U.S. patent application number 10/679595 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-10 for holder for a beverage container.
Invention is credited to Leopold, Gunter.
Application Number | 20040108428 10/679595 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32103531 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040108428 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Leopold, Gunter |
June 10, 2004 |
Holder for a beverage container
Abstract
A holder for a beverage container has a container receptacle,
gripping elements with holding elements capable of being
resiliently pressed away radially and project into the container
receptacle, each of the holding elements having at least two
vertically offset gripping points and being fastened by a spring
element, such that each of the holding elements and each of the
spring elements form a horizontally tiltable one of the gripping
elements.
Inventors: |
Leopold, Gunter;
(Baiersbronn, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STRIKER, STRIKER & STENBY
103 East Neck Road
Huntington
NY
11743
US
|
Family ID: |
32103531 |
Appl. No.: |
10/679595 |
Filed: |
October 6, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/311.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N 3/102 20130101;
B60N 3/108 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/311.2 |
International
Class: |
A47K 001/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 4, 2002 |
DE |
202 18 745.4 |
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; gripping elements with holding elements capable of
being resiliently pressed away radially and project into said
container receptacle, each of said holding elements having at least
two vertically offset gripping points and being fastened by a
spring element, such that each of said holding elements and each of
said spring elements form a horizontally tiltable one of said
gripping elements.
2. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said spring element is
formed as a wire spring.
3. A holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said holding elements
each have two bores which are offset with respect to one another,
said wire springs each comprising two limbs with free ends engaging
in said bores, at least one portion of each of said limbs extending
approximately in a direction of offset of said bores, and said
limbs being biased with respect to one another in said
direction.
4. A holder as defined in claim 3, wherein said bores are offset
substantially vertically with respect to one another.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a holder for a beverage
container.
[0002] Many such holders having a cup-shaped container receptacle
for cups, beakers, beverage cans, bottles or the like are known
from the prior art. The known holders have at least one or several
gripping elements in the form of flaps, holding jaws or the like
arranged distributed in part around the circumference. These
project into the interior of the cup-shaped container receptacle
and can be pressed away radially by the circumferential surface of
a beverage container owing to a spring system and provided support
for the drinks container by gripping. Such a holder is described,
for example, in DE 100 15 197.3. The corresponding gripping element
comprises a compensating flap, which is resiliently secured by way
of a pivoting bearing. Such a gripping element has the drawback,
however, that the compensating flap effects gripping only at
gripping points at substantially the same level, and therefore
often provides only unsatisfactory support particularly for tall
drinks containers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a holder for a beverage container, which eliminates the
disadvantages of the prior art.
[0004] More particularly, it is an object of the present invention
to provide a holder for a beverage container, which has improved
holding properties.
[0005] In keeping with these objects and with others which have
become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention
resides, briefly stated in a holder for a beverage container which
has a container receptacle; gripping elements with holding elements
capable of being resiliently pressed away radially and project into
said container receptacle, each of said holding elements having at
least two vertically offset gripping points and being fastened by a
spring element such that each of said holding elements and each of
said spring elements form a horizontally tiltable one of said
gripping elements.
[0006] In accordance with the present invention, the holder
according to the invention has holding elements each having at
least two gripping points and the gripping points are offset
vertically with respect to one another. The holding elements are
fixed to the housing of the holder by means of a spring element, so
that a holding element and a spring element form a gripping
element. The spring element serves on the one hand for radial
spring-biasing of the holding element and on the other hand allows
horizontal tilting thereof. This allows, on the one hand,
diameter-compensating for different sizes of drinks container. On
the other hand, the ability of the holding element to tilt ensures
that the holding element, especially in the case of non-cylindrical
drinks containers, is matched to the drinks container also in a
vertical direction.
[0007] The spring element is preferably a wire spring and the
holding elements each have two bores offset with respect to one
another in which the two free ends of a respective wire spring
engage. To achieve a bistable system, the wire spring has two limbs
with the free ends thereof engaging in the bores, at least one
portion of each limb extending in the direction of offset of the
bores and the two limbs being biased with respect to one another in
this portion. Bistable shall be understood to mean that two stable
states for the gripping element can be set from the arrangement and
the bias. Whereas a state in which the two said portions of the
limbs and the bores lie in one plane is unstable, by tilting the
holding element in one or the other direction a respective stable
can be achieved.
[0008] The bias can be produced by corresponding resilient
deformation as the wire springs are inserted in the holding
elements. Preferably the two bores are vertically offset with
respect to one another so that the wire spring has two limbs, each
with a vertically extending portion, which vertically are biased
with respect to one another. A clear improvement in support, for
example, for waisted bottles, is achieved by the bistable
behaviour, when as the bottle is inserted, the change-over point of
the bistable system is overcome and hence the radial spring is
reinforced by a torque effect.
[0009] 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
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder according to the
invention, partly cut away;
[0011] FIG. 2 shows the wire spring of this holder in the installed
state.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0012] A holder 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 in accordance with the
present invention is provided for installation in a motor vehicle
and can be used for holding a bottle 2 or other beverage
containers, for example, cups, beakers, drinks cans or the like. It
has a cup-shaped container receptacle 3. Adjacent an open top side
of the container receptacle 3 the holder 1 has a cover 4.
Alternatively, the container receptacle could merge integrally into
a flange-like surround provided for closure of an installation
opening for the holder 1 in the motor vehicle.
[0013] Four holding elements 7 distributed around the circumference
are arranged in openings 5 in the inner circumferential wall 6 of
the container receptacle 3. The holding elements 7 reduce the
inside width of the container receptacle 3 and grip the bottle 2 to
provide support. They are fixed to the housing 8 of the holder body
by means of wire springs 9. FIG. 2 shows a wire spring 9 in the
installed state. It has in particular two vertical limbs 10 and two
free ends 11. The centre lines of the free ends 11 are offset
vertically with respect to one another.
[0014] During manufacture of the wire spring 9, i.e. before it is
mounted, it is twisted about the axis A. On assembly, the geometry
illustrated is imposed by resilient deformation, with the result
that the two vertical limbs 10 are biased towards one another. The
free ends 11 engage in two bores 12 of the holding element 7
vertically offset with respect too one another. The holding element
7 and the spring element 9 consequently form a bistably
horizontally tiltable gripping element 12. A state in which the two
limbs 10 are parallel to one another, and the limbs 10, the free
ends 11 and the bores 12 lie in one plane, is unstable because of
the tensile and compressive stresses in the limbs 10.
[0015] The system can tilt to two sides in that the limbs 10 twist
about the axis A opposed to one another. The holding element 7 is
therefore tilted about its horizontal axis lying tangential to the
bottle. The tilt angle achieved depends on the bias of the two
limbs 10. Provided that no beverage container has been placed in
the holder 1, the holding elements 7 are normally tiled such that
the lower gripping point 14 is directed further radially inwardly
than the upper gripping point 15. As the bottle 2 is inserted, the
holding elements 7 are pressed radially outwards, i.e. both limbs
10 of the wire spring 9 are resiliently rotated about the axis
B.
[0016] The horizontal inclination of the holding elements 7 adjusts
itself, depending on the geometry of the bottle 2 and the resultant
forces acting at the gripping points 14 and 15, and tilts, if
applicable; beyond the unstable state of inclination, as shown here
for example. This provides a very good hold for the waisted bottle
2, since the unstable state has to be overcome in order to remove
the bottle 2. The holding elements 7 therefore effect gripping not
simply by means of the radially-acting spring-biasing of the wire
spring 9, but also by means of the tilting moment that is generated
in the holding elements 7 by the fores acting in the limbs 10.
[0017] 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.
[0018] 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.
[0019] 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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