GB2226302A

GB2226302A - Container locatable within a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2226302A
Application number: GB8829716A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Andrew Allen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-12-20
Filing date: 1988-12-20
Publication date: 1990-06-27
Also published as: GB8829716D0

Abstract

A container 1 is accommodated within a vehicle compartment 2 and has four side walls 3 and a base 4. An adjustable arm 5 is connected to each side wall and extends outwardly from the side wall. The outer end of each arm has a rubber stop 10, which is intended to frictionally engage with an inner surface of the vehicle compartment 2. In this way, by extending all of the arms respectively to engage with inner surfaces of the compartment, the container can be fixedly retained in a substantially stationary position relative to the compartment. <IMAGE>

Description

CONTAINER Thc- present invention relates to containers and in particular to those which are intended for transportation within a compartment of a vehicle, such as a boot of a motor vehicle.

During such transportation, for instance by travelling salesmen, delivery men, etc, the containers carrying articles, such as goods, equipment or materials, may tend to slide around within the vehicle compartment due to the movement of the vehicle. This can easily lead to damage of the articles, particularly if they are fragile, and thus considerable expense is incurred for replacements or repairs. Furthermore, containers are required for carrying articles of numerous different sizes, shapes, weights, fragility, etc, and these articles can also be damaged by their own movement within containers having too large dimensions.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a container intended for transportation within a compartment of a vehicle, which reduces the risk of damage to articles carried therein due to movement of the vehicle.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a container, which can be easily modified to carry articles of any special shape, size, weight, fragility, etc.

According to the invention, there is provided a container intended for transportation within a compartment of a vehicle, and having a plurality of adjustable members extending outwardly from its sides for engagement with inner surfaces of said compartment, thereby to retain said container in a substantially stationary position relative to said compartment.

Preferably, each adjustable member consists of a longitudinal arm which is extendable along its longitudinal axis. In one embodiment, each arm consists of an inner part slidably movable within an outer part, for instance in telescopic manner. Each arm may include means for locking the arm in a required extended position. The locking means may consist of a mechanism for preventing relative sliding movement between said inner and outer arm parts.

Each adjustable member is advantageously provided with means for frictionally engaging with the inner surfaces of the compartment. In a particular embodiment, the frictionally engaging means comprises a stop member formed of resilient material, for example rubber, attached to the outer end of said adjustable member.

At least one adjustable member preferably extends from each side of the container so that movement of the container in all directions relative to the compartment is prevented.

Advantageously, the container may also include means for partitioning its interior volume to provide a plurality of compartments within the container. In a preferred embodiment, the partitioning means comprises at least one partition member arranged to be slidably positioned within the container. The container may include means for supporting the or each partition member consisting of a plurality of slots, made of rubber for example, provided within the container and within which an edge of the partition member can be retained.

The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying zings in which: igure 1 shows a plan view of a container, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, accommodated within a compartment of a vehicle for transportation, Figure 2 shows a vertical sectional view along the line A-A in Figure 1, and Figure 3 shows an enlarged side view of an adjustable arm of the container.

Referring now to the Figures, a container 1 is accommodated within a vehicle compartment 2 and has four side walls 3 and a base 4. An adjustable arm 5 is pivotally connected to each side wall by a support bracket 6 and extends outwardly from the side wall.

In order to adjust the overall length of the arms, each arm 5 consists of an inner tubular part 7 slidably movable within an outer cylindrical part 8 in the form of a telescope. A locking lever 9 is provided on each arm to fix the extended length of the arm by preventing the sliding movement of the inner part 7 relative to the outer part 8.

The outer end of each arm has a rubber stop 10, which is intended to frictionally engage with an inner surface 2a of the vehicle compartment 2. In this way, by extending all of the arms respectively to engage with the inner surfaces of the compartment, the container can be fixedly retained in a substantially stationary position relative to the compartment.

Furthermore, the adjustable arms enable the container to be retained within compartments of different dimensions.

The container 1 also includes one or more adjustable partitions 11 which are slidably positionable within the container and supported in a vertical position by a plurality of longitudinal slots 12, formed of rubber material and provided on the container base 4, within which an edge of the partition is retained.

As the position of each partition 11 is adjustable, the container can be partitioned into compartments of various sizes and/or shapes to carry specific articles and prevent them from moving around within the container.

The container 2 may also be modified to suit specialised fields of business. For example, it may have a shock-resistant base for carrying delicate computer parts; it may be insulated for carrying medical supplies; or it may be reinforced for carrying work tools.

Also, the partitioned container enables the articles carried therein to be stored in a tidy and ordered manner for easy accessibility when required.

The container, in accordance with the invention, may be for transportation within a compartment of any type of vehicle. In this respect, the term "vehicle" is intended to encompass all forms of transport, such as cars, vans, lorries, motor bikes, bicyles, trains, boats and aeroplanes.

Whilst a particular embodiment of the present invention has been described, various modifications will be envisaged without departure from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A container intended for transportation within a compartment of a vehicle, and having a plurality of adjustable members extending outwardly from its side for engagement with inner surfaces of said compartment, thereby to retain said container in a substantially stationary position relative to said compartment.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein each adjustable member consists of a longitudinal arm which is extendable along its longitudinal axis.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein each arm consists of an inner part slidably movable within an outer part, for instance in telescopic manner.

4. A container as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein each arm includes means for locking the arm in a required extended position.

5. A container as claimed in claims 3 and 4, wherein the locking means consists of a mechanism for preventing relative sliding movement between said inner and outer arm parts.

6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each adjustable member is provided with means for frictionally engaging with the inner surfaces of the compartment.

7. A container as claimed in claim 6, wherein the frictionally engaging means comprises a stop member formed of resilient material attached to the outer end of said adjustable member.

8. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one adjustable member extends from each side of the container, so that the movement of the container in all directions relative to the compartment is resisted.

9. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, including means for partitioning its interior volume to provide a plurality of compartments within the container.

10. A container as claimed in claim 9, wherein the partitioning means comprises at least one partition member arranged to be slidably positioned within the container.

11. A container as claimed in claim 10, including means for supporting the or each partition member, said supporting means consisting of a plurality of slots provided within the container and within which an edge of the partition member can be retained.

12. A container intended for transportation within a compartment of a vehicle, said container being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.