Instrument panel cover

Claim 1

In a vehicle having an operator''s station including a seat disposed for supporting an operator facing in the forward direction of travel of the vehicle, an instrument panel supporting structure inclined downwardly and rearwardly from top to bottom and located forwardly of the seat and including a recess supporting an instrument panel therein so as to be in easy view of a seated, forwardly facing operator, and a panel cover hingedly connected to the panel cover for movement between closed and open positions respectively wherein it covers and is disposed to one side of the panel, the improvement comprising: said panel supporting structure including a coplanar surface portion bordering all but the lower end of said recess; said recess extending upwardly from the bottom of and terminating below the top of said panel supporting structure; said recess including a transverse bottom wall which includes a first portion that inclines upwardly and forwardly from the bottom of the supporting structure and diverges from the plane containing said coplanar surface portion, and a second portion contiguous with and angled upwardly from the first portion and intersecting said coplanar surface portion at a location spaced downwardly from the top of the supporting structure; said recess further including generally upright transversely spaced side walls joining the coplanar surface portion with the transverse bottom wall; said panel having a lower transverse end extending between said spaced side walls at a location spaced above the lower end of the bottom wall of the recess a distance approximately equal to one-third of the distance between the bottom of the panel supporting structure and the location whereat the second portion of the bottom wall of the recess intersects the coplanar surface portion; and angular bracket extending transversely between said side walls and having a first leg positioned in overlying relationship to the panel adjacent the lower end of the panel and having a second leg extending upwardly and rearwardly from the first leg and terminating at a location substantially in the plane of said coplanar surface portion; connecting means securing one edge of said panel cover to the upper terminal end of the second leg of the bracket and defining a first, horizontal pivot axis about which the panel cover is swingable; said panel cover being dimensioned so as to substantially cover that portion of the recess located between the bracket and the location whereat the upper end of the recess bottom wall meets said planar surface portion when the panel cover is in a closed position; said panel cover including hinge means defining a second pivot axis extending parallel to said first pivot axis and located substantially halfway from said first pivot axis in the dimension of the panel cover extending perpendicular to said first pivot axis to thus divide the panel cover into adjacent and remote sections relative to said first pivot axis; and said hinge means being located relative to said adjacent and remote sections such that the remote section is foldable to a position wherein it is substantially parallel to and overlies the adjacent section whereby the panel is foldable about said second pivot axis and swingable about said first pivot axis to selectively dispose the panel cover in a closed position, wherein it covers the panel and cooperates with said angle member to block access to said instruments, and an open position wherein it extends downwardly from said bracket between said side walls of the recess and engages the first portion of the recess bottom; and locking means for releasably securing the panel cover in said closed position.