U.S. patent application number 11/300114 was filed with the patent office on 2007-04-05 for cup holder for a vehicle.
Invention is credited to Chang Bok Park, Je Hoon Shin.
Application Number | 20070075205 11/300114 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37867986 |
Filed Date | 2007-04-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070075205 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shin; Je Hoon ; et
al. |
April 5, 2007 |
Cup holder for a vehicle
Abstract
A cup holder for a vehicle is mounted in the vehicle for
supporting a cup. The cup holder includes a housing mounted on a
wall portion of the cup holder, which has a receiving groove for
receiving a cup. The housing includes a first guide groove formed
therein, a guide movably mounted in the housing so as to enter and
exit from the first guide groove, the guide having a second guide
groove corresponding to the first guide groove, and a spring for
restricting the guide from entering and exiting from the first
guide groove of the housing. Even if excessive force is applied to
the cup guide when the cup is inserted into the cup holder, an
upper portion of the guide is prevented from departing from the
housing, so that the cup holder can safely support the cup.
Inventors: |
Shin; Je Hoon; (Yongin-si,
KR) ; Park; Chang Bok; (Ulsan Metropolitan City,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MORGAN, LEWIS & BOCKIUS LLP (SF)
2 PALO ALTO SQUARE
3000 El Camino Real, Suite 700
PALO ALTO
CA
94306
US
|
Family ID: |
37867986 |
Appl. No.: |
11/300114 |
Filed: |
December 13, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/311.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N 3/106 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/311.2 |
International
Class: |
A47K 1/08 20060101
A47K001/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 30, 2005 |
KR |
2005-0092430 |
Claims
1. A cup holder for a vehicle, comprising: a housing mounted on a
wall portion of the cup holder which has a receiving groove for
receiving a cup wherein the housing comprises a first guide groove
formed therein; a guide movably mounted in the housing so as to
enter and exit from the first guide groove wherein the guide
comprises a second guide groove corresponding to the first guide
groove; and a spring for restricting the guide from entering and
exiting from the first guide groove of the housing.
2. The cup holder for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
housing comprises: guide slots with a predetermined length
horizontally integrated to both sides of the housing; a support
protruded on an upper portion of the housing; a seating groove
formed at a predetermined depth in the upper portion of the
housing; and combination guiding portions formed at a front portion
of the both sides of the housing such that the guide is combined
with the housing.
3. The cup holder for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
guide comprises a departure preventing element hingedly received in
the seating groove of the housing, spring fixing protrusions formed
at a predetermined distance to each other on both sides of the
guide so as to receive the spring, movable shafts moving along the
guide slots reciprocally, and an extension formed on a front wall
of the guide, for restricting the guide from moving.
4. The cup holder for a vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
guide comprises a departure preventing element hingedly received in
the seating groove of the housing, spring fixing protrusions formed
at a predetermined distance to each other on both sides of the
guide so as to receive the spring, movable shafts moving along the
guide slots reciprocally, and an extension formed on a front wall
of the guide, for restricting the guide from moving.
5. The cup holder for a vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein
extension grooves are formed at lower portions of the guide.
6. The cup holder for a vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the
guide is rotatably coupled to the housing by the departure
prevention element and a connecting member.
7. The cup holder for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
movable shafts of the guide have incline surfaces corresponding to
the combination guiding portions at ends of the movable shafts.
8. The cup holder for a vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the
movable shafts of the guide have incline surfaces corresponding to
the combination guiding portions at ends of the movable shafts.
9. The cup holder for a vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the
spring has one end supported by a front wall of the housing and the
other end supported by the extension for restricting the guide from
moving.
10. The cup holder for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
spring includes a torsion spring.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority to Korean
Patent Application 10-2005-0092430 filed in the Korean Intellectual
Property Office on Sep. 30, 2005, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a cup holder for a vehicle,
and more particularly to a cup holder for a vehicle, which includes
a guide with an upper portion that is attached to the cupholder, so
as to support a cup safely even though an excessive operational
force is applied to the guide when a cup is seated in the cup
holder for the vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In general, cup holders are mounted between a driver's seat
and a passenger's seat to receive a cup containing a beverage after
the driver and the passenger begin drinking beverage and water. The
cup holder is provided with a cup guide mounted thereto for
supporting a cup seated in the cup holder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] An embodiment of the present invention is provided in which
a cup holder includes a guide having a departure prevention
structure formed at the upper portion of the guide and a spring
disposed in the guide such that an upper portion of the guide may
be rotably affixed to the cup holder and may safely support a cup
even when an excessive force is applied to the guide after the cup
is seated in the cup holder.
[0005] There is also provided a cup holder of a vehicle which
supports a cup that includes: a housing mounted on a wall portion
of the cup holder which has a receiving groove for receiving a cup,
which has a first guide groove formed therein; a guide movably
mounted in the housing so as to enter and exit from the first guide
groove, which has a second guide groove corresponding to the first
guide groove; and a spring for restricting the guide from entering
and exiting from the first guide groove of the housing.
[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
housing includes: guide slots with a predetermined length
horizontally integrated to both sides of the housing; a support
protruding from an upper portion of the housing; a seating groove
formed at a predetermined depth in the upper portion of the
housing; and combination guiding portions formed at a front portion
of the both sides of the housing to be inclined outwardly so that
the guide is easily combined with the housing.
[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the
guide includes: a departure prevention element hingedly received in
the seating groove of the housing; spring fixing protrusions formed
at a predetermined distance to each other on both sides of the
guide so as to receive the spring; movable shafts moving along the
guide slots reciprocally; and an extension formed on a front wall
of the guide, for restricting the guide from moving.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention,
extension grooves may be formed at lower portions of the guide to
extend a time of contacting to the housing when the guide rotates.
The guide may be coupled to the housing by the departure prevention
element and a connecting member in order to freely rotate. The
movable shafts of the guide may have incline surfaces corresponding
to the combination guiding portions at ends of the movable shafts.
The spring may include a torsion spring. The spring has one end
supported by a front wall of the housing and the other end
supported by the extension for restricting the guide from
moving.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cup holder for a vehicle
according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which a
cup has been inserted into the cup holder;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a magnified perspective view showing a guide
applied to a cup holder for a vehicle according to one embodiment
of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the guide of the
cup holder according to on embodiment of the present invention
before a cup is inserted; and
[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the guide of the
cup holder according to one embodiment of the present invention
after a cup is inserted.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Hereinafter, a cup holder for a vehicle according to an
embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the cup holder for a
vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention, in
which the cup is inserted in the cup holder. FIG. 2 is a magnified
perspective view showing a guide applied to a cup holder for a
vehicle according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a
cross-sectional view showing a guide of the cup holder according to
the present invention before the insertion of a cup. FIG. 4 is a
cross-sectional view showing the guide of the cup holder according
to the present invention after the insertion of the cup.
[0016] The cup holder 1 according to one embodiment of the present
invention includes a cylindrical receiving groove 2 defined by a
wall portion 3 and a bottom portion 3-1, a housing 10, a guide 20,
and a spring 30, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0017] A plurality of housings 10 are mounted at predetermined
distances in the wall portion 3 of the cup holder 1. The wall
portion 3 of the cup holder 1 forms the cylindrical receiving
groove 2 which is configured to receive a cup 9 and has a first
guide groove 12 from which the guide 20 may enter and exit.
[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, each housing 10 includes guide slots 11
with a predetermined length horizontally integrated to both side
walls of the housing 10, a support 13 protruded on an upper portion
of the housing 10, a seating groove 14 formed on the support 13 at
a predetermined depth, and combination guide portions 15 formed at
the front of both side walls of the housing 10 configured so that
guide 20 to be easily enter and be coupled to the guide slots 11.
The guide slots 11 help to direct the guide 20 into the housing 10
by when an operating force F is applied as the cup 9 inserted into
the receiving groove 2.
[0019] When a cup 9 is placed into the cylindrical receiving groove
2 of the cup holder 1, the guide 20 is subjected to the force
applied by the vertical wall of the cup and may move into the first
guide groove 12 of the housing 10. At the same time, a protrusion
29 of the guide 20 is pushed down to provide a certain space in
which the cup 9 is introduced. While the cup 9 is seated in the cup
holder 1, the spring 30 is configured to compel the guide 20 to
return to its initial position as shown in FIG. 3. As a result, the
force applied by the guide 20 to the vertical wall of the cup 9
helps to tightly secure the cup 9 within the cylindrical receiving
groove 2 of the cup holder 1.
[0020] As seen in FIGS. 2-4, a support 13 is formed on the upper
portion of the housing 10. The support 13 includes a seating groove
14 with a predetermined depth and an opening at its upper portion.
The seating groove 14 of the support 13 is configured to receive a
departure prevention element 21, which pivotally affixes the guide
20 to the housing 10, so as to prevent the guide from departing
from the housing 10 due to the operating force of the cup 9. That
is, the departure prevention element 21 and the seating groove 14
functions as a hinge allowing the guide 20 to smoothly pivot about
the departure prevention element 21.
[0021] Combination guide portions 15 are formed at a front portion
of both side walls of the housing 10, which allows shafts 26 of the
guide 20 to enter into and move along the guide slots 11. The guide
20 may move forward and backward along the guide slots 11 when the
operating force of the cup 9 is applied and may support the cup 9
safely seated in the receiving groove 2.
[0022] As seen in FIGS. 2-4, the guide 20 includes the departure
prevention element 21 hingedly coupled to the seating groove 14 of
the housing 10, spring mounts 24 formed on both internal side walls
of the guide 20, the shafts 26 movable along the guide slots 11,
and an extension 28 formed on a front wall of the guide 20.
[0023] The guide 20 is configured to fit within the housing 10 and
is able to enter and exit from the first groove 12 of the housing
10. The guide 20 is also coupled to the housing 10 to be inserted
in the first groove 12 of the housing 10. That is, as the departure
prevention element 21 of the guide 20 is hingedly coupled to the
seating groove 12 of the housing 10, the guide 20 can pivotally
mounted to the housing 10 in order to enter and exit from the first
guide groove 12 of the housing 10.
[0024] The departure prevention element 21 is connected to the
guide 20, fits within the seating groove 14 of the upper portion of
the housing 10, and is configured to freely rotate within the
seating groove 14. The departure prevention element 21 is connected
to the guide 20 by a connecting member 23.
[0025] Spring mounts 24 are formed at a predetermined distance on
both internal side walls of the guide 20 and is configured to
support the spring 30. In one embodiment, the spring mounts 24
maintain the distance d, which is enough to easily mount and
separate the spring 30 from the spring mounts 24.
[0026] The shafts 26 are configured to prevent the guide 20 from
departing from the housing 10 due to the operating force F of the
cup 9. In one embodiment, the ends of the shafts 26 of the guide 20
has an inclined surface 27 formed to correspond to the combination
guide portion 15 of the housing 10 having an outward inclined
surface.
[0027] The extension groove 25 is configured to allow the guide 20
to pivot about the departure prevention element 21 to the maximum
extent when the cup 9 is seated in the receiving groove 2, thereby
delaying the time that the guide 20 comes into contact with the
housing 10.
[0028] When the spring 30 is mounted between the spring mounts 24
is retracted by the downward operating force of the cup, the
extension 28 formed on the front wall of the guide 10 supports the
spring 30 in order to increase elasticity of the spring 30, so that
the guide 20 supports the cup 9 seated in the receiving groove 2.
The spring 30 restricts the guide 20 to enter and exit from the
first guide groove 12 of the housing 10, which includes a torsion
spring.
[0029] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the spring 30 has one end
supported by the front wall of the housing 10 and the other end
supported by the extension 28. When the guide 20 is subjected to
the downward operating force of the cup 9 to enter the housing 10,
the one end of spring 30 supported by the front wall of the housing
10 moves down while the other end of the spring 30 supported by the
extension 28 is further retracted Therefore, while the cup 9 is
seated in the receiving groove 2 of the cup holder 1, the spring 30
absorbs the operating force F in order for the guide 20 to easily
move into the housing 10. To the contrary, when the cup 9 is
removed from the receiving groove 2, the spring 30 forces the guide
20 to easily return to the initial position (see FIGS. 3 and
4).
[0030] As shown in figures, when a cup 9 is inserted into the cup
holder, the upper portion of the guide 20 is subjected to the
operating force F, so that the guide 20 is pushed within the
housing 10. The guide 20 is subjected to the operating force F,
rotates and comes down while moving into the first guide groove 12
of the housing 10, thereby supplying a space for the cup so that
the cup 9 can be received in the space. The downward movement of
the guide 20 is controlled by the departure prevention element 21
hingedly coupled to the seating groove 14. On the other hand, when
the cup 9 is removed from the receiving groove 2 of the cup holder
1, the guide 20 is returned to the initial position by the spring
30 mounted at an intermediate portion of the guide 20.
[0031] In the cup holder, according to one embodiment of the
present invention, since the guide is coupled to the supporting
member of the housing by the departure prevention element 21 of the
guide 20, the guide 20 is prevented from departing from the housing
even if excessive force is applied to the rotating guide while the
cup 9 is placed inside the receiving groove 2 of the cup holder
1.
[0032] While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has
been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art
will appreciate that various modifications, additions and
substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying
claims.
* * * * *