In motor vehicles the parcel shelf is defined by a panel having a front portion hinged to the sides of the luggage compartment about a horizontal axis, orthogonal to the vehicle advancement direction, and a rear portion provided with two holes engaged by respective sealing or capping elements, made of plastic material.
In some solutions, said sealing elements have a substantially U-shape and define respective openings, wherein the cables or ropes of the ties slide. The upper ends of the ties are defined by hooks, which are coupled in a releasable manner to the tailgate of the luggage compartment. The lower ends of the ties, normally, are defined by weights which tend to keep the ropes outstretched and vertical. When the tailgate is opened to access the luggage compartment, the ropes run through the openings of the sealing elements until the weights rest against a lower surface of the parcel shelf. From that moment on, the two weights lift the parcel shelf.
Typically, the hooks and the weights are made of plastic material, which is over-molded onto the ends of the ropes, so as to be integral with the ropes themselves.
The holes of the parcel shelf are made with a larger diameter with respect of the hooks: during the assembly step, the hooks are inserted into said holes and then, on the edge of said holes and about the ropes, the sealing elements are applied, to close the space between the edge of the holes and the ropes themselves.
It is felt the necessity to simplify the known solutions described above, eliminating the two sealing elements from the holes of the parcel shelf.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds