Patent Application
20200215958
This document relates generally to an apparatus adapted for holding an article and, more particularly, to such an apparatus adapted for use in a motor vehicle.
When articles are transported in a motor vehicle, they are subjected to various acceleration, cornering and braking forces that tend to displace those articles. Shifting articles in a motor vehicle can be annoying and may distract the motor vehicle operator. Accordingly, they should be avoided if possible.
This document relates to a new and improved apparatus adapted for holding an article in a fixed position. Advantageously, the apparatus is inexpensive to manufacture, easily adapted to various convenient locations in the motor vehicle, very easy to use and, by means of a retracting belt, provides a positive gripping force to hold an article securely in position against the various forces generated when accelerating, turning or stopping the motor vehicle.
In accordance with the purposes and benefits described herein, a new and improved apparatus is provided for holding an article. That apparatus comprises a guideway, a belt, a first retainer at a first end of the belt, a second retainer at a second end of the belt and a biasing element maintaining tension on the belt. Both the first retainer and the second retainer slide along the guideway.
The guideway may include a first set of opposed guide tracks. The first retainer may engage the first set of opposed guide tracks. The guideway may include a second set of opposed guide tracks. The second retainer may engage the second set of opposed guide tracks.
A first roller may be provided adjacent a first end of the guideway. A second roller may be provided adjacent a second end of the guideway. The belt may extend over the first roller and the second roller.
The biasing element may include a first tension spring having a first end connected to the first retainer and biasing the first retainer toward the first end of the guideway. Further, the biasing element may include a second tension spring having a second end connected to the second retainer and biasing the second retainer toward the second end of the guideway.
The belt may include a gripping surface to hold the article. That gripping surface may be selected from a group consisting of a layer of flexible plastic material, a sleeve of flexible plastic material, a textured material or combinations thereof.
The apparatus may further include a housing. The guideway, the first roller and the second roller may all be carried by the housing. That housing may be adapted for ease of mounting on or within a trim panel of the motor vehicle.
In the following description, there are shown and described several preferred embodiments of the apparatus. As it should be realized, the apparatus is capable of other, different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the apparatus as set forth and described in the following claims. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
The accompanying drawing figures incorporated herein and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the apparatus and together with the description serve to explain certain principles thereof.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the apparatus, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures.
Reference is now made to
In the illustrated embodiment, the guideway 14 comprises two rail sections 24 that provide a first set of opposed guide tracks 26 and a second set of opposed guide tracks 28. As should be appreciated, the rail sections 24 are held and carried in cooperating receivers 30 of the housing 12. The first retainer 18 is provided at and engages a first end 32 of the belt 16. The second retainer 20 is provided at and engages a second end of the belt 34.
In addition, the first retainer 18 engages in and slides along the first set of opposed guide tracks 26 of the guideway 14. Similarly, the second retainer 20 engages in and slides along the second set of opposed guide tracks 28 of the guideway 14. More particularly, as best illustrated in
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment, the biasing element 22 comprises a first tension spring 48 and a second tension spring 50. The first tension spring 48 has a first end 52 connected to the first retainer 18 and functions to bias the first retainer toward the first end 42 of the guideway 14. The second retention spring 50 has a second end 54 connected to the second retainer 20 and functions to bias the second retainer toward the second end 46 of the guideway 14. The opposite ends of the two retention springs 48, 50 are secured to the respective opposed sidewalls 56, 58 of the housing 12 (only the opposite end of the spring 50 is visible in the drawing figures). The action arrows A and B in
As further illustrated in
As further illustrated in
As should be appreciated, the biasing element 22 functions to tension the belt 16. Thus, when the belt 16 is in the rest or home position, the biasing element 22 fully retracts the belt 16 into the housing 12 so that the belt 16 is received within the recess of the housing defined by the face 62 thereof. Sufficient space is maintained between the belt 16 and the housing 12 to allow one to engage and pull the belt outwardly into a deployed position as illustrated in
In the alternative embodiment illustrated in
The foregoing has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.
