GB2354214A

GB2354214A - Luggage retention assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2354214A
Application number: GB9921729A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brian Neale; Paul Higgins
Original assignee: Nissan Technical Centre Europe Ltd
Current assignee: Nissan Technical Centre Europe Ltd
Priority date: 1999-09-14
Filing date: 1999-09-14
Publication date: 2001-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 2019-09-14
Also published as: GB0228988D0; GB9921729D0; GB2379645A; GB2379645B; GB2354214B

Abstract

A strap 2 passes from a cassette 3 to an attachment 13 over a receptacle 1 so as to hold it against a rear seat cushion 7 or other surface in a vehicle. A first hooking engagement member 8 on the strap 2 engages a second hooking engagement member 12 on the attachment 13. The cassette 3 has a spring mechanism which draws the strap 2 into the cassette when the members 8,12 are manually disengaged.

Description

2354214 Retention Assembly This invention relates to an assembly for

retaining a case, e.g. a briefcase or a suitcase, in a vehicle.

Cases are often placed in the vehicle trunk area or in the rear passenger foot well in an unrestrained manner. In particular, briefcases are frequently carried in the rear footwell area for convenience. This can prove problematical as the case can turn about its edge or rock into the rear of the front seat during braldng or cornering of the vehicle.

The present invention provides a retention assembly for a vehicle, comprising a strap having a first hooldng engagement membef on one end, a cassette which receives the other end of the strap and which includes a spring mechanism for drawing the strap into the cassette, and an attachment having a second hooldng engagement member which is engageable with the first hooldng engagement member so as to prevent the strap from being disengaged by tension applied to the strap, the attachment and the cassette being mounted on the vehicle at a spacing, the length of the strap and the said spacing being such that the strap can pass from the cassette to the attachment over a receptacle so as to hold the receptacle against a part of the vebicle between the cassette and the attachment.

Preferred and optional features are set forth in the claims.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure I is a perspective view of a case retention assembly in a vehicle, the assembly retaining a briefcase; Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of part of the assembly; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a cassette with a strap extending from it; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a head on a free end of the strap; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cassette with the strap fiffly retracted into it and the head resting against it; 2 Figure 6 is a front view of an attachment, forming part of the assembly shown in Figures I and 2; Figure 7 is a plan view of the head engaged with the attachment, which is shown in cross-section; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a friction disc for use in the cassette shown in Figure 5; Figure 9a is a front view of an attachment in another embodiment; Figure 9b is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the attachment of Figure 9a; Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 7, showing an attachment and a head in another embodiment; Figure I I is a plan view of an attachment and a head in a further embodiment; and Figure 12 is a plan view of an attachment and a head in a yet further embodiment.

The drawings illustrate an assembly for retaining a briefcase 1 in the rear passenger foot well by means of a strap 2 made of webbing or other suitable material. A cassette 3 receives one end of the strap 2 and is mounted on the substantially vertical forward-facing surface 4 of a rear seat structure 6 beneath the rear seat cushion 7. The cassette 3 comprises a spring cassette containing a spring mechanism including a coil spring (not shown) for drawing the strap 2 into the cassette.

On the free end of the strap 2 there is a hooking engagement member in the form of a generally T-shaped head 8. The strap 2 is connected about a pin 8a fixed in the body of the T-shaped head 8 to enable the direction of the strap 2 to vary relative to the head 8. Arms 9 of the head 8 extend away from the opposite sides of the strap 2 and turn back on themselves to form respective hooks 11, which are respectively engageable with corresponding hooking engagement members in the form of tangs 12 provided on respective attachments 13 near the respective opposite sides of the seat. Each attachment 13 has a body 14 which is mounted on the surface 4 at a spacing from the cassette 3 greater than the length of the briefcase 1. The tang 12 has one edge integrally connected to the body 14 and extends from that edge in a direction away from the cassette 3 to an opposite edge 16 which is engageable by the corresponding hook 3 11. The shape of the hook I I provides good engagement on the tang under the tension which is exerted on the strap 2 and which is indicated by the arrow 17 in Figure 7. The tang 12 protrudes only slightly from the body 14 of the attachment 13, and this minimises the possibility of catching the leg of the rear passenger. Preferably the distance between the edge 16 and the body 14 is no more than about 5 mm.

As shown in Figure 5, when the strap 2 is fully retracted into the cassette 3, the head 8 is substantially flush with a face plate 18 provided on the cassette. This face plate is not shown in Figures 2 and 3. The face plate 18 is provided with a recess 19 to accommodate the head 8. End portions of the arms 9 are provided with ramped surfaces 20-. Likewise, the recess 19 has ramped surfaces 21 which are arranged to cooperate with the ramped surfaces 20 on the arms 9. When the head 8 is released to retract the strap 2 into the cassette, the ramped surfaces 20 engage the ramped surfaces 21 and, irrespective of the orientation of the head 8 relative to the cassette 3, the head 8 is rotated to ensure that it locates in the recess 19 without further manual intervention.

The cassette 3 is also provided with a ffiction disc 22, as shown in Figure 8, to limit the speed at which the strap 2 is retracted into the cassette 3. The disc 22 is mounted for rotation about a centre mounting spindle (not shown) for the spring in the cassette 3. If the head 8 is inadvertently released by a user, the speed at which the strap 2 is retracted into the cassette 3 increases until arms 23 provided on the disc 22 move radially outward under centrifugal force to engage upon a face of an inner cavity (not shown) provided in the cassette 3. The friction so created limits the speed at which the strap 2 is retracted, thereby minimising potential damage to the face plate 18 and the head 8. The friction disc 22 is arranged so that the retraction speed of the strap 2 is sufficient to ensure that the head 8 continues to automatically locate in the recess 19, as described above.

Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For instance, the tang 12 could be connected to the body 14 of the attachment 13 by a selflimiting hinge, which could be integrally moulded with the tang.

Figures 9a and 9b show an alternative form of attachment 13, in which the tang 12 is replaced by a bar 19 extending across a recessed aperture 25 in the body 14 of the attachment 13.

4 Figure 10 shows an alternative embodiment, in which the tang 12 is formed with a hook 26 which engages a ring 27 (preferably of rectangular shape) on the end of the strap 2.

Figures I I and 12 show alternative embodiments in which alternative forms of head 8 are engageable and disengageable, by vertical sliding, with corresponding hooking engagement members 28 provided on attachment bodies 30.

It is to be noted that the cassette 3 provides no latching of the strap 2, and it is possible that the briefcase 1 could be dislodged from its position by a sufficiently high force. It is possible that the cassette could be provided with a latching mechanism, such as the ALR (Automatic Latching Retractor) mechanism used in seat belt mechanisms Such mechanisms are well known in the art and will not, therefore, be described in the present specification. Alternatively, the strap could be provided with corrugations or teeth (on one or both sides) which are engaged by manually releasable flap portions extending from the front face of the cassette.

Additionally, although the friction disc 22 is shown with two arms 23, it may also be provided with an increased number of arms, for example, four.

Furthermore, although the case retention assembly has been described above as being located on the substantially vertical face of the rear passenger foot well arranged beneath the rear seat cushion, it could be located in any other convenient location, whether on a vertical surface or a horizontal surface, for example in the vehicle trunk area or on the seatback of one of the front seats in the vehicle.

CLAMS:

1. A retention assembly for a vehicle, comprising a strap having a first hooking engagement member on one end, a cassette which receives the other end of the strap and which includes a spring mechanism for drawing the strap into the cassette, and an attachment having a second hooking engagement member which is engageable with the fmt hooking engagement member so as to prevent the strap from being disengaged by tension applied to the strap, the attachment and the cassette being mounted on the vehicle at a spacing, the length of the strap and the said spacing being such that the strap can pass from the cassette to the attachment over a receptacle so as to hold the receptacle against a part of the vehicle between the cassette and the attachment.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the first hooking engagement member comprises a head having a transverse portion which extends away from one side of the strap and which turns back on itself to form a hook.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the head is generally Tshaped with two said transverse portions, the body of the T being connected to the strap.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2, or 3, in which the attachment comprises a body portion which is mounted on the vehicle and a tang portion having one edge connected to the body portion, the tang portion extending from the said one edge in a direction away from the cassette to an opposite edge which is cngageable by the first hooking engagement member, the tang portion thus constituting the second hooking engagement member.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 4, in which the tang portion is fixed relative to the body portion.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 4 or 5, in which the maximum distance between the said opposite edge of the tang portion and the body portion is about 5 mm.

7. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the cassette and the attachment are mounted on a substantially vertical surface in the vehicle.

8. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the cassette and the attachment are mounted on a forward-facing surface of a rear seat structure in the vehicle.

6 9. An assembly as claimed in claim 8, in which the said forward-facing surface is on the seat cushion frame of the rear seat structure in the vehicle.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 8 or 9, in which the cassette is in the middle of the said surface and the attachment is near one side of the seat.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 10, in which there are two said attachments, respectively on opposite sides of the cassette.

12. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the cassette includes a friction member for limiting the speed at which the strap is drawn into the cassette.

13. An assembly as claimed in claim 12, in which the friction member is a rotary disc which can come into increasing frictional contact with an internal surface in the cassette as the said speed increases.

14. An assembly as claimed in claim 13, in which the disc is provided with friction elements which move radially outwards under centrifugal force.

15. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the cassette and the first hooking engagement member are provided with cooperating ramped surfaces which urge the first hooking engagement member into a given location relative to the cassette when the strap is retracted into the cassette.

16. A retention assembly substantially as described with reference to, and as shown in, Figures I to 8, Figures 9a and 9b, Figure 10, Figure 11, or Figure 12 of the accompanying drawings.