FR2753940A1 - Case and seating enabling fitting of computer or communication equipment in car - Google Patents

Abstract

The structure comprises a small case (18) which is intended to house communications and data processing equipment. The case includes provision (22) for temporary anchorage of the case on to the back (21) of the folding back section (21) of the seat (16) of a vehicle. The folding back is attached to the squab (14) of the seat, such that when the back is folded forward it provides a level surface on which the case (18) and equipment can be used. The seat back includes a reception area (17) for the case with complementary anchorage fittings on both the seat back and the case itself. The casing includes an electrical connector which co-operates with a connector in the seat back to provide a supply to the communications and data processing equipment, the power being derived from the vehicle's battery.

Description

 The present invention relates on the one hand to a briefcase and on the other hand to a motor vehicle seat comprising a seat and a folding backrest on said seat. It further relates to a seat assembly comprising such a case and such a motor vehicle seat.

 In daily work, it is frequent to have to move using a motor vehicle by carrying means of communication and / or processing of information, in particular a portable computer and printer.

 In some circumstances, it is convenient to use the laptop inside the motor vehicle.

 The portable computers currently available and the motor vehicles on the market are not suitable for such a use, so that the user must for example place the portable computer on his knees in order to use it. Such use is inconvenient. In addition, the driver of the vehicle cannot access the data contained in the computer while the vehicle is moving.

 The object of the invention is to provide a solution to this problem of the use of communication and / or information processing means inside a motor vehicle, which is convenient and easy to implement, and which makes it possible to use the means of communication and / or information processing also outside the motor vehicle.

 To this end, the subject of the invention is a case characterized in that it internally contains means of communication and / or information processing and in that it comprises means for temporarily hanging said case on the back of the back of a motor vehicle seat.

According to particular embodiments, the case may include one or more of the following characteristics
- It comprises two half-shells articulated with respect to each other between a closed position of the case, in which the two half-shells are folded over one another and delimit an enclosed space for said means communication and / or information processing, and an open position of the case in which the two half-shells define between them an angle substantially equal to 1800, said temporary hooking means being carried by a single half-shell
- Said means of communication and / or information processing comprise a computer mounted articulated on a half-shell around an axis extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of articulation of the two half-shells
- It comprises, fixed in an outer wall, an electrical connector connected to said means of communication and / or information processing, which connector is adapted to cooperate with a complementary electrical connector carried by the seat back
- Said connector is an electrical energy supply connector for supplying said communication and / or information processing means
the temporary attachment means comprise, arranged on a first side of the case, at least one stop for retaining the case on the backrest and arranged on a second side of the case opposite to said first side, latching means of said case;
- the or each stop includes a tab provided with a slot intended to receive an additional member carried by the backrest
- The or each stop forms a support leg for said case, when the latter is placed on a substantially horizontal plane; and
- It comprises a carrying handle, and said latching means comprise a slot formed on said handle and intended to receive a complementary member carried by the backrest.

 The invention further relates to a motor vehicle seat comprising a seat and a foldable backrest on said seat, characterized in that the back of the backrest includes a reception area for a case containing means of communication and / or information processing, and means for temporarily hanging said case on said reception area, the case comprising additional means for temporarily hanging on the file.

According to particular embodiments, the seat may include one or more of the following characteristics
- The reception area of said case includes a housing for receiving part of said case
- Said housing has a shape substantially complementary to that of the part of the case intended to be received there
- Said attachment means carried by the backrest comprise, arranged vis-à-vis on either side of the reception area of said case, filiform members intended to cooperate with the additional attachment means carried by said briefcase
- The back of the backrest includes in the reception area of said case an electrical connector connected to an electrical network of the motor vehicle and adapted to cooperate with a complementary electrical connector carried by said case
- Said connector is an electrical energy supply connector to the electrical energy supply network of the motor vehicle; and
- It includes a headrest extending said backrest and the headrest has on the back a bearing surface for part of said case, when said case is open.

 The invention also relates to a motor vehicle seat assembly characterized in that it comprises a case as described above and a seat as described above.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the drawings in which
- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the interior of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, the seat of the front passenger of which is fitted with a seat assembly according to the invention
- Figure 2 is a side view with partial cutaway of the seat assembly of Figure 1
- Figure 3 is a perspective view of the closed case retained in the seat back, the trim elements not being shown; and
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a detail of the attachment means of the case shown in FIG. 2.

 In Figure 1 is shown a seat 10 of a front seat of a motor vehicle 12 arranged next to the driver's place. The seat 10 comprises a seat 14 at the rear of which is articulated at 15 a backrest 16 which can be folded down completely on the seat, in the position shown in this figure.

 The back of the backrest 16 comprises a reception area 17 for a parallelepipedic case 18 containing means 20 for communication and / or information processing. The reception area 17 includes a recess or imprint 21 of rectangular section formed in the rear wall of the backrest. This housing has a shape substantially complementary to that of the part of the case being received there, in order to ensure centering of the case.

 Additional means 22 for temporary attachment of the case to the file are provided around the reception area 17 and on the case 18. These means will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

 As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the case 18 comprises two half-shells 24A, 24B of rectangular section hinged relative to each other by a hinge 26. The two half-shells are movable relative to one another to the other between a closed position of the case (Figure 3) in which the two half-shells are folded over one another and delimit an enclosed space for said means 20 for communication and / or processing of information, and an open position of the case (Figures 1 and 2) in which the two half-shells define between them an angle substantially equal to 1800.

 The half-shell 24A, forming a bottom for the case 18, has a depth greater than the half-shell 24B forming a cover for the case.

 As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover 24B of the case comprises a plate 28 articulated around an axis 30 located in the vicinity of the hinge 26. The axis 30 extends perpendicular to the axis of the hinge 26. In the example shown, the articulated plate 28 supports a portable computer 32 held laterally by elastic clamps integral with the plate.

 Inside the bottom 24A of the case are arranged a printer 34 and stabilized power supplies 36 each associated with a transformer, the latter supplying the printer and the laptop.

 A housing 38 is provided in the half-shell 24A in front of the printer 34 to receive the laptop 32 when the case is closed. Likewise, a housing 40 is provided behind the turntable 28 to receive the projecting end of the printer 34.

 The temporary attachment means 22 provided on the case 18 are arranged only on the half-shell 24A. They include, as shown in Figure 3, two stops 50 ensuring the retention of the case inside the imprint of the file. These stops are fixed to a side wall of the half-shell 24A in the vicinity of the hinge 26 and form support legs for the closed case when the latter is placed in abutment on a horizontal surface.

 The stops 50 have projecting tabs 51, the end faces of which are provided with slots 52 in which are received elongated complementary members of the backrest.

 These elongated members are for example formed by a curved metal wire 54 encircling the imprint 21 in which the case is partially received. The peripheral wire 54 is welded to an arch 56 for stiffening the backrest. The wire is entirely disposed inside the lining 58 of the backrest, with the exception of the sections of the latter to be received in the slots 52. A cavity is formed in the lining around said sections in order to make them accessible.

 As shown in FIG. 4, an articulated carrying handle 60 is provided on a side wall of the case opposite to that carrying the stops 50. The handle 60 comprises a gripping hoop 62 whose two lateral arms are articulated on studs 63 On these arms are provided slots 64 intended to receive an elongated complementary member carried by the seat back. The complementary elongate member is, in the example shown, an exposed section of the peripheral wire 54.

 In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom 24A of the case comprises on the side wall carrying the stops 50 an electrical connector 70 adapted to cooperate with a complementary electrical connector 72 projecting relative to a lateral face of the imprint 21.

 The electrical connector 70 is connected to the transformers of the stabilized power supplies 36 arranged in the case.

 The connector 72 is fixed to the structure of the backrest by a plate 73 carried by tubes 74 of headrest supports integral with the arch 56. It is electrically connected via a transformer, not shown, to the battery of the motor vehicle. The electric transformer is, for example, placed in the seat, or at any other place on the motor vehicle, and ensures an increase in the voltage delivered by the battery (12 volts) up to the supply voltage (220 volts) transformers of stabilized power supplies 36.

 Furthermore, the seat back 16 is extended by a headrest 80 (Figure 2). The latter comprises at the rear a bearing surface 82 for the open cover 24B of the case. This support surface 82 is for example formed by a reinforcing plate 83 secured to support rods 84 of the headrest.

 It is understood that the temporary attachment means 22 allow the temporary attachment of the case 18 to the back of the backrest 16. This attachment is ensured whether the backrest 16 is in the folded position or in the vertical position of use.

 In order to hang the case on the backrest, the user engages the stops 50 with the exposed sections of wire 54 by introducing the corresponding part of the case into the imprint 21. The user then folds down the arch 62 the handle on the side wall of the bottom 24A and introduces the end of the case carrying the handle into the cavity so that the section of wire 54 is received, by elastic deformation of the wire and / or of the handle, in the slot 64 of the handle thus ensuring that the case snaps into the imprint. The case is thus retained in the imprint 21.

 The backrest being completely folded down, the case is then opened, the cover 24B being tilted in abutment on the surface 82 of the headrest. The portable computer 32, integral with the tablet 28, is then moved around the axis 30 towards the driver of the motor vehicle in order to facilitate typing on the keyboard and reading the screen.

 It is understood that during the fitting of the case, the complementary connectors 70, 72 carried respectively by the case and the file are connected to each other, thus ensuring an electrical supply of the laptop and of the 'printer.

 Other complementary connectors, notably intended for data transmission, can be provided on the briefcase and the seat back.

 After closing the case, it can be extracted from the imprint 21 by a simple pull on the case which causes elastic deformation of the wire 54 in its zone cooperating with the handle 60.

 Furthermore, a removable shelf can be provided in order to close the housing 38 when the case is in the open position, in order to provide a work plan, in particular for the handwriting of notes.

 This tablet is for example the main flat face of a gutter formed by a rectangular main face extended laterally on either side by two walls extending perpendicular to the main face. For the storage of the gutter, it is placed on the computer so that it overlaps it. It can in particular be fixed by releasable means to the shelf 28. When the case is closed, the gutter is thus received with the computer in the housing 38.

 In order to provide a work surface, the case being open, the gutter is placed in the housing 38, its main face being oriented towards the opening of the housing. Locking means can be provided on the gutter in order to secure it in the housing 38.

 If the portable computer 32 is provided with a modem, this can be connected to data transmission means already installed inside the motor vehicle, such as a telephone of the G.S.M. type.

 It is understood that the case described here can be used installed on the back of the seat of a motor vehicle but that it can also be used in any other place, independently of the seat, a hotel room for example.

 In addition, the means of communication and information processing arranged inside the case can be of any kind. In particular, these means, which are fixed by simple clamps, are interchangeable.

 In a variant not shown, the cover 24B of the case does not rest on the headrest when the case is open but on the dashboard of the vehicle.

 To this end, the dashboard has a bearing surface, in particular a boss, for the main face of the cover of the case.

Claims (17)

 1.- Case (18) characterized in that it internally contains means (20) for communication and / or information processing and in that it comprises means (22) for temporary attachment of said case ( 18) on the back (21) of the backrest (16) of a seat (10) of a motor vehicle.  2.- case according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two half-shells (24A, 24B) articulated with respect to each other between a closed position of the case (18), in which the two half-shells (24A, 24B) are folded over one another and delimit an enclosed space for said means (20) for communication and / or information processing, and an open position of the case (18) wherein the two half-shells define between them an angle substantially equal to 180, said temporary hooking means (22) being carried by a single half-shell (24A).  3. Case according to claim 2, characterized in that said means (20) for communication and / or information processing comprise a computer (32) mounted articulated on a half-shell (24B) around an axis ( 30) extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of articulation (26) of the two half-shells (24A, 24B).  4. Case according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises, fixed in an outer wall, an electrical connector (70) connected to said means (20) for communication and / or information processing, which connector (70) is adapted to cooperate with a complementary electrical connector (72) carried by the seat back (16).  5. Case according to claim 4, characterized in that said connector is a connector (70) for supplying electrical energy for supplying said means (20) for communication and / or information processing.  6.- Case according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the temporary attachment means comprise, disposed on a first side of the case, at least one stop (50) for retaining the case on the backrest ( 16) and arranged on a second side of the case opposite to said first side, means (64) for latching said case.  7. Case according to claim 6, characterized in that the or each stop comprises a lug (51) provided with a slot (52) intended to receive a complementary member (54) carried by the file (16).  8. Case according to claim 7, characterized in that the or each stop (50) forms a support leg for said case, when the latter is placed on a substantially horizontal plane.  9. Case according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that it comprises a handle (60) for carrying, and in that said latching means comprise a slot (64) formed on said handle and intended to receive a complementary member (54) carried by the file (16).  10.- Motor vehicle seat comprising a seat (14) and a backrest (16) which can be folded down on said seat (14), characterized in that the back of the backrest comprises a reception area (17) of a case (18) containing means (20) for communication and / or information processing, and means (54) for temporary attachment of said case to said reception area (17), the case comprising additional means for temporary attachment to the backrest (16).  11.- Seat according to claim 10, characterized in that the reception area (17) of said case comprises a housing (21) for receiving a part of said case (18).  12.- Seat according to claim 11, characterized in that said housing (21) has a shape substantially complementary to that of the part of the case intended to be received there.  13.- Seat according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that said attachment means carried by the backrest comprise, arranged opposite each side of the receiving area of said case, filiform members (54) intended to cooperate with the additional attachment means carried by said case (18).  14.- Seat according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the back of the backrest (16) comprises in the reception area (17) of said case an electrical connector (72) connected to an electrical network of the motor vehicle and adapted to cooperate with a complementary electrical connector (70) carried by said case.  15.- Seat according to claim 14, characterized in that said connector (72) is a connector for supplying electrical energy to the electrical energy supply network of the motor vehicle.  16.- Seat according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that it comprises a headrest (80) extending said backrest (16) and in that the headrest (80) has a surface on the back support (82) for a part (24B) of said case (18), when said case is open.  17. A motor vehicle seat assembly, characterized in that it comprises a case according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and a seat according to any one of claims 10 to 15.