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EP-4334194-B1 - TOPCASE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE

EP4334194B1EP 4334194 B1EP4334194 B1EP 4334194B1EP-4334194-B1

Inventors

  • CANDELO, ROBERTO

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220410

Claims (16)

  1. Trunk for motor cycles or motor bicycles comprising: a three-dimensional shell or a soft, flexible casing enclosed on itself that delimits a housing compartment and is formed by two parts (103, 203) of a shell or of a casing that mutually complete each other in said three-dimensional shell or said flexible casing, said at least two parts of said shell or casing are separated from each other by a separation line (403) extending from one end to the other end of a hinge portion (603) for hinging said two parts of said shell or casing to each other, in such a way that said two parts (103, 203) of the shell or casing can be moved away from each other and towards each other respectively in an open position of said three-dimensional shell or casing and in a closed position of said three-dimensional shell or casing, and providing means for removably retaining said two said shell portions to each other in said closed position of the three-dimensional shell or said casing; removable attachment members of said three-dimensional shell to a structural part of the motor cycle, which members comprise at least a first hooking element (4) intended to be stably fixed to said structural part (2) of the motor cycle and a second engagement element (5) which is carried by at least one of said two parts (103) of the shell or of the casing and which is engageable and disengageable from said hooking element (4) by means of a relative movement along an engagement/disengagement stroke according to a predetermined path, being provided further locking elements (7) of said engagement element (5) in said hooking element (4) in the engagement position which is switchable from a locking position into an unlocking position, whereby the engagement/disengagement movement of said engagement element (5) from said hooking element (4) comprises a stroke which occurs along a circumferential arc so that engagement between said hooking element (4) and said engagement element (5) occurs by rotating said engagement element (5) in a direction relative to said hooking element (4) and disengagement occurs by rotating said engagement element (5) in the opposite direction, said locking elements (7) preventing the rotation of the engagement element (5) relative to the hooking element (4) when the engagement element (5) is engaged in the hooking element (4), characterized in that the locking elements (7) of the engagement element (5) in the hooking element (4) comprise at the same time locking members (207) of the two shell parts (103, 203) in the closed position of the three-dimensional shell that are activated and deactivated simultaneously with the locking member of the engagement element (5).
  2. Trunk according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking means (7) are activatable or deactivatable by an activation/deactivation mechanism (8, 108) comprising a key lock.
  3. Trunk according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hooking element (4) comprises at least one arcuate hook (14) oriented with the engagement opening substantially in a vertical way, while the engagement element (5) carried by one of the two shell parts (103) is provided with at least one corresponding arcuate engagement wing (15), which wing is intended to be engaged in the corresponding hook by a translation that brings the wing into a alignment position with the hook opening followed by rotation in a substantially horizontal or slightly inclined plane, the hooking element (4) and the engagement element (5) being provided with cooperating guides for relative positioning in a proper alignment position of the wing (15) on the hook (14).
  4. Trunk according to claim 3, wherein the hook (14) extends along a circumference so as to form an annular groove, the positioning guides comprising apertures (124) interrupting said annular groove so as to receive corresponding protrusions (125) of the engagement wing (15) when the engagement element (5) is moved to overlap the hooking element (4).
  5. Trunk according to claim 4, wherein the openings (124) and corresponding protrusions (125) are provided offset so that engagement element (5) and hooking element (4) can couple when the engagement element (5) is rotated by a certain angle relative to the hooking element (4).
  6. Trunk according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein in the hooking position, the engagement element (5) is substantially aligned with the hooking element (4).
  7. Trunk according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the locking members comprise a lever (7) mounted swingable about a transverse axis with reference to the direction of movement of the motorcycle and at or near the rear end of the hooking element (4), said lever (7) being angularly displaceable, alternatively in a position of non-interference with the three-dimensional shell and/or the engagement element (5) engaged on the hooking element (4), so that the engagement element (5) and therefore said shell are rotatable together along the engagement/disengagement stroke from the engagement element (5) and in a position tilted upwards against the rear side of the three-dimensional shell so as to provide a stopper to the free rotation of the engagement element (5) in the direction of disengagement of the latter from the hooking element (4).
  8. Trunk according to claim 7, wherein the locking members comprise a locking element for the disengaging stroke of the engagement element (5) from the condition engaged in the hooking element (4) to the condition disengaged therefrom, wherein said locking element is associated with the lever (7) and comprises at least one protrusion/opening (107) that couples with a corresponding opening/protrusion (205) of the engagement element (5) when the lever (7) is in an upwardly tilted position so as to prevent rotation of the engagement element (5) relative to the hooking element (4).
  9. Trunk according to claim 8, wherein the locking lever (7) comprises a pair of hooks (107) cooperating with corresponding hooking seats (205) provided on the engagement element (5).
  10. Trunk according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the mechanism (8) for activating/deactivating the locking means comprises retaining means (108) of said locking lever (7) in the raised locking position against the rear side of the three-dimensional shell, which retaining means (108) are controllable in the activated/deactivated position by means of a key mechanism (8).
  11. Trunk according to claim 10, wherein the retaining means comprise cooperating mutual engagement means (108, 305) between engagement element (5) and lever (7) controlled by a key mechanism (8) for locking/unlocking at the engagement position of said mutual engagement means of the lever (7) and of the engagement element (5).
  12. Trunk according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein at least the shell part (203) not carrying the engagement element (5) and the locking member (7) have cooperating mutual engagement means (207, 303, 403) for locking/unlocking said locking member (7) on said shell part (203).
  13. Trunk according to claim 12, wherein the cooperating mutual engagement means comprise an engagement projection (403) on which the hooking lever (7) overlaps against the rear side of the trunk (3) so as to prevent the opening of the trunk when the lever (7) is in the locked position.
  14. Trunk according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hooking element (4) and the engagement element (5) comprise two plates, of which the plate forming the hooking element (4) has hooking wings (14) protruding from its upper face and forming hooking recesses having an arcuate form, while the engagement element (5) consists of a plate which can be fixed to the wall of one of the two shell parts (103) and which has, in a raised position and corresponding to the engagement opening of each hooking wing (14), an engagement wing (15), the engagement wings (15) being projecting laterally from a central circular element for which the hooking wings (14) themselves form an annular guide for reciprocal sliding of the engagement element (5) around the hooking element (4) in the direction of the engagement/disengagement stroke.
  15. Trunk according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein at the rear end of the plate forming the hooking element (4) is hinged in a swingable manner about an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement a locking lever (7) having a shape and a length such that it overlaps in a raised position to the rear side of the three-dimensional shell and in particular to the two shell parts (103, 203), whereas the two shell parts are substantially two half-shells comprising an upper half-shell and a lower half-shell, the separation line (403) being in the form of a line closed along the entire perimeter and the two half-shells (103, 203) being stably articulated to each other by means of an articulation along at least a portion of said separation line (403), a portion of the separation line opposite the articulation being provided coincident with the overlapping area of the locking lever (7) to the shell, said locking lever (7) and/or the upper half-shell (103) being provided with an engagement projection (207, 403) for stable retention of the upper half-shell to the lower half-shell, when the lever is in the locking position of the engagement element (5) to the hooking element (4).
  16. Trunk according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein an engagement projection (403) is provided on an extension (303) of the upper half shell (103) in the area of the separation edge (403) from the lower half shell (203) and in coincidence with the overlapping area of the locking lever (7), while the lever (7) in the mounted condition of the trunk to the motorcycle overlaps the said engagement projection against the rear side of the trunk (3) and hooks with a key mechanism (8) in the engagement element (5).

Description

TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a removable trunk for a motor cycle or the like. In particular, the invention relates to trunks of the type comprising: a three-dimensional shell or a soft and flexible casing closed on itself which defines a housing compartment and is formed by two parts of shell or casing which mutually complete each other in said three-dimensional shell or in said flexible casing, said at least two parts of shell or casing are separated from each other by a separation line extending from one end to the other of a hinge portion of said two shell or casing parts to each other, in such a way the two parts of the shell or casing can be moved away from each other and towards each other respectively in an open position of said three-dimensional shell or casing and in a closed position of said three-dimensional shell or casing, and means for removably retaining said two said shell portions to each other in said closed position of the three-dimensional shell or of said casing;removable attachment members of said three-dimensional shell to a structural part of the motor cycle or the like, which members comprise at least a first hooking element intended to be stably fixed to said structural part of the motor cycle or the like and a second engagement element which is carried by at least one of said two parts of the shell or casing and which can be engaged and disengaged from said hooking element by means of a relative movement along an engagement/disengagement stroke according to a predetermined path, a further locking element being provided of said engagement element in said hooking element, in the engagement position which is switchable from a locking position into an unlocking position. This particular type of trunks has the advantage that can be separated from the motor cycle and used as a transport bag. However, currently on the market, trunks, typically made of rigid material, for example ABS or other plastic or metal materials, have complicated and not entirely efficient mechanisms for removable attachment to the motor cycle. One of the drawbacks of known trunks is that the closing mechanism of the half-shells defining the trunk also acts as a locking device for the attaching elements of the trunk to the motor cycle, so that it may happen that the trunk is inadvertently released from its supports when, on the other hand, a user would simply like to open the upper half-shell to position or remove, for example, a helmet. Document WO2021014336A1 discloses an attachment system for attaching a storage container to a vehicle which includes a passive attachment device for securing the storage container to the vehicle. The passive attachment device automatically secures the storage container to the vehicle when the storage container is positioned in place on the vehicle. The attachment system also includes an active attachment device manually operable by a user to selectively lock the storage container in place on the vehicle when the storage container is secured to the vehicle via the passive attachment device. The active attachment device prevents motion of the storage container relative to the vehicle when the active attachment device is engaged so as to lock the storage container in place on the vehicle. A vehicle including the storage container and the attachment system is also provided. A storage container assembly including the storage container and passive and active attachment devices is also provided. Document JPH08230737A discloses a removable attachment members of a three-dimensional shell to a structural part of a motor vehicle or the like which members being engageable and disegngageable by means of a relative engagement and disengagement path or stroke along a circumferential arc, so that the saod engagement between the three-dimensional shell and the structural part of the motor vehicle or the like occurs by rotating the said three-dimensional shell relatively to the said structural part. Releasable locking means are provided which prevents rotation in the direction of disengagement. The invention, therefore, has the scope to improve the current trunks from the point of view of the means of removable attachment to the motor cycle so as to overcome its drawbacks. The invention achieves the scope by means of a trunk of the type comprising the combination of features according to independent claim 1. In this way, in order to allow the detachment of the trunk, it is necessary not only to act on the locking elements, but also to make the trunk rotating of a certain angle in order to release the engagement element from the hooking element. This makes very unlikely the involuntary detachment of the trunk from the motor cycle. Here, express reference is made to the definition of the term three-dimensional shell, both for the description and for the claims, meaning by descriptive simplicity and understanding, both a shell made of such material that maintains a predeterm