Description Field of the art

The present invention operates in the field of components of the interior of vehicles, in particular storage pockets which are normally positioned adjacent to the rear of the front seats. Still more specifically, the present patent regards a new and innovative type of storage pocket as well as the method for producing and assembling the same.

Prior art

It is known that in most motor vehicles, such as cars, trucks, buses and the like, a storage pocket is present at the rear of each seat which faces another row of seats.

This pocket is normally constituted by an elastic net with meshes suitably sized for allowing the housing of objects such as sheets, cell phones or other personal items of the passenger who is situated on the seat behind that which bears this pocket.

The method of production and assembly of this specific component of the seats does not lack critical features. Indeed it often happens that, over the years and with use, these elastic nets undergo a lowering and hence a loss of the elastic tension with which they were originally mounted, with the consequent loss of use and even of pleasing appearance.

Secondly, the mounting now mainly occurs by hand. More in detail, elastic nets are currently provided by the producer which have, on the three sides intended to be fixed to a plastic perimeter, a metallic stiffening edge. The meshes of the net exit outward from said metallic edge.

Simultaneously, in the assembly plant, a plastic perimeter is produced which will cover the three fixed sides of the storage pocket and which has wedge-shaped projections in the internal side.

At this point, an operator must by hand fit each of the projecting meshes on the relative wedge-shaped projection: an operation that is undoubtedly long and not very precise.

Several international patents regard this part of the car compartment such as, for example, the Chinese utility model CN207015217 which claims a screw and bolt assembly system with a very unpleasing appearance.

It is clear that neither the abovementioned patent nor the others currently operating on the market are able to resolve the above critical points; hence, the objects of the present invention.

Description of the invention

According to the present invention, a storage pocket is attained and the relative assembling method is described so as to effectively resolve the abovementioned problems.

Like all the storage pockets, also that of the present invention is adapted to be installed at the rigid rear panel of any one seat of a vehicle. It is advantageously constituted by an elastic net of rectangular shape with meshes of suitable size for retaining personal objects of a passenger of the vehicle. As is obvious, the net will be adapted to be constrained on three sides, leaving the upper side free for being able to receive the objects to be retained.

In order to resolve the problems of mounting and lowering of the net over time, advantageously, the pocket of the present invention also comprises:

- an external support constituted by a U-shaped profile adapted to be engaged with the three closed sides of the net. Advantageously, while the front side, i.e. that which remains visible upon completion, is processed in order to be aesthetically impeccable, the rear side has a plurality of projections, preferably of conical shape and preferably provided with tabs at the proximal end. Advantageously, said projections are adapted to be stably engaged with

- an insert, it too constituted by a U-shaped profile, substantially coinciding with the

U-shaped profile of the external support. Advantageously, the insert is provided with a plurality of holes, positioned at said projections of the external support, suitably sized and configured for receiving the projections of the external support. The insert is also advantageously provided with hooks adapted to be engaged, in a stable manner, with the perimeter meshes of the elastic net.

The method for assembling the storage pocket, due to the technical innovations described above, is advantageously faster and less expensive than the prior art. It comprises the following steps:

- assembly, by means of suitable machinery, of the perimeter meshes of the elastic net with the hooks with which the insert is equipped;

- superimposition and engagement of the insert with the external support, by making the holes of one coincide with the projections of the other. In a further still more advantageous embodiment, also this passage could be automated with suitable machinery;

- ultrasound welding of said external support with the rigid rear panel of the seat.

It follows that the appearance of the storage pocket is not minimally damaged; rather, it maintains its original configuration over time, independent of the frequency of use, and by means of a quicker and hence economically more advantageous production process.

The preferred material for attaining the external support and the insert is a fiberglass- reinforced polyamide (PA6 GF15), but this does not limit any other embodiment of other polymers.

Possibly, in accordance with the design, said storage pocket can be provided with a plurality of compartments, possibly of different size, which involves the due modifications of the geometric shape of the external support and of the insert without departing from the inventive unit of the present innovation.

The advantages offered by the present invention are clear in light of the description set forth up to now and will be even clearer due to the enclosed figures and to the relative detailed description.

Description of the figures

The invention will be described hereinbelow in at least one preferred embodiment by way of a non-limiting example with the aid of the enclosed figures, in which:

- FIGURE 1 shows the positioning of the storage pocket 100 on the rear panel 11 of the seat 1 of a vehicle.

- FIGURE 2 illustrates said storage pocket 100 seen from the outside, in which one sees the external support 110 and the elastic net 130.

- FIGURE 3 shows the rear side of the external support 110 in which the projections 111 with the relative tabs 112 are seen.

- FIGURE 4 illustrates the insert 120 which is the main innovation offered by the present invention. One observes the coupling system with the net 130 by means of the hooks 122 and the holes 121 which serve for positioning with respect to the external support 110.

- FIGURE 5 illustrates a detail of the coupling between the external support 110, the insert 120 and the net 130.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention will now be illustrated as a merely exemplifying but non-limiting or non-binding example, with use of the figures which illustrate several embodiments relative to the present inventive concept.

With reference to FIG. 5, a detail is shown of the engagement between the three main components of the pocket 100, object of the present invention.

Said three components are:

- an elastic net 130 with meshes, (already known as the main component of the storage pockets of car seats) of rectangular shape, constrained on three sides and open on the upper part in order to allow the insertion of objects;

- an external support 110 made of fiberglass-reinforced polyamide (PA6 GF15) which covers the three closed sides of the elastic net 130, provided, on its rear side, with projections 111 with conical shape stiffened by tabs 112 at the proximal end;

- an insert 120 made of fiberglass-reinforced polyamide (PA6 GF15) adapted to be superimposed on the rear side of the external support 110 due to the arrangement of suitable holes 121 at said projections 111. In addition, said insert 120 is provided with hooks 122 adapted to be engaged, in a stable manner, with the perimeter meshes of said elastic net 130.

The method associated with the present invention, in order to obtain a storage pocket 100 in a less expensive manner and preventing the elastic net 130 from lowering with respect to the external support 110 over time, is the following:

- assembly, by means of suitable machinery, of the perimeter meshes of the elastic net 130 with the hooks 122 of the insert 120 dedicated thereto;

- superimposition and engagement of said insert 120 with the external support 110 by inserting the projections 111 of the support 110 in the holes 121 of the insert 120;

- ultrasound welding of the external support 110 with the rigid rear panel 11 of said seat 1.

Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variations that are obvious for a man skilled in the art can be made to the invention described up to now, without departing from the protective scope that is provided with the enclosed claims.