U.S. patent application number 11/009999 was filed with the patent office on 2005-10-13 for cup holder for an automobile.
Invention is credited to Park, Woo Chul.
Application Number | 20050224674 11/009999 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35049165 |
Filed Date | 2005-10-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050224674 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Park, Woo Chul |
October 13, 2005 |
Cup holder for an automobile
Abstract
A cup holder comprising a pin formed on a tray and an arm with
an inserting hole. The pin is inserted into the inserting hole with
a silicon-rubber ring friction-fitted between the outer surface of
the pin and the inner surface of the inserting hole. The arm
rotates in a constrained manner with respect to the pin due to the
friction of the silicon-rubber ring while an external force, lager
than the friction between the silicon-rubber ring and the inserting
hole of the arm, such as a forcible manipulation of the user is
applying to the arm. When the external force to the arm is
released, the movement of the arm is restricted by the friction of
the silicon-rubber ring, so that the arm can firmly support a
container.
Inventors: |
Park, Woo Chul; (Gunpo,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MORGAN, LEWIS & BOCKIUS LLP (SF)
2 PALO ALTO SQUARE
PALO ALTO
CA
94306
US
|
Family ID: |
35049165 |
Appl. No.: |
11/009999 |
Filed: |
December 10, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/311.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N 3/106 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/311.2 |
International
Class: |
A47K 001/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 31, 2004 |
KR |
2004-0021924 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cup holder for an automobile, comprising: an opening formed in
a passenger compartment of a vehicle for receiving a container; a
tray formed adjacent to the opening; a pin protruding from the
tray; an arm having a concavely curved edge and an inserting hole,
wherein the pin is inserted into the inserting hole and the arm is
securely supporting the circumference of a container by rotation
with respect to the pin; and an elastic member, friction-fitted
between an outer surface of the pin and an inner surface of the
inserting hole, creating a certain amount of friction against the
outer surface of the pin and the inner surface of the inserting
hole such that the pin rotatably moves within the inserting hole
only when the friction is overcome by a larger force.
2. The cup holder in claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a
silicon-rubber ring.
3. The cup holder in claim 2, wherein the silicon-rubber ring is
made by integrally combining a plurality of single rings in a
concentric manner in a vertical direction.
4. The cup holder in claim 1, wherein the arm is provided with a
plurality of hooks around the inserting hole and extending toward
the tray, and the tray is provided with a plurality of arc-shaped
slots around the pin for engaging with the hooks by snap-fitting,
such that the arm is secured to the tray when the hooks are
snap-fitted into the slots.
5. The cup holder in claim 1, wherein the arm comprises: a first
supporting member rotating with respect to the pin of the tray; a
second supporting member rotating with respect to one end of the
first supporting member; and an elastic member; wherein the first
supporting member and the second supporting member are rotatably
connected by means of a second pin and a second inserting hole, and
a second elastic member is friction-fitted between an outer surface
of the second pin and an inner surface of the second inserting
hole, creating a certain amount of friction against the outer
surface of the second pin and the inner surface of the second
inserting hole such that the second pin rotatably moves within the
second inserting hole only when the friction is overcome by a
larger force.
6. The cup holder in claim 5, wherein the second elastic member is
a silicon-rubber ring.
7. The cup holder in claim 6, wherein the second elastic member is
made by integrally combining a plurality of single silicon-rubber
rings in a concentric manner in a vertical direction.
8. The cup holder in claim 5, wherein one of the supporting members
is provided with a plurality of hooks around the second inserting
hole and extending toward the other supporting member, and the
other supporting member is provided with a plurality of arc-shaped
slots around the second pin for engaging with the hooks by
snap-fitting, such that the one supporting member is secured to the
other supporting member when the hooks are snap-fitted into the
slots.
9. A cup holder for an automobile, comprising: a pin; an arm having
an inserting hole, wherein the pin is inserted into the inserting
hole and the arm is securely supporting the circumference of a
container by rotation with respect to the pin; and an elastic
member friction-fitted between an outer surface of the pin and an
inner surface of the inserting hole, creating a certain amount of
friction against the outer surface of the pin and the inner surface
of the inserting hole such that the pin rotatably moves within the
inserting hole only when the friction is overcome by a larger
force.
10. The cup holder in claim 9, wherein the elastic member is a
silicon-rubber ring.
11. The cup holder in claim 9, wherein the arm is provided with a
plurality of hooks around the inserting hole, and the arm is
secured to the pin by snap-fitting the hooks to slots near the
pin.
12. The cup holder in claim 9, wherein the arm comprises: a first
supporting member rotating with respect to the pin; a second
supporting member rotating with respect to one end of the first
supporting member, and an elastic member; and a second elastic
member; wherein the first supporting member and the second
supporting member are rotatably connected by means of a second pin
and a second inserting hole, and the second elastic member is
friction-fitted between an outer surface of the second pin and an
inner surface of the second inserting hole, creating a certain
amount of friction against the outer surface of the second pin and
the inner surface of the second inserting hole such that the pin
rotatably moves within the inserting hole only when the friction is
overcome by a larger force.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority of Korean Application No.
10-2004-0021924, filed on Mar. 31, 2004, the disclosure of which is
incorporated fully herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a cup holder for an
automobile. More particularly, the present invention relates to a
cup holder with a silicon-rubber ring inserted between a pin formed
on a tray of a cup holder opening and an inserting hole of an arm
that tightly supports a container, wherein the silicon-rubber ring
functions as a friction element that restricts undesirable rotation
of the arm supporting the container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In general, recently developed automobiles are provided with
a cup holder for receiving and holding a container such as a cup or
a can. Cup holders serve to prevent containers from tipping over. A
cup holder is typically positioned on a dashboard, a console, or
other appropriate place in accordance with the needs of vehicle
passengers to keep a container from spilling, which may occur due
to an ordinary vibration while the vehicle is in motion.
[0004] A basic cup holder is a recess-type cup holder which is
simply an opening for receiving a container on a surface of a
dashboard or a console. This recess-type cup holder is, however,
disadvantageous because, not only is the cup holder incapable of
securely holding containers of various shapes and sizes, but there
is no holding means to support the containers. Since the size of
the opening for receiving containers is not adjustable, when the
size of the container does not fit the opening, the container may
tip over while the vehicle is in motion. In order to overcome such
drawbacks, numerous modifications of the cup holder have been
developed.
[0005] For example, Korean patent registration No. 10-0362110
discloses a cup holder equipped with arms capable of securely
holding containers of various size. The arms have a serrated edge.
The serrated edges work in conjunction with a stopper to fix the
arm in a desired position when a groove in the serrated edge is
lodged against the stopper.
[0006] This type of cup holder, however, still encounters the
problem of cups that do not fit. The grooves in the serrated edge
delimit a finite number of sizes for containers that will fit
within the cup holder. Many containers exist, however that are not
one of the sizes delimited by the grooves. For example, when three
grooves form the serrated edge on the arm, the arm is configured to
be fixed at three predetermined positions. Therefore, a container
of a size other than the sizes formed by the three fixed positions
of the arm may not be securely held by the cup holder. This further
results in the generation of a noise between the arm and the
container. Such a cup holder is further disadvantageous in that an
unpleasant noise is generated during the rotation of the arm due to
the nature of the snap-fit structure of the grooves in the
serration and the stopper. Moreover, such a cup holder assembly is
composed of a large number of components, which require
time-consuming and labor-intensive work to fabricate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is a novel cup holder that adjusts to
any size of container. The present invention comprises an opening
formed in a passenger compartment of a vehicle for receiving a
container and a tray formed adjacent to the opening. A pin
protrudes from the end of the tray. An arm having a concavely
curved edge and an inserting hole for the pin at one end is
positioned such that the pin is inserted into the inserting hole of
the arm. Between the outer surface of the pin and the inner surface
of the arm's inserting hole is a silicon-rubber ring, inserted by
friction fit. The silicon-rubber ring functions as a friction
element that allows the arm to be rotated atop the pin only when
pressure is exerted upon it above a predetermined range. The
silicon-rubber ring may also be comprised of a plurality of single
rings in a concentric manner in a vertical direction.
[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the arm is
provided with a plurality of hooks around the inserting hole of the
arm extending toward the tray. Formed on the tray around the pin is
a plurality of arc-shaped slots engaging with the hooks by
snap-fitting, so that the arm is not easily detached from the tray
when the hooks of the arm are snap-fitted into the slots.
[0009] In another embodiment the present invention, the arm is a
multi-link arm comprised of a first supporting member and a second
supporting member. The first supporting member includes the
inserting hole for the pin protruding from the tray. The first
supporting member further includes a second pin. The second
supporting member with a second inserting hole for the second pin
is positioned such that the second pin is inserted into the second
inserting hole. Between the outer surface of the second pin and the
inner surface of the second inserting hole is a second
silicon-rubber ring, inserted by friction fit.
[0010] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a
plurality of hooks is provided on the first supporting member
around the second pin and extending toward the second supporting
member, and a plurality of arc-shaped slots are formed around the
second inserting hole. The plurality of hooks are engaged with the
slots by snap-fitting so that first and second supporting members
are securely attached to each other.
[0011] In a further embodiment of the present invention, a
plurality of hooks is provided on the second supporting member
around the second inserting hole and extending toward the first
supporting member, and a plurality of arc-shaped slots are formed
around the second pin. The plurality of hooks are engaged with the
slots by snap-fitting so that first and second supporting members
are securely attached to each other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The aforementioned aspects and other features of the present
invention will be explained in the following description, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1a is a perspective view showing a cup holder according
to an embodiment of the present invention, which is installed into
an interior of a vehicle;
[0014] FIG. 1b is a perspective view showing a cup holder according
to an embodiment of the present invention, which is holding a
container therein;
[0015] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cup holder
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 shows an arm with hooks and corresponding arc-shape
slots formed on a tray of a cup holder according to an embodiment
of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 4a is a perspective view of a silicon-rubber ring
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4b is a cross-sectional view of a silicon-rubber ring
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a plane view of a cup holder according to another
embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a multi-link
arm; and
[0020] FIG. 6 is an exploded, perspective view of a multi-link arm
of FIG. 5 according to another embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1a, 1b, and 2, the present invention
includes an opening 110 that receives a container. In opening 110,
a tray 111 for disposing an arm 120 is formed along one side of the
inner surface of opening 110. On tray 111, one end of arm 120 is
rotatably attached to tray 111 and the rest of arm 120 is
positioned in an initial position. Only the end of arm 120 that is
rotatably attached to tray 111 is supported by tray 111 when arm
120 rotates toward the center of opening 110. Tray 111 protrudes
from the bottom of opening 110 such that no surface of arm 120
extends above the rim of opening 110.
[0022] A pin 112 protrudes from the surface of tray 111. As shown
in FIG. 3, arm 120 is provided with an inserting hole 123 on the
bottom surface at one end to accommodate pin 112. A silicon-rubber
ring 130 is forcibly inserted into a gap formed between the outer
surface of pin 112 and the inner surface of inserting hole 123 when
pin 112 is inserted into inserting hole 123. After pin 112 is
inserted into inserting hole 123, arm 120 rotates with respect to
pin 112 on tray 111. Arm 120 includes a concavely curved surface
121 at one side for securely supporting the circumference of a
container and a projecting handle 122 for easy rotation of arm
120.
[0023] As depicted in FIG. 2, silicon-rubber ring 130 is
friction-fitted between the outer surface of pin 112 and the inner
surface of inserting hole 123. Arm 120 rotates when a force that
overcomes the friction between the inner surface of inserting hole
123 and the outer surface of silicon-rubber ring 130 is applied to
arm 120. As described above, silicon-rubber ring 130 provides an
appropriate amount of friction to disturb free rotation of arm 120,
thereby securely fixing the position of arm 120 at a position set
by a user even after the user releases the force applied to the
arm.
[0024] In other words, arm 120's rotation with respect to pin 112
is restricted by the friction created by silicon-rubber ring 130.
When an external force greater than the friction created by
silicon-rubber ring 130 is applied (such as a force provided by a
user), arm 120 is rotated with respect to pin 112. When the
external force to arm 120 is released, the movement of arm 120 is
restricted by the friction of silicon-rubber ring 130, so that arm
120 remains in the position it was in when the external force was
released, thereby firmly supporting a container. Therefore, a user
can rotate arm 120 to accommodate a container of any size within a
predetermined range by means of handle 122. Upon release of arm 120
by the user, arm 120 remains in the position set by the user and
securely holds the container by the friction of the silicon-rubber
ring 130. Accordingly, the holding force of arm 120 is defined by
the friction of silicon-rubber ring 130.
[0025] In one embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b,
silicon-rubber ring 130 is comprised of a plurality of single rings
131 in a concentric manner in a vertical direction. Silicon-rubber
ring 130 is configured to be compressed or expanded in a radial
direction during rotation of arm 120. While other materials may be
used to construct a ring to fit between pin 112 and inserting hole
123, silicon rubber is provided as an example because of its
ability to maintain its shape at a temperature of up to 600.degree.
F. Silicon rubber is also superior to conventional organic rubber
materials in its tensile strength, elongation, and endurance.
Moreover, even though its conventional heat-resistance is in the
range of 150 to 250.degree. F., silicon rubber can be used at a
temperature of up to 350.degree. F. intermittently.
[0026] In another embodiment (see FIG. 3), arm 120 is provided with
a plurality of hooks 124 around inserting hole 123 extending toward
tray 111. Hooks 124 are configured to snap-fit into a plurality of
arc-shape slots 113 formed around pin 112. Slots 113 is arranged
along the circumference of pin 112. When hooks 124 are engaged with
slots 113, arm 120 is secured to tray 111. Slots 113 are long
enough to allow hooks 124 to stay within slots 113 even while arm
120 is rotated. Thus, not only should slots 113 should be
arc-shaped and concentric with pin 112, but also the length of the
slots 113 should be configured to accommodate the predetermined
rotating angle of arm 120. Accordingly, the maximum rotating angle
of arm 120 is determined by the length of slot 113. Even though
FIG. 3 shows three hooks and three slots, the number and location
of hooks and slots can be modified to fit the needs of the
user.
[0027] In yet another embodiment of the present invention (see
FIGS. 5 and 6), a cup holder is provided with a multi-link arm that
more securely fixes a container. Arm 120 comprises a first
supporting member 120a rotating with respect to pin 112 on tray
111, and a second supporting member 120b rotating with respect to
one end of first supporting member 120a. Referring to FIG. 6, at
one end of first supporting member 120a, first supporting member
120a is rotatably connected to pin 112. At the other end of first
supporting member 120a, second supporting member 120b is rotatably
connected in a similar manner. A second pin 125 protrudes from
first supporting member 120a. Second supporting member 120b is
provided with a second inserting hole 126 into which second pin 125
is inserted. A silicon-rubber ring 127 (as shown in FIG. 4a and
FIG. 4b) is friction-fitted between the outer surface of second pin
125 of the first supporting member 120a and the inner surface of
second inserting hole 126 of second supporting member 120b.
Silicon-rubber ring 127 provides an appropriate amount of friction
that restrains the undesirable rotation of second supporting member
120b with respect to first supporting member 120a so as to remain
firmly in the position that the user placed second supporting
member 120b, and thereby firmly holding a container. The friction
of silicon-rubber ring 127 is configured so that a user may easily
rotate second supporting member 120b with respect to first
supporting member 120a manually.
[0028] In a further embodiment, second supporting member 120b is
provided with a plurality of hooks 129 extending toward first
supporting member 120a and located around second inserting hole
126. Hooks 129 are configured to snap-fit into a plurality of
arc-shape slots 128 formed around second pin 125 of the first
supporting member 120a.
[0029] From the foregoing description, the present invention is a
cup holder capable of securely holding containers of various shapes
and sizes by utilizing a silicon-rubber ring to serve as a friction
control between a pin and an inserting hole of an arm that securely
holds a container. Furthermore, the present invention adopts an arm
capable of being positioned at any position within a predetermined
range. This is an advantage over the prior art of cup holders with
arms that can only accommodate step-rotation. Not only are the
prior art cup holders incapable of securely accommodate containers
of various sizes, they also generate much nose due to their design
using serrated edges and stoppers. Moreover, when a multi-link arm
is provided, the cup holder according to the present invention more
effectively holds a container. A cup holder according to the
present invention is further advantageous in having a more simple
structure in comparison with that of prior art, thus reducing
manufacturing cost.
[0030] Even though the present invention is described in detail
with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it is not intended to
limit the scope of the present invention thereto. It is evident
from the foregoing that many variations and modifications may be
made by a person having an ordinary skill in the present field
without departing from the essential concept of the present
invention.
* * * * *