WO2003033298A1

WO2003033298A1 - Cup holder

Info

Publication number: WO2003033298A1
Application number: PCT/SE2002/001907
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jens Widerberg
Original assignee: WIDERBERGS FORM AB
Current assignee: WIDERBERGS FORM AB
Priority date: 2001-10-18
Filing date: 2002-10-18
Publication date: 2003-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 2004-04-18
Also published as: SE520518C2; SE0103483L; SE0103483D0

Abstract

A holder (100, 200) for a cup, a bottle, a can or the like to be used in, for example, a car, an aircraft or another vehicle, manufactured of an oblong blank with transversal crease lines (112, 114, 117, 119) for the purpose of folding the blank into sections (101, 102, 104, 105, 109). These sections (101, 102, 104, 105, 109) form a triangular construction with a plane bottom section (101, a back section (102) and a support section (105) with a recess (106) for receiving the cup or the like, by insertion of the a suspension portion (104) in a slit (107) in the back section (102). The suspension portion (104) is then inserted in a gap, e.g. between a door of a car and its window, whereupon the cup or the like is placed therein.

Description

Cup Holder

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a holder for a cup, a bottle, a can or the like to be used in a car, an aircraft or another vehicle, produced by an oblong blank with transverse crease lines for folding the blank in sections, which form a triangular construction with a recess in one of the sections for receiving a cup or the like.

Background of the Invention In most cars of today, there is provided a holder, stationary mounted, for receiving cups of paper, disposable bottles, aluminium cans, soft drink bottles or the like. The holders could either be reached directly or be turned up in one simple operation. These holders are often provided at the dash-board or between the front seats, and in those cases when a holder does at all exist for the passengers in the back seats, the holder is often provided in the armrest, which could be folded between two passengers, or at the drive shaft, which implies that the passengers have to bend forward to reach the drink. One problem that parents might face is that children in the backseat will not be able to reach their cups because of the infavourable position of the holder.

Also in other vehicles, e.g. in boats or aircraft, there are holders arranged for different kinds of drink receptacles. In aircrafts there is a recess in the foldable tray, which is mounted at the back of the seat in front of the passenger. A disadvantage with this solution is that the tray has to be turned down to make it possible to place the cup or the like in the recess of the tray, which takes place and limits the space for the passenger. WO 00/71384 Al discloses a cup holder for use by passengers in an aircraft, which is formed of a cardboard blank and is folded and attached to the tray when it is in its raised position. The holder forms a triangle, in a side view, with a horizontal top section with a slit recess for receiving the cup. A second section acts as a support for the holder against the tray, and a third section, provided diagonally between the two above mentioned sections, acts as a stay support the hole construction. The two ends of the cardboard blank are pushed down between the tray and the back of the seat and thus act as a suspension device. This holder has a plurality of disadvantages; among others, only cups or glasses with a specific height may be used, since the risk of tipping over and spilling drinks is impending with higher drink receptacles, since neither any extra support nor any firm ground is provided therefor. In spite of the fact that the recess has a radial slit, this does not provide any considerable advantages, since a receptacle with a large diameter initially pushes down the formed flaps, which will endeavour to hold down the receptacle, when it should be released. When the seat in front is in its raised position it has a certain inclination but when the seat is folded backwards this angle will increase considerably, which means that the holder according to WO 00/71384 will not keep the drink in a horizontal position. The blank of cardboard must have a certain thickness to reach sufficient stability, which implies that this construction may not be used in other applications with insertion of the suspension device in more narrow gaps, as the blank of the holder is double- folded.

Summary of the Invention

One object of the present invention is to eliminate the above described disadvantages and to provide a stable, detachable holder for cups, cans, bottles and the like for the use of drivers as well as passengers in different vehicles, e.g. cars, boats, etc.

A more specific object of the present invention is to form a holder for cups and the like of a blank of cardboard, which is folded in sections to form a stable construction in the form of a triangle with a bottom. An extra support is provided to secure the function when using higher drink receptacles. By means of a suspension portion, formed by the blank, the holder could be detachably fastened in a simple way, e.g. between a door of a car and its window, between a seat and its head restraint, in a fan grid etc .

This object is obtained as defined by claim 1 and preferred embodiments are obtained as defined by the dependent claims. Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be obvious from the following detailed description, the enclosed drawings and claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described in more detail in the following, where reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG 1 shows a perspective view of an unfolded holder, and

FIG 2 shows a perspective view of the holder in its folded state for use.

For the clarity, the same reference numbers will be used for the same details in the drawings.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The unfolded holder 100, shown in FIG 1, is obtained from an oblong blank that is divided in sections or parts by means of crease lines 112, 114, 117, 118, 119. A bottom section 101 neighbours a back section 102, which passes by a narrower portion 103 passes over into a suspension portion 104, and a support section 105, which is provided with a recess 106 for receiving the cup or the like and with a transversal, through slit 107. The recess

106 is provided with two lips 108. An extra support section 109 is available, which neighbours the support section 105 and is provided with an oval second recess 110 and a second transverse through slit 111, which is arranged a first distance dl from the crease line 112 between this extra support section 109 and the support section 105. The first slit 107 on the support section 105 is arranged a second distance d2 from the crease line 112, where the second distance d2 is longer than the first distance dl . The width of the slits 107, 111 corresponds to the thickness of the blank. The crease line 112 between the extra support section 109 and the support section 105 might be sharper than the other crease lines, and it could even be a double crease line, the reason being explained further on in the description.

There are, on the bottom section 101, two equally long, parallel and through perforations 113, which are arranged along the blank, transverse to the crease line 114, between the bottom section 101 and the back section 102, and two parallel crease lines 115, which are arranged between the respective ends of the perforations 113. The part of the blank that is located between the perforations 113 and the crease lines 115 could be pressed towards the interior of the holder and in this way form a support 116. The narrower portion 103 of the back section 102 should have a certain minimum length, e.g. 10-12 mm, to secure the function of the folded holder 200. The suspension portion 104 should likewise have a certain length, e.g. 80-150 mm, for a secure attachment. This portion has a plurality of crease lines 118, which could be less sharp than the other crease lines.

The transition of the unfolded holder 100 to the folded holder 200 and its function will now be described further in detail with references made to FIG 1 and FIG 2. The support 116 on the bottom section 101 could with advantage be push out from the perforations 113 before the mounting process begins. The suspension portion 104 is inserted in the first slit 107 in the support section 10, and thereafter in the second slit 111 in the extra support section 109. This section 109 is now principally perpendicular to the narrower portion 103 on the back section 102, and the support section 105 rests against the edges 120 at the transition to the narrower portion 103. The crease lines 112, 114, 117 and 119 between the different sections 101, 102, 104, 105 and 109 could with advantage be slightly squeezed to more distinctly bring out the triangular construction between the bottom section 101, the back section 102 and the support section 105. The crease lines 118 of the suspension portion 104 could likewise be slightly squeezed to form a soft inflected form over this area.

The holder 200 is now ready to be used by insertion of the suspension portion 104 into a suitable gap, e.g. between a door of a car and its window or in the fan grid. A passenger in the back seat of a car could also use the holder 200, which could be arranged between the side door and its window, between the seat in front and its head restraint or in the pocket on the back of the seat in front. Any kind of cup, can or bottle of the most common types could, in a secure way, be placed in the holder according to the invention. Lower drink receptacles will be secured in the holder 200 because of the lips 108 on the first recess 106 in the support section 105, whose width could easily be adjusted according to a special wish from a customer. The sharper crease line 112, or the double crease line, between the support section 105 and the extra support section 109, enables the support provided by the extra support section 109 to be better adjusted to the height of the drink receptacles and in that way makes it more effective. The extra support section 109 could be bent down to principally be parallel with the support section 105. The support 116 sees that the cup or the like keeps its position in the holder 100, 200 and that it will not slide against the back section 102.

At use of the holder 200 in an aircraft, the suspension portion 104 is inserted behind the tray, which is folded up against the back of the seat in front, or in the pocket in the back of the seat. At the preparation of the holder 100, 200 from the blank the length of the sections could be adjusted to make the angles αl and α2 of the folded holder smaller, which gives a better function to this application. The seat in front of a passenger in an aircraft has almost never the backrest in a totally vertical position but with a certain inclination, which in addition increases when the seat is put in rest position. One advantage by using the holder 200 in an aircraft is that it can be delivered by the cabin attendant in a folded condition, standing on a tray or on another horizontal support, since it has a plane bottom 101.

The holder 100, 200 could be manufactured by being punched or cut out of a blank, e.g. of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, plastic, corrugated plastic or the like.

Further advantages with the present invention are that it is inexpensive to manufacture and has a low standard price. The holder 100, 200 has a low weight and it is easy to store and transport in its unfolded condition. The material of the holder 100, 200 could, after being used, by advantage be re-used. The holder 100, 200 could in addition be used as an information source or, in a pure commercial purpose, as an advertising space. The present invention has been described by means of an example with reference to the preferred embodiments according to FIG 1 and FIG 2, without being limited to these embodiments. It should be obvious to the man skilled in the art that other embodiments, than those, which have been described, could be possible within the scope of the enclosed claims. As an example, the suspension section 106 could be provided with a hole to hang up the holder 100, 200 (not shown) . In another embodiment the extra support section 109 could be taken away, e.g. when only low glasses or cups should be carried by the holder 100, 200 and accordingly the extra support, that is given by this section 109, is not needed.

Claims

1. A holder (100, 200) for a cup, a bottle, a can or the like to be used in for example a car, an aircraft or another vehicle, manufactured of an oblong blank with transversal crease lines (112, 114, 117, 119) for the purpose of folding the blank into sections, which form a triangular construction with a recess (106) in one of the sections for receiving the cup or the like, characterised by a plane bottom section (101) , a back section (102) , which passes through a narrower portion (103) passes over into a suspension portion (104) and a support section (105) , in which the recess (106) for receiving the cup or the like is provided together with a transverse through slit (107) where the suspension portion (104) could be inserted to form the triangular construction.

2. The holder (100, 200) according to claim 1, characterised in that the recess (106) is provided with two lips (108) in the part of the recess facing the slit (107) in order to keep a cup or the like of lower height in place.

3. The holder (100, 200) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the suspension portion (104) has a plurality of crease lines (118) .

4. The holder (100, 200) according to 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the suspension portion (104) has a rounded end .

5. The holder (100, 200) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that two equally long, parallel and through perforations (113) , which are arranged along the blank, transverse to the crease line (114) , between the bottom section (101) and the back section (102) , and two parallel crease lines (115) , which are arranged between the ends of the respective perforations 113, so that the part of the blank, which is situated between the perforations (113) and the crease lines (115) , could form a support (116) by pressing it out towards the interior of the construction.

6. The holder (100, 200) according to any of the previous claims, characterised by an extra support section (109) , which neighbour the support section (105) , with a second recess (110) and a second transverse, through slit (111) through which the suspension portion (104) is inserted, so that a generally right angle is formed between this extra support section (109) and the narrow portion (103) of the back section (102) .

7. The holder (100, 200) according to claim 6, characterised in that the second slit (111) is arranged at a first distance (dl) from the crease line (112) between the extra support section (109) and the support section (105) and that the slit (107) in the support section (105) is arranged at a second distance (d2) from this crease line (112) , where the second distance (d2) is longer than the first distance (dl) .

8. The holder (100, 200) according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the second recess (110) is oval.

9. The holder (100, 200) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the width of the slits (107, 111) corresponds to the thickness of the blank.

10. The holder (100, 200) according to any of the previous claims, characterised by that the suspension section (104) has a hole for suspension of the holder (100, 200) .

11. The holder (100, 200) according to any of the previous claims, characterised by that the narrow portion (103) on the back section (102) has a certain minimum length, e.g. 10-12 mm.

12. The holder (100, 200) according to any of the previous claims, characterised by that the suspension portion (104) should be sufficiently long, e.g. 80-150 mm, to provide a secure attachment .

13. The holder (100, 200) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the crease line (112) between the support section (105) and the extra support section (109) is deeper then the other crease line so as to make it possible to arrange this extra support section (109) parallel to the support section (105) .

14. The holder (100, 200) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the blank is made of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, plastic, corrugated plastic or the like.