WO2009115797A1

WO2009115797A1 - Support structure

Info

Publication number: WO2009115797A1
Application number: PCT/GB2009/000723
Authority: WO
Inventors: Trevor Moss
Original assignee: Trevor Moss
Priority date: 2008-03-19
Filing date: 2009-03-16
Publication date: 2009-09-24
Also published as: GB0805069D0; GB2458480A

Abstract

A support structure (10) for use in the interior of a vehicle, the structure comprising: a first wall (12) and a second wall (14) connectable to said first wall, the first and second walls arranged to be upstanding from a support surface on which said walls are positionable during use so as to define a storage area at least partially enclosed by said first (12) and second (14) walls. Either or both of said first and second walls comprise a bag retaining formation (18) for removably retaining a bag in a generally upright condition within the storage area. The first wall is formed of two or more planar wall components, the wall components being overlapped and the degree of overlap of said components allowing adjustability of the length of said wall. The support structure further comprises adjustable spacing means (22, 24) for spacing the support structure from an interior fixture or wall of the vehicle.

Description

Support Structure

The present invention relates to a support structure and more specifically, although not exclusively, to a support structure for use in the interior of a vehicle.

It is well known that forces acting on a vehicle during use, such as, for example, due to acceleration, deceleration, cornering or else an impact, cause a reaction force on the people and/or articles located within the vehicle.

Thus any loose articles within the vehicle can move around during transit when such reaction forces exceed the frictional force between an article and the support surface upon which it is resting. The movement of articles around the interior of a vehicle can be dangerous in the event of an accident since such articles can be propelled across the vehicle interior as a result of an impact or sudden braking. Furthermore, the movement of articles around a vehicle interior can cause damage to the articles themselves.

One particular instance in which the movement of articles around a vehicle can be problematic is when the vehicle contains articles loosely collated for example in bags. Groceries as well other consumer goods are typically collated in bags for ease of carrying. However when such bags are positioned for example in the boot or trunk of a road vehicle, the goods can fall out of the bags as a result of forces transmitted to the goods via the vehicle.

Aside from the problems described above, this can be of inconvenience to the individual concerned since they must re-collate the spilled articles within the bags before being able to carry the goods away from the vehicle. In the case of certain fragile or perishable items, such as foodstuffs, the movement of such items around the boot or trunk of a vehicle can damage or otherwise degrade the quality of the items.

Furthermore, in the case of a relatively large, open storage space, such as those found in the boot of an estate car or a Sports Utility Vehicle, it can be difficult to reach across the entire depth of the space to reach loose items or bags of shopping. Attempts to reach over to lift items or else bags of items from such a space causes the lifting forces to be transmitted through an individual's back and can cause back pain or injury. By way of example, a medium sized family car will typically have a boot or trunk of depth 1 ,000 mm or longer, whereas the average adult will typically have an arm length of 600 mm or less. Braking forces during driving typically result in loose items within the boot of a car being urged towards the foremost edge of the boot and so such items are typically out of reach of an adult without leaning in to the car.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a support structure suitable for restricting the freedom of movement available to articles within a vehicle.

According to the present invention there is provided a support structure for use in the interior of a vehicle, the structure comprising: a first wall and a second wall connectable to said first wall, the first and second walls arranged to be upstanding from a support surface on which said walls are positionable during use so as to define a storage area at least partially enclosed by said first and second walls; wherein either or both of said first and second walls comprise a bag retaining formation for removably retaining a bag in a generally upright condition within the storage area; and wherein the first wall is formed of two or more planar wall components, the wall components being overlapped and the degree of overlap of said components allowing adjustability of the length of said wall; the support structure further comprising adjustable spacing means for spacing the support structure from an interior fixture or wall of the vehicle.

The present invention is advantageous in that it allows one or more bags containing articles to be supported within a defined storage area which is smaller than the area of the support surface on which the structure is positioned. Furthermore the spacing means allows the support structure to be located a distance from the interior of the vehicle. Thus the support structure can be spaced from the interior structure of a vehicle to ensure that the storage area is within easy reach of a user.

In one embodiment, the spacing means comprises one or more spacing members arranged to extend between a wall of the support structure and an interior wall or other formation within the interior of a vehicle. The position and or length of the spacing member may be adjustable. In one embodiment, the spacing member is releasably attached to the first or second wall such that the spacing member can be extended to the desired position and locked in place in relation to said wall. The support structure can thus be located in a variety of different sizes of vehicle by virtue of the adjustability of the spacing member.

The spacing means may take the form of an arm. The spacing means may be extendable and retractable from said wall in a telescopic manner. The spacing means may be held against the wall in a retaining means which may take the form of a ring or eye. In one embodiment releasable locking means are provided for selectively fixing the position of the spacing member relative to the wall. The spacing member may be mounted against the first or second wall and may be extended or retracted in a direction substantially parallel with said wall.

The spacing means can be extended so that it abuts against an internal member of the vehicle such as for example the rear side of a seat. When used in a boot or trunk of a vehicle, the spacing means helps to prevent unwanted movement of the support structure within the vehicle. In addition, the spacing means helps to maintain the structure in a suitable location for simple access by a user. For example the spacing means may be used to space the support structure a distance from the back of the rear seats in a car such that the support structure is conveniently located adjacent the opening of the boot . This allows goods to be accessible to a user from outside of the vehicle without the need to bend down or else stretch to reach across a car boot in order to retrieve the goods.

The first and second walls may be arranged at an angle to one another. The first and second walls may be substantially perpendicular.

In one embodiment, the support structure comprises first second and third walls, the second wall being disposed between the first and third walls. The first, second and third walls may be releasably connected so as to define a substantially perpendicular walled arrangement defining said storage area. Any or any combination of the first, second and/or third walls may have connection means for attachment to an opposing connection formation on any remaining walls. The connection means may take the form of a hook formation. The or each hook formation may be suitable for locking with an opposing hook formation or else an aperture or eye formation on the adjacent wall. The bag retaining formation may be upstanding from an edge of the wall. The bag retaining formation may have a narrow neck portion and a wider head portion. The width of the head portion may be of greater width than that of neck portion.

The head portion may have protrusions on opposing sides thereof which serve to retain a bag handle about the neck portion. The handle or a side-strap of a bag may be passed over the head portion and seated about the neck during use such that the bag handle passes beneath the opposing protrusions. This shape of retaining formation helps to avoid the bag handle becoming unintentionally dislodged from the retaining formation during use.

A plurality of retaining formations may be provided along an edge of the first or second and/or third wall. Typically the retaining formations are provided along a upper edge of the wall during use. The or each retaining formation may be substantially T-shaped in plan.

At least one wall may have one or more apertures therein. The apertures may comprises bag retaining formations in addition to or else instead of the bag retaining formations located along the edge of the wall. The or each wall may have an array of apertures therein. The or each wall may take the form of a honeycomb member.

The apertures allow bag handles and/or other members to be inserted through the walls of the structure for holding the bags in place. A honeycomb structure is particularly advantageous in that it offers multiple apertures and reduces the weight and thus cost of the structure.

The support structure may further comprise a base. The base may be attachable to the first and/or second wall and may take the form of a generally planar member. The base may be shaped to receive the first and/or second wall and may have a groove therein for attachment of the wall thereto. Preferably the base is locatable in the vicinity of the corner formed between the first and second members and has a first and a second groove for reception of the first and second walls respectively. The first and/or second wall may be adjustable in length. Either wall may be formed of a plurality of wall components. The wail components are typically planar in shape. Each wall component may be honeycomb in form.

One wall component may be releasably fixable to another wall component part way along its length. A locating formation may be provided for attachment of the first wall component to the second wall component. One wall component may have an elongate slot or aperture therein arranged such that the locating formation may be selectively positioned at a location within the slot for attachment to an adjacent wall component. The locating formation may take the form of a lockable slider which can be moved along the slot of the adjacent wall component and locked to secure the wall components in a fixed orientation. The locking means may take the form of a locking nut and bolt which may be tightened or released by hand.

The locating means may be positionable within one of the apertures in the wall component.

The support structure is thus adjustable to suit the boot or trunk dimensions of a variety of different vehicles. The length of the first wall and/or the spacing members may be range-taking.

Working embodiments of the present invention are described in further detail below by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view from the front of a support structure according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a three-dimensional view of the support structure of figure 1 from the rear;

Figure 3 is a front plan view of one wall of the support structure of figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a rear plan view of the wall of figure 3;

Figure 5 is rear plan view of a further wall of the support structure of figure 1 ; Figure 6 is a front plan view of the wall of figure 5; Figure 7 is a three dimensional view from above of the base shown in figure 1 ;

Figure 8 is a three dimensional view from the side of a retaining member for use with the support structure of figure 1 ; and,

Figure 9 is a three dimensional view of a locating formation for connection between adjacent wall components.

Turning firstly to figure 1 , there is shown a support structure 10 for location inside of a road vehicle and typically within the boot or trunk of the vehicle. However it will be appreciated that the support structure according to the present invention is not limited only to such a use and may be located in any internal space within a vehicle having dimensions greater than that of the structure.

The structure 10 comprises a first wall 12 which extends between side walls 14 and 16. The side walls are connected to opposing ends of the first wall 12 and are arranged generally perpendicular thereto. The side walls 14 and 16 are thus generally parallel in orientation and face each other in an opposing manner.

At least a portion of the first and side walls have apertures therein. In addition each of the first and side walls have bag retaining formations 18 arranged along an upper edge thereof as will be described in further detail below.

The first and side walls define a partially enclosed storage space bounded by the walls. A base plate 20 extends into the storage space from one or more walls. In this embodiment, the base plate 20 is located in the vicinity of the corner formed between the first wall and a side wall. The base plate 20 is located in the corner formed between the first wall 12 and the side wall 14. A further base plate (not shown) is located at the corner between the first wall 12 and the side wall 16 opposite the base plate 20. The first and further base plates may be substantially identical in form save that the further base plate will be rotated about 90° relative to the base plate 20 when positioned for use.

Spacing arms 22 and 24 are mounted to respective side walls 14 and 16. Each spacing arm is generally elongate in shape and, in this embodiment, takes the form of a pole or tube. The arms 22 an 24 are held adjacent each respective side wall by retaining members 30 such that each spacing arm runs generally parallel to the adjacent side wall. A plurality of retaining members 30 are provided along the length of the side walls 14 and 16 for this purpose. In this embodiment, three retaining members are aligned and spaced along each side wall.

The spacing arms are formed of a pair of arm members 26 and 28. The arm member 28 is hollow and of width or diameter greater than arm member 26 such that arm member 26 is telescopically mounted within arm member 28. A spigot 32 is provided at the join between arm members 26 and 28.

Each arm is held against the adjacent side wall and has a free end 34 for abutment against an interior wall of a vehicle during use.

Locking formations 36 are provided in side walls 14 and 16 for selectively locking the longitudinal position of the spacing arms relative to the adjacent side wall. Whilst the retaining members 30 hold the spacing arms adjacent the corresponding side wall, in this embodiment, the retaining members themselves do not comprise means for locking the arms in a longitudinal sense.

The locking formations 36 comprise a threaded bore within the wall, through which is inserted a correspondingly threaded bolt. The bolt has a head shaped to allow tightening or loosening of the bolt by hand, such as a winged head or the like. The threaded bore is located in a recess 38 in the side wall such that the head of the bolt sits within the recess during use. The tightening of the bolt causes the bolt to press against the inner edge of the spacing arm. This pressure applied to the spacing arm via the bolts is resisted by the retaining members 30 such that the spacing arm becomes securely held in the force path between the bolts and the retaining members 30.

In this embodiment, a pair of locking formations are provided on each side wall for locking each arm member 26, 28 of the spacing arm.

The first wall 12 is formed of a pair of overlapping wall components 40 as shown in further detail in figures 3 and 4. Each of the overlapping wall components are made according to substantially the same design and are generally planar in form. The wall component 40 has a lattice or grid like composition defining an array of adjacent apertures 42 therein. In this embodiment, the wall component has at least a central section which is formed as a honeycomb framework 44, the apertures within the framework being in the form of through holes.

The components are typically formed of an injection moulded polymer material such as a plastic but may be formed of any other suitable natural or synthetic material such as wood, fibreboard, metal, such as aluminium, or else a composite material comprising any combination of the aforementioned materials.

At one end of the wall component 44, there are provided connection means in the form of hook shaped connectors 46. Two elongate and substantially parallel slots 48 and 50 extend at least part way along the length of the wall component 40. Spacers 52 extend across the slots 48 and 50 at spaced intervals to retain the structural integrity of the component in the vicinity if the slot.

A plaque 54 is formed in a mid region of the wall component which displays the product name and/or other product information.

Further details of the bag retaining formations 18 are shown in figures 3 and 4 which have a neck portion 56 joining the retaining formation to the main body of the wall component. A head portion 58 of greater width than the neck portion 56 is attached to the wall via the neck portion and defines a pair of opposing protrusions or lobes 60, about which a strap or handle of a bag can be passed in order to hold the bag against the support structure.

A first side of the wall component as shown in figure 3 is substantially entirely comprised of the honeycomb material. However it can be seen in figure 4, that at least a portion of the opposing side of the wall component is formed of a continuous flat surface so as to improve the rigidity of the product. This flat backing portion 62 is generally formed about at least a periphery of the support structure.

Turning now to figures 5 and 6, further details of the side walls 14 and 16 are shown. Each side wall may be substantially identical to the other side wall. As with the first wall component 40, each side wall has a lattice or grid-like composition defining an array of adjacent apertures 64 therein. In this embodiment, the side wall 14 has at least a central section which is formed as a honeycomb framework 66, the apertures within the framework being in the form of through holes.

A first side of the side wall 14 is substantially entirely comprised of the honeycomb material. However at least a portion of the opposing side of the wall component is formed of a continuous flat surface so as to improve the rigidity of the structure. This flat backing portion 68 is generally formed about at least a periphery of the support structure.

The side wall 14 also comprises a plurality of bag retaining formations 18 along its upper edge which are substantially identical to the formations 18 described above in relation to the first wall 12.

A pair of recesses 38 are formed in the side wall, within which the threaded bore 68 is formed for reception of the locking bolt (not shown) as described above for locking the spacing arms 24.

The side walls also have a plurality of connection formations therein in the form of apertures 70. The apertures 70 are spaced in sets along the length of the side wall 14. Each series of apertures 70 comprises a plurality of vertically aligned openings. The apertures 70 serve a dual purpose. One or more apertures can be used for reception of the hook formations 46 of the first wall so as to connect the first wall to the side wall via the hooks.

One or more other apertures 70 or pairs or apertures can be used for attachment of the retaining member 30 to the side wall 14. One such retaining member 30 is shown in figure 8 and comprises a body 72 shaped to provide an opening 74 for reception of the spacer arm 24. The opening 74 is substantially circular to match the tube-like profile of the spacer arm 24. The body is also shaped to provide a pair of leg portions 76 and 78 for attachment to the side wall.

The legs 76 and 78 each have a hooked end 80 for insertion into the apertures 70 in the side wall and an abutment member 82 for correctly orienting the hooked end 80 of the retaining member 30 relative to the aperture 70 in the side wall. Thus the retaining members are clipped into the side walls for use.

Turning now to figure 7, there is shown further details of the base plate 20. The base plate 20 comprises a substantially planar body 84 having a pair of substantially perpendicular adjacent edges 86 and 88. The edges 86 and 88 are arranged to align with the edges of the first wall and side wall during use. The remaining edge or edges

90 of the base plate may be perpendicular or curved or else obliquely arranged to the edges 86 and 88 such that the body 84 of the base plate 20 protrudes inwardly of the walls and into the storage space therebetween during use.

The base plate 20 has a pair of channels 92 and 94 aligned with the perpendicular edges 86 and 88 respectively. The channels are formed by opposing raised lips in the body 84, which define the channel therebetween.

Each of the channels are of dimensions such that they closely accommodate a lower edge of the first wall 12 or side wall 14 or 16. The channels 92 and 94 also comprise one or more resilient grip or clip portions 96 along their length so as to retain the lower edge of the corresponding wall within the channel. The clip portions 96 may comprise a ramped or hooked clip formation arranged to allow insertion of the wall therein but inhibit removal of the wall therefrom without first releasing the clip. Thus the wall and base are formed as push fit parts.

The channels in the base plate 20 help to improve the rigidity of the support structure 10. Bags may be placed on the base plate 20 during use of the support structure 10 in order to help further improve the stability of the structure although this is not essential.

In figure 9 there is shown a locating member 98 arranged for insertion into the slot 48 or 50 in the first component 40. The locating member 98 has opposing flanges 100 and 102 which protrude from a sunken central region 104. The central region has an aperture 106 surrounded by a hexagonal raised rim 108 arranged for insertion of a bolt 110 therethrough. The bolt 110 has a head shaped for manual actuation.

Each of the walls 12, 14 and 16 as well as the base plate 20 and retaining members 30 are typically formed of plastic which may be injection moulded. A polypropylene material may be used for this purpose although it will be appreciated that other suitable materials are available. The spacing arms 22 and 24 are formed of metal poles, which may be aluminium. A plastic bung or stopper may be provided in each end of the poles.

When installing the support structure 10 for use, the width of the structure is adjusted by varying the overlap of the wall components 40 of the first wall 12 and then fixing the wall components together in the desired configuration. In order to achieve this, a locating member is inserted into each of slots 48 and 50 such that the central region 104 thereof is seated within the corresponding slot. The adjacent wall component is then located against the first wall component 40 such the corresponding slots overlie the locating members in the first wall component 40.

Bolts 110 are then inserted through the first and second wall components 40 and the locating members therebetween. A nut 112 is attached to each bolt 110 on the opposing side of the first wall 12 and the bolts are tightened manually via bolt heads 110 to secure the walls components 40 together.

It is to be noted that the dimensions and spacing of the retaining formations 18 along the edge of the wall components 40 are such that there will always be a gap between adjacent retaining formations 18 regardless of the degree of overlap therebetween.

The hooks 46 on the opposing sides of the first wall 12 are inserted into corresponding apertures 70 in the side walls 14 and 16. A pair of base plates 20 are attached to the lower edges of walls 12, 14 and 16 at the comers of the support structure by pressing the corresponding edges of the walls into the base plate channels.

When the structure 10 is located in a vehicle, the spacing arms 22 and 24 are extended into contact with an interior wall of the vehicle, such as for example the end of the boot as defined by the backs of the rear seats in the vehicle. The spacer arms are then locked by tightening bolts of locking formations 36 in each of the side walls 14 and 16.

Bags of shopping can then be located in the storage space defined by the walls 12, 14 and 16. The handles or straps of the bags (not shown) can be passed over the retaining formations 18 along the upper edge of any or all of the walls such that any items contained within the bags remains safely held in the storage space during transit. The support structure described above is simple to assemble and disassemble such that it can be disassembled and moved to one side when space is required for larger items within the vehicle. The planar nature of the walls of the support structure offer minimal storage volume when the structure is disassembled. The use of the support structure is not limited to road vehicles only but can instead be used within any vehicles in which movement and resultant forces are to be expected during use, such as, for example, trains, boats or the like.

Claims

Claims:

1. A support structure for use in the interior of a vehicle, the structure comprising: a first wall and a second wall connectable to said first wall, the first and second walls arranged to be upstanding from a support surface on which said walls are positionable during use so as to define a storage area at least partially enclosed by said first and second walls; wherein either or both of said first and second walls comprise a bag retaining formation for removably retaining a bag in a generally upright condition within the storage area; and wherein the first wall is formed of two or more planar wall components, the wall components being overlapped and the degree of overlap of said components allowing adjustability of the length of said wall; the support structure further comprising adjustable spacing means for spacing the support structure from an interior fixture or wall of the vehicle.

2. A support structure according to claim 1 , wherein the spacing means comprises one or more spacing members arranged to extend between a wall of the support structure and an interior wall or fixture within the interior of a vehicle, the position and/or length of the spacing members being adjustable.

3. A support structure according to claim 2, wherein the spacing member is releasably attached to the second wall such that the spacing member can be extended to the desired position and selectively locked in place in relation to said wall.

4. A support structure according to any preceding claim wherein the spacing means comprises a telescopic arm.

5. A support structure according to any preceding claim, further comprising a third wall, the first wall being connected between the second and third walls.

6. A support structure according to claim 5, wherein the first, second and third walls are connectable together such that the second and third walls are substantially parallel and the first wall is substantially perpendicular thereto so as to form a substantially right- angled walled enclosure.

7. A support structure according to any preceding claim wherein the bag retaining formations are upstanding from an edge of each of the first and second walls.

8. A support structure according to any preceding claim wherein the bag retaining formation comprises a neck portion and a head portion, the head portion being spaced from the wall by said neck portion and wherein the dimensions of the head portion are greater than the neck portion so as to define protrusions on either side of the neck portion which serve to retain the handle of a bag about the neck during use.

9. A support structure according to any preceding claim wherein the bag retaining formation is generally T-shaped.

10. A support structure according to any preceding claim wherein the first and/or second walls have apertures therein.

11. A support structure according to claim 10, wherein the first and/or second walls are formed at least in part of a planar honeycomb framework so as to define an array of apertures therein.

12. A support structure according to any preceding claim further comprising a base member, attachable to the first and/or second wall.

13. A support structure according to claim 12, wherein the base comprises a generally planar member having one or more channels formed therein for reception of the first and/or second wall such that the walls are upstanding from said base member and said base member extends into said storage space.

14. A support structure according to claim 12 or 13 wherein the bas is attachable to the first and second walls in the vicinity of a corner formed between the first and second walls.

15. A support structure according to any preceding claim wherein the first and second walls comprise hook and eye formations for connecting said walls together.

16. A kit of parts for assembly of a support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A support structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.