Nancy L Thacker

US Patent:

20070119885, May 31, 2007

Filed:

Jun 15, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/454429

Inventors:

Thomas Miller - Royal Oak MI, US
Nancy Thacker - Auburn Hills MI, US
Joel Runyan - Canton MI, US

International Classification:

A45F 5/00
B60R 7/00
B60R 7/06

US Classification:

224275000, 224483000, 224183000

Abstract:

A storage system for a vehicle passenger compartment provides reconfigurable storage for cds, trash and other items. The storage system includes multiple portable storage containers that are selectively mountable at several optional locations in the vehicle passenger compartment, or storable inside a floor console. One of the example portable storage containers is a cd sleeve and the other example portable storage container is a receptacle, such as for trash storage. In the example embodiments, the portable storage containers are securable to one of a plurality of interior panels via a magnetic coupling between the portable storage container and the interior panels. Additional mechanical coupling may be provided to prevent the storage containers from slipping on the interior panels. For example, in the portable trash storage receptacle, a protrusion is received in a complementary recess between the container wall and the interior panel, in order to prevent the container from sliding. The protrusion may include the magnet of the magnetic coupling. Preferably, the portion of the magnetic coupling that is formed on the interior panel is hidden behind an outer trim surface and does not protrude from the interior panel.