GB2303618A - Expandable storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

An expandable storage device for holding items such as shopping bags in the boot of a car comprises a plurality of hingably connected walls (4,6,8,10,12,14) with restraints 22 also connecting the walls such that the device can be opened to form a plurality of compartments.

Description

EXPANDABLE STORAGE DEVICE The present invention relates to an expandable storage device.

Such a device is especially suited for use in automobiles in order to prevent movement of items within a luggage area thereof, such as a boot.

It is relatively common for people to drive to shops such as supermarkets, in order to purchase provisions. Frequently the shopper leaves the shop with a number of carrier bags which are placed in the boot of a car. The bags are typically made of a flexible plastics and frequently fall over during transit, thereby distributing their contents around the boot.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an expandable storage device for storing items, the storage device comprising a plurality of walls co-operating to define compartments therebetween, at least two of the walls being moveable with respect to one another such that the storage device can be moved between an unexpanded state and an expanded state.

It is thus possible to provide a storage device for use in, for example, a car or similar to restrain items from rolling or spilling over within a luggage region (boot) of the car.

Preferably at least two of the walls co-operating to define a single compartment are, in use, inclined with respect to each other so as to define a compartment having tapering crosssection. Advantageously the compartments are arranged such that each compartment has an upward facing opening and the width of each compartment decreases with increasing distance from the opening.

Advantageously adjacent compartments may not have a common wall. This enables each compartment to assume a predetermined shape irrespective of the shape or size of items in an adjacent compartment.

Advantageously the walls are grouped into pairs, with the walls of each pair being attached to one another in a hinged manner.

This has the advantage of restricting the relative motion of the walls in each hinged pair and provides structural stability to the storage device. The hinge may, for example, be provided at an upper edge between walls defining adjacent compartments.

Alternatively, all of the walls may be hinged together in a generally zig-zag arrangement such that hinge like attachments are provided at the top and bottom sides of walls intermediate the end walls of the device.

Advantageously, floor parts may be provided in the vicinity of the bottom edges of the walls so as to define a floor between opposing walls of each compartment. The floor parts may be hingedly attached to the associated walls. Alternatively, the floor parts may be formed by a flexible material, such as a fabric or a flexible plastics.

Advantageously, floor engaging means may be provided on at least one of the floor parts or at the base of one or more walls to engage a surface beneath the storage device so as to stop it sliding. The floor engaging means may comprise pegs, spikes or the like for engaging a partially deformable surface.

The floor engaging means may comprise deformable hook-shaped

elements such as found on VELCRO, for engaging a carpet in the boot or carrying space of a vehicle. As a further alternative, adhesive parts can be used. The pads may be disposable. High friction coverings, such as rubber, may also be used as the floor engaging means.

The hinge attachments may be formed via hinges, flexible strips of a fabric or a flexible plastics, or via a fold line introduced in a sheet of material forming at least two walls of the device.

Preferably the walls are formed of a relatively stiff material such a fibre board or cardboard. However, it is apparent that other materials may also be used, such as plastics.

The walls may be bounded by frames so as to strengthen them.

The frames may be hingedly connected to adjacent frames and/or floor parts.

Preferably at least one flexible restraining member, such as a rope, a ribbon, webbing or similar, extends between adjacent walls so as to limit the maximum displacement of one wall from its neighbour or neighbours. Advantageously the flexible restraining member is attached to the walls in the central or upper portion thereof such that, in use, the compartments take on a "V" or a "U" cross section. The flexible members also act to form restraints which prevent items from falling out of the sides of the compartments. A sheet of flexible material may extend between like ends of each wall of the wall of each compartment in order to close the compartment so as to prevent items falling out of the compartment.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of stowing items in a vehicle, comprising placing the items in an expandable storage device according to the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shopping bag holder comprising a plurality of walls co-operating to define compartments therebetween, at least two of the walls being moveable with respect to one another such that the shopping bag holder can be moved between an unexpanded and an expanded state.

The present invention will further be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a storage device constituting an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the storage device shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a side view of the storage device in a folded position.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a three compartment storage device 2 constituting an embodiment of the present invention. The device 2 comprises first to sixth walls 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14, respectively. The walls are attached together in a hinged manner so that the device can be folded between an expanded position (as shown in Figure 1) and a folded position (not shown) in which the walls 4 - 14 are substantially parallel with another and neighbouring walls are in close or face to face contact. The second and third walls 6 and 8 are attached to one another along an upper edge thereof. The fourth and fifth walls 10 and 12 are similarly attached to each other.

A first floor portion 14 is disposed between, and hingedly attached to the first and second walls 4 and 6 at lower edges thereof. A second floor portion 16 interconnects the third and fourth walls 8 and 10 in a similar manner, and third floor portion 18 interconnects the fifth and sixth walls 12 and 14.

Attachment means (not shown) such as the hook pieces of VELCRO fasteners are provided on the lower surface of the floor portions. The attachment means is able to releasably engage with the fibres of carpets commonly provided in the boot or luggage spaces of cars. This inhibits movement of the storage device.

The first wall 4, the first floor portion 14, and the second wall 6 co-operate to define a first compartment 20. A flexible member 22 such as a length of rope, ribbon, tape, hinged arms, webbing or similar extends between a first point of attachment 24 on the first wall and a second point of attachment 26 of the second wall 6 so as to limit the maximum width of a upwardly facing mouth 27 of the first compartment 20. The flexible member 22 also serves to provide a restraint at a first end of the first compartment which serves to prevent items from falling out of the compartment. A similar flexible member 22' is provided at a second (ie. the other) end of the first compartment 20, as shown in Figure 2. The flexible member 22 also extends between the second point of attachment 26 and a third point of attachment 28 on the third wall 8 thereby limiting the maximum angle between the second wall 6 and the third wall 8. The flexible member 22 is also attached to the fourth, fifth and sixth walls in a similar manner to that described with respect to the first to third walls. The similar flexible member 22' is similarly attached, as shown in Figure 2. Thus a stowage device is provided which comprises three "V" shaped channels closed at either end thereof by a rope or similar. It is of course apparent that a flexible wall could be provided to entirely close the ends of each channel.

It is also apparent that the number of compartments may be varied and the compartments may also be sub-divided, for example, by the provision of one or more further flexible members disposed away from the ends of the channels.

The implementation of the hinge arrangements between, for example, the first wall 4 and the first floor portion 14, the first floor portion 14 and the second wall 6, and the second wall 6, and the third wall 8, may be selected by a skilled man with regard to the materials used to form the walls and floor portions. The hinges may be formed by fold lines (which may be provided by scores or perforations) in a suitably flexible material, such as fibre board or cardboard, or a flexible plastics such as polypropylene.

The storage device can be retained in its unexpanded state until such time as it is required for use. The device can then be expanded to the position shown in Figure 1 and then items, such as bags of shopping, can be placed within the compartments 20, 30 and 32. This then inhibits falling or folding of the bags and thereby prevents the shopping from being spread around the boot of a car.

Plastic carrier bags of the type provided at supermarkets are generally of a uniform size and consequently the dimensions of the storage device can be tailored to match the size of the bags. It will be appreciated that the device has further applications besides carrying bags of shopping.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the storage device in the collapsed state. The outer walls (ie. the first and sixth walls 4 and 14, respectively) may be provided with handles 36 to facilitate opening of the device. The outer walls may also be provided with catches for holding the device in a collapsed state prior to use. The catches may be rigid mechanical catches or interengaging flexible strips such as a hook and loop arrangement commonly known as VELCRO

The dimensions of the device can be varied. An embodiment suitable for holding shopping bags has walls approximately 60 cm wide and 25 cm high. The floor parts have a width of approximately 7 cm and the mouth of each "V" shaped channel is approximately 30 cm wide. However, these dimensions are only examples and are not limiting. The floor part may be made wider to provide a larger floor area. Such an arrangement may be more suitable for transporting plants.

It is thus possible to provide an inexpensive and versatile storage device.

Claims (21)

1. An expandable storage device for storing items, comprising a plurality of walls co-operating to define compartments therebetween, at least two of the walls being movable with respect to one another such that the storage device can be moved between an unexpanded state and an expanded state.

2. An expandable storage device as claimed in claim 1, in which at least two of the walls cooperating to define a single compartment are, in use, inclined with respect to each other so as to define a compartment having tapering cross-section.

3. An expandable storage device as claimed in claim 2, in which at least one of the compartments has an upward facing opening with the width of the compartment decreasing with increasing distance from the opening.

4. An expandable storage device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which adjacent compartments do not share a common wall.

5. An expandable storage device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the walls are grouped into pairs, with the walls of each pair being attached to one another in a hinged manner.

6. An expandable storage device as claimed in claim 5, in which a hinged connection is provided at an upper edge between walls defining adjacent compartments.

7. An expandable storage device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the walls are hinged together by hinge-like attachments provided at the top and bottom sides of walls intermediate the end walls of the device.

8. An expandable storage device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which floor parts are provided in the vicinity of the bottom edges of the walls so as to define a floor between opposing walls of a compartment.

9. An expandable storage device as claimed in claim 8, in which the floor parts are hingedly attached to the associated walls.

10. An expandable storage device as claimed in claim 8, in which the floor parts are formed from a flexible material.

11. An expandable storage device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which floor engaging means for engaging a surface beneath the storage device is provided on at least one of the floor parts or at the base of at least one of the walls.

12. A storage device as claimed in claim 11, in which the engaging means comprises at least one of a high friction covering, pegs, spikes, deformable hooks and a adhesive pads.

13. A storage device as claimed in claims 5,6,7 or 9, in which the hinge attachments are provided by hinges, flexible strips of fabric or flexible plastics, or by fold lines introduced in a sheet of material forming at least two walls of the device.

14. A storage device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the walls are relatively stiff.

15. A storage device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13 in which the walls are bounded by frames.

16. A storage device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one flexible member extending between adjacent walls so as to limit the maximum displacement of a wall from its neighbour or neighbours.

17. A storage device as claimed in claim 16, in which the at least one flexible member is attached to the walls in central or upper portions thereof such that, in use, the compartments have a "V" or "U" shaped cross-section.

18. A storage device as claimed in claims 16 or 17, in which the flexible members are sheets of flexible material extending between like ends of each wall of a compartment.

19. A shopping bag holder comprising a storage device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

20. A method of storing items, in a vehicle, comprising placing items in an expandable storage device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. An expandable storage device substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.