U.S. patent application number 10/445751 was filed with the patent office on 2004-02-05 for holder for a beverage container.
Invention is credited to Schaal, Falk.
Application Number | 20040021048 10/445751 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29225252 |
Filed Date | 2004-02-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040021048 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schaal, Falk |
February 5, 2004 |
Holder for a beverage container
Abstract
A holder for a beverage container has a container receptacle
having a bottom, a clamping device with holding jaws which are
radially withdrawable from and engageable into the container
receptacle, spring elements on which the holding jaws are arranged,
and a carrier part, mounted on the bottom of the container
receptacle, the spring elements being arranged on the carrier part
of one piece with the latter.
Inventors: |
Schaal, Falk; (Alpirsbach,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STRIKER, STRIKER & STENBY
103 East Neck Road
Huntington
NY
11743
US
|
Family ID: |
29225252 |
Appl. No.: |
10/445751 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/310 ;
248/311.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N 3/108 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/310 ;
248/311.2 |
International
Class: |
A47F 005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 28, 2002 |
DE |
202 08 253.9 |
Claims
What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters
Patent is set forth in the appended claims:
1. A holder for a beverage container, comprising a container
receptacle having a bottom; a clamping device with holding jaws
which are radially withdrawable from and engageable into said
container receptacle; spring elements on which said holding jaws
are arranged; and a carrier part mounted on said bottom of said
container receptacle, said spring elements being arranged on said
carrier part of one piece with the latter.
2. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said holding jaws are
formed on one piece with said spring elements.
3. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said container
receptacle is provided on said bottom with an undercut pin, said
carrier part having a keyhole and is mounted with said keyhole on
said undercut pin.
4. A holder as defined in claim 1; and further comprising synthetic
plastic attachments arranged in said holding jaws.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a holder for beverage
containers.
[0002] Many holders for beverage containers are known in the art.
The known holders are provided with a cup-shaped container
receptacle for cups, cartoons, beverage cans, bottles and the like.
The known holders have one or several holding jaws or the like,
which are a partially distributed over the periphery. They extend
into the interior of the cup-shaped container receptacle and have
inclined and/or rounded sliding surfaces. Since the holding jaws
have springy properties, they can be moved away from the peripheral
surface of a beverage container and hold the beverage container by
clamping. Such a holder is disclosed for example in German patent
document DE 296 06 583.8. The corresponding clamping device
includes holding jaws which are mounted individually with a rotary
and linear bearing on the beverage container. An elastic circular
ring or a band is used as a spring element. It surrounds the
container receptacle. Such a clamping device however involves
considerable mounting expenses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a holder for a beverage container of the above mentioned
general type, which can be manufactured with low expenses, in
particular with respect to the costs of the clamping device.
[0004] In keeping with these objects and with others which will
become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention
resides, briefly stated, in a holder for a beverage container,
which has a container receptacle having a bottom; a clamping device
with holding jaws which are radially withdrawable from and
engageable into said container receptacle; spring elements on which
said holding jaws are arranged; and a carrier part, said carrier
part being mounted on said bottom of said container receptacle, and
said spring elements being arranged on said carrier part of one
piece with the latter.
[0005] In the inventive holder the clamping device is composed of
the carrier part, on which the spring elements are arranged of one
piece with the carrier part and carry the holding jaws. The carrier
part is mounted on the bottom of the container receptacle.
[0006] During mounting the carrier part is put from below over the
container receptacle, and the holding jaws are spread apart in a
springy fashion until they engage in the openings of the container
receptacle. The mounting can be performed by a simple locking, for
example by a snap connection with arresting projections or the
like. Therefore, a very simple mounting is provided.
[0007] In accordance with a preferable embodiment of the present
invention, the carrier part, the spring elements and the holding
jaws are formed of one piece with one another. The carrier part can
be produced from a metal sheet or a synthetic plastic and forms the
holding jaws by springy, multi-bent tongues which are arranged
perpendicular on a base part. The base part can be formed for
example plate-shaped. The holder as a whole therefore is composed
of two simple components.
[0008] For a simple mounting, it is proposed in accordance with a
preferable embodiment of the invention to provide in the container
receptacle, in particular on its bottom, an undercut pin such that
the carrier part is mounted on it by means of a keyhole. During
mounting the carrier part is put over the container receptacle so
that the pin is guided through the keyhole by turning the carrier
relative to the container receptacle and the pin engages behind the
carrier part. Simultaneously the holding jaws engage in the
openings of the container receptacle and thereby a back turning is
prevented.
[0009] In order to improve the optical attractiveness and/or the
sliding and holding properties, the holding jaws can be provided
with synthetic plastic caps or coatings.
[0010] The novel features which are considered as characteristic
for the present invention are set forth in particular in the
appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its
construction and its method of operation, together with additional
objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the
following description of specific embodiments when read in
connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIGS. 1 and 2 are views showing a holder for a beverage
container in accordance with the present invention in a perspective
and in two different positions; and
[0012] FIG. 3 is a view showing a perspective cross-section of a
further carrier part.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] A holder for a beverage container in accordance with the
present invention is identified as a whole with reference numeral
1. The holder 1 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and used for mounting in
a motor vehicle. It can hold not shown beverage containers, such as
for example cups, cartoons, beverage cans, bottles and the
like.
[0014] The holder 1 has a cup-shaped container receptacle 2 with a
bottom 3. The container receptacle 2 has an upper open side. At
this upper open side the holder 1 merges into a flange-shaped
screen or cover 4 of one piece with it. This cover 4 is provided
for closing a mounting opening provided in the vehicle for the
holder 1.
[0015] Three holding jaws 7 are arranged in the openings 5 of the
inner peripheral wall 6 of the container receptacle 2 and
distributed over the periphery. A carrier part 8 composed of sheet
metal or plastic surrounds the container receptacle 2 from the side
of the bottom 3. It is composed of a plate-shaped base which lies
on the bottom 3 of the container receptacle 2, and three tongues 9
which project perpendicularly from the base. The holding jaws 7 are
formed by a two-fold bends 10 of the tongues. With minting of the
tongues 9, a springy connection of the holding jaws 7 with the
carrier part 8 is provided.
[0016] The carrier part 8 and the container receptacle 2 are
connected by an undercut pin 11 on the bottom 3 of the container
receptacle 2, as by well as a keyhole in the carrier part 8. During
mounting the carrier part 8 is put over the container receptacle in
an orientation which is turned by 90.degree. relative to the shown
position. Thereby the tongues 9 with the holding jaws 7 spread
apart due to the inclined sliding surfaces 13 in a springy fashion,
but without first engaging in the openings 5. The carrier part 8 is
displaced until the pin 11 extends through the keyhole 12.
Subsequently, the carrier part is turned to the shown position, and
the pin 11 engages behind the carrier part 8. Simultaneously the
holding jaws 7 snap into the openings 5 so that a back turning is
prevented.
[0017] In deviation from the above described construction, it is
within the spirit of the invention to provide the mounting of the
carrier part 8 on the container receptacle 2 by a clip connection.
For this purpose the container receptacle 2 can be provided with
one or several not shown arresting projections which engage behind
an edge of the carrier part 8.
[0018] When a not shown beverage container with a corresponding
outer diameter is inserted into the container receptacle 2, the
holding jaws, due to their inclined sliding surfaces 13, are pulled
substantially radially onto the container receptacle 2 until they
abut against the periphery of the container receptacle. The spring
action is provided by an elastic bending of the tongues 9. Thereby
a beverage container is held in a clamping fashion.
[0019] FIG. 3 shows a synthetic plastic attachment 15 as an
additional component of the carrier part 8a. It forms the holding
jaws 7a and has an improved optical appearance as well as improved
sliding and clamping properties when compared with the holding jaws
7. The synthetic plastic attachment is mounted, before joining of
the carrier part 8a, to the holding receptacle 2. The connection
between the tongues 9 and the synthetic plastic attachment 15 can
be provided for example by a not shown clip connection. An
arresting projection mounted on the synthetic plastic attachment 15
can engage for example in a recess of the tongues 9.
[0020] It will be understood that each of the elements described
above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application
in other types of constructions differing from the types described
above.
[0021] While the invention has been illustrated and described as
embodied in holder for a beverage container, it is not intended to
be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and
structural changes may be made without departing in any way from
the spirit of the present invention.
[0022] Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal
the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying
current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications
without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art,
fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or
specific aspects of this invention.
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