Ashtray, storage compartment or the like, particularly for automotive vehicles

A container comprising

• a housing having a recess defined by a side wall of the recess in the housing, the recess having a front side, a housing insert in the housing recess, and means supporting the housing insert for selective movement into and out of the front side of the housing recess;
• detent means at the housing recess side wall and at the housing insert for selectively holding the housing insert in the closed position in the recess and enabling the housing insert to open out of the housing recess, the detent means comprising:
• a control curve on the housing insert, the control curve being in the form of a slide and guide groove open toward the housing side wall, the curve including a front side in the direction toward the front side of the housing recess and the front side of the control curve guide groove including a depression inward from the front side of the recess for receiving a pin;
• an articulated lever articulatedly connected to the housing side wall at an articulation pivot;
• a pin on the lever located spaced away from the articulation pivot, the pin being received in the groove of the control curve so that as the insert moves with respect to the housing, the pin moves through the control curve groove and the lever articulates around the pivot;
• the pin and the control curve groove being so shaped that with the pin in the depression at the front side of the control curve guide groove, the pin on the lever engages the control curve guide groove in the housing insert and that engagement blocks opening of the housing insert out of the front side of the housing recess;
• the control curve guide groove having a first part into which the pin is moved from the depression when the housing insert is temporarily pushed further into the housing recess, the groove first part being shaped to avoid interference between the pin and the housing insert and to permit the housing insert to be opened out of the front side of the housing recess with the pin moving through the first part of the control curve guide groove;
• the control curve guide groove having a second part through which the pin is moved as the housing insert is moved into the housing recess;
• at the front side of the control curve guide groove, the first and second parts of the control curve guide groove being spaced apart with the depression being between them such that the pin moves from the second part and into the depression upon the insert being closed into the housing recess;
• a spring on the articulated lever and resting against the housing side wall which is generally adjacent the lever, the spring comprising a spring tongue defined in the lever and the tongue extending in a direction generally coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the lever, the tongue having a root which is attached to the lever, the root being on the end of the tongue away from the articulation axis of the lever and generally near to the pin on the lever;
• the tongue having an opposite free end which is toward the articulation axis of the lever, the free end being shaped to rest against and being self biased against the housing side wall for resisting articulating motion of the articulated lever.