WO1995004671A1

WO1995004671A1 - Protective liner for the interior load space of an automobile

Info

Publication number: WO1995004671A1
Application number: PCT/NZ1994/000080
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antoni John Wadek
Original assignee: Antoni John Wadek
Priority date: 1993-08-08
Filing date: 1994-08-08
Publication date: 1995-02-16
Also published as: AU7277694A

Abstract

A protective liner for the interior load space of an automobile, the liner being constructed to form a removable substantially liquid impervious flexible container within the automobile. The liner has a floor (1) from which sides (2, 3), a front wall (4, 4a) and a back wall (6) extend. The liner can be constructed as a full liner to occupy substantially all the space between the back rests of the front seats and the tailgate of the automobile and in such a configuration the front wall (4, 4a) of the liner will be removably attached to the back rests of the front seats. The front wall (4, 4a) can be removed from the back rests and can be folded so the liner will form the configuration of a half liner to extend between the rear of the back rests of the rear seats and the tailgate of the automobile. The rear wall (6) of the liner can be partly detached from the sides to drop down to provide access to the interior of the liner and to provide protection to the rear of the automobile during loading and unloading operations.

Description

PROTECTIVE LINER FOR THE INTERIOR LOAD SPACE OF AN AUTOMOBILE

This invention relates to a protective liner for the interior load space of an automobile.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Automobiles such as vans, station wagons, hatchbacks and the like all provide a load space which can be utilized for the transportation of various types of loads. One of the difficulties usually encountered when transporting loads in automobiles particularly those automobiles which are used primarily for domestic purposes is the possibility of damage to the interior of the automobile such as by scratching or tearing upholstered panels or otherwise defacing the trim and/or paint work or through spillage and the like.

BACKGROUND ART

In an endeavour to minimize such damage it has been proposed in the past to line or partly line the interior of the automobile with a material which is capable of protecting the interior of the automobile from damage to the automobile trim materials. It is also known to line the floor of the automobile with a material which will assist in preventing damage that is usually associated with carrying loads both during the loading and off loading procedure and during actual transportation. To this end the lining material used is generally of a waterproof or semi-waterproof nature and is one which has sufficient inherent strength to enable the lining to meet the necessary criteria. With the prior known forms of linings, these were generally manufactured in the form of pads. Prior known forms of linings are not generally satisfactory because since they consist of discrete pieces of material, either they do not provide adequate protection or else they are by their very nature not readily removable from the automobile when not required.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved liner which will substantially conform to the interior of an automobile which will provide a protective space within the automobile and which can act as a form of container to contain within the liner a wide range of goods and chattels to be transported without substantially reducing the available load space within the automobile. In one preferred form, the liner is constructed to provide a container which will extend from the rear door of the automobile through to and be attachable to the rear of the front seats of the automobile. Such a liner, referred to herein as a full liner, is provided with means whereby, when the back rests of the rear seats of the automobile have been folded to lie substantially flat or when the rear seats have been removed, the forward end of the liner can be attached to the back rests of the front seats of the automobile. In another form, the liner is constructed so the forward end of the liner can be attached to the rear of the backrests of the rear seats when the back rests are in an upright position. Such a liner will extend between the back rests of the rear seats and the tailgate of the automobile. This particular form of liner is herein referred to as a half liner. In yet another form, the full liner is so constructed that it can be readily folded so it will assume either a half liner configuration or a full liner configuration as required.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one form of the invention may be said to comprise a removable liner for the interior load space of an automobile, said liner being formed from a flexible wear resistant material and being adapted to be placed inside the load receiving portion of the automobile, the liner having a floor from which at least two sides, a front and a back which in use will extend upwardly to form an open container, and wherein at least the said back of the liner is separable from the sides of the liner, means being provided to maintain the liner in position inside the automobile.

Preferably the liner is in the form of a full liner and has means whereby it may be folded and fastened to anchorage points within the automobile to form a half liner.

Preferably the liner when in place within the automobile forms a container which will minimise the likelihood of any liquid spilt within the liner from contacting the body work of the automobile.

Preferably the liner is located in position within the interior of the automobile by fastening means within the automobile.

Preferably the liner is capable, when removed from the interior of the automobile, of being folded to occupy a minimum amount of space.

Preferably, the liner includes means which when it is opened into an operative condition, will enable the liner to be readily attached to existing anchorage points within the automobile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred forms of the invention will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view from the rear of a half liner when in an operative condition;

Fig. 2 is a view of the liner as shown in Fig. 1 but with two of the flaps in an opened condition;

Fig. 3a is a view of a full liner in an operative position;

Fig. 3b is a view of the liner of Fig. 3a at the commencement of the folding procedure to convert it to a half liner;

Fig. 3c is a view of the liner of Fig 3a after the front wall of the liner has been folded; and

Fig. 3d is a view of the liner of Fig 3a in a operative condition when converted to act as a half liner.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The liner as shown in the drawings, is preferably formed from a fabric or combination of fabrics which are essentially impermeable to liquids, impervious to corrosion or deterioration through contact with liquids and which will also provide resistance to damage to the interior of the automobile in which the liner is located, Preferably, but not necessarily, the liner is manufactured from composite layers of material. In one form, one layer of the liner which will generally be the layer which is contacted by the load or article to be transported is formed from a tough plastics material. The other layer of the liner can be of a softer material which may also be a plastics material or a man-made fibre.

Sandwiched between the two layers is an inner layer which can be composed of a suitable foamed plastics material or the like.

The liner depicted in Fig 1 is a half liner and comprises a floor 1 which is permanently joined to sides 2 which can be formed of the same or different material. The joint between the floor 1 and the sides 2 can be formed by any suitable means as known in the art such as by welding, sewing or by using adhesives or other suitable method. Preferably the sides are joined to the floor by forming the floor oversize in its dimensions so that in use the perimeter of the floor so will extend upwardly a short distance in the form of a flange. The sides are attached to the perimeter of the floor so that in use the junction of the sides of the liner with the floor, will be above the level of the floor of the vehicle.

The liner also includes wheel arch portions 3 which are shaped to conform substantially to the interior shape of the wheel arches of the automobile to which the liner is to be applied.

The forward part of the liner comprises a front wall 4 and particularly in the case of the half liner, the wall 4 may be divided as shown so that a flap 4a can be partly separated from the wall. The flap 4a will normally form a part of the front wall and is maintained in such position by suitable fastening means 5 which may consist of zip fasteners, hook and loop fasteners and the like. In another form, the flap 4a can extend for the whole or substantially all of the front wall and in yet another form the front wall can consist of more than one flap 4a, each of which may be the same or different dimensions.

The rear wall 6 of the liner is also preferably formed so it can be partly detached from the remainder of the liner or can be maintained as a rear wall by use of a suitable fastening means such as that indicated at 7. This fastening means can be the same or different to the fastening means 5 by which the front flap 4a is secured to the front wall 4 of the liner. For automobiles which have a split back seat, the front wall of the half liner can be so formed with the flap 4a so that when part or all of the back rest of the rear seat is folded downwardly, the flap 4a can rest on and follow the contour of the folded back rest.

To use the half liner as herein described, the liner is positioned within the automobile and the front wall 4 is suitable fastened to the rear of the rear seats of the automobile. If the liner is to be used in for instance a hatchback or similar automobile, then the half liner will generally be of a size which occupies the space between the rear door of the automobile and the rear seats. If one or more of the back rests of the rear seats can be folded down, then one or more of the flaps 4a can be unfastened and folded over the folded down seat back.

The rear wall 6 of the liner particularly as shown in Fig. 2 is formed so that when the rear door of the automobile has been opened, access to the interior of the liner can be readily obtained by releasing the sides of the rear wall from the sides of the liner and dropping the rear wall 6 so it will rest over the rear of the automobile. The particular advantage of this operation is that the rear of the automobile is protected against damage during loading and unloading operations.

The liner as depicted in Figures 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d is a full liner and includes a floor 20, a rear wall 21, sides 22 and a front wall 23. The liner can be manufactured from the same or different materials as the half liner depicted in Figs 1 and 2. Preferably the rear wall 21, the sides 22 and the front wall 23 are attached to the floor 20 in a similar manner to that described in relation to Figs 1 and 2.

The front wall 23 although shown in the drawings as being permanently attached to the sides 22, may be semi-detachable from the sides and for this purpose may utilise the same type of fastening means as indicated at 5 in Fig 2. The rear wall 21 may also have a similar type of fastening means as that indicated at 7 in Fig. 2 so that the wall can be detached from the sides 22 and dropped over the rear of the automobile during the loading and unloading operations, to protect the vehicle from damage.

The front wall 23 of the full liner includes means (not shown in the drawings) whereby it may be secured to the rear of the front seats. One suitable means of arranging this is to provide apertures or the like in the front wall of the liner so that the apertures can be looped over the headrest supports on back rests of the front seats.

Suitable fastening means can be included with the liner so that the installed liner can be fastened in place within the interior of the automobile. To this end, fastening means can be permanently or removably attached to the interior of the automobile to which the liner can be engaged. Such fastening means are generally desirable to minimize horizontal and vertical movement of the liner within the automobile. Preferably, the fastening means are of the quick release type which are attached directly to the body of the automobile and preferably such means utilize existing fitting points wherever possible so as not to detract unnecessarily from the appearance of the automobile.

The full liner is so formed that it can be converted from a full liner into a half liner. Consequently one liner can fulfil the dual purpose of lining the interior of an automobile as a full liner in which the backrest of the rear seats have been folded down or in which the rear seats have been physically removed or as a half liner between the backrests of the rear seats and the tailgate.

To convert a full liner to a half liner, the front wall 23 is first folded under the floor 20. The floor 20 together with the domes 28 or other fastening device utilised is then lifted and the domes fastened to the anchors 29 as indicated in Figs 3b and 3c. When in this position, the sides of the liner can be folded into a configuration similar to that shown at 30 in Fig 3d. The backrests of the rear seats can then be returned to the upright position and the folded portions 30 with the front wall 23 can then rest against the back rests of the rear seat.

When the liner is not required, it can be simply removed from the interior of the automobile by unfastening the liner from the fastening points. The liner can then be folded so as to occupy a minimum amount of space.

To fit the liner within the automobile, the liner is first placed within the interior load space of the automobile and is then unfolded into an open configuration. The front of the liner is suitably attached to the front headrests such as by utilizing eyelets, loops or the like which are provided on the liner. The sides 2 and 3 are then lifted and fastened in place against the interior sides of the automobile. The liner is then ready for use. To load articles into the liner the rear wall 6 may be dropped to the position shown in Fig. 2 and after the loading has been completed the rear wall 6 is replaced by joining the edges of the rear wall to the sides 2.

Various advantages arise from the use of the liner as herein described. For instance if dirty and/or wet goods or chattels are to be carried in the automobile, then it is a simple matter, when the load has been removed from the automobile, to withdraw the liner and wash the liner externally of the automobile. Another particular use of the liner is the ability to transport animals inside the automobile and have the facility to withdraw the liner to clean and wash the liner when required.

Modifications and improvements to the preferred form of the invention disclosed and described herein may occur to those skilled in the art who come to understand the principles of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the patent to be issued herein is not to be limited solely to the embodiments of the invention set forth herein but rather should be limited only by the advance by which the invention has promoted the art and as claimed in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A removable liner for the interior load space of an automobile, said liner being formed from a flexible wear resistant material and being adapted to be placed inside the load receiving portion of the automobile, the liner having a floor from which at least two sides, a front and a back extend to form an open container, and wherein at least the said back of the liner is separable from the sides of the liner, means being provided to maintain the liner in position inside the automobile.

2. The removable liner as claimed in claim 1, including means to attach the front of the liner to the rear of the back rests of the front seat and also including means to enable the said front of the liner to be detached from said back rest and for the liner to be folded to a configuration wherein it will form a half liner as herein defined.

3. The removable liner as claimed in claim 2, including means to enable the front of the full liner, when in a half liner configuration, to be supported from the interior of the automobile.

4. The removable liner as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the said liner is removably attachable to at least the sides of the automobile and the front of the liner includes means to fastening means and/or anchorage points within the automobile.

5. The removable liner as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein when installed within an automobile, the liner will form a substantially liquid spill proof container.

4. A removable liner for the interior load space of an automobile, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.