FR3124456A1 - Vehicle equipped with a large capacity bottle holder for the rear passengers. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle (1, 100) comprising a row of rear seats (4, 5, 6, 102, 103, 104) and a rear shelf (101) placed just behind said row and at least partially covering a rear trunk . According to the invention, the rear shelf (101) comprises at least one circular opening and at least one support element (108, 109, 120, 150) comprising a bottle receiving body (123, 157), the support (108, 109, 120, 150) being inserted into the opening so that the bottle receiving body (123, 157) is placed under the rear shelf and so that the circular opening constitutes an upper end of said body (123, 157). Figure: Fig. 3

Description

Vehicle equipped with a large capacity bottle holder for the rear passengers.

The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a large capacity bottle holder for the rear passengers.

In order to clearly understand the positioning of the various parts involved in a vehicle according to the invention, the description is made with respect to a direct orthonormal reference XYZ where X is a front-rear longitudinal axis of the vehicle oriented towards the rear, Y is a transverse axis oriented towards the right of the vehicle and Z is a vertical axis oriented upwards.

With reference to the , existing vehicles have various support elements for storing bottles for use by rear passengers. These support elements can be found, for example:
- in a center console located between the driver's seat and the passenger seat of a row of front seats, or
- in a pivoting central backrest of a rear row of three seats, said backrest passing from an operational position for which it is tilted back relative to a vertical plane allowing a passenger to be comfortably seated, to a position substantially horizontal for which it can be used as a cup holder and/or bottle holder.

The problem raised by these different configurations is that these different support elements are intended to store only 1 liter of drink for the use of the rear passengers, which is considered to be largely insufficient. This low storage capacity results from the small number of places in the passenger compartment of the vehicle which can be designed to store bottles for the use of the rear passengers.

A vehicle according to the invention is designed to be able to store a large quantity of drink, greater than 1 litre, for the use of the rear passengers, without reducing the space available for said passengers and therefore preserving their comfort in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

The object of the invention is a vehicle comprising a rear row of seats and a rear parcel shelf placed just behind said row and at least partially covering a rear trunk.

According to the invention, the rear shelf comprises at least one circular opening and at least one support element comprising a bottle-receiving body, the support element being inserted into the opening so that the bottle-receiving body is placed under the rear shelf and that the circular opening constitutes an upper end of said body. The principle of the invention is to use the rear shelf placed behind a row of rear seats as a location to implement support elements provided for the storage of bottles. Generally, the rear parcel shelf is similar to a panel extending in a horizontal plane XY of the vehicle when the latter is itself resting on a horizontal plane, and in the context of the invention, the bottle receiving body the support member preferably extends along a vertical axis. This body is designed to extend into the rear trunk, hanging under the rear parcel shelf. A bottle receiving body may for example be a rigid cylindrical wall whose dimensions are slightly larger than those of a bottle. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, a bottle receiving body is like a deformable pouch which does not take up much space when empty, and which can be deformed into the shape of a bottle when it is introduced inside. For this last embodiment corresponding to a deformable pocket, if no bottle is stored in the bottle receiving body, said body extends inside the rear trunk with the possibility of being deformed or bent under the effect contact with goods to be stored in the trunk. In this way, the deformable bottle receiving body will not reduce the capacity of the rear trunk to store different objects.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the support element comprises a movable cover designed to move from a closed position for which it covers the bottle receiving body and prevents any access to said body, to an open position for which it allows access to the bottle receiving body to insert a bottle inside said body. This cover is designed to prevent any object other than a bottle from falling inside the bottle receiving body. In addition, such a cover is designed to hide the opening of the rear shelf and thus improve the aesthetics of the interior of the vehicle.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the support element comprises a flange on which the lid is rotatably mounted, the bottle receiving body being fixed to the flange so that the flange rests on the rear shelf around the opening , the lid being placed above the rim and the bottle-receiving body being suspended below said rim. The flange serves as a base intended to be placed on and in contact with the rear shelf, so that the cover protrudes above the rear shelf and the bottle receiving body is suspended under said rear shelf.

According to a possible feature of the invention, the rim rests on the rear shelf so as to be flush with an upper surface of said rear shelf.

According to a possible feature of the invention, the lid is rotatably mounted in the rim by means of a hinge, the lid having to be placed in the open position before introducing a bottle inside the bottle-receiving body, said open position being reached by means of a rotation of said lid from its closed position. Advantageously, the cover is made in one piece. It passes from the closed position to the open position by a rotational movement carried out by means of manual manipulation. Advantageously, the rim is made of plastic.

According to a possible feature of the invention, the bottle receiving body is a net which hangs under the rear shelf, said net taking the shape of the bottle when said bottle is introduced inside. A bottle-receiving body in the form of a net is thus deformable and can be easily bent. Thus, it can leave room to load any object in the rear trunk. It does not form a rigid protrusion inside the trunk that would prevent the loading of large objects.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the net is made of mesh fabric. With such a bottle receiving body, a vehicle according to the invention does not become heavier. With such a configuration, a bottle receiving body is sized exactly.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the net is made of nylon fabric. This seems to be a suitable material within the scope of the invention, but which is not limiting.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the cover is composed of two flat parts which are each rotatably mounted in the rim, the two flat parts being in the extension of one another when the cover is in the closed position, so that an individual wishing to place a bottle inside the bottle receiving body will have to exert pressure on the two parts of the lid with said bottle before pivoting these two parts towards the inside of said body by means of a downward movement of the bottle. This configuration corresponds to a second preferred embodiment of the invention involving a cover in two parts. The person holds the bottle in their hand, then puts the bottom of the bottle in contact with the two-part lid, and finally moves the bottle vertically downwards to open the two parts of the lid. The bottle causes the simultaneous rotation of the two parts of the lid inside the bottle receiving body. Advantageously, each part has the shape of a circular half-disc, and when the cover is in the closed position, these two flat parts reconstitute a circular cover. Advantageously, the rim is made of plastic. Finally, when the bottle is placed inside the bottle receiving body, the two parts of the lid are also stored inside said body.

According to a possible feature of the invention, each part of the cover is rotatably mounted in the rim by means of a prestressed spring naturally tending to maintain these two parts in the extension of one another, a person wishing to introduce a bottle inside the bottle receiving body having to make an effort to overcome the force of said spring. The person must exert some effort to introduce the bottle into the bottle receiving body in order to overcome the force of the preloaded springs.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the bottle receiving body is made of elastic fabric. As the two parts of the cover are intended to rotate inside the bottle receiving body at the same time as the insertion of the bottle, the bottle receiving body may not be large enough to accommodate these three elements simultaneously . With an elastic fabric, the bottle receiving body can be easily deformed and thus can easily receive the bottle and the two parts of the cover.

According to a possible characteristic of the invention, the vehicle comprises two support elements aligned on the rear parcel shelf along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle. Assuming the rear row of seats has three seats, a center seat and two outboard seats, the vehicle includes two support members placed in the rear parcel shelf, just behind the two outboard seats.

A vehicle according to the invention has the advantage of having a rear shelf having two functions, one usual consisting of separating the rear trunk from the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and the other more original consisting of supporting at least one bottle receiving body for storing at least one bottle. It also has the advantage of having this additional function (bottle storage) without reducing the total capacity of the rear compartment and without increasing its weight.

We give below a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention, with reference to the following drawings:

shows a perspective view of the interior of an existing vehicle,

shows a perspective view of the passenger compartment of a vehicle according to the invention,

shows a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of an assembly comprising a lid, a rim and a bottle receiving body of a vehicle according to the invention and intended to support a bottle,

shows a perspective view of the lid and rim of the entire ,

shows a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of an assembly comprising a lid, a flange and a bottle receiving body of a vehicle according to the invention and intended to support a bottle,

shows a perspective view of the lid and rim of the entire ,

shows a perspective view of a rear parcel shelf of a vehicle according to the invention showing a location of the entire ,

shows a perspective view of an area of the rear parcel shelf of the including the set with a bottle inside.

With reference to the , an existing vehicle 1 schematically comprises a front row comprising a driver's seat 2 and a passenger seat 3 placed next to said driver's seat 2, and a rear row of seats comprising a central seat 4 and two side seats 5, 6 placed on either side other side of said central seat 4. The driver's seat 2 and the passenger seat 3 of the front row are separated by a central console 7 which extends on a floor along a longitudinal and central axis X of the vehicle 1. The rear row center seat 4 has a pivoting backrest 8 which can be moved from an operative position in which it is tilted slightly rearward relative to a vertical plane, to a deployed position in which it is pivoted before said operational position with an angle greater than 90° to end up in a horizontal plane, as shown in the . The notions of "horizontal" and "vertical" must be considered as if the vehicle rested on a horizontal plane.

Such an existing vehicle 1 comprises various support elements 9, 10 intended to store bottles for the use of the rear passengers wishing to drink something. These support elements 9, 10 can be found for example:
- in the central console 7 in the form of an extension 9 comprising two circular openings and extending rearwards along a longitudinal axis X of the vehicle 1 to open out onto the rear row, said openings being intended to receive a glass or a bottle,
- in the pivoting backrest 8 of the center seat 4 of the rear row, as shown in the . In fact, in the deployed position, said backrest 8 has an upper surface 13 which extends in a horizontal plane, said surface 13 comprising a support element 10 having two circular openings which can be used as a cup holder and/or a bottle holder. .

The problem raised by these different bottle storage configurations is that these different support elements 9, 10 are designed to store only 1 liter of drink for use by the rear passengers, which is considered largely insufficient. This low bottle storage capacity results from the small number of places in the passenger compartment of the vehicle which can be designed to store bottles for the use of the rear passengers.

With reference to the , a vehicle 100 according to the invention is intended to store at least 3 liters of drink for the use of the rear passengers thanks to a selection of judicious locations in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, these judicious locations being essentially concentrated on a rear shelf 101.

As a reminder, the rear shelf 101 is similar to a horizontal panel which separates the passenger compartment of the vehicle where the occupants of the vehicle are housed, and a rear trunk located just behind the row of rear seats 102, 103, 104. This rear shelf 101 is in contact with a rear surface of the backs 105, 106, 107 of the seats of the rear row.

In the context of the invention, the rear parcel shelf 101 of the vehicle 100 is provided to incorporate two support elements 108, 109 each intended to receive a bottle. Preferably, as illustrated in the , these two support elements 108, 109 are aligned along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle 100 and are placed just behind the headrests 110, 111 of the two side seats 102, 104 of the rear row. Of course, a vehicle according to the invention is not limited to two support elements and can comprise a single support element, or three support elements, or even more. Similarly, the two support elements 108, 109 of the preferred embodiment disclosed in this detailed description, can be implemented anywhere in the rear shelf 101.

In order to insert a support element 108, 109 into the rear shelf 101, a circular opening (not visible in the figures) must be made in said rear shelf 101.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the support element 120 comprises a lid 121, a flange 122 and a bottle receiving body 123. The flange 122, which is made of plastic, comprises a cylindrical hollow body 124 having an enlarged collar 125 extending outwards from said hollow body 124. This collar 125 is flat and is perpendicular to the axis of revolution of said hollow body 124. The cover 121 is a part circular and flat whose diameter is slightly less than the outside diameter of the collar 125. The cover 121, which is made of plastic material, is rotatably mounted in the rim 122 by means of a single hinge 126. The cover 121 comprises a peripheral edge raised 126, which is curved in order to follow the curvature of said cover 121. This raised peripheral edge 127 extends over an angular sector of the cover 121, which is less than 60° and is intended to serve as a handle for opening or closing said cover 121 with respect to rim 122. Bottle receiving body 123 is similar to a mesh pocket. Advantageously, the constituent material of said body 123 is nylon. The bottle receiving body 123 is fixed around the hollow cylindrical body 124 of the flange 122 and is intended to receive a bottle 130.

The support element 120 is fixed in the opening of the rear shelf 101 so that:
- the rim 122 rests on the rear shelf 101 being placed around the opening of said shelf 101 flush with an upper surface of said rear shelf 101,
- the bottle receiving body 123 is suspended from the rim 122 resting on the rear shelf 101, so as to extend downwards into the rear trunk,
- the cover 121 is placed above the rear shelf 101.

A person wishing to store a bottle in the support element 120 will have to carry out the following steps, assuming that the lid 121 is in the closed position on the rim 122, preventing any access to the bottle receiving body 123. In this closed position, the cover 121 covers the rim 122 and extends in a horizontal plane XY,
- Take hold of the raised peripheral edge 127 of the cover 121,
- Open the lid 121 by pivoting said lid 121 upwards around the hinge 126, which allows access to the bottle receiving body 123, as illustrated in ,
- Insert a bottle into the rim 122,
- Penetrating the bottle into the bottle receiving body 123, by sliding it vertically downwards, until the bottle reaches the bottom of said body. The bottle-receiving body 123 is deformed by the presence of the bottle inside, conforming to the shape of the bottle.

If the person no longer needs the bottle, he can remove it from the support element 120. He pivots the cover 121 to the closed position for which said cover 121 is in contact with the rim 122. This closure is achieved by means of a magnetic interaction between said flange 122 and said cover 121, at least one of these two elements comprising at least one magnet. The cover 121 is always moved by means of manual manipulation.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, a second preferred embodiment of the invention differs from the first preferred embodiment disclosed above, with respect to the support member cover.

Indeed, in the second preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover 151 of the support element 150 consists of two identical parts 152, 153. Each part 152, 153 is a flat part having the shape of half of a disc, and comprising a fixing lug 154. In other words, a part 152, 153 of the cover 151 has a straight edge 155 and the fixing lug 154 extends towards the outside of said part 152, 153, opposite said straight edge 155. Each portion 152, 153 is rotatably mounted on a flange 156 which is similar to that of the first preferred embodiment 120. The cover 151 is movable from a closed position, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, for which it prevents access to the bottle receiving body 157, in an open position, as suggested by the . More precisely, when the cover 151 is in the closed position, the two parts 152, 153 of the cover 151 are coplanar and are arranged in the rim 156 so that the two straight edges 155 face each other with a distance of less than a few millimeters, and so that the fixing lugs 154 appear as being the areas farthest from said two parts 152, 153. In the closed position, the two parts 152, 153 are arranged to reconstitute a circular cover 151. Each part 152, 153 of the cover 151 is rotatably mounted on the flange 156 by means of an axis of the said flange 156 passing through the fixing lug 154. Each axis of the flange 156 is associated with a prestressed spring tending to keep the two parts 152, 153 of the cover 151 coplanar in closed position. In this way, these prestressed springs contribute to maintaining the cover 151 in the closed position.

By referring to the , a person wishing to store a bottle in support member 150 should perform the following steps, assuming lid 151 is in the closed position on rim 122, as disclosed above. In this closed position, the two parts 152, 153 cover the rim 156 and extend in a horizontal plane XY,
- with a bottle in hand,
- Bring the bottom of the bottle into contact with the two parts 152, 153 of the lid 151
- Move the bottle downwards by causing a downward rotation of the two parts 152, 153 of the cover 151, this rotation requiring a certain effort to overcome the resistance of the preloaded springs.
- Penetrating the bottle into the body 157 for receiving the bottle, until it reaches the bottom of said body 157. The bottle receiving body 157 takes the shape of the bottle by deforming. In addition, this body 157 for receiving the bottle is also deformed by the two parts 152, 153 of the cover 151 which have pivoted inside said body 157, under the effect of the downward movement of the bottle. In order to eliminate the risk of tearing the bottle receiving body, said body is advantageously made of elastic fabric.

Claims (11)

Vehicle (1, 100) comprising a row of rear seats (4, 5, 6, 102, 103, 104) and a rear parcel shelf (101) placed just behind said row and at least partially covering a rear trunk, characterized in that the rear shelf (101) comprises at least one circular opening and at least one support element (108, 109, 120, 150) comprising a bottle receiving body (123, 157), and in that the support element (108, 109, 120, 150) is inserted into the opening so that the bottle receiving body (123, 157) is placed under the rear shelf and the circular opening constitutes an upper end of said body (123, 157). Vehicle according to Claim 1, characterized in that the support element (108, 109, 120, 150) comprises a movable cover (121, 151) designed to move from a closed position for which it covers the receiving body bottle (123, 157) and prevents access to said body (123, 157), in an open position for which it allows access to the bottle receiving body (123, 157) to put a bottle (130) in the inside the body (123, 157). Vehicle according to Claim 2, characterized in that the support element (108, 109, 120, 150) comprises a flange (122, 156) on which the cover (121, 151) is rotatably mounted, and in that that the bottle receiving body (123, 157) is attached to the flange (122, 156) so that the flange (122, 156) rests on the rear shelf (101) around the opening, the cover (121, 151) being placed above the flange (122, 156) and the bottle receiving body (123, 157) being suspended below the said flange (122, 156). Vehicle according to Claim 3, characterized in that the rim (122, 156) rests on the rear shelf (101) so as to be flush with an upper surface of the said rear shelf (101). Vehicle according to either of Claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the lid (121) is rotatably mounted in the flange (122) by means of a hinge (126) and in that the lid (121) must be placed in the open position before inserting a bottle (130) inside the bottle-receiving body (123), said open position being reached by means of rotation of said cover (121) from its closed position. Vehicle according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the bottle receiving body (123) is a net which hangs under the rear shelf (101), and in that the net adopts the shape of the bottle (130) when said bottle (130) is introduced inside. Vehicle according to Claim 6, characterized in that the net is made of mesh fabric. Vehicle according to either of Claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the cover (151) is composed of two flat parts (152, 153) which are each rotatably mounted in the flange (156), and in that the two flat parts (152, 153) are in line with each other when the lid (151) is in the closed position, so that a person wishing to place a bottle (130) inside the receiving body bottle (157) will have to exert pressure on the two parts (152, 153) of the lid (151) with said bottle (130) before rotating these two parts (152, 153) towards the inside of said body (157) by means of a downward movement of the bottle (130). Vehicle according to Claim 8, characterized in that each part (152, 153) of the cover (151) is rotatably mounted in the flange (156) by means of a pre-stressed spring tending naturally to maintain these two parts (152, 153) in the extension of each other, and in that a person wishing to introduce a bottle (130) inside the bottle receiving body (157) will have to make an effort to overcome the force of said spring. Vehicle according to Claim 9, characterized in that the bottle receiving body (157) is made of elastic fabric. Vehicle according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises two support elements (108, 109) aligned on the rear shelf (101) along a transverse axis Y of the vehicle.