Foldable fabric container to be mounted on carrier bars for car roofs

Abstract

A foldable fabric container to be mounted on carrier bars is described, comprising: an external casing (20) in flexible material composed of a base (20a), a perimeter wall (20b) and a removable upper cover (21), the external casing (20) being equipped with means for fastening to a roof of a motor vehicle, or to multipurpose bars or to a roof rack; and a plastic reinforcement (1) designed to be fixed to support crosspieces (21A, 21B), contained inside the container, using bolts and knobs to increase safety in the event of a rear-end collision or sudden braking, preventing the load from going to tear the fabric of the container.

Description

[0001] FOLDABLE FABRIC CONTAINER TO BE MOUNTED ON CARRIER BARS FOR CAR

[0002] ROOFS

[0003] The present invention refers to a foldable fabric container to be mounted on roof bars of motor vehicles .

[0004] As known, rigid cargo containers to be applied to the roof of motor vehicles have been present on the market for many years , typically through the interposition of multipurpose bars or roof racks , designed to allow the expansion of the load capacity .

[0005] These existing containers generally include a base and a lid cooperating with each other through, for example , one or more hinges or other opening mechanisms , typically made as two hal fshells in plastic material with a substantially aerodynamic shape so as not to excessively penali ze the advancement of the vehicle on which they are applied .

[0006] However, these containers , considering their considerable shape and si ze , have the drawback of being particularly bulky and di f ficult to store when not in use , and therefore removed from the vehicle , especially i f they must be stored in garages , characteri zed by limited spaces .

[0007] Furthermore , rigid containers cannot be transported inside the vehicle , for example in the trunk, to be actually used in case of need and therefore are poorly suited to unexpected needs for additional space that may arise : in fact , such containers must be mounted on the vehicle already in anticipation o f their use for the transport of loads exceeding the capacity of the vehicle itsel f . To overcome this inconvenience , it is a common and daily experience that some users keep the container mounted on the vehicle even when it is not used, precisely in anticipation of possible future uses , however making the vehicle of questionable aesthetic impact and obviously increasing its fuel consumption .

[0008] There are also containers on the market that can be mounted on the roof of a vehicle which are made of plastic, but the problem is the considerable si ze which requires space when not in use .

[0009] There are also fabric bags to be mounted on the roo f bars , but when loaded they expand and touch the roof of the vehicle , damaging it .

[0010] Obj ect of the present invention is therefore solving the aforementioned prior art problems , by providing a foldable fabric container to be mounted on the roo f racks of motor vehicles , which can be easily folded on itsel f when it is not used to occupy a reduced storage space .

[0011] Furthermore , an obj ect of the present invention is providing a foldable fabric container to be mounted on the carrier bars which, once folded, can be contained inside the trunk compartment of any motor vehicle and can therefore be easily transported and then easily mounted on the roof of the vehicle itsel f in any case of need for additional load space .

[0012] Furthermore , the container indicated above allows problems of expansion to be solved by means of a series of steel crosspieces , to which plastic reinforcement is added to improve the seal .

[0013] The above and other obj ects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are achieved with a foldable fabric container to be mounted on roof racks of motor vehicles such as that described in claim 1 . Preferred embodiments of the present invention form the subj ect matter of the dependent claims .

[0014] The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof , provided as a non-limiting example , with reference to the attached drawings , in which :

[0015] - FIG . 1 shows a perspective view from above of a foldable fabric container to be mounted on the roof bars during its assembly step on the roof of a motor vehicle ;

[0016] - FIG . 2a shows a perspective view from above of a foldable fabric container to be mounted on the carrier bars during another step of its assembly on the roof of a motor vehicle ;

[0017] - FIG . 2b shows an enlargement of the detail of panel A of FIG . 2a ;

[0018] - FIG . 3 shows a perspective view from above of a foldable fabric container to be mounted on the roof bars during its further assembly step on the roof of a motor vehicle ;

[0019] FIG . 4a shows an exploded view of a device for fixing the container according to the present invention on the roof of a motor vehicle ;

[0020] - FIG . 4b shows an assembled view of the fastener of FIG . 4a ;

[0021] - FIG . 5 to 7 show perspective views of the foldable fabric container to be mounted on the support bars according to the present invention during its other assembly steps on the roof of a motor vehicle ;

[0022] - FIG . 8 to 11 show perspective views of a detail of the foldable fabric container to be mounted on the support bars according to the present invention;

[0023] FIG . 12 shows a perspective view from above of the foldable fabric container to be mounted on the support bars according to the present invention;

[0024] FIG . 13 shows two perspective views , respectively from above and from below, of an element of the foldable fabric container to be mounted on the support bars of FIG . 12 ;

[0025] FIG . 14 shows a perspective view from below of the foldable fabric container to be mounted on the support bars of FIG . 12 ;

[0026] FIG . 15 shows a perspective view from below of the foldable fabric container to be mounted on the support bars of

[0027] FIG . 12 in its assembly step on the roof of a motor vehicle ;

[0028] FIG . 16 shows a perspective view from above of the foldable fabric container to be mounted on the support bars of

[0029] FIG . 12 in another assembly step on the roof of a motor vehicle ; - FIG . 17 shows a perspective view of a variation o f the container of the present invention;

[0030] - FIG . 18 shows a construction detail of the embodiment of FIG . 17 ; and

[0031] - FIG . 19 shows a perspective view of a further variation of the container of the present invention .

[0032] Referring to the Figures , it is possible to note that a foldable fabric container to be mounted on the load-carrier bars includes at least one semi-rigid containment base 10 , composed of at least two longitudinal rigid lateral containment sides 11 , j oined together by means of flexible connection elements , preferably made as at least two flexible transversal belts 13 in plastic or fabric material (by way of example , in FIG . 1 a semirigid containment base 10 is illustrated in which the two longitudinal rigid lateral containment sides 11 are j oined together by five flexible belts 13 ) ; each longitudinal containment lateral side 11 is preferably made of plastic or composite material and shaped in such a way as to be defined by a lower base Ila connected to a lateral wall 11b : the lateral walls 11b of the respective longitudinal rigid lateral containment sides 11 therefore define some rigid lateral and perimeter walls to contain the container in foldable fabric to be mounted on the support bars according to the present invention; obviously, the length of the flexible connection elements 13 , based on which the maximum distance L is established between the longitudinal rigid lateral containment sides 11 , is a variable parameter which can depend on the capacity which has to be given to the foldable fabric container to be assembled on the carrier bars according to the present invention and / or by the dimensions of the roof on which the container itsel f must be mounted . Each longitudinal rigid lateral containment side 11 is also equipped with means for fastening to the roof of a motor vehicle , or to multipurpose bars or roof racks mounted on the roof of the motor vehicle itsel f .

[0033] The container of the present invention instead includes :

[0034] - at least one external casing 20 made of flexible material composed of a base 20a, a perimeter wall 20b and a removable upper cover 21 , this external casing 20 being capable of containing the semi-rigid containment base 10 inside it , being in particular the lower bases Ila of the longitudinal rigid lateral containment sides 11 resting on the base 20a of the external casing 20 , as well as the lateral walls 11b covered externally by the perimeter wall 20b . In particular, the adhesion between the side walls 11b and the perimeter wall 20b can be increased by interposing between them, for example , at least one strip of Velcro 15 or clips (not shown) . The base 20a of the external casing 20 can be equipped with reinforcement means , preferably made as at least one longitudinal reinforcement strip 23 inserted in a relevant longitudinal pocket 25 obtained along the base 20a, as illustrated, for example , in FIG . 3 ; alternatively, it is evident that the longitudinal reinforcement strip 23 can be made integral with the base 20a by gluing, stitching and / or welding . Naturally, the external casing 20 can be made with a wide variety of flexible materials ( such as for example plastic materials or fabrics ) which give it , in particular, adequate resistance and waterproof characteristics .

[0035] Although the foldable fabric container to be mounted on the load-bearing bars according to the present invention can be fixed directly on the roof of a motor vehicle by creating, for example , the fastening means of the container itsel f in such a way as to interface with the four seats or arrangements intended to the fixing of the feet of the multipurpose bars with which the roofs of motor vehicles are currently equipped already during the production step, the most usual use of the foldable fabric container according to the present invention, as well as that of the rigid containers known from the prior art , requires that it be positioned on the roof of the vehicle by fixing it on a roof rack or multi-purpose bars with which the vehicle itsel f is already equipped . In this sense , therefore , by way of example , the means for fixing the container according to the present invention will be described and illustrated hereinafter in some of their variants aimed at allowing the fixing of the container itsel f on multi-purpose bars or on a roof rack of a motor vehicle . In this context , it is completely clear that , for reasons of safety, reliability and stability, the foldable fabric container according to the present invention must be fixed in multiple fixing points to the multi-purpose bars or to the roof rack : in particular, also for reasons of symmetry o f fixing, it is preferable that the fixing means of the foldable fabric container are made in such a way as to allow at least four fixing points 30 . Since the four fixing points 30 are substantially equal to each other, for reasons of brevity and descriptive ef ficiency, herein below a description will be made in particular of a single fixing point 30 , considering, by analogy, the remaining ones also described in this way . There fore , referring to Figures 2b to 11 , it is possible to note that , in a first preferred embodiment of the foldable fabric container according to the present invention, in each fixing point 30 , the fixing means comprise at least two first fixing through-slots 30a arranged longitudinally along the lower base Ila of a longitudinal rigid lateral containment side 11 , preferably in correspondence with its two extreme longitudinal portions , each first slot 30a being j uxtaposed with a similar second slot 30b obtained through the base 20a of the external casing 20 , and a fastening device 40 ( such as that illustrated, for example , in FIG . 4a and 4b ) cooperating with the first fastening through- slots 30a and the second slots 30b to secure the foldable fabric container according to the present invention to a bar 50 ( as illustrated, for example in FIG . 5 ) such as for example a multipurpose bar or belonging to a roof rack) . In particular, the fastening device 40 includes at least one fastening U-bolt 41 , obviously made as a "U" -shaped bracket having each of its two arms 41a capable of being inserted into a respective second slot 30b and a first slot 30a to it i s j uxtaposed once placed astride the bar 50 . To tighten the bar 50 against the base 20a of the external casing 20 and the lower base Ila of the respective longitudinal rigid lateral containment side 11 ( FIG . 5 ) , each arm 41a is also equipped with at least one threaded portion thereof to allow the screwing of a respective fixing nut 43 capable of acting against at least one fixing plate 45 equipped with two through holes 45a for insertion of at least the threaded portion of a respective arm 41a and arranged along the arms 41a between the fixing nuts 43 and the surface of the lower base Ila of the respective longitudinal rigid lateral containment side 11 ( FIG . 6 ) . To allow greater universality of assembly of the foldable fabric container according to the present invention, and in particular to adapt to the di f ferent possible centre-distances between the at least two multipurpose bars ( front and rear ) of a motor vehicle or between the bars of a roof rack, each fastening slot 30 can be equipped with a plurality of pairs o f first fastening through-slots 30a ( and related second slots 30b ) , preferably aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction and equally spaced . Furthermore , to increase the pressure surface existing between the fixing U-bolt 41 and the bar 50 , the fixing device 40 is also equipped with at least one stop plate 47 , also equipped with two through-holes 47a for inserting the respective arms 41a, to be placed between the intermediate portion 41b of the fixing U-bolt 41 and the bar 50 . In a preferred variation of the external casing 20 , its base 20a is equipped externally, in correspondence with each fixing point 30 , with at least one covering strip 60 ( as , for example , illustrated in FIG . 8 , 9 , 10 and 11 ) adhering to the base 20a by means of at least one perimeter Velcro strip 61 , designed to cover and protect the respective fastening device 40 from atmospheric agents , once instal led in the relevant fastening point 30 . In particular, the covering strip 60 is extremely useful also during the assembly and disassembly steps of the foldable fabric container according to the present invention, since , once the arms 41a of the fixing U-bolt 41 are inserted into the respective slots 30a, 30b, and the covering strip 60 is closed using the strip of Velcro 61 , as illustrated in particular in FIG . 11 , it is possible to proceed with the insertion of the fixing plate 45 and the relative fixing nuts 43 , or with their removal , without having to hold the fixing U-bolt 41 itsel f with a hand, usually in awkward positions , to prevent it from falling .

[0036] Referring now to FIG . 12 to 16 , it is possible to note an alternative embodiment of the means for fixing the foldable fabric container according to the present invention . In this variation, the fixing means comprise at least two rails 70 , each of which is arranged longitudinally below the lower base Ila of each longitudinal rigid lateral containment side 11 . At each fixing point 30 of the container according to the present invention, each rail 70 is equipped with at least one slot 71 having a diameter such as to allow the insertion of at least one head 81 of a fixing bolt 80 , the remaining width of the slot of the rail 70 being less than the diameter of the head 81 but equal to or greater than the diameter of the shank of the fixing bolt 80 .

[0037] To allow the insertion of the head 81 of the fixing bolts 80 inside the rail 70 , the base 20a of the external casing 20 is equipped with at least one opening 20c in correspondence with the slot 71 . In particular, at each fixing point 30 , the fixing means preferably comprise at least two fixing bolts 80 which, once inserted into the relevant rai l 70 , are arranged on the two opposite sides of a bar 50 ; to fix the foldable fabric container according to the present invention at each of its f ixing points 30 to a respective bar 50 , the fixing means therefore comprise at least one U-bolt plate 83 , equipped with two through-holes 83a for the insertion of a respective shank of a fixing bolt 80 , to be positioned across the bar 50 , and two fixing nuts 85 to be screwed to the respective fixing bolt 80 once the U-bolt plate 83 has been inserted along the relevant pair of fixing bolts 80 . Also in this variation, it is evident that the presence of the covering strip 60 in correspondence with the fixing points 30 as previously described can be extremely useful .

[0038] Referring now to FIG . 17 to 19 , two embodiments of the container of the present invention are illustrated . In the front part of the container, in the travel direction of a vehicle , a plastic reinforcement 1 is provided, as illustrated in Fig . 17 and 18 . The plastic reinforcement 1 is fixed to the crosspieces 2 / A and 2 / B (Fig. 18) using bolts and knobs. This "reinforcement" increases safety in the event of a rear-end collision or sudden braking, preventing the load from tearing the fabric of the container itself. Since inside this roof box it is possible to transport different types of objects, even with blunt / sharp corners or edges, which could tear the canvas and compromise its watertightness, a further improvement is to sew on the internal canvas of the product a bulkhead / shield 2 designed to limit this problem, as seen in Fig. 19.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Foldable fabric container to be mounted on support bars comprising : at least one external casing (20) made of flexible material composed of a base (20a) , a perimeter wall (20b) and a removable upper cover (21) , said external casing (20) being equipped with means for fixing to a roof of a motor vehicle, or to multipurpose bars or to a roof rack; characterized in that it also comprises:- at least one plastic reinforcement (1) designed to be fixed to support crosspieces (21A, 21B) , contained inside the container, using bolts and knobs to increase safety in the event of a rear-end collision or sudden braking, preventing the load from going to tear the fabric of the container.

2. Foldable fabric container according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a bulkhead / shield (2) sewn onto the internal canvas of the container to limit problems due to the transport of objects with blunt / sharp corners or edges, which could tear the canvas and compromise its watertightness .

3. Foldable fabric container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said flexible connection elements are at least two transversal flexible ribbons (13) .

4. Foldable fabric container according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that it also comprises at least one semi-rigid containment base (10) composed of at least two longitudinalrigid lateral containment sides (II) joined together by means of flexible connection elements, each longitudinal rigid lateral containment side (11) being shaped to be defined by a lower base (Ila) connected to a lateral wall (11b) .

5. Foldable fabric container according to claim 4, characterized in that said lower bases (Ila) of said longitudinal rigid lateral containment sides (II) rest on said base (20a) and said lateral walls (11b) are covered externally by said perimeter wall (20b) .

6. Foldable fabric container according to claim 5, characterized in that said side walls (11b) adhere to said perimeter wall (20b) through the interposition of at least oneVelcro strip (15) .

7. Foldable fabric container according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said base (20a) of said external casing (20) is equipped with reinforcing means.

8. Foldable fabric container according to claim 7, characterized in that said reinforcing means are at least one longitudinal reinforcing strip (23) .

9. Foldable fabric container according to claim 8, characterized in that said base (20a) is equipped with a longitudinal pocket (25) for inserting said longitudinal reinforcement strip (23) .

10. Foldable fabric container according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that in each fixing point (30) of saidcontainer with multipurpose bars or to a luggage rack, said fixing means comprise at least two first fixing through-slots (30a) arranged longitudinally along said lower base (Ila) of said longitudinal rigid lateral containment side (II) , each of said first slots (30a) being juxtaposed with a second slot (30b) crossing said base (20a) , and a fastening (40) cooperating with said first slots (30a) and said second slots (30b) to fix said foldable fabric container to a bar (50) .

11. Foldable fabric container according to claim 10, characterized in that said fastening device (40) comprises at least one "U"-shaped fastening U-bolt (41) having each of its two arms (41a) capable of being inserted in a second slot (30b) and a first slot (30a) juxtaposed to it once placed astride said bar (50) , each arm (41a) being equipped with at least one threaded portion for screwing a fastening locking nut (43) capable of acting against at least one fastening plate (45) equipped with two through-holes (45a) for inserting at least said threaded portion of a respective arm (41a) and arranged along said arms (41a) between said fixing nuts (43) and said lower base (Ila) of said respective longitudinal rigid lateral containment side (II) .

12. Foldable fabric container according to claim 11, characterized in that said fastening device (40) is equipped with at least one stop plate (47) equipped with two through- holes (47a) for inserting said arms (41a) arranged between an intermediate portion (41b) of said fixing U-bolt (41) and saidbar ( 50 ) .

13. Foldable fabric container according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said external casing (20) is equipped externally in correspondence with each said fixing point (30) with at least one covering strip (60) adhering to said base (20a) using at least one perimeter Velcro strip (61) .

14. Foldable fabric container according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said fixing means comprise at least two rails (70) , each of which is arranged longitudinally below said lower base (Ila) of each longitudinal rigid lateral containment side (II) .

15. Foldable fabric container according to claim 14, characterized in that in each fixing point (30) each rail (70) is equipped with at least one slot (71) for inserting at least one head (81) of a fixing bolt (80) through at least one opening (20c) of said base (20a) in correspondence with said slot (71) .

16. Foldable fabric container according to claim 15, characterized in that at each fixing point (30) , said fixing means comprise at least two fixing bolts (80) fixed astride said bar (50) by means of at least one plate with U-bolt (83) equipped with two through-holes (83a) for inserting a respective fixing bolt (80) , and two fixing nuts (85) .

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