Claims:We Claim:
1. A storage unit 100 for storing articles in a vehicle interior, the storage unit 100 comprising:
a first storage space 120 configured below a storage lid 110; and
a supporting member 130 connected to a side of the storage lid 110,
wherein upon moving the storage lid 110 and/or the supporting member 130, the storage armrest lid 110 raises and swivels around a pivotal axis of a pivot pin 112 in a first direction and the supporting member 130 moves to configure an open position 200a of the storage unit 100 in which the first storage space 120 is accessible,
wherein the supporting member 130 is having a second storage space 150, the second storage space 150 is accessible only in the open position 200a of the storage unit 100.

2. The storage unit 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein a motorised mechanism 140 moves the storage lid 110 and/or the supporting member 130 thereby lifting the supporting member 130 and raising a rear end 110b of the storage lid 110 to configure the open position 200a of the storage unit 100.

3. The storage unit 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting member 130 is a member lifting angularly from the floor of the vehicle and along the side wall 120a of the first storage space 120.
4. The storage unit 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage lid 110 is pivotable around the pivotal axis of the pivot pin 112 in a second direction to give access to the first storage space 120 only.

5. The storage unit as claimed in claim 1 and 3, wherein the supporting member 130 is arranged in a slot 132 configured adjacent to a side wall 120a of the first storage space 120 allowing the supporting member 130 to move from an idle position to a lifting position, the lifting position of the supporting member 130 configure the open position 200a of the storage unit 100.

6. The storage unit 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the storage lid 110 raises and swivels to the first direction, the storage lid 110 moves along the X-axis towards the rear seat to configure the open position 200a of the first storage space 120 allowing the occupants to access the first storage space 120 and simultaneously providing access to the second storage space 150.

7. The storage unit 100 as claimed in claim 1 and 2, wherein the motorised mechanism 140 has at least one pinion-rack or roller-track arrangement to move the storage lid 110 and/or the supporting member 130.

8. The storage unit 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting member 130 is having the second storage space 150 with a lid 152.

9. The storage unit 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein at the open position 200a of the storage unit 100, the front passenger get access to the storage space 120 and rear passenger get the access to the second storage space 150.

10. The storage unit 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage unit 100 is a central console of the vehicle and the lid 110 is an armrest of the central console.
, Description:Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage unit for a vehicle interior. More specifically, the present invention relates to a console unit with multi-storage space configured for a front seated and a rear seated passengers of the vehicle.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Storage arrangements inside vehicle interior, such as a glove box or other storage compartments are arranged on a frontal region of the vehicle interior, which can be accessible to the occupants sitting in the front seat of the vehicle. These storage arrangements are mostly used by the front seat occupants and are not accessible to the rear seat occupants. Further, storage arrangements are also configured below an armrest for keeping smaller articles. In these kinds of storage arrangements, the storage space may be deep angled in such a way that the storage space is accessible only for the occupants sitting in front.

[0003] Further, the rear seat occupants also do carry articles which are often their personal belongings which have to be stored or kept nearby them. In some vehicles, storage arrangements are configured for the rear seat occupants by arranging a storage compartment between the rear seats. These storage arrangements require additional space which may become uncomfortable for the occupants sitting on the rear seats.

[0004] Most of these storage arrangements are only accessible either by the front seat occupants or the back seat occupants. The rear seat occupants don’t have any storage apart from the small map pocket, and there is no hidden storage for the rear passengers. The storage in the console has to be opened up compromising the leg space if a third passenger is sitting in the middle.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to provide a storage compartment configured on the armrest console of the rear seat for storing articles which may overcome few or all of the drawbacks of the existing storage arrangement.

Objects of the Invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a storage unit for storing articles in a vehicle interior.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide storage for storing articles in a vehicle interior, which may provide additional hidden space for the rear seat occupants.

[0008] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a storage unit for storing articles in a vehicle interior which is easily accessible for the rear seat occupants.

[0009] One more object of the present invention is to provide a storage unit for storing articles in a vehicle interior which is easily operable and is robust in construction.

Summary of the invention

[0010] According to the present invention, a storage unit for storing articles in a vehicle interior is provided. Specifically, the storage unit is beneficial to rear seat occupants for storing articles such as mobile phones, wallets, bottles and the like.

[0011] Further, the storage unit includes a storage lid, a first storage space and a supporting member. The storage lid is movably arranged over the peripherally of the storage unit. More specifically, a sliding track may be provided on the storage unit to enable sliding movement of the storage lid. The storage unit can be a central console of the vehicle, and the storage lid is an armrest of the central console.

[0012] The first storage space is configured below the storage lid and preferably is configured as a storage bin. The first storage space allows the occupants to keep or store articles therein. The storage lid is movable over the first storage space to configure an open position and a closed position.

[0013] Further, a front end of the storage lid may have guide support or a pivot member to restrict the swivelling motion of the front end of the storage lid and facilitate sliding movement thereof. A rear end of the storage lid is pivotally connected to the supporting member by a pivot pin. The supporting member is a member extending or lifting angularly from the floor of the vehicle and along the side wall of the first storage space or along a side wall of a housing of the storage unit. Specifically, the supporting member is arranged in a slot configured adjacent to a side wall of the first storage space. The supporting member is movably arranged from an idle position to a lifting position. The lifting position of the supporting member configures the open position of the storage unit.

[0014] A motorised mechanism controls the movement of the supporting member from the idle position to the lifting position. By way of non-limiting example, the motorised mechanism includes a rack and pinion mechanism. The pinion of the rack and pinion mechanism is coupled to a motor, and the rack is configured on the supporting member, upon rotating the motor, the pinion rotates which enables the supporting member to move from the idle position to the lifting position. The motorised mechanism may also have a pinion or roller arranged beneath the storage lid such that upon actuation of the motor the storage lid slides along with the pinion or roller on a track arranged around a periphery of the storage space to configure the open position of the storage unit.

[0015] Further, the supporting member is provided with at least one-second storage space. In an embodiment, there is provided only a second storage space. The second storage space is accessible to the occupants only when the supporting member is in the lifting position. The second storage space is provided with a lid to open and close the second storage space. The lid may be operated by a push-push mechanism or any other similar mechanism. In an alternate embodiment, the supporting member may be provided with multiple storage compartments.

[0016] Further, when the motorised mechanism is operated, the supporting member is raised from the idle position to the lifting position. Upon raising the supporting member, the storage lid raises from the rear side and swivels around the pivotal axis in a first direction to configure the open position of the first storage space. Specifically, when the storage lid raises and swivels to the first direction, the front end of the storage lid slides along the X axis towards the rear seat to configure the open position of the storage unit allowing the occupants to access the first storage space and the second storage space simultaneous for example the front passenger can access the front storage space and the rear passenger can access the rear storage space.

[0017] Specifically, the supporting member is having the second storage space with a lid to cover the storage space. The supporting member may have multiple storage compartments configured thereon.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] The advantages and features of the present invention will be understood better with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

[0019] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a storage unit for storing articles in a vehicle interior in accordance with the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the storage unit in a closed position;

[0021] Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view the storage unit in a partially open or closed position;

[0022] Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of the storage unit with a supporting member in a lifting position to configure the open position of first storage space and second storage space;

[0023] Figure 5 illustrates a side view of the storage unit with the supporting member in an idle position;

[0024] Figure 6 illustrates a side view of the storage unit with the storage lid swivelling around the pivotal axis in a second direction to configure the open position of first storage space.

[0025] Figure 7 illustrates a side view of the storage unit with the supporting member in the lifting position in accordance with the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8 illustrates an embodiment of the storage unit for storing articles in a vehicle interior in accordance with the present invention; and

[0027] Figures 9 and 10 illustrate another embodiment of the storage unit for storing articles in a vehicle interior.

Detailed Description of the Invention
[0028] An embodiment of this invention, illustrating its features, will now be described in detail. The words "comprising, "having, "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

[0029] The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms “an” and “a” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

[0030] The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms.

[0031] Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate various views of a storage unit 100 for storing articles in a vehicle interior in accordance with the present invention. Specifically, the storage unit 100 is beneficial to rear seat occupants for storing articles, such as mobile phones, wallets, bottles and the like. The storage unit 100 is configured on a rear seat of the vehicle interior. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the storage unit 100 is configured in between the two front seats of the vehicle interior. The storage unit 100 may store any articles such as food items or stationary and the like.

[0032] Further, the storage unit 100 includes a storage lid 110, a first storage space 120 and a supporting member 130. The storage lid 110 is movably arranged over the periphery of the storage unit 100. More specifically, a sliding track (not shown) may be provided on the storage unit 100 to enable sliding movement of the storage lid 110. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 100 is a central console of the vehicle, and the storage lid 110 is an armrest of the central console, as shown in figure 3. Specifically, the centre console configured between two front seats of the vehicle.

[0033] The first storage space 120 is configured below the storage lid 110 and preferably is configured as a storage bin. The first storage space 120 allows the occupants to keep articles therein. The storage lid 110 is movably arranged over the first storage space 120 to configure an open position 200a (as shown in figure 1, 4 and 6) and a closed position 200b (as shown in figure 2 and 5) of the first storage space 120. In this embodiment, the storage lid 110 slides in an X-axis towards the rear seat to configure the open position 200a of the first storage space 120 in which the first storage space 120 is accessible to the occupant as shown in figures 1, 4 and 6. The open position 200a of the storage unit 100 facilitates the front passenger to access the storage space 120 and the rear passenger can access the second storage space 150. The second storage space 150 is provided at a comfortable height on the armrest console such that the knee area of the rear passenger will be free and will not be accommodated by the storage unit 100.

[0034] Further, referring to figure 6, the storage lid 110 is having a pivot pin 112 arranged on a rear end 110b. The storage lid 110 is pivotable around the pivotal axis to rotate in a first direction and a second direction. In the first direction, the storage lid 110 rotates around the pivotal axis in an anti-clockwise direction to configure the open position 200a of the storage unit 100 to give access to the first storage space 120 and second storage space 150 (as shown in figure 1 and 4). In the second direction, the storage lid 110 rotates around the pivotal axis in a clockwise direction to lift a front end 110a of the storage lid 110 to give access to the first storage space 120 only (as shown in figure 2).

[0035] Further referring again to figure 1, the front end 110a of the storage lid 110 may have a guide support or a pivot member (not shown) to restrict the swivelling motion of the front end 110a of the storage lid 110 and facilitate sliding movement thereof. The rear end 110b of the storage lid 110 is pivotally connected to the supporting member 130 by the pivot pin 112. The supporting member 130 is a member extending or lifting angularly from the floor of the vehicle and along the side wall 120a of the first storage space 120 or along a side wall 120b of a housing of the storage unit 100 as shown in figure 7. By way of non-limiting example, the orientation angle of the supporting member 130 may range between 40 to 120 degrees with respect to the floor of the vehicle. Specifically, the supporting member 130 is arranged in a slot 132 configured adjacent to the side wall 120a of the first storage space 120, as shown in figure 1. The supporting member 130 is movably arranged from an idle position (as shown in figures 2 and 5) to a lifting position (as shown in figures 1, 4 and 6). In the idle position the supporting member 130 rest inside the slot 132. In the lifting position, the supporting member 130 lifts the rear end 110b of the storage lid 110 to configure the open position 200a of the storage unit 100.

[0036] The movement of the supporting member 130 from the idle position to the lifting position is controlled by a motorised mechanism 140, as shown in figures 1, 5 and 6. By way of non-limiting example, the motorised mechanism 140 includes at least one pinion-rack or roller-track arrangement to move the storage lid 110 and/or the supporting member 130. The rack and pinion mechanism are coupled to a motor, and the rack is configured on the supporting member 130. In this embodiment, upon actuating the motor, the pinion rotates which enables the supporting member 130 to move from the idle position to the lifting position and simultaneously raising the storage lid 110 from the rear side and swivels around the pivotal axis of the pivot pin 112 in a first direction to configure the open position 200a of the storage unit 100. Specifically, the motor and the rack and pinion mechanism are configured in the inner side wall of the storage unit 100 such that upon actuation of the motor, the supporting member 130 raises and moves the storage lid 110 to configure open position 200a of the first storage space 120. The supporting member 130 may also be operated manually using an actuating mechanism (not shown) configured on the storage unit 100. Also, the storage lid 110 can be lifted from the rear end 110b manually to configure the open position 200a of the first storage space 120.

[0037] Further referring again to figure 1, the supporting member 130 is provided with at least one-second storage space 150. The present embodiment is shown to provide only a second storage space 150. The second storage space 150 is accessible to the occupants only when the supporting member 130 is in the lifting position, as shown in figure 1, 4. The second storage space 150 is provided with a lid 152 to open and close the second storage space 150. The lid 152 may be operated by a push-push mechanism or any other similar mechanism. The second storage space 150 may also store articles, such as mobile phone, wallet and the like. In an alternate embodiment, the supporting member 130 may be provided with multiple storage compartments 160, as shown in figure 4.

[0038] Further referring to figure 7, when the motorised mechanism 140 is operated, the supporting member 130 is moved from the idle position to the lifting position. Upon moving the supporting member 130, the storage lid 110 raises from the rear side 110b and swivels around the pivotal axis of the pivot pin 112 in the first direction to configure the open position 200a of the first storage space 120 as shown in figure 7. Specifically, when the storage lid 110 raises and swivels to the first direction, the front end 110a of the storage lid 110 slides along the X axis towards the rear seat to configure the open position 200a of the first storage space allowing the occupants to access the first storage space 120. When the storage lid 110 is in the open position, the supporting member 130 is in the lifting position providing the access of the second storage space 150 to the occupant. Specifically, the lifting position configures the open position 220a, and the open position automatically gives access to the storage spaces 120, 150. Similarly, when the supporting member 130 is operated to move to the idle position, the storage lid 110 slides to configure the closed position 200b of the first storage space 120, as shown in figure 2.

[0039] Various embodiments in accordance with the orientation of the supporting member 130 are shown in figures 8, 9 and 10.

[0040] Further, in an embodiment, as shown in figure 8, a pinion 140a of the motorised mechanism 140 is arranged beneath the front end 110a of the storage lid 110. The pinion 140a can be replaced by a roller in this embodiment. The pinion 140a is attached with the front end 110a of the storage lid 110. The pinion may be rotatable over a track (not shown) arranged around the periphery of the first storage space 120. Upon moving the pinion 140a by the motorised mechanism 140, the storage lid 110 slides along with the pinion 140a on a track (not shown) and thereby lifting the supporting member 130 to a lifting position to configure the open position 200a of the storage unit 100.

[0041] Specifically, the motorised mechanism 140 rotates the pinion which slides the storage lid 110 along an X-axis over the track (not shown) and lifts the rear end 110b of the storage lid 110 along with the supporting member 130 to configure the open position 220a of the storage unit 100. In this embodiment, the supporting member 130 is arranged in an angle ~ 60 degrees such that the movement of the rear end 110b of the storage lid 110 lift the supporting member 130.

[0042] Referring now to figure 9 and 10, an alternate embodiment of the storage unit 100 in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, two pinions 140a and 140b are used for the movement of the storage lid 110 and the supporting member 130 as shown in figure 10. The pinions 140a, 140b can be operated by a single motorised mechanism (not shown) or separately. The pinion 140a is attached beneath the front end 110a of the storage lid 110 and the pinion 140b is arranged on the inner side wall 120a of the first storage space 120. By way of non-limiting example, the motorised mechanism upon operating the pinions 140a and 140b, the storage lid 110 slides along an X-axis along with the pinion 140a and the supporting member 130 lifts to the lifting position to configure the open position of the storage unit 100.

[0043] Further, the supporting member 130 may be provided with a lock mechanism (not shown) to retain the lifting position of the supporting member 130 to an extent.

[0044] Therefore, the present invention has the advantage of providing a storage unit 100 for storing articles. The storage unit 100 provides additional hidden space for the rear seat occupants. Further, it is easily accessible for the rear seat occupants. Also, the storage unit 100 is easily operable and is robust in construction.

[0045] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilise the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention.