Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02232224 1998-03-17
This invention is directed toward a tray assembly.
The invention is also directed toward a vehicle incorporating
the tray assembly.
The invention is more particularly directed toward a tray
assembly having a tray movable between an operable, horizontal,
position and a vertical, storage, position.
The invention is also more particularly directed toward a
vehicle having a floor, a front seat on the floor for the vehicle
operator, a passenger seat on the floor adjacent the front seat,
and a tray assembly on the floor far enough in front of the
passenger seat to provide leg room for a passenger. The tray
assembly has a tray movable between an operable, horizontal
position where the front of the tray rests on the front edge of
the passenger seat, and a vertical storage position.
The gray assembly of the present invention is particularly
useful in delivery vehicles where space is at a premium. The tray
assembly c:an be mounted on the floor beside the driver's seat and
in front of the passenger seat, with the tray generally parallel
to the front of the vehicle. When not needed, the tray of the tray
assembly is stored in a vertical storage position. When the tray
is needed,. such as to sort packages or mail, the tray is pulled up
and pivoted to a horizontal, working position, where its front
portion rests on the passenger seat, adjacent the driver. Once the
driver has no more need for the tray, the tray is pivoted upwardly
and slid downwardly in the tray assembly to its storage position.
The invention is particularly directed toward a tray assembly
having a pair of vertical, parallel, mounting posts and a
horizontal base on which the posts are mounted. The posts each
1.
CA 02232224 1998-03-17
have a vertical guide groove therein, the guide grooves in the
posts facing each other. A tray is mounted on the posts between
the posts, the tray having guide means on its sides, adjacent its
rear corners, that fit in the grooves on the posts. Stop means are
provided on the posts near the top of the posts for both retaining
the tray in a horizontal position, when the tray is pulled between
the posts and pivoted to a horizontal position, and in a vertical
position, when the tray is pivoted vertically from its horizontal
position and slid down between the posts to a storage position.
The invention is also particularly directed toward a vehicle
having a floor, a driver's seat on the floor of the vehicle at the
front and to one side, a passenger seat on the floor of the
vehicle at the front along side the driver's seat, and a tray
assembly an the floor of the vehicle in front of the passenger
seat leaving enough leg room for a passenger. The tray assembly
has a pair. of vertical, parallel, mounting posts and a horizontal
base on which the posts are mounted. The posts each have a
vertical guide groove therein, the guide grooves in the posts
facing each other. A tray is mounted on the posts between the
posts, the tray having guide means on its sides, adjacent its rear
corners, that fit in the grooves on the posts. Stop means are
provided an the posts near the top of the posts for both retaining
the tray in a horizontal position, when the tray is pulled up
between the posts and pivoted to a horizontal position where its
front edge rests on the passenger seat, and in a vertical
position, when the tray is pivoted vertically from its horizontal
position and slid down the posts to a storage position.
.2
CA 02232224 1998-03-17
The invention will now be described in detail having
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tray assembly with the
tray in an operative position;
Fig. 2 is a cross-section view of the tray assembly with the
tray in an operative position;
Fig. 3 is a cross-section view of the tray assembly with the
tray in its storage position;
Fig. 4 is a top plan detail view of one corner of the tray
with the tray in the storage position;
Fig. 5 is a cross-section view taken along line 5-5 in Fig.
4;
Fig. 6 is a plan view of the front of a vehicle having the
tray assembly mounted therein; and
Fig. 7 is a side view of the tray assembly in the vehicle
with the tray in a horizontal, operative position.
The tray assembly 1, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, comprises a
tray 3 mounted between two vertical, parallel, posts 5, 7. The
posts 5, 7 are mounted on a horizontal base plate 9 to extend
vertically upright from the base plate 9. The base plate 9 is
adapted to mounted on the floor of the area where the tray 3 is to
be used as will be described.
The posts 5, 7 are the same so only one will be described in
detail. Past 5 comprises an extruded member 13 having a
rectangular cross-section. A T-shaped guide slot 15 extends
inwardly from one side 17 of the member 13, the slot extending the
length of the member 13 and located slightly closer to the front
3.
CA 02232224 1998-03-17
19 of the member 13 than to its back 21. The slot 15 is parallel
to the front 19 and back 21 of the member 13. The posts 5, 7 are
mounted on the base plate 9 to have the slots 15, in their sides
17, face each other.
The tray 3 has a generally rectangular top surface 23, a
parallel bottom surface 25, and short, front 27, rear 29, and side
surfaces 31. A pair of rollers 35 are attached, via axles 37, to
side surfaces 31 adjacent the front surface 27 as shown in Fig. 4.
The axles 37 extend in opposite directions from the side surfaces
31, their axii being aligned and parallel to the front surface 27.
The tray 3 is sized in width to fit in between the posts 5, 7
on the base plate 9 with the rollers 35 located in the cross-bar
portion 39 of the T-shaped slots 15 in the posts 5, 7 and with the
axles 37 passing through the narrow stem portion 41 of the slots
15. Once the tray 3 has been mounted between the posts 5, 7 with
the rollers 35 in the slots 15, cap plates 43, shown in Figs. 2
and 3, can be mounted on top of the posts 5, 7 with suitable
fasteners to retain the rollers 35 within the slots 15.
A support rod 45 is mounted between the posts 5, 7 behind the
slots 15 and just below the top of the posts. The rod 45 is
located at the height of the bottom of the tray 3 when the tray 3
is in the operable, horizontal position as will be described. A
stop block 47 is mounted on each post 5, 7 on the inner one side
17, the block located adjacent the front of the post and level
with the top of the post. The bottom of the stop block 47 is
located at the height of the top of the tray 3 when the tray 3 is
in the operable, horizontal, position.
The support rod 45 carries a pair of small, spring biased,
4.
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cylindrical, rubber, rollers 51. The rollers 51 are longitudinally
spaced apart on the rod 45, the rollers 51 being close to the
posts 5, 7. One of the rollers 51 is shown in detail in Figs. 4
and 5. Each roller 51 is rotatably mounted on a carrying block 53
which block 53 is slidably mounted in a pocket 55 formed on a
mounting base 57. A spring 59 in the pocket 55 biases the carrying
block 53 and the roller 51 carried by it, forwardly against the
back of the tray 3 when the tray is in its storage position as
shown in Fig. 5. The mounting base 57 is mounted on the bottom of
the support rod 45, by suitable fasteners, not shown, in a cutout
61 formed in the bottom of the rod 45.
Sliding strips 65 can be attached to the sides 31 of the tray
3, extending forwardly from the rear 29 of the tray 3. Other
sliding strips 67 can be attached to the inner side 17 of the
posts, on each side of the slot 15. The sliding strips 65, 67 are
made from suitable plastic material.
In use, the tray 3 is normally stored in a vertical, storage
position between the posts 5, 7, as shown in Fig. 3, when not
needed. The guide rollers 35 on the tray are at the bottom of the
slots 15 and the front 27 of the tray rests on the base plate 9.
The top portion of the tray 3 is located between the rollers 51 on
the support rod 45 on one side of the slots 15 and the stop blocks
47 on the other side of the slots 15, the rollers 51 and the stop
blocks 47 maintaining the tray 3 in a vertical position generally
parallel with the guide slots 15. The rubber rollers 51 are biased
against the tray 3 by the springs 59 to hold it relatively tight.
When it is desired to use the tray 3, the back of the tray is
grasped and the tray is pulled up between the guide posts 5, 7,
5.
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the rollers 35 following in the guide slots 15 until they near the
top of the slots and are above the support rod 45. The tray 3 is
then pivoted rearwardly about the rollers 35 to have its bottom
surface 25 rest on the support rod 45 while its top surface 23
abuts against the stop blocks 47. The weight of the tray 3 causes
its front end to abut the stop blocks 47, which along with the
support rod 45, hold the tray in an operative horizontal position.
When the tray 3 is no longer needed, it is pivoted upwardly about
the support rod 45 to a vertical position and slid down between
the posts 5, 7 to its storage position.
Preferably, this tray is designed to be used in a delivery
truck such as a truck delivering mail. The floor plan of such a
vehicle 101, as shown in Fig. 6, has a front driver's seat 103 on
the floor 105 of the vehicle on one side of the floor at the
front, and a passenger seat 107 beside the driver's seat 103. The
tray assembly 1 is mounted on the floor 105 in front of the
passenger seat 107 with the tray 3, in its storage position,
generally close to, and parallel to, the front 109 of the vehicle
and some distance from the front of the passenger seat 107 to
provide leg room. In use, the tray 3 can be pulled up from the
posts 5, 7 and pivoted rearwardly to a horizontal operative
position, where its rear portion rests on the front of the
passenger seat as shown in Fig. 7 and its front portion rests on
the support rod 45. The top of the tray is just below the stop
blocks 47. In this position, the tray 3 can support a heavy load
adjacent to the driver. When the tray 3 is no longer needed it can
be pivoted back to an upright position, and slid down between the
posts 5, 7 to its vertical storage position.
6.
