Adapter for a hook

Abstract

An adapter 800 for a hook 76 mounted in or to a vehicle (10, figure 1) or vehicle accessory is described, comprising an engagement feature 802, 804 shaped to engage with the hook, and an external surface having an attachment part 810 for attachment to a storage board (900, figure 6). The adaptor may take up first and second rotational positions with respect to the hook. In the first position (figure 4) the adaptor may be located over the hook, and in the second position the adaptor and hook are locked together. In this way, conventional hooks (such as those used to secure luggage nets) can be retained (rather than removed or replaced) and used to define mounting points within the vehicle / accessory for the storage board. If the hook is mounted in a pannier (14) attached / attachable to the vehicle, the adapters space the storage board away from the back of the pannier.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to an adapter for a hook. Aspects of the invention relate to an adapter, a storage system, a vehicle and a storage board. BACKGROUND It is known to provide vehicles with storage systems for storing accessories and other items. One example is an external pannier which mounts to the exterior of a vehicle and provides an internal space for storage of items. Such an internal space may be provided with a luggage net for retaining articles securely and safely, and such a luggage net is conventionally held in place by spaced apart hooks within the external pannier (typically four hooks are used, one to each corner of a rectangular net). In some cases, a different storage configuration is desirable, such as a specialist storage board comprising a plurality of compartments. Small items may be stored into these compartments, or larger items may be strapped or secured across the board. Retrofitting such a board into an existing storage pannier / box, or providing a new storage system to include the board and mount it to a vehicle is not straightforward. In particular, tolerances and part-to-part geometry differences between an accessory and it's proposed mounting position in a vehicle mean that secondary securing systems are required for consistent robustness and stability for every customer - for example over centre / cam locks, threaded adjustment features, rubber spacers, and the like, that bias the accessory within the mounting position. These secondary securing systems add cost and complexity to a part and degrade the customer experience of fitting the accessory. The generic hook or clip features on a vehicle, such as those provided within the pannier for net attachment, are not optimised for specialist uses (having the wrong geometry), and so are not suitable for mounting a storage board, or potentially certain other specialist items. However, removing the standard hook and installing a new one is wasteful, and afterwards that hook is only suitable for that niche device. Due to the construction method of the standard hook feature, it is not generally possible to swap the standard hook to a specialist hook without large scale dismantling of the components. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide an adapter for a hook, a storage system, a vehicle and a storage board as claimed in the appended claims. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided an adapter for a hook mounted in or to a vehicle or vehicle accessory, comprising: an engagement feature shaped to engage with the hook; and an external surface having an attachment part for attachment to a storage board. In this way, conventional hooks (such as those used to secure luggage nets) can be retained (rather than removed or replaced) and used to define mounting points within the vehicle / accessory for the storage board. In the case that the hook is mounted in a pannier / storage box / locker attached or attachable to the vehicle, the adapters space the storage board away from the back of the pannier or storage locker. The present technique therefore provides an adapter which converts a standard hook into a specialised hook, without the need to remove the standard hook, and without any engineering or geometry changes to the standard hook and associated substrate. It uses the geometry of the standard hook to act as a locking feature for the adapter, without tools or any other changes. The hook may be of a form comprising a stem and one or more arms extending outwardly from the stem, such as may typically be provided for net attachment. In this case, the engagement feature of the adapter may comprise one or more surfaces for passing under and engaging with the underside of the arms as the adapter is rotated in a first direction with respect to the hook. This serves to secure the adapter firmly in place. The adapter may comprise an opening which permits entry of the one or more arms of the hook when the adapter is in a first rotational position with respect to the hook, wherein the adapter is rotatable in the first direction from the first rotational position to a second rotational position in which the one or more surfaces engage with the underside of the arms of the hook. The second rotational position may therefore be such that the adapter is securely attached to the hook, while being in an orientation suitable for attachment of the storage board. The adapter may comprise one or more formations for retaining the adapter on the hook in a locked position at the second rotational position. Such formations may be shaped to inhibit rotation of the adapter with respect to the hook from the second rotational position in a second direction opposite to the first direction. Explained differently, the formations may bias the adapter into the second rotational position (once the adapter has rotated into, or close to, that second rotational position) such that significant rotational force is required to move the adapter out of the second rotational position and back towards the first rotational position. In some implementations, the one or more arms of the hook are curved and / or angled back towards a base of the stem. In this case, at least a portion of the surfaces of the engagement feature of the adapter is shaped to generally conform to an underside of the one or more arms. In practice this may require the surface of the engagement feature to define a slope, or ramp, having the same angle / gradient as at least a part of the underside of the arms of the hook. For arms which are straight (rather than curved) this would involve the angle of the slope being constant, whereas for curved arms the slope would be a curved slope. In the case of needing to conform to straight arms, the slope may be planar, which will bias the adapter into the second rotational position. For engaging with the underside of curved arms, the slope will not be planar, but may define a straight (non-concentric) line at each given radial distance from a longitudinal axis of the adapter. By providing the adaptor with an internal ramp feature of this type, it is possible to convert a standard hook into a quarter turn type having a locking feature. The hook may also comprise a base (at the point of attachment of the hook to the vehicle or accessory). In this case the adapter may comprise a recess (shaped and dimensioned) to receive the base. As a result, when the adapter is rotated into the second rotational position the base of the hook becomes fully received within the recess and the adapter may come into contact with the surface to which the hook is attached. This may result in a more stable fixation of the adapter. The attachment part of the adapter may comprise a stem and one or more arms extending away from the stem. The one or more arms of the adapter may extend substantially perpendicularly from the stem. The arms of the adapter (when the adapter is in the second rotational position) may be orthogonal to the arms of the underlying hook. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a storage system for storing items in or on a vehicle, the system comprising a plurality of adapters according to the above, and a storage board, the storage board comprising one or more formations which are each engageable with the attachment part of a respective one or more adapters. The storage board may be flexible, and when engaged with a plurality of the adapters is deformed from an unflexed state into a flexed state, the flexed state of the storage board retaining the storage board in engagement with the adapters. This flexed state of the board may be achieved and maintained by the attachment parts of the plurality of adapters being non-parallel with each other (which may be due to the underlying hooks being non-parallel, which may in turn be due to the surface to which the hooks are mounted being non-planar). Each of the formations of the board may comprise an aperture through which the attachment part of a respective adapters can pass. The apertures or each aperture may comprise a first part shaped and dimensioned to allow the attachment part of the respective adapter to pass therethrough when the storage board is pushed onto the adapter, and a second part along which the attachment part can slide but which is shaped and dimensioned to inhibit the storage board from being pulled away from the adapter. In this way, the board fits to the adapters by means of a keyhole and boss arrangement. With the installation of a planar mounting panel (storage board), there is little to no resistance when installing the board onto the adapters, on an individual basis - the mounting features pass through holes on the specialist accessory without resistance. However, the geometry of the original substrate (the part of the pannier or vehicle to which the hooks are fixed) means that when all four mounting features are used, as the board is pulled onto the adapters, the accessory bends into tension slightly, providing a resistive force which prevents the board from becoming free due to vibration when in use. The storage board may comprise a plurality of compartments, cavities or retaining mechanisms for receiving and retaining accessories or other items. The storage board may be removable from the adapters with the accessories or other items still attached. Storage boards per se are widely available, for example a MOLLE board (Modular Light Weight Load-Carrying Equipment), and typically provide a means of attaching a variety of different items to a common backing. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle accessory such as a pannier comprising a plurality of hooks, a plurality of adapters as described above, engaged with or engageable with the hooks, and a storage board as described above, engaged with or engageable with the adapters. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle accessory such as a pannier comprising one or more hooks, and one or more adapters as described above, engaged with or engageable with the hooks. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising one or more adapters as described above and / or a storage system as described above and / or a vehicle accessory as described above. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in anyway and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an automobile having a pannier; Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of pannier suitable for mounting to an automobile; Figure 3A and 3B show a schematic representation of a hook, which may typically be mounted in the pannier of Figure 2; Figures 4A and 4B show a schematic representation of an adapter, placed onto a hook, but in a disengaged orientation; Figures 5A and 5B show a schematic representation of the adapter of Figures 4A and 4B, but in an engaged orientation with the hook; Figure 6 shows a schematic representation of a storage board for mounting on the adapters of Figures 4A, 4B, 5A and 5B; Figure 7 shows a schematic representation of the storage board of Figure 6, engaged with the adapters; and Figures 8A and 8B show the attachment of the storage board with the adapters in more detail. DETAILED DESCRIPTION An adapter, an automobile accessory and an automobile comprising an automobile accessory mounting arrangement in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the accompanying figures 1 to 8. With reference to Figure 1, there is illustrated a simplified frontal view of an automobile 10 comprising an automobile accessory mounting arrangement 12, and an automobile accessory 14 mounted thereto. The automobile is, in certain embodiments, a car, SUV, or the like. The automobile comprises a roof 16 and sides 18. In a normal forward direction of travel the automobile moves in an x direction as represented by the axes in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows arms 38 of the mounting arrangement 12 in more detail, along with the accessory 14 itself. The accessory 14 is shown in this case as a storage box 36 with the lid removed, to reveal the volume within. Within the accessory 14 is a net / pocket 78, which is secured in place with a set of hooks 76 (only one of which is visible in Figure 2, but in practice at least four hooks 76 are used, one securing each corner of the net 78. While in this example the hook 76 is mounted in a storage locker attached or attachable to a vehicle, the same principles could apply to a pannier or any volume in which attachment of items is beneficial. Figures 3A and 3B show the hooks 76 in more detail. Figure 3A shows a side view of the hook 76, while Figure 3B shows a plan view of the hook 76. The hook 76 can be seen to comprise a base 762, a stem 764 and a hooked head 766. The base 762 is for attachment to the inside of the storage box 36 (for example), and the hooked head 766 is to catch a portion of the net 78, to secure it in place within the storage box 36. The hooked head 766 takes the form of a pair of arms which extend outwardly from the stem 764. The arms of the hooked head 766 are curved back towards the base 762, although in alternative implementations could be straight and angled back towards the base 762 (or a part of each arm could be straight and angled back). In Figure 3A the arms extend substantially perpendicularly from the stem 764 initially (the portion of the arms closest to the point of contact with the stem), but further away from the stem are curved / angled towards the base 762. Figures 4A and 4B show a hook adapter 800 in a first (unengaged) state with respect to a hook 76, in both an external view (Figure 4A) and cross-sectional view (Figure 4B), while Figures 5Aand 5B show the hook adapter 800 in a second (engaged) state with respect to the hook 76, again in both an external view (Figure 5A) and a cross-sectional view (Figure 5B). The adapter 800 can be seen to have various engagement surfaces 802, 804 shaped to engage with various portions of the hook, and an external surface having an attachment part for attaching an item to the vehicle or vehicle accessory. The engagement surfaces 802, 804 of the adapter 800 comprises one or more surfaces 802 for passing under and engaging with the underside of the arms of the hook 76 as the adapter 800 is rotated a quarter turn (90°) in a first direction with respect to the hook. As can be seen from Figure 4A, the surface 802 defines a ramp having various structures. In particular, the ramp of the surface 802 comprises a first curved ramp part 803 having a radius of curvature coincident with a longitudinal axis of the adapter (and the underlying hook 76). This is the part first encountered by the underside of one arm of the hook 76 as it is 5 rotated in the first direction, A planar slope 805 is provided (extending from the curved ramp part 803), which defines a resting position for the arm of the hook 76 when the adapter 800 has completed the quarter-turn of rotation. Ridges 807 bound each side of the slope 805, serving to retain the arm of the hook in position at the slope 805. The engagement surface 804 is positioned to engage against the central region of the arms, such that the arms are trapped between the surfaces 802 and 804 when the adapter 800 is rotated. The adapter 800 comprises an opening 815 at its base which permits entry of the hook 76 when the adapter is in a first rotational position with respect to the hook (unengaged). The adapter 800 is rotatable in the first direction from the first rotational position to a second rotational position to in which the one or more surfaces 802 engage with the underside of the arms of the hook. In this (engaged) state the adapter 800 cannot be detached from the hook 76 without first rotating it in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The internal surface comprises one or more formations for retaining the adapter on the hook in a locked position at the second rotational position. In particular, the one or more formations inhibit rotation of the adapter with respect to the hook from the second rotational position in a second direction opposite to the first direction. As mentioned above, the ridges 807 provide this function, but additionally the planar (rather than curved) nature of the slope 805 also tends to discourage relative rotation of the hook 76 and the adapter 800. Since the one or more arms of the hook 76 are curved and / or angled back towards a base of the stem, at least a portion of the engagement surface of the adapter is shaped to generally conform to an underside of the one or more arms (at least in certain relative rotational positions of the adapter 800 and the hook 76). The adapter 800 comprises a recess shaped and dimension to receive the base of the hook 76. In this way, the hook 76 can be fully encapsulated by the adapter, and stability can be improved by increasing the contact of external surfaces of the hook with internal surfaces of the adapter. From Figure 5B (particularly in comparison with Figure 4B) it can be seen that when the adapter 800 is fully engaged with the hook 76 a large number of surfaces of the adapter 800 are in contact with respective surfaces of the hook 76, providing a firm and stable engagement. In use, the adapters 800 can be simply slid onto and rotated to engage with the hooks 76. Full engagement is received with a tactile click perceptible to the userand indicating that it is secure (as the underside of the hook 76 passes over the ridges 807). The adapters 800 can be readily disengaged from the hooks 76, but only with the application of significant force to rotate it away from the fully engaged position. It will be appreciated that engagement surfaces 802 are provided on the adapter for each of the arms of the hook 76, only one of which is visible in the figures. The attachment part 810 of the adapter 800 comprises a stem 812 and one or more arms 814 extending away from the stem (at the top extremity thereof). The one or more arms 814 extend substantially perpendicularly from the stem 812. In this way, the adapter 800 converts a standard hook 76 into a specialised hook, without the need to remove the standard hook, and without any engineering or geometry changes to the standard hook and associated substrate. It uses the geometry of the standard hook 76 to act as a locking feature for the adapter 800, without tools or any other changes being required. Figure 6 shows an exploded view of four hooks 76, four respective adapters 800, and a storage board 900 configured to be mounted to the vehicle or vehicle accessory. Figure 7 shows an assembled view of the same. As such, Figures 6 and 7 show how the hooks 76 and adapters 800 described above can provide for a storage system for storing items in or on a vehicle. The storage board 900 comprises one or more formations, in this case keyhole openings 910, which are each engageable with the attachment part (boss) 810 of a respective one or more of the plurality of adapters 800. The storage board 900 comprises a plurality of compartments 920 for receiving and retaining accessories or other items. The storage board 900 is particularly well suited to carrying smaller items, such as tools and parts, or for bearing larger items such as drones and defibrillators, which may be strapped or otherwise secured to the board. The storage board 900 is removable from the adapters 800 with the accessories or other items still attached, without the need for tools. The storage board 900 is flexible. As such, when the storage board 900 is engaged with a plurality of the adapters 800, it is deformed from an unflexed state into a flexed state. That is, the board 900 must be flexed in order to engage it with the adapters 800. When the storage board 900 is in the flexed state, the flexion of the board retains the storage board 900 in engagement with the adapters 800. The flexed state of the board 900 is achieved and maintained by the attachment parts 810 of the plurality of adapters 800 being non-parallel with each other. This may result either from the underlying hooks 76 (and more specifically the stems thereof) being non-parallel with each other (which may in turn be due to the underlying surface of the vehicle or vehicle accessory to which the hooks 76 are mounted being non-planar / curved), or alternatively from an asymmetry built into the adapters 800. Each of the formations 910 of the board comprises an aperture through which the attachment part 810 of a respective adapter 800 can pass. Figures 8A and 8B show respectively the aperture absent the adapter 800, and with the adapter 800 engaged therewith. The apertures or each aperture comprises a first part shaped and dimensioned to allow the attachment part of the respective adapters to pass therethrough when the storage board is pushed onto the adapters, and a second part along which the attachment part can slide but which is shaped and dimensioned to inhibit the storage board from being pulled away from the adapters. More specifically, from Figure 8A it can be seen that the opening comprises a hole 912 having a first diameter, and a slot 914 extending away from the hole, the slot having a first width, which is less than the first adapter. The first diameter is larger than the extent of the arms 814 (from the end of one arm to the end of the other arm), whereas the first width is smaller than the extent of the arms 814, thereby inhibiting the board 900 from being pulled away from the adapters 800 when the attachment parts 810 of the adapters 800 are engaged with the slots 914. To engage the storage board 900 with the adapters 800, the storage board is manoeuvred such that the attachment parts 810 of the four adapters 800 pass through the hole 912 (which is large enough to admit the attachment parts 810), and then the board 900 is moved (slid) such that the attachment parts 810 move from the hole 912 into the slot 914. The board 900 is then released, and the flexion of the board serves to retain the attachment parts 810 in the slots 914, resisting their return to the holes 912. Preferably the board is aligned such that the slot 914 is above the hole 912, such that gravity aids in retaining the board 900 in engagement with the adapters 800. In an alternative implementation a storage board of the type shown in Figures 6 and 7 may be attached to a vehicle or vehicle accessory without using adapters. In this case the fixing points on the vehicle or vehicle accessory to which the storage board are to be mounted will be required to have certain characteristics corresponding to the adapter attachment portions. In particular, the one or more formations of the storage board may in this case each be engageable with respective ones of a plurality of fixing points in or on the vehicle or vehicle accessory. Because the storage board is flexible, when it is engaged with the plurality of the fixing points it is deformed from an unflexed state into a flexed state, the flexed state of the storage board retaining the storage board in engagement with the fixing points. Whether the board is attached to the vehicle or vehicle accessory to fixing points directly, or via adapters, preferably at least four adapters / fixing points are used. While flexion of the board can be achieved with two points of attachment, this would achieve flexion about a single axis only, which is less secure than via three or preferably four attachment points which provide flexion of the board on multiple axes. It will be appreciated that the adapters permit the hooks to be used not only as a means of securing a net (without the adapters being attached), but also to secure a storage board (with the adapters being attached). The attachment portion of the adapters is a boss having a stem 812 and arms 814 well suited to engage with the storage board 900, but is less well suited than the underlying hooks for securing the net. The hooks 76 on the other hand are well suited to engage with the net, but are unable to engage directly with the storage board. The design of the planar mounting panel (storage board) means that there is little to no resistance when installing the specialist item onto the specialist hooks. The mounting features pass through holes on the specialist accessory without resistance. However, the geometry of the original substrate (onto which the hooks are mounted) means that when all four mounting features are used, as the accessory is pulled onto the adapters, the accessory bends into tension slightly, providing a resistive force which prevents the accessory from becoming free due to vibration when in use. It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An adapter for a hook mounted in or to a vehicle or vehicle accessory, comprising:an engagement feature shaped to engage with the hook; andan external surface having an attachment part for attachment to a storage board.

2. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the hook comprises a stem and one or more arms extending outwardly from the stem, and wherein the engagement feature of the adapter comprises one or more surfaces for passing under and engaging with the underside of the arms as the adapter is rotated in a first direction with respect to the hook.

3. The adapter according to claim 2, comprising an opening which permits entry of the one or more arms of the hook when the adapter is in a first rotational position with respect to the hook, wherein the adapter is rotatable in the first direction from the first rotational position to a second rotational position in which the one or more surfaces engage with the underside of the arms of the hook.

4. The adapter according to claim 2 or claim 3, comprising one or more formations for retaining the adapter on the hook in a locked position at the second rotational position.

5. The adapter according to claim 4, wherein the formations are shaped to inhibit rotation of the adapter with respect to the hook from the second rotational position in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

6. The adapter according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the hook comprises a base and the adapter comprises a recess to receive the base.

7. The adapter according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment part of the adapter comprises a stem and one or more arms extending away from the stem.

8. The adapter according to claim 7, wherein the one or more arms of the adapter extend substantially perpendicularly from the stem.

9. A storage system for storing items in or on a vehicle, the system comprising a plurality of adapters according to any preceding claim, and a storage board, the storage board comprising one or more formations which are each engageable with the attachment part of a respective one or more of the adapters.

10. The storage system according to claim 9, wherein the storage board is flexible, and when engaged with a plurality of the adapters is deformed from an unflexed state into a flexed state, the flexed state of the storage board retaining the storage board in engagement with the adapters.

11. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein the flexed state of the board is achieved and maintained by the attachment parts of the plurality of adapters being non-parallel with each other.

12. The storage system according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein each of the formations of the board comprises an aperture through which the attachment part of a respective adapters can pass.

13. The storage system according to claim 12, wherein the apertures or each aperture comprise a first part shaped and dimensioned to allow the attachment part of the respective adapter to pass therethrough when the storage board is pushed onto the adapter, and a second part along which the attachment part can slide but which is shaped and dimensioned to inhibit the storage board from being pulled away from the adapter.

14. The storage system according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the storage board comprises a plurality of compartments, cavities or retaining mechanisms for receiving and retaining accessories or other items.

15. A vehicle accessory comprising a plurality of hooks, a plurality of adapters according to any one of claims 1 to 8, engaged with or engageable with the hooks, and a storage board, engaged with or engageable with the adapters.

16. A vehicle comprising one or more adapters according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and / or a storage system according to any one of claims 9 to 14 and / or a vehicle accessory according to claim 15.11

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