Collapsible underhood container

1. A collapsible underhood container for mounting under a vehicle hood with a portion of the collapsible underhood container extending into an area between an underside surface of the hood and an underhood safety plane when in an extended position, the collapsible underhood container comprising:

a lower housing configured to be fixed relative to the vehicle and having a bottom and a plurality of side walls extending upward from the bottom, the lower housing including a first airflow opening;

an upper container portion including an upper housing, having a plurality of side walls adjacent to and telescopically slidable on the side walls of the lower housing, and a lid, having a plurality of walls non-slidably secured to the side walls of the upper housing and a generally horizontal top connected to the walls, the top configured to be located in the area between the underside surface of the hood and the underhood safety plane when the collapsible underhood container is in the extended position, the lid also including a second airflow opening;

a locking feature configured to maintain the upper container portion relative to the lower housing when in the extended position and to release and allow the upper container portion to slide downward relative to the lower housing to a collapsed position when the hood contacts the top of the upper container; and

an air filter non-slidably mounted relative to the upper housing and the lid such that the air filter remains in a fixed position relative to the upper housing and the lid in both the extended position and the collapsed position, the air filter located above the first air flow opening and below the second air flow opening in both the extended and collapsed positions wherein air flow between the first and second air flow openings through the air filter occurs in both the extended and collapsed positions.

2. The collapsible underhood container of claim 1 wherein the locking feature includes a plurality of generally vertically oriented guide channels recessed into the side walls of the lower housing and a plurality of corresponding guide flanges extending downward from the upper container portion and slidably received in the respective guide channels.

3. The collapsible underhood container of claim 2 wherein each of the guide channels includes a catch recessed therein, and each of the guide flanges includes a locking flange biased into engagement within a respective one of the catches when the collapsible underhood container is in the extended position.

4. A method of locating and operating a collapsible underhood container in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) mounting an air filter into an upper housing;

(b) securing a lid on top of the upper housing to fix a position of the air filter relative to both the lid and the upper housing;

(c) telescopically sliding vertical walls of the upper housing onto a lower housing until a locking feature secures the upper housing relative to the lower housing in a container extended position, the air filter being located below a first airflow opening in the lid and above a second airflow opening in the lower housing in the extended position;

(d) mounting the lower housing in fixed relation relative to the vehicle such that a top of the lid is located between a vehicle hood and an underhood safety plane when in the container extended position;

(e) impacting the hood with a downward force causing an underside surface of the hood to contact the top of the upper container;

(f) releasing the locking feature, causing the upper housing, the lid and the air filter to slide downward in unison relative to the lower housing into a collapsed position when the downward force of the hood onto the top of the upper container exceeds a predetermined force, the air filter being located below the first air flow opening and above the second airflow opening in the collapsed position; and

(g) directing airflow between the first and second airflow openings and through the air filter in both the extended and collapsed positions.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein step (a) is further defined by providing the locking feature with a plurality of generally vertically oriented guide channels recessed into a plurality of side walls of the lower housing and a plurality of corresponding guide flanges extending downward from the upper container portion and slidably received in the respective guide channels.

6. The collapsible underhood container of claim 2 wherein one of the guide channels is located above and adjacent to the first airflow opening and a corresponding one of the guide flanges is mounted in the one guide channel and extends downward from one of the walls of the upper housing such that the one guide flange is spaced from the first air flow opening in the extended position and the one guide flange abuts the first air opening in the collapsed position to prevent further downward sliding of the upper container portion relative to the lower housing.