Abstract:
A cup holder is mountable onto the top of an extendable handle projecting from the top of a piece of wheeled luggage. The cup holder holds a cup of liquid while the luggage is being pulled around. The cup holder is constructed from a stretchy fabric with a handle sleeve that resiliently grips the top of the extended luggage handle. The flexibility of the fabric material provides the cup support, in the form of a truncated hollow cone, with a way of rotating freely with respect to the luggage handle so that a self-leveling action is provided without need of a mechanical hinge.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention pertains to the art of cup holders. More specifically, it pertains to a cup holder that can be fastened onto an extendible luggage handle and is flexible so as to maintain the cup being held in upright orientation to prevent spilling. 
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
       [0002]    Devices for holding beverage cups have become popular in recent decades and can be found mounted in cars, on golf carts, and on furniture. Many cup holder designs have been implemented. 
         [0003]    As an example, a self-leveling cup holder has been proposed, which has a rigid structure for receiving a beverage container and which clamps to a golf cart handle. The cup holder uses a mechanical swivel structure to maintain the beverage in a nominally level state when the golf cart handle is moved. For further details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,683 to Shinaver. 
         [0004]    A self-leveling cup holder that fastens to a rolling luggage case would be useful. Although a cup holder like that disclosed by Shinaver may be well adapted to use on a golf cart, it is ill suited to use on a rolling luggage where it would need to be readily removable from the handle (since the handles on rolling luggage tend to be retractable), yet provide secure support when installed. A cup holder than can be easily attached and removed from the handle of a piece of wheeled luggage has been proposed. Although one embodiment discloses a pivot means, it does not appear to be self-leveling. For further details, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,431 to Ott. 
         [0005]    A cup holder has been proposed that is self-leveling via a mechanical pivot and can be affixed to wheeled luggage. For further details, refer to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0037825 by Dayton et al. The various embodiments of the Dayton et al. cup holder are either integrated into the collapsible handle or into the frame of the luggage. Such integration would require substantial structural accommodations (drilling of holes, assembly concurrent with manufacture of the luggage, etc.) and does not appear to be suitable for retrofitting to existing luggage without substantial effort. 
         [0006]    In the context of modern travel and business, what is needed is a self-leveling cup holder that can be removably affixed to a piece of wheeled luggage in a way that both the fixing and the removal can be accomplished quickly and easily and can be easily stored when not in use. This will avoid any need for substantial modification of existing luggage designs and will avoid the hassle and time expense of installation and removal that are non trivial. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention provides a way to support a beverage container that avoids the problems described above. The present invention may be comprised as a self-leveling cup holder that can be removably affixed to a piece of wheeled luggage in a way that both the fixing and the removal can be accomplished quickly and easily. 
         [0008]    According to embodiments of the present invention a cup holder is provided. One part of the cup holder is a truncated hollow cone sized to hold a typical beverage cup. Another part of the cup holder is a handle sleeve sized to fit over and resiliently hug the top of an extended handle of the sort typically found on rolling luggage. When in use, the cup holder is mounted onto the top of the extended handle of a piece of rolling luggage and holds a cup of liquid while the luggage is being pulled around. The cup holder is constructed from a stretchy fabric so that the handle sleeve resiliently grips the top of the luggage handle. The flexibility of the fabric material provides the flexibility for the truncated hollow cone portion that supports the cup is free to move relative to the luggage handle so that a self-leveling action is provided without need of a mechanical hinge. 
         [0009]    One aspect of the present invention is the combination of a flexible structure that fits over and resiliently hugs the top of an extended luggage handle. 
         [0010]    Another aspect of the present invention is structure that supports a cup and is free to rotate relative to a supporting member so as to effect a self-leveling action without need of a mechanical pivot structure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a cup holder according to a first embodiment of the present invention being used in combination with wheeled luggage. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  illustrates a detail view of the cup holder according to the first embodiment, showing relationship of the cup holder to an extendible handle. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of a cup holder according to the first embodiment. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates a front elevation view of a cup holder according to the first embodiment. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side elevation view of a cup holder according to the first embodiment. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  illustrates a plan view of a cup holder according to the first embodiment. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of a cup holder according to a second embodiment of the present invention being used in combination with wheeled luggage. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  illustrates a detail view of the cup holder according to the second embodiment, showing relationship of the cup holder to an extendible handle. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of a cup holder according to the second embodiment. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  illustrates a front elevation view of a cup holder according to the second embodiment. 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  illustrates a side elevation view of a cup holder according to the second embodiment. 
           [0022]      FIG. 12  illustrates a plan view of a cup holder according to the second embodiment. 
           [0023]      FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of a cup holder according to a third embodiment of the present invention being used in combination with wheeled luggage. 
           [0024]      FIG. 14  illustrates a detail view of the cup holder according to the third embodiment, showing relationship of the cup holder to an extendible handle. 
           [0025]      FIG. 15  illustrates a perspective view of a cup holder according to the third embodiment. 
           [0026]      FIG. 16  illustrates a front elevation view of a cup holder according to the third embodiment. 
           [0027]      FIG. 17  illustrates a side elevation view of a cup holder according to the third embodiment. 
           [0028]      FIG. 18  illustrates a plan view of a cup holder according to the third embodiment. 
           [0029]      FIG. 19  illustrates a side elevation view of a cup holder with an optional feature of the first embodiment. 
           [0030]      FIG. 20  illustrates a side elevation view of a cup holder with another optional feature of the first embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0031]    The present invention provides a way to carry a beverage cup supported on the collapsible handle of a wheeled piece of luggage. This serves as a convenience for travelers and business people who may wish to carry around a drink while at the same time keep their hands free to do other tasks. Cup holders embodied according to the present invention are formed of flexible materials that permit them to be flattened and stowed inside a coat pocket or an exterior luggage pocket. The fabric-backed polymer foam sheeting (usually formed from polychloroprene) commonly referred to as “neoprene” has been successfully implemented as a suitable material for making the cup holders. Neoprene has the extra advantage of providing an added degree of insulation to help maintain hot or cold temperature of the beverage being carried. Another advantage of using neoprene to form the cup holder is that it may provide a positive grip when in contact with a luggage handle. Neoprene, as intended by this disclosure, includes (without limitation) chloroprene rubber (known in the art as CR and commonly used for manufacture of wet suits), styrene butadiene rubber (known in the art as SBR and commonly used for accessories), and chloroprene/styrene-butadiene blend (known in the art as CS) that is typically 30% CR and 70% SBR. 
         [0032]    The cup holders may also be advantageously formed of leather, polymer (e.g., butyl rubber), or any of various textiles such as canvas (e.g., cotton or acrylic), spandex (e.g., Lycra®), nylon (e.g., Cordura®), and microfiber. Various types of paper, including card stock, are considered to be appropriate for embodying the cup holders. Generally, suitable materials include any fabric or flexible material, natural or man-made, that can be sewn, glued, bonded, hemmed, selvedged, piped, cut, imprinted, embroidered, welded (chemically, thermally, or ultrasonically), beaded, melded, bordered, or stamped. 
         [0033]    A first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , which shows a piece of rolling luggage  10  with its handle  12  extended. A cup holder  100  according to the first embodiment of the invention is shown engaged atop the extended handle  12 , with the self-leveling aspect being portrayed by the relative angle of the upright cup holder  100  with respect to the tilted handle  12 . 
         [0034]    The relationship of the cup holder  100  to the top end of the extended handle  12  is illustrated in  FIG. 2 , with the handle being shown in phantom. A cup support  110  maintains a nominally upright orientation at a relative angle with respect to the tilted handle  12 . The cup support  110  has freedom of rotational movement with respect to a handle sleeve  140 , which surrounds and resiliently grips onto the upper end of the tilted handle  12 . 
         [0035]    A pair of opposed sleeve channels  142  wrap around and grip parallel sides of the extended handle  12 . The freedom of rotational movement of the cup support  110  relative to the handle sleeve  140  is afforded by twisting of the webbing  144  that extends between opposed sides of the support  110  and the lower ends of the sleeve channels  142 . A top channel  146  covers the portion of the hand grip portion of the handle  12  and extends between the two sleeve channels  142 , and may be open at the ends to accommodate different sized handles. 
         [0036]    As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the webbing  144 , the sleeve channels  142 , and the top channel  146  are formed together as a continuous structure that is connected to opposed sides of the top of the cup support  110 . The opposed sleeve channels  142  are also joined together at their bottom ends by a strap  150  which urges the sleeve channels  142  toward one another when the handle sleeve  140  is slipped over an extended luggage handle  12 . The webbing  144  attaches to the cup support  110  at seams  118  on opposed sides of the cup support  110 . The strap  150  may be alternately embodied to be split with Velcro elements to make it adjustable to adjust for different widths of handles  12 . 
         [0037]    An oblong aperture  148  is formed centered at the midpoint of the top channel  146 , at the deepest part of the channel. The aperture  148  is sized to accommodate a lock release push button that is located in the middle of the top of the handle of many (but not all) wheeled luggage cases. 
         [0038]    The cup support  110  is shaped as a hollow truncated cone, with the bottom end  112  being slightly narrower than the top end  114 . A bottom support strap  116  extends across the bottom of the cup support  110  and is permanently affixed at opposed sides of the cup support  110 . The bottom support strap  116  is an optional feature that is useful to prevent small beverage containers from becoming stuck in the cup support  110  with the top of the beverage container not extending above the top end  114  of the cup support  110 , or from passing entirely through an open bottom end  112 . Alternatively, the cup support  110  may be embodied having a solid bottom rather than a strap, or as a solid bottom with a hole. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the strap  116  is shown as bowing downward from the bottom of the cup support  110 , however, this is not meant as a limitation and the strap  116  may alternatively be fastened so as to bow upward from the bottom edge of the cup support  110 . 
         [0039]    Although cup support  110  has been illustrated as being solid all the way around, it may be alternately embodied having perforations. According to one alternate embodiment, elongated perforations are formed in the cup support  110  to enable it to roll up easily so the handle  12  can be stowed with the cup holder remaining attached to the handle  12 . 
         [0040]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , a front plan view of the cup holder  100  shows a hand hold opening  160  that is formed by the space between the opposed sleeve channels  142  and between the top channel  146  and the cup support  110  and strap  150 . The hand hold opening  160  is sized to accommodate an adult hand fitting therethrough. 
         [0041]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , gather seams  152  (refer also to  FIG. 4 ) are formed in a lower portion of each of the opposed sleeve channels  142  to narrow the overall width of the bottom end of the handle sleeve  140 . The use of the gather seams  152  to narrow the handle sleeve  140  serves to enhance the resilient griping of the handle sleeve onto an extended luggage handle  12 , while leaving the remaining, upper portion of the handle sleeve  140  to grip the handle  12  more loosely to keep the cup holder  100  from being too inconvenient during application and removal due to excessive sliding friction forces. 
         [0042]    The rearward offset of the handle sleeve  140  with respect to the cup support  110  is illustrated by the plan view of  FIG. 6 . 
         [0043]    As an optional feature of the first embodiment, the ends of the top channel  146  may be open to allow for oversized handles. 
         [0044]    Referring to  FIG. 19 , another optional feature of the first embodiment is a pocket  170  on the handle sleeve  140 , on the back side in the illustrated example, which is sized to hold a boarding pass or a paperback book. 
         [0045]    Referring to  FIG. 20 , yet another optional feature of the first embodiment is an elastic pen holder sleeve  180  fixed to a side of the handle sleeve  140 . The pen holder sleeve is sized to resiliently grip the shaft of a pen. As an example, a piece of elastic fabric is seamed down two sides to form the resilient pen holder sleeve  180 . 
         [0046]    A further optional feature of the first embodiment is a hook and loop fastener, one element of which is affixed to the handle sleeve  140 , for attaching accessories such as a cell phone holder or a baby bottle holder. 
         [0047]    A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 7 . A piece of rolling luggage  10  is shown with its handle  12  extended and having a cup holder  700  according to the second embodiment of the invention engaged atop the extended handle  12 , with the self-leveling aspect being portrayed by the relative angle of the upright cup holder  700  with respect to the tilted handle  12 . 
         [0048]    The relationship of the cup holder  700  to the top end of the extended handle  12  is illustrated in  FIG. 8 , with the handle being shown in phantom. A cup support  710  maintains a nominally upright orientation at a relative angle with respect to the tilted handle  12 . The cup support  710  has freedom of rotational movement with respect to a handle wrap  740 , which surrounds and resiliently grips onto the upper end  14  of the tilted handle  12 . 
         [0049]    A pair of opposed support straps  742  extend from opposed ends of the handle wrap  740  wrapped around the extended handle&#39;s upper end  14 , to opposed sides of the upper end of the cup support  710 . Swing arresting straps  752 , extend outwardly from opposed sides of the cup support  710  and have sufficient length to loop around a member of the handle  12  and fasten the free end to the side of the cup support  710 , or to themselves, with a hook loop fastener (refer to  FIG. 11 ). The freedom of rotational movement of the cup support  710  relative to the handle wrap  740  is afforded by twisting of the support straps  742  at the lower ends  746  and twisting of the swing arresting straps  752 . This makes the effective pivot axis of the cup holder  700  be adjacent the top edge of the cup support  710 . 
         [0050]    As can be seen in  FIG. 9 , the support straps  742  and the handle wrap  740  are formed together as a continuous structure that is connected to opposed sides of the top of the cup support  710 . An oblong aperture  748  is formed centered at the midpoint of the handle wrap  740 . The aperture  748  is sized to accommodate a lock release push button that is located in the middle of the top of the handle of many (but not all) wheeled luggage cases. 
         [0051]    The cup support  710  is shaped as a hollow truncated cone, with the bottom end  712  being slightly narrower than the top end  714 . Although no bottom support strap structure is illustrated as is shown in the first embodiment (refer to  FIGS. 2-6 ), such an optional structure may be usefully implemented with the second embodiment in a manner similar to that shown and described with respect to the first embodiment, or the cup support  710  may have a solid bottom, with or without a hole. The swing arresting straps  752  are shown as extending outwardly from opposed sides of the cup support  710 . The swing arresting straps  752  are not required for practice of the invention, but can enhance usefulness of the second embodiment by moderating the degree to which the cup support  710  swings back and forth. 
         [0052]    Referring to  FIG. 10 , a front plan view of the cup holder  700  shows a hand hold opening  760  that is formed by the space between the opposed support straps  742  and between the handle wrap  740  and the cup support  710 . The hand hold opening  760  is sized to accommodate an adult hand fitting therethrough. 
         [0053]    Referring to  FIG. 11 , a hook and loop fastener  754  for securing the handle wrap  740  is shown. Hook and loop faster elements  756 ,  758  for the swing arresting straps  752  are illustrated (refer also to  FIG. 12 ), with elements  756  on the ends of the straps  752  and elements  758  on the sides of the cup support  710 . The hook and loop fasteners provided by hook and loop elements  756 ,  758  are used to secure the swing arresting straps  752  in place when looped around members of the extended luggage handle  12 . Generally, the fastening elements  754 ,  756 ,  758  are not limited to hook and loop type, and any type of soft or hard fastener may be used, including (but without limitation) snaps, buttons, zippers, or hooks. 
         [0054]    As shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , fastener elements  758  are shown as being located on the outer surface of the cup support  710 . However, this illustrated placement is not meant as a limitations, and fastener elements  758  may alternatively be placed on the strap  752  covering the area starting from the cup support  710  and ending at a point near the other hoot and loop fastener element  756 . 
         [0055]    As mentioned above, use of the swing arresting straps  752  is not strictly necessary for practice of the invention and may be left to dangle from the side of the cup support  710 , or may be omitted entirely from articles manufactured (refer to the third embodiment, described below). The swing arresting straps  752  may be made long so as to permit substantial swing of the cup support  710 , or may be made shorter so as to restrain the cup support so that the entirety of its rotational freedom is at the lower ends  746  of the support straps  742 . 
         [0056]    The alignment of the handle wrap  740  with respect to the cup support  710  is illustrated by the plan view of  FIG. 12 . 
         [0057]    A third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 13 . A piece of rolling luggage  10  is shown with its handle  12  extended and having a cup holder  800  according to the second embodiment of the invention engaged atop the extended handle  12 , with the self-leveling aspect being portrayed by the relative angle of the upright cup holder  800  with respect to the tilted handle  12 . 
         [0058]    The relationship of the cup holder  800  to the top end of the extended handle  12  is illustrated in  FIG. 14 , with the handle being shown in phantom. A cup support  810  maintains a nominally upright orientation at a relative angle with respect to the tilted handle  12 . The cup support  810  has freedom of rotational movement with respect to a handle wrap  840 , which surrounds and resiliently grips onto the upper end  14  of the tilted handle  12 . 
         [0059]    A pair of opposed support straps  842  extend from opposed ends of the handle wrap  840  wrapped around the extended handle&#39;s upper end  14 , to opposed sides of the upper end of the cup support  810 . The freedom of rotational movement of the cup support  810  relative to the handle wrap  840  is afforded by twisting of the support straps  842  at the upper ends  844  and, to a lesser extent, the lower ends  846 . This makes the effective pivot axis of the cup holder  800  be adjacent the bottom end of the handle wrap  840 , a result primarily of the twisting of the upper ends  844  of the support straps  842 . 
         [0060]    As can be seen in  FIG. 15 , the support straps  842  and the handle wrap  840  are formed together as a continuous structure that is connected to opposed sides of the top of the cup support  810 . An oblong aperture  848  is formed centered at the midpoint of the handle wrap  840 . The aperture  848  is sized to accommodate a lock release push button that is located in the middle of the top of the handle of many (but not all) wheeled luggage cases. 
         [0061]    The cup support  810  is shaped as a hollow truncated cone, with the bottom end  812  being slightly narrower than the top end  814 . Although no bottom support strap structure is illustrated as is shown in the first embodiment (refer to  FIGS. 2-6 ), such an optional structure may be usefully implemented with the second embodiment in a manner similar to that shown and described with respect to the first embodiment, or the cup support  810  may have a solid bottom, with or without a hole. 
         [0062]    Referring to  FIG. 16 , a front plan view of the cup holder  800  shows a hand hold opening  860  that is formed by the space between the opposed support straps  842  and between the handle wrap  840  and the cup support  810 . The hand hold opening  860  is sized to accommodate an adult hand fitting therethrough. 
         [0063]    Referring to  FIG. 17 , a hook and loop fastener  854  for securing the handle wrap  840  is shown. Generally, the fastening element  854  is not limited to hook and loop type, and any type of soft or hard fastener may be used, including (but without limitation) snaps, buttons, zippers, or hooks. 
         [0064]    The alignment of the handle wrap  840  with respect to the cup support  810  is illustrated by the plan view of  FIG. 18 . 
         [0065]    An important advantage of the present invention is that cup holders using this technology are easy to apply to a luggage handle and are also easy to remove. This is a very useful convenience. 
         [0066]    The materials used permit natural rotation of the cup support when the luggage is tilted as when it is being moved. This keeps the beverage level as it is affected by the force of gravity. The use of fabric (or leather) flexibility to supplant a mechanical pivot structure has advantages. By eliminating any mechanical pivot from the cup holder, the reliability of the cup holder is improved because there are no moving parts to fail. Eliminating any mechanical pivot from the cup holder also improves the manufacturing cost of the cup holder by reducing inventory requirement of a relatively expensive part. 
         [0067]    The all-fabric composition that is possible according to the present invention has the advantage of making the cup holder fully washable via machine laundry. The use of flexible materials to embody the cup holder make it easy to store (i.e., can be stuffed in a pocket when not in use) and lightweight. The lack of any sharp edges points makes the cup holder very safe. By using a stretchy fabric the cup holder can conform to fit a wide variety of sizes and shapes of luggage handles, and can conform to fit a wide variety of sizes and shapes of beverage containers. 
         [0068]    The beverage container is protected to some degree from jarring since the flexible material of the cup holder absorbs shock, and the cup support is protected from direct force on either side by the telescoping risers of the luggage handle. 
         [0069]    Various embodiments of self-leveling cup holders have been described. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed and that the examples and embodiments described herein are in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art of the present invention will recognize that other embodiments using the concepts described herein are also possible. Further, any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.