BACKGROUND ART

In many station wagon type vehicles, the load space behind the rear passenger seat is totally open which is advantageous when large loads are carried, but which has safety and security problems. In the event of a motor vehicle accident, cargo sitting in the load space can be propelled forwardly or upwardly injuring the people in the vehicle. Furthermore any cargo in the load space is visible to inspection through the rear windows of the vehicle providing a tempting target for thieves.

It has long been recognised that it is desirable to provide a cargo cover for the load space of a station wagon type vehicle which would extend horizontally from adjacent the upper rear edge of the rear passenger seat to the opening door at the rear of the vehicle. Such a cargo cover should ideally be rigid and able to sustain the impact of a heavy object in the load space in the event of a motor vehicle accident, particularly a roll over accident but should be easily removed from the vehicle if it is necessary to utilise the entire load space in the rear of the vehicle.

This poses problems in many of the station wagons where it is not possible to insert such a rigid one-piece cargo cover through the rear door of the vehicle due to the size of the rear door opening compared with the area which must be covered by the cargo cover in order to provide the necessary protection. It is also not possible to readily lift the rear edge of such a one- piece cargo cover once the rear door of the vehicle has been opened to allow improved access to the cargo space without providing cut-away portions at the rear corners

of the cover. Such cut-aways or openings defeat the purpose of being able to contain cargo within the load area in the event of a motor vehicle acciden .

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The present invention therefore provides a cargo cover adapted to cover and enclose the open space behind the rear passenger seat in a motor vehicle having an opening door at the rear thereof, said cargo cover comprising a pair of substantially planar side infill members adapted to be secured in a substantially horizontal position to the interior sides of the motor vehicle extending between the passenger seat and the rear of the load space, each side infill member having one edge contoured to conform to the adjoining interior side of the motor vehicle and the opposite edge incorporating a supporting ledge, and a central substantially planar cover member shaped to fit between and be supported by the supporting ledges of the side infill members in use and to extend between the passenger seat and the rear of the load space.

Preferably the central tray member is pivotally mounted to the side infill members at the forward corners of the central tray member by way of pivot pins located on an axis extending transversely across the vehicle. Preferably the pivot pins are located in the central tray member and protrude outwardly beyond the edges of the tray member into corresponding holes in the side infill members.

Preferably the pivot pins are retractable allowing the central tray member to be completely removed from the vehicle.

Preferably the side infill members are substantially symmetrical about a medial plane passing through and parallel to the substantially planar side infill member so that identical side infill members can be utilised on either side of the vehicle, one being "upsidedown" compared with the other.

Preferably the side infill members and the central

tray member are moulded from a suitable plastics material .

Preferably the moulded side infill members and central tray members incorporate reinforcing ribs defining recessed portions in the surfaces of the respective members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Notwithstanding any other forms that may fall within its scope, one preferred form of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a motor vehicle cargo cover according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation to enlarged scale of the righthand side infill member and a portion of the corresponding edge of the central tray member; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the hinge pin mechanism by which the central tray member is secured to the side infill members. MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In the preferred form of the invention a motor vehicle cargo cover is formed by moulding three components from a suitable plastics material although it is of course possible to form the components from other materials. The cargo cover comprises a pair of side infill members 1 and 2 which are substantially planar and adapted to be secured in a substantially horizontal position as shown in Fig. 1 to the interior sides of a motor vehicle between the passenger seat and the rear of the load space. The forward end 3 of each side infill member is intended to abut the rear of the passenger seat and the outside edge 4 is shaped to fit the shape and size of a particular vehicle.

The opposite edge 5 (from the contoured edge 4) of each infill member is provided with a supporting ledge 6 which preferably extends along the entire length of the ledge 5 (although it could be intermittent) .

The cargo cover is completed by a central tray

member 7 which has a forward edge 8 extending between the forward edges 3 of the side infill members and a rear edge 9 shaped to abut the tailgate or other rear doer of the vehicle in which it is fitted. The side edges 10 of the central tray member are provided with flanges 11 which rest on the supporting ledges 6 of the side infill members to support and locate the central tray member.

The central tray member is further pivotally mounted to the side infill members by way of a pair of pivot pins 12 (Fig. 3) which are located in supporting holes 13 in moulded flanges 14 of the central tray member and which extend transversely across the vehicle adjacent the forward edge 8 of the central tray member, protruding from the edges 5 of the central tray member into holes 15 in corresponding locations in the side infill members. In this manner, once the rear door of the vehicle has been opened, the rear edge 9 of the central tray can be lifted by pivoting the tray about the pivot pins 12. In order to reduce sagging and increase the load carrying capacity of the central tray member 7, a transverse rib 23 is provided, reinforced by a metal bar 24 moulded within the tray during manufacture.

In order to make provision for removing the central tray member altogether, the pivot pins- ^" may be axially movable in the holes 13 and located in the extended position by a coiled compression spring 16 acting on a washer 17 secured to the pin and abutting the face of the lefthand (as seen in Fig. 3) flange 14. Once the central tray member has been tilted upwardly, it is a simple matter to pull the two pivot pins inwardly by gripping at grip portions 18 to retract the pins from the holes 15 in the side infill members and allow the central tray member to be completely removed from the vehicle. Because of the design of the cargo cover, the central tray member is able to be made narrower than the tailgate opening of the vehicle, permitting easy removal of the central tray member when it is desired to carry

large loads in the rear of the vehicle.

The side infill members 1 and 2 are fastened in place against the interior side walls of the vehicle (by any suitable fastening means) and would normally remain in place when the central tray member is removed.

The side infill members 1 and 2 are preferably moulded to be symmetrical about a medial plane shown in long chain outline at 19 in Fig. 2. To this end the recessed portions 20 and 21 which form recessed trays in the surface of the side infill members are duplicated on the opposite side of the side infill member as shown at 22 so that both side infill members can be manufactured from a single die or mould. This not only saves manufacturing costs but reduces inventory costs and packing errors by not requiring specific lefthand or righthand side infill members to be packed for each cargo tray.

It is a further feature of the invention that the central tray member 7 can be common to a large number of vehicles with specific side infill members 1 and 2 provided for specific vehicles with their outer edges 4 contoured to the shape of that vehicle. This again reduces manufacturing and inventory costs.

In this manner a cargo cover for a motor vehicle is provided which enables the load in the load space of a station wagon type vehicle to be safely restrained in the event of a motor vehicle accident while also providing convenient access to the load area and simple adaptability between various configurations for different uses of the motor vehicle.