CONTAINER FOR USE IN A VEHICLE

Abstract

A container for storing items in a vehicle. The container includes a base and a plurality of planar surfaces affixed to the base and extending up toward an open upper end. The planar surfaces taper inwardly with the base having a width greater than a width of the upper end. The plurality of planar surfaces and base surround an interior area for storing items. The container is prevented from tipping over when positioned on a horizontal surface because of the wide base. The container may also have curved walls and a circular base. In addition, the container may include a device for retaining a beverage container in the interior area. The container may also include a plurality of divider walls for dividing the interior area into separate storage areas.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to containers. Specifically, and not by way of limitation, the present invention relates to a container for use within a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art

With the increased use of vehicles in our country, it is very common for drivers and their passengers to spend a considerable amount of time in their vehicles. Most vehicles provide accommodations for the comfort of the occupants of the vehicle. Most occupants carry many items which they wish to store in the vehicle, such as sunglasses, beverages, cell phones, tissue, etc. However, in many cases, the vehicles do not provide sufficient storage facilities to carry the wide variety of items. Currently, many vehicles include a storage area located between the driver and front seat passenger. In addition, many vehicles include beverage holders in the vehicle. However, many of these vehicles, although providing some of these amenities, only provide limited storage area to hold the occupants' items. In addition, although many of these vehicles include beverage holders, the holders are located in inconvenient or insufficient numbers for the occupants.

Although occupants find the storage facilities insufficient for their needs, the occupants merely attempt to find any place in the vehicle to hold their various items. For example, beverages may be placed on the floor of the vehicle. However, if the vehicle stops or turns suddenly, the beverage may tip over. In addition, occupants of the vehicle may place their sunglasses in various nooks in the vehicle, but run the risk of misplacing their items.

An apparatus is needed which provides an easily accessible and versatile container for holding the occupants' items. Additionally, it would be advantageous to have a container which does not tip over during sudden movements of the vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a container for storing items in a vehicle. The container includes a base and a plurality of planar surfaces affixed to the base and extending up toward an open upper end. The planar surfaces taper inwardly with the base having a width greater than a width of the upper end. The plurality of planar surfaces and base surround an interior area for storing items. The container is prevented from tipping over when positioned on a horizontal surface because of the wide base.

In another embodiment, the container may also have curved walls and a circular base.

In another embodiment, the container may include a device for retaining a beverage container in the interior area.

In still another embodiment, the container may also include a plurality of divider walls for dividing the interior area into separate storage areas.

In another embodiment, the container may be adapted for retaining a conventional tissue box.

In another embodiment, the container is configured for use in a trunk of a vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a container in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the container having a beverage retention device in a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the container of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the container holding a tissue box in another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the container of FIG. 3 with a beverage container inserted within the beverage retention device;

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a rectangular container in another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a container in another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container for use in a vehicle. FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a container 10 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The container 10 includes a base 12 located on a lower end 14. A plurality of planar surfaces 16 extend from the base to an upper end 18. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the planar surfaces slope or taper inward toward the upper end 18. The upper end 18 includes an opening 20. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper end is smaller than the base 12, thereby providing a tapered upward slope. The base is preferably closed without any openings. In one embodiment, the base and upper end have a square shape with four planar surfaces. However, in other embodiments, the container may have any number of planar surfaces and the base and upper end may be in any shape, such as a triangular with three planar surfaces, pentagonal with five planar surfaces, etc.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the container 10 of FIG. 1. The upper end 18 preferably includes the opening 20 surrounded by the planar surfaces 16. The opening 20 leads to an interior area 22 of the container 10. The planar surfaces are walls surrounding the hollow interior area allowing storage of items. Preferably, the slope of the planar surfaces is approximately between 5 and 30 degrees from a vertical axis.

By using the base 12 with a width larger than the upper end, the container is difficult to tip over. Thus, when a vehicle holding the container moves suddenly, the container is prevented from tipping. In one embodiment, a bottom side of the base (not shown), includes anti-skid material (e.g., rubberized textured surface) to prevent the container from sliding on a horizontal surface. The bottom or lower portion of the container may be constructed of a relatively heavy material. This heavy material provides addition weight to the base, thereby providing a further stabilization force to prevent the container from tipping over.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the container 10 having a beverage retention device 30 in a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a top view of the container 10 of FIG. 3. The beverage retention device 30 includes a support 32 having a circular opening 34 sized and shaped to hold a beverage container. The support is affixed to the container 10. As illustrated, the support includes retaining arms 36 extending from the support and bent to attached to an outer surface 40 of the planer surfaces. In this embodiment, the retaining arms equal the number of planar surfaces. The support may be detachable from the container 10. Thus, the support may be removed to configure the container for storage of other items rather than beverage containers. It should be understood that the support may be attached to the container in any fashion and still remain within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the container of FIG. 3 with a beverage container 50 inserted within the beverage retention device 30. The container 10 is placed on a flat surface. The beverage container 50 is positioned within the circular opening 34. Because of the sloping planar surfaces and wider base than the upper end 18, the container and beverage container will not tip over when subjected to sudden movement by the vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the container 10 holding a tissue box 56 in another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a conventional tissue box is positioned within the opening 20 of the container 10 shown in FIG. 1. With the tissue box positioned in the container, the tissue box is prevented from tipping over.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a rectangular container 60 in another embodiment of the present invention. In a similar fashion as the container 10, the container 60 includes sloped planar surfaces 16, a base 12 and an upper end 18. The upper end is open. In addition, the length and width of the base is greater than the length and width of the upper end. As shown, the base and upper end includes four planar surfaces and is rectangular in shape. The container 60 is particularly useful for holding and storing items such as tools, towels, or other items commonly found in a trunk of a vehicle. In one embodiment, the container 60 includes a plurality of removable divider walls 62. By utilizing the divider walls 62, a plurality of storage areas 64 are created for the storage of various items, such as tools 66 or towels 68. The container 60 is rectangular in shape to provide a container particularly useful for placement of the container within a vehicle's trunk.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a container 80 in another embodiment of the present invention. The container 80 is similar to the container 10 having a plurality of sloped planar surfaces 16, a base 12, and an upper end 18. As depicted, the container 80 is larger than the container 10, but still retains a square-shaped upper end and base. The container 80 is useful for holding a plurality of items, such as a cell phone 82 and writing utensils 84 found in an interior of a vehicle. The container 80 may include a plurality of removable divider walls 86, thereby creating a plurality of individual storage areas 88.

The container may be constructed of any rigid material, such as plastic, cardboard, etc. In addition, in one embodiment, the container may include a lid to cover the upper end 18. In another embodiment, the upper end includes a flapper top which includes a pivotable top surface. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, rather than utilizing planar surfaces, the container may include a curved wall surrounding the interior area 22. The base and upper end may be circular, oval or other curvilinear shape. In addition, the wall is sloped and includes a base having a larger diameter than the upper end. In another alternate embodiment, the container may include extensions extending from the lower end of the container for use on uneven surfaces. For example, the floor of many vehicles includes a hump running down the center of the vehicle. The container may be positioned on the hump with the extensions lying on each side of the hump, thereby balancing the container on the hump. In addition, in another alternate embodiment, the container may include an attachment mechanism to coupling the container to one or more containers. In addition, if the containers are connected in series, in another embodiment, one or more of the planar surfaces may be removed to create a larger container. Thus, the container may be part of a modular construction and configured as desired by the user.

The present invention provides a versatile container for use in many situations in a vehicle. The interior area 22 of the container may include various modifications which allow the interchanging of components for various uses. For example, the beverage retention device 30 may be used in one situation to hold a beverage container. When desired, the beverage retention device may be removed to allow the storage of various items in the interior area (e.g., trash, wallet, cell phone, etc.). As desired, the user may position divider walls within the interior area as desired to provide a plurality of storage items. The present invention may be positioned anywhere in the vehicle, such as the floor of the vehicle, the seat, the middle hump, the dashboard, the roof, the trunk, a truck bed, etc. In addition, the present invention may be used to store or hold a wide variety of items, such as trash, tissue, cups, liquid, tools, luggage, etc. Additionally, the present invention is configurable to receive and hold various retain storage retention devices for holding specific items (e.g., beverage containers, tissue boxes, etc.) which are removable to allow storage of a wide range of items.

While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.

Thus, the present invention has been described herein with reference to a particular embodiment for a particular application. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the present teachings will recognize additional modifications, applications and embodiments within the scope thereof.

It is therefore intended by the appended claims to cover any and all such applications, modifications and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A container for use in a vehicle, the container comprising:

a wall surrounding an interior area; and

the wall having a base on a lower end and an opposing upper end, the upper end having an opening;

wherein the wall tapers inwardly from the base to the upper end, the base being larger than the upper end;

the interior area being configured to store items;

whereby the container is prevented from tipping over when positioned on a horizontal surface.

2. The container according to claim 1 wherein the wall includes a plurality of planar surfaces.

3. The container according to claim 2 wherein the base and upper end are rectangular-shaped.

4. The container according to claim 1 wherein the wall is curved.

5. The container according to claim 4 wherein the base and upper end are circular.

6. The container according to claim 1 further comprising a beverage retention device, the beverage retention device being positioned in the interior area and having a support for holding a beverage container.

7. The container according to claim 6 wherein the beverage retention device is removable.

8. The container according to claim 1 wherein the interior area includes a plurality of divider walls for dividing the interior area into a plurality of separate storage areas.

9. The container according to claim 1 further comprising a removable lid for covering the upper end.

10. The container according to claim 1 is configured for holding a tissue box.

11. The container according to claim 1 further comprising extension extending outwardly from a lower portion of the container, the extensions allowing the container to be balanced on an uneven surface.

12. The container according to claim 1 wherein a lower portion of the container is weighted.

13. The container according to claim 1 wherein a lower surface of the base includes an anti-skid material.

14. The container according to claim 1 wherein the container is constructed of a rigid material.

15. The container according to claim 1 further comprising an attachment means for coupling the container to one or more other containers.

16. The container according to claim 1 wherein the wall has a slope between 5 and 30 degrees from a vertical axis.

17. The container according to claim 1 wherein the interior is configured for receiving a detachable storage device having means for holding a specified item.

18. A container for storing items in a vehicle, the container comprising:

a base;

a plurality of planar surfaces affixed to the base and extending up toward an open upper end, the planar surfaces tapering inwardly;

the plurality of planar surfaces and base surrounding an interior area for storing items;

wherein the base has a width greater than a width of the upper end;

whereby the container is prevented from tipping over when positioned on a horizontal surface.

19. The container according to claim 18 further comprising a beverage retention device, the beverage retention device being positioned in the interior area and having a support for holding a beverage container.

20. The container according to claim 18 wherein the interior area includes a plurality of divider walls for dividing the interior area into a plurality of separate storage areas.