Rear door shelf with one touch opening

Abstract

A rear door shelf assembly having a mounting base portion and a shelf rotatably connected to the mounting base portion for moving between an open position and a closed position. A spring-loaded prop rod is rotatably connected to the assembly. Storage features are connectable to the prop rod to provide multi-functionality of the assembly as a utility table and a storage unit. A one-touch latching mechanism holds the shelf in the closed position.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A door shelf assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
 at least one mounting base portion operably connected to the vehicle;   at least one shelf rotatably connected to the mounting base portion and movable between at least an open position and stowed position, said at least one shelf fitting within the footprint of said at least one mounting base portion when in the stowed position; and   wherein rotating the shelf to the open position selectively provides a utility shelf or storage bin, as desired.   
     
     
         2 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a latch mechanism for one-touch deployment to said open position. 
     
     
         3 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a prop rod that is spring loaded to automatically deploy when selectively released from a retainer when said at least one shelf is rotated to said open position. 
     
     
         4 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a prop rod that is operably biased to automatically deploy when not held by a prop rod retainer, said prop rod including at least one storage bin operably connected to said prop rod that expands with deployment of the prop rod. 
     
     
         5 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a prop rod with ends operably rotatably connected to said mounting base portion and operably coupled to biasing members to automatically deploy said prop rod when not held within a prop rod retainer when said at least one shelf is rotated to said open position. 
     
     
         6 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one storage member, said storage member selectively removable from said door shelf assembly to expose a top surface of said at least one shelf for a utility shelf mode. 
     
     
         7 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said door shelf assembly in the stowed position has a narrow profile of not more than about 6 inches in depth. 
     
     
         8 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein in the open position the at least one shelf extends outward at least about 10 inches. 
     
     
         9 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said door shelf assembly holds at least about 35 pounds when in said open position. 
     
     
         10 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one shelf and at least one mounting base portion is formed of a strong, durable polymer material. 
     
     
         11 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of attachment members to selectively attach a storage container of said door shelf assembly to said at least one shelf. 
     
     
         12 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one latch mechanism including a one-touch release tab on said at least one shelf or said at least one mounting base portion and a catch on the other of said at least one shelf or said at least one mounting base portion. 
     
     
         13 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least two tabs inserted into at least two apertures, respectively, provided in a surface of said vehicle for mounting the door shelf assembly to the vehicle. 
     
     
         14 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one plug inserted into at least on aperture provided in a surface of said vehicle for mounting the door shelf assembly to the vehicle. 
     
     
         15 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said door shelf assembly provides no-drill installation, said door shelf assembly further comprising:
 a plurality of tabs insertable into a plurality of apertures, respectively, provided on an inward tailgate surface of said vehicle;   a plurality of plugs insertable into a plurality of second apertures, respectively, provided on an inward tailgate surface of said vehicle;   providing a plurality of fasteners;   wherein inserting said plurality of tabs into said plurality of apertures partially mounts said mounting base portion to said tailgate surface, and   wherein with said plurality of plugs inserted into said plurality of second apertures, a plurality of third apertures formed in said at least one mounting base portion are aligned with said plurality of plugs and said plurality of fasteners extend into said plurality of third apertures and into said plurality of plugs to mount said door shelf assembly to said tailgate of said vehicle.   
     
     
         16 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one shelf and at least one mounting base portion providing a closed environment when not in use. 
     
     
         17 . The door shelf assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one shelf is a spring dampened shelf. 
     
     
         18 . A rear door shelf assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising:
 at least one mounting base portion operably connected to the vehicle using existing apertures in the vehicle;   at least one shelf that is spring dampened and rotatably connected to the mounting base portion and movable between at least an open position and stowed position, said at least one shelf fitting within the footprint of said at least one mounting base portion when in the stowed position; and   wherein rotating the shelf to the open position selectively provides a utility shelf or storage member, as desired.   
     
     
         19 . The rear door assembly of  claim 18 , further comprising a prop rod retainer and a prop rod with at least one biasing member to automatically rotate said prop rod upward when not coupled to said prop rod retainer as said at least one shelf is rotated downward to said open position, wherein said storage member is a mesh container operably connected to said prop rod and said at least one shelf for automatic deployment with said prop rod for use as a storage container for items. 
     
     
         20 . A rear door shelf assembly for a tailgate of a vehicle, comprising:
 at least one mounting base portion including a plurality of tabs and attachment features to mount said mounting base portion to an inward surface of said tailgate without drilling holes into said tailgate;   at least one shelf rotatably connected to the mounting base portion and movable between at least an open position and stowed position, said at least one shelf fitting within the footprint of said at least one mounting base portion when in the stowed position, wherein rotating the at least one shelf to said open position provides a substantially horizontal surface for use as a utility table or storage;   at least one selectively removable storage container storage operably connected to said at least one shelf;   at least one prop rod operably rotatably connected to said at least one mounting portion and having at least one biasing member, said storage container operably connected to said at least one prop rod; and   a latching mechanism with a one touch release button for automatic deployment of said at least one shelf and at least one prop rod to said open position, when desired.