GB2402116A - Support apparatus such as a cup holder for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A support apparatus for supporting an object such as a cup, bottle or other liquid-containing vessel with a vertical axis Y comprises a recess 14,16 having a peripheral wall 14a-d, 16a-d. The peripheral wall is provided with one or more inwardly-directed rubber flaps 18a-d which are arranged to grip the object to be supported. The flaps are curved about a non-vertical axis to improve the gripping action.

Description

240211 6

SUPPORT APPARATUS

I'he present invention relates to a support apparatus for supporting or holding an object. The invention particularly but not exclusively, relates to a holder for cups, glasses or other vessels. The invention finds advantageous application as a cup holder for a vehicle such as an automobile.

It is known to provide automobiles and other vehicles with devices for holding or retaining cups, holtles, drinks cans or other liquidcontaining vessels so that they may be easily accessed by the occupants of the vehicle when required, yet are held sufficiently securely that they do not tip over during normal, or even extreme, driving manoeuvres.

The simplest form of such devices, which are hereinafter generally referred to as "cup holders", comprises a generally square or cylindrical, downwardly directed opening or recess, formed within an interior part, fitting or trim panel of the vehicle, in which the cup or other vessel is received.

It is a general requirement that the cup holder be capable of holding cups or vessels of differing diameters and it is therefore common for the recess to be sized Title a diameter of between 80 - IO0 mm. However, vessels having a diameter which is significantly less than that of the recess are less well retained by the cup holder than those with larger diameters. .....

It is therefore necessary for the recess to lo sufficiently deep, preferably between approximately 80-100mm, to ensure that vessels of smaller diameter are adequately retained therein during normal driving manoeuvrcs without.

tipping. Reducing the depth of the recess significantly below this range. '' increases the likelihood of tipping of the vessel during normal driving ma no cuvres.

However, in some vehicles, the cup holder may have to be located in a position where there is insufficient space to provide a recess of an adequate depth to securely retain all types of vessels. For example, it is common to locale the cup holder in the cetrc console of the vehicle, adjacent to or above the hand brake lever. In this case, the recess of the cup holder may be limited to a depth of less than 30mm, and in some cases, less than 20mm to avoid fouling on the hand brake lever. '['his depth is insufficient to securely retain even those vessels whose diarnctcr is comparable to that of the recess, the vessels being liable to tipping during normal driving manocuvres.

This problem has been solved to an extent by providing the recess with inwardly directed, generally flat flaps of flexible or resilient material such as rubber. The ['laps are located on the inner walls of the recess and engage with the cup or vessel in sitar to provide a gripping action on the vessel. This gripping action permits the recess to be made shallower whilst still retaining the vessel therein.

In general, the rubber used to form the flaps is relatively thin to facilitate production and to reduce manufacturi.g costs. This presents the drawback that the flaps may not be sufficiently stiff to provide an adequate gripping action on the vessel, particularly where the recess is relatively shallow. In general, the shallower the recess, the stronger the grip must be on the vessel to prevent its

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tipping over.

The applicant believes that, for cup holders having flaps of this type, the recess À Be e.

should have a depth greater than approximately 40mm if the vessel is to be held ''.': securely. At depths less than this it has been found that conventional flaps, ., À Be.

provide an insufficiently strong grip on the vessel which may therefore tip under certain driving manocuvres.

In the event that there is insufficient space available in the vehicle for the positioning of a cup holder of this depth, it ha been proposed simply to provide flaps having a greater thickness in order to increase the grip generated on the vessel. However, this increases costs and can lead to difficulties fair the user in removing the vessel from the holder.

It is an aim of the present invention to address this problem. Embocliments of the invention provide a support apparatus or cup holder which uses a novel form of flap to grip or hold a vessel or other object therein.

According to one aspect of the present invention, therefore, there is provided a support apparatus for supporting or holding an object, the apparatus comprising a recess having a peripheral wall, the wall having at least one flap extending into the recess for engagement with the object in use, the or each flap being curved about a non-vertical axis.

The wall may comprise a plurality of flaps extending into the recess. In one embodiment, the or each flap is curved about an axis which is inclined relative to the central axis of the recess. In another embodiment, the axis about which the or each flap is curved is substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the recess.

In one embodiment, the recess is substantially square in cross section, having.

four distinct side walls. Two or more of the side walls may be slightly arcuate.

In another embodiment, the recess is substantially cylindrical having a:' generally circular cross section. À : À. e.

The apparatus may be provided with four flaps, each flap being radiallyA' À inwardly directed. The flaps may be substantially equidistantly spaced around the side wall or walls of the recess. In the embodiment whereby the recess is generally square in cross section, each flap may be located at a respective corner region of the recess.

In one embodiment, adjacent flaps are disposed symmetrically about a plane exte..ling parallel to the central axis of the recess. One pair of diametrically opposing flaps may be curved about a first common axis. Another pair of diametrically opposing flaps may be curved about a second common axis which is substantially perpendicular to the first common axis.

Alternatively, adjacent flaps may be curved asymmetrically about a plane extending parallel to the central axis of the recess.

Each flap is preferably flcsihle and/or resilient. Each flap may be formed from rubber or any other suitable material.

Each flap may have a substantially constant thickness. Alternatively each flap may have a thickness which tapers from a radially outer region to a radially inkier region thereof. In one embodiment, each flap tapers from a thickness of approximately 3mm at a radially outer region thereof to a thickness of approximately 1.5mm at a radially inner region thereof.

In another embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces of each flap are ribbed or stepped to provide an improved engagement with, and a stronger gripping action on, a cup or vessel in use.

Each flap may be attached individually to the inside of the respective side wall or may extend through a suitable aperture or slot formed within the side wall.

Alternatively, the flaps may be formed on a common annular member which may be attached to the inside surface of the side walls or which may extend circumferentially around the outer surface of the side walls, the flaps extending into the recess through suitable slots in the side walls.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a cup holder for a vehicle comprising an apparatus as described in the preceding paragraphs.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a part, fitting or trim panel for a vehicle comprising an apparatus or a cup holder as described in the preceding paragraphs.

According to a still further aspect of the invention there is provided a vehicle having an apparatus, a cup holder or a part or fitting as described in any of the embodiments above.

Embodiments of the invention may be used singly or in combination.

The curved or bent flaps employed by the present invention are advantageously considerably stiffer for a given thickness of material than conventional planar or "flat" flaps used by the prior art. This increased stiffness permits a greater engagement of the flaps with a cup or vessel within the recess and thus a stronger gripping action thereon.

Where the apparatus is used as a cup holder, the recess can be made considerably shallower than has previously been possible. It has been found that the present invention provides adequate retention of cups or vessels in the cup holder even if the recess is less than 20mm deep. Satisfactory retention of cups or other vessels has been achieved in recesses of only 18mm deep.

This is particularly advantageous where the apparatus is to be located in the. , centre console of a vehicle, adjacent to or above the hand brake Icver, since the depth of such cup holders must be significantly reduced to avoid fouling of the hand brake lever.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings i!' which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a cup holder for a vehicle c mbodying a first form of the invc,ticn; Figure 2 is a section through line A-A of the cup holder of Figure l; Figure 3 is a section through a cup holder embodying a second form of the invention; Figure 4 is a section through line B-B of Figure I illustrating a first form of flap; Figure 5 is a section through line B-B of Figure 1 illustrating a second form of flap; In the following description, term "cup holder" will he used to describe a device or apparatus which is intended, and arranged, to hold or retain a cup, bottle, can or other liquid-containing vesse'. The cup holder of the illustrated embodiment is intended primarily, but not exclusively, for use in a vehicle and the terms "upper", "lower", "bottom" and o her similar or directional terms will be construed accordingly.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, a cup holder embodying a first form of the invention is shown generally at l O. The cup holder 10 comprises a body portion ', . ' ; in the form of a generally planar plate 12 which may be formed from plastic or any suitable material and is intended to locate in or on the interior trim of a.

vehicle, such as an automobile. In one embodiment, the cup holder 10 is intended to be fitted into the centre console or cockpit module area of the vehicle. The material chosen to form the body will depend on its intended location within the vehicle since it will usually be required to provide an aesthetically pleasing effect with the material of the surrounding trim when in use.

The plate 12 is provided with two downwardly directed recesses 14, l.: formed therein. Each recess 14, 16 has a rcspcctivc bottom surface 14e, '16e and is generally square in cross section, having a peripheral wall 14. In the il' strafed embodiment, the wall 14 comprises four distinct side walls 14a - d, .6a - d joined at coiner regions and two of the walls 14a, 14c, 16a, 16c of each recess 14, 16 arc slightly arcuatc for reasons of aesthetics. It will be understood, however, that the recesses '14, 16 can take any suitable cross section, including square or circular.

The plate 12 and the recesses 14, 16 are preferably integrally l'ormed from a suitable material such as a plastics material. However, the plate and the recesses may be separately formed from similar or different materials depending on the intended use or the required appearance of the cup holder.

Considering, for simplicity, only the first recess 14, a plurality of flaps 18a- 18d extend into the recess 14 from the inner surface of the side walls 14a - 14d thereof. 'I'he orientation of the flaps 18a- 18d is generally horizontal (i.e. substantially orthogonal to the side walls 14a - 14d) and each flap 18a- 18d is located at a respective corner region of the recess 14, between two adjacent side walls.

The flaps 18a - 18d are formed from a layer of flexible, and preferably ' '; resilient, material such as rubber or other synthetic material which has a.... À-

thickness of between! :; - 3mm, although other thicknesses may be used. The. .. ; shape of the flaps 18 in plan view is shown as part-circular although, while this shape may, in use, have a beneficial effect on engagement with a cup or other ! vessel, this is not intended to be limiting and it is envisaged that the flaps may be formed in other shapes if desired.

As shown in Figure 2, the flaps 18a- 18d are non-planar. Specifically, the flaps 18a, 18c are curved about an axis Xl while the flaps 18b, 18d are curved about an axis, X2. Axes X1, X2 are mutually orthogonal and extend generally horizontally and substantially pi rpendicular to the central axis Y of the recess 14.

Furthermore, adjacent flaps are disposed and/or curved symmetrically about first and second common planes X3, X4.

In the alternative embodiment ot Figu c 3, opposing flaps are still curved about tl.c first and second common axes Xl, X2 but are disposed and/or curved asymmetrically about the first and second common planes X3, X4. However, the precise orientation or arrangement of the flaps is not essential and may be varied according to the desired aesthetic effect.

An important aspect of the invention is that each flap is curved about an axis, in the illustrated embodiment either axis X1 or axis X2, which is non-vertical and which is therclore inclined relative to the central axis Y of the recess. In the illustrated embodiments, the axes X1, X2 are substantially perpendicular to the axis Y and substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the cup holder.

This curvature of the flaps makes each [lap considerably stiffer and/or more À e resilient than the conventional planar or "flat" flaps of the prior art. .. ': Consequently, the flaps 18a - 18d engage with the cup or vessel to a greater, extent, thereby providing a significantly greater gripping force on the vessel. ..

fiche result is that the recess 14 can be made considerably shallower than in prior art devices. Specifically, it has been found that a cup holder having curved flaps which are disposed only 14mm above the bottom surface of the recess 14 (giving a total recess depth of approximately 1Smm allowing for the thickness and fixing of the flaps to the side walls) can exert a gripping action or retaining force on a cup or vessel which is sufficient to retain it in position during all but the most xtreme driving manoeuvres.

The flaps are preferably positioned at a common height above the bottom surface 14c of the recess but in some instances it may be advantageous to position the flaps at varying heights above the bottom surface 14e. For example, in the en Irk> 'iment of Figure 3, the flaps are "tilted" having an upper edge 19a toward the rear end R of the cup holder 10 and a lower edge 19b toward the front end F. The flaps 18a - 18d may be attached to the inside surfaces of the walls 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d by adhesive or by any suitable means. Alternatively, each flap may extend through a respective slot or other suitably shaped aperture 20 located in the respective corner region of the side walls, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. Each flap 18 may be shaped to engage with, and be retained in, the respective slot 20 and the insertion of the flaps 18 may be achieved in either an "in-to-out" direction or, more preferably, an "out-to-in" direction, i.e. pushed or drawn into the slot from the outside of the recess.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the flaps 18 are formed on a common gasket-type, ring shaped or annular body which either extends around the inside surface of the side walls of the recess, for example located in a..

suitably formed groove or channel, or surrounds the outer surfaces of the side ' t: walls with the flaps extending into the recess through suitably shaped slots or apertures as described above. ...

Referring to Figure 4, the cross section of each flap 18 may taper in a radially inward direction from a first thickness at a region of the flap adjacent the side walls of the recess to a second thickness at a region of the flap which is intended to engage with a cup or vessel. In the preferred embodiment, the first thickness is approximately 3mm and the second thickness is approximately t.5mm In an alternative embodiment, shown in Figure 5, the upper and lower su 'aces of each flap 18 are ribbed or stepped so as to grip more positively with the cup or vessel in use.

In Figures 1 to 3, the cup holder is shown as having two recesses 14, 16, both of which are provided with flaps 'lo,, even though the second recess i6 is of significantly greater depth. In this case, the second recess 16 is provided with flaps purely for aesthetic purposes although it will be appreciated that the presence of flaps will always improve the retaining effect of the cup holder irrespective of the depth of the recess.

It will be appreciated that the present invention provides a simple yet surprisingly effective improvement to an existing cup holder which permits cups or other vessels to be adequately held or gripped even where the depth of the recess of the cup holder is relatively shallow.

The cup holder may be integrally formed within a trim panel of the vehicle or.,, may be formed as a sep; rate part for location within an existing trim panel. The cup holder may have one, two or more recesses therein for the retaining of a desired number of cups or vessels. '' The slots disposed in the peripheral wall may themselves be arcuatc or may be. .

straight such that compression of the rubber as the flap is inserted in the slot causes the flap to adopt the curved orienkation.

Claims (1)

1. A support apparatus for supporting or holding an object, the apparatus comprising a recess having a peripheral wall, the wall having at least one flap extending into the recess for engagement with the object in use, the or each flap being curved about a non-vertical axis.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim I wherein the wall comprises a plurality of flaps extending into the recess.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim I or claim wherein the or each flap is curved about an axis which is inclined relative to the central axis of the recess.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the axis about which the or each flap is curved is substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the recess.

5. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein four flaps are provided, each equidistantly spaced around the peripheral wall of the recess.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 who rein the recess is substantially square in cross section, having slightly arcuate side walls and each flap is radially inwardly directed and located at a respective corner region of the recess. . 7. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein adjacent flaps are..

disposed symmetrically about a plane extending parallel to the central axis of: the recess. A;:::

8. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 wherein adjacent flaps are disposed asymmetrically about a plane extending parallel to the central axis of the recess.

9. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a first two diametrically opposing flaps are curved about a first common axis and a second two diametrically opposing flaps are curved about a second common axis, the second common axis being substantially perpendicular to the first common axis.

IO. An apparatus as claimed in any prccedin', claim wherein the or each flap is formed from rubber.

11. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the or each flap has a substantially constant thickness.

12. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10 wherein each flap has a thickness which tapers from a radially outer region to a radially inner region.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein each flap tapers from a thickness of approximately 3mm, at a region thereof proximal to the respective side wall, to a thickness of approximately 1.5mm at a region thereof distal to the respective side wall.

14 An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein upper and lower surfaces of the or each flap are ribbed or stepped thereby to improve engagement with a cup or vessel in use.

15. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a plurality of slots disposed in at least one side wall thereof for the locating of a respective flap therein.

16. A cup holder for a vehicle comprising an apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim.

17. A part, fitting or trim panel for a vehicle comprising an apparatus or a cup heckler as claimed in any preceding claim.

1'].1\ vehicle having an apparatus, a cup holder or a part, fitting or trim panel as claimed in any preceding claim.

19. An appara is or a cup holder constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. > A. Àa. tee. À

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