withdrawn.

Figure 3 shows an arrangement corresponding essentially to that of Figure 2, except that instead of the driver's seat of Figure 1, a co-driver's seat 32 is shown. The direction of travel is shown with an arrow in Figure 3. The same parts have been given the same reference numerals as in Figures 1 and 2.

Instead of a removable cover, the storage space 3 is closed by means of a pivotable flap 31 pivotably mounted on a hinge 36. The flap 31 has a locking mechanism 33. The flap 31 is formed as a container which is open on the inside so as to enlarge the useful volume of the storage space 3 beneath the seat 34. A cuboid-shaped container 2 is again arranged within the storage space 3 and is larger than the container shown in Figure 2. This container contains e.g. a first-aid box. As already described for Figure 2, the container 2 is pressed against the side wall 32 and fixed by the flap 31. Form Figure 3, as from Figure 2, it can been seen that the storage space 3 can accommodate not only a single container 2, but several containers. It is important that the external height (reference numeral 22 in Figure 6) of all the containers 2 is the same.

A container 2 is shown in transverse and longitudinal section in Figures 5 and 6 respectively. The container 2 consists of a polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene and must be provided with relatively thick walls so as to have the necessary rigidity. In the embodiment according to Figures 5 and 6, the inner cross-sectional profile of the container 2 is shaped to accommodate a warning lamp (reference numeral 1 in Figure 4). However, it can be shaped to form any other article to be stored, e.g.

warning triangle or a first-aid box. In this respect it is important that the article to be stored can be slid fully behind the opening surface 21 of the container 2. The external height of the container 2 should be independent of the article to be stored and matches completely the free depth of the storage space 3 so that containers can be used having floors of very different thickness or very different internal contours. The container 2 shown in Figures 5 and 6 has retaining walls 24 near the base, these walls forming a clamp for the warning lamp 1 (Figure 4) being stored. These walls are so arranged so as to grip the warning lamp with a force several times larger than the weight of the lamp. Thus, the article, once inserted into the container 2, cannot slide out. The side walls 23 of the container 2 are recessed along the edge of the opening to provide a grip opening 25 on each side so as to facilitate insertion and removal of an article into the container 2. The external shape of the container 2 is cuboid and a step 26 is cut out on all four side walls adjacent the base. The purpose of this step 26 is to leave a space at the base of the container 2 stored in the storage space for the usual peripheral flange provided on the cover 31 or pivotable flap.

Claims

1. Means for storing articles under a seat of a vehicle in which a storage space is defined by the seat underframe and a wall on the side facing the middle of the vehicle and is accessible on the side facing the outer side of the vehicle via a removable cover or a flap wherein a container is provided for each article to be stored and has a cross-sectional contour matching this article, the container having a height so that the article can be completely inserted through an opening into the container, the external height of the container corresponding to the free depth of the storage space so that when the cover or flap is closed, the container is compressed between the cover or the flap on the one side and the said wall on the other side.

2. Means according to claim 1, wherein the container is formed from plastics material, preferably, polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene.

3. Means according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the internal contour of the container relative to the cross-section of the article to be accommodated is such that there is a clamping fit between the container and the article.

4. Means according to claim 3, wherein the clamping fit between the container and the article is such that the force holding the article in place is substantially from four to six times the weight of the article.

5. Means according to claim 3 or 4, wherein two oppositely-facing side walls of the container are recessed at the edge of the open end and are each provided with a grip opening.

6. Means according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the container has an external cuboid shape.

7. Means for storing articles under the seat of a vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A vehicle provided with means as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.