Abstract:
A cup holder for holding and retaining a cup includes a container integrally formed of a resin material as one structure with flexibility. The container includes a bottom portion, a cup retaining portion defined as a sidewall upstanding from the bottom portion, and at least one flexible protruding portion formed in the sidewall where the bottom portion does not contact. The flexible protruding portion is thinner in thickness than other portion of the side wall and protrudes towards an inside direction of the cup retaining portion. A rib is formed on an outside surface of the container to extend from the other portion of the side wall formed thicker than the protruding portion to a center of the protruding portion. An urging device is formed for pressing the protruding portion towards an inside of the container.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to a cup holder, more specifically, an automotive cup holder that could stably retain a drink container of various sizes and shapes. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Conventionally, a console box of a car has a cup holder that could retain a drink container. There is a cup holder that has a cylindrical concave portion with a bottom, in which the concave portion is used to retain the drink container (cup). However, a drink container has various sizes and shapes, so a cup holder that could stably retain these drink containers in various sizes and shapes is needed. 
     Through this viewpoint, there is a cup holder having a cylindrical concave portion with a bottom disposed integrally using flexible material and providing the sidewall of the concave portion with multiple protruding portions. (For example, Patent Document 1). The cup holder described in Patent Document 1 is fit for various shapes of drink containers because the drink container is retained between flexible multiple protruding portions. 
     Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,468 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The Object of this Invention 
     However, when a cup holder is integrally formed by using a flexible material as described in Patent Document 1, because of a molding problem, the thickness of the protruding portion requires to be formed relatively thick. When integrally molding goods using flexible material, injection molding is used; but, defects such as filling defects and generation of air foam occurs more frequently if the wall thickness is thin using injection molding. When the wall thickness of the protruding portion is thick, the increase in the stiffness of the protruding portion makes the deformation more difficult, which will increase the friction between the drink container and the protruding portion; thus, a problem such as the deterioration of the usability and the handling occurs. 
     Also, the cup holder described in Patent Document 1 has a protruding portion extending from the sidewall to the bottom portion making the drink container to reach the bottom portion more difficult. Also, even if the drink container reaches the bottom portion, the bottom portion will lose its flatness due to the deformation of the protruding portion. Thus, upstanding the drink container in a vertical position is difficult. 
     In view of the foregoing, the object of this invention is to provide a drink container with increased usability and handling ability, the increased stability of vertically upstanding the drink container, and an easier manufacturing of the cup holder. 
     The Method to Solve the Problem 
     In order to solve the above-described problem, the first aspect of this invention is a cup holder ( 1 ), which stores and retains a cup, and comprises a container ( 4 ) with a cup retaining portion ( 3 ) defined by a bottom portion ( 41 ) and a sidewall ( 42 ) upstanding from the bottom portion ( 41 ), wherein a section of the sidewall, where the bottom portion does not contact, forms at least one flexible protruding portion ( 46 ) protruding towards the inside direction of the cup retaining portion. 
     Because the cup holder holds the cup using the protruding portion formed on the sidewall of the cup retaining portion, the cup is retained stably. The protruding portion is flexible; therefore, it can deform to fit a cup with various shapes. Also, the protruding portion is positioned separately from the bottom portion, therefore, the protruding portion could deform without being involved in the deformation of the bottom portion. Thus, the shape of the bottom portion is maintained to up-stand the cap stably. 
     The second aspect of this invention is the container in the first embodiment wherein the container is formed integrally from a flexible resin material. 
     In this structure, the protruding portion and the whole container could be integrated by disposing with the same flexible material. Also, during the deformation of the protruding portion, the surrounding sidewall deforms so the protruding portion can further flexibly deform. 
     The third aspect of this invention resides, in the first aspect, in that the portion forming the protruding portion is formed thinner in thickness compared to the wall thickness of other portions of the sidewall. 
     In this structure, because the protruding portion is formed thinly compared to the other portions of the container, the flexibility is increased allowing easier deformation, which improves the fitness of the container. Also, because the holding force of the container decreases by the protruding portion, retaining and releasing of the container is easier so the handling or the usability also improves. 
     The fourth aspect of this invention resides, in the third aspect, in that, in an outside surface of the sidewall, a rib ( 5 ) is formed to extend from a section formed thicker compared to the section of the sidewall forming the protruding portion, to the center of the protruding portion. 
     In this structure, when the container is formed by injection molding, a resin material equally spreads the thin portion by using the rib, so the molding becomes easier and the manufacturing yield improves. 
     The fifth aspect of this invention resides, in the fourth aspects, in that the rib extends parallel to the inserting direction of the cup to the cup retaining portion. 
     In this structure, the deforming direction of the protruding portion is defined by the position of the rib, so when retaining the cup, the protruding portion deforms smoothly, which improves the handling when retaining the cup. 
     The sixth aspect of this invention resides, in the fourth or fifth aspect, in that the rib crosses and extends the protruding portion. 
     In this structure, when forming the container by injection molding, the resin material flows smoothly to the thin portion, so the molding becomes easier. 
     The seventh embodiment of this invention resides, in any one of the first to the sixth aspects, in that urging means for urging the protruding portion towards the inside is provided. 
     In this structure, the protruding portion is urged continuously towards the side of the cup, so the cup is held certainly; thus, the retaining stability of the cup improves. Also, in the condition even after taking out the cup, the protruding portion remains protruding towards the inner side of the receiving portion, so the function retaining the next cup can be obtained. 
     The eighth aspect of this invention resides, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, in that the container has a frame member for supporting the container, and the container is formed from material with higher friction coefficient than the frame member. 
     By forming the container separately from the frame members, the selection of materials expands. Therefore, the container that forms the cup retaining portion is formed with materials with high friction coefficient, so the retention stability of the cup improves. 
     Effect of the Invention 
     The invention provides a cup holder that could stably retain a cup with various forms in an upstanding vertical condition. The cup holder has less resistance during insertion and taking-out of the cup, and the usability and the handling is better. Also, the cup holder is easy to mold. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cup holder attached to a vehicle according to this embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the cup holder according to this embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the cup holder according to this embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a container of the cup holder according to this embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the container of the cup holder according to this embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the container viewed from the arrow VI of  FIG. 4  according to this embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view of the container viewed from the arrow VII of  FIG. 4  according to this embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the container viewed along the arrow VIII of  FIG. 7  according to this. embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A cup holder, which is the first embodiment of the present invention, will be explained with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cup holder attached to the vehicle according to this embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the cup holder according to this embodiment.  FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the cup holder according to this embodiment.  FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a container of the cup holder according to this embodiment.  FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the container of the cup holder according to this embodiment.  FIG. 6  is a side view of the container viewed from the arrow VI of  FIG. 4  according to this embodiment.  FIG. 7  is a plan view of the container viewed from the arrow VII of  FIG. 4  according to this embodiment.  FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the container viewed along the arrow VIII of  FIG. 7  according to this embodiment. For convenience of explaining, the upper side of the paper is the upper side of the cup holder in  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 6 , and  FIG. 8 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , according to this embodiment, the cup holder  1  is attached to the console box  101  located between the driver&#39;s seat and the passenger&#39;s seat of the car  100 . The console box  101  includes an opening  102 , and the cup holder  1  is attached by matching the upper portion of the cup holder with the fringe of the opening  102 , from the lower portion of the console box  101 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the main components of the cup holder  1  is comprised of a frame member  2 ; a container  4  comprising a cup retaining portion  3 , which has an opening at the upper portion and is supported by the frame member  2 ; and a lid portion  6 , which can open and close the cup retaining portion  3 , and is pivotally attached to the frame member  2 . The cup holder  1  is attached by facing the opening side of the cup retaining portion  3  towards the upper portion and matching the opening  102 , from the lower portion of the console box  101 . 
     The frame member  2  and a lid portion  6  are formed by the injection molding of such as ABS resin, polycarbonate resin, ABS/polycarbonate alloy. The container  4  is a member having flexibility, and is formed by the injection molding of a thermoplastic resin material. The resin materials used are such as thermoplastic elastomer, and olefin type thermoplastic elastomer is especially favorable. 
     In  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 8 , drawings wherein the container  4  is separated from the holder  1  are shown. As shown in  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 8 , the container  4  comprises two cylindrical cup receiving sections  3 , each comprising a bottom portion  41  and a cylindrical sidewall  42 . A part of upper portions of the two cup retaining portions  3  are connected by a first flange portion  43  and the other parts are connected by a second flange  44  formed at a height different from the first flange portion  43 . The first flange portion  43  and the second flange portion  44  are connected by a wall portion  58 , which is substantially vertical to the two flange portions. Also, the two cup retaining portions  3  are connected by a connecting path  45 . 
     On each sidewall  42  where the bottom portion  41  does not contact, four protruding portions  46  are formed to bulge from the sidewall  42  toward the inner direction of the cup retaining portion  3 . The protruding portions  46  are positioned on a circumferential direction of the sidewall  42  at 90° spaced from each other. The protruding portion  46  comprises an upper portion  46   a  with an arrow shaped tip facing upwards and a lower portion  46   b  of an approximately semicircular portion, which matches the lower end portion of the arrow shaped portion of the upper portion  46   a . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the upper portion  46   a  of the protruding portion  46  is formed to have a convex curved surface projecting towards the inside of the cup retaining portion  3 , and the lower portion  46   b  is formed to have a convex curved surface projecting outside of the cup retaining portion  3 . 
     On the inside surface of the upper portion  46   a  of the protruding portion  46  (the side facing the inside direction of the cup retaining portion  3 ) and the most protruding section protruding towards the inside of the cup retaining portion  3 , three ribs  47  are extended in a vertical direction. 
     On the side surface  42   a  of the sidewall  42  (the side opposite to a side facing the cup retaining portion  3 ), a thin section  48  is formed to include the respective protruding portion  46  and the fringe. The step portion is formed on a boundary between the thin section  48  and the other parts of the sidewall  42 . In this way, the thickness at the protruding portion  46  and the fringe are thinner compared to the other sections of the sidewall  42 . For example, if the thickness of the other sections of the sidewall  42  is formed at approximately 1.7 mm, the thin section  48  or the protruding portion  46  and the fringe portion is formed at a thickness of approximately 0.7 mm. 
     A rib  50  extends from the middle section of the step portion  49   a  formed on the lower end portion of the thin section upwards passing the middle of the protruding portion  46 . The thickness towards the radial direction of the cup retaining portion  3  at the rib  50  is formed, for example, by adding the thickness of the thin section  48  to have a thickness equal to the other sections of the sidewall  42 . For example, the thickness of the other sections of the sidewall  42  is 1.7 mm, and if the thickness of the thin section  48  is 0.7 mm, the thickness of the rib  50  is formed at 1.0 mm (referring  FIG. 8 ). The rib  50  is formed on each thin section  48 . In the other embodiments, like a rib  50   a  shown as an imaginary line in  FIG. 5 , the tip of the rib  50   a  could be connected to the step portion  49   b  formed on the upper portion of the thin section  48 . In other words, the rib  50   a  could be extended to cross the protruding portion  46  and the thin section  48 . 
     On approximately the center portion of an outside surface  41   a  of the each bottom portion  41 , a locking piece  52  equipped with a locking hole  51  is formed. A locking hole  51  is formed by the outside surface  41   a  of the bottom portion  41 , two leg portions  53  protruding from the outside surface  41   a  of the bottom portion  41  with a predetermined space apart from each other, and a plate shaped knob portion  54  joined to the tip of the two leg portions  53 . The leg portion  53  is formed in a belt or a curved shape, which has elasticity. 
     At the side edge  44   a  of the second flange portion  44 , four second locking piece  55  are projecting. The end portion of the second locking piece  55  is formed wider compared to the tip portion, and the second locking hole  56  is formed on the portion formed wider. The tip portion of the second locking hole  56  is formed with a knob portion  57 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , a frame structure  2  comprises an upper portion structure  21  formed along the bottom side (side facing the opposite side of the cup retaining portion  3 ) of the second flange portion  44  and the first flange portion  43  of the container  4 ; a plurality of leg portions  22  extending along from the upper portion structure  21  to the outside surface of the sidewall  42  of the container  4 ; a lower portion structure  23  positioned on the outside surface  41   a  along the bottom-portion  41  of the container  4  and fixed to the tip of the leg portion  22 ; and a box shaped lid storing portion  24  for storing a part of the lid member  6  when the lid member  6  is in an open state. 
     The leg portion  22  includes an opening portion  25  at a position corresponding to a back surface of the protruding portion  46  of the container  4 . In the upper end portion  25   a  of the opening portion  25 , an end of a leaf spring  26  protruding to the middle of the opening portion  25  and to the side of the container  4  is fixed. The rib  50  is in contact with the tip portion  26  of the leaf spring  26 , and the rib  50  and the backside of the protruding portion  46  are biased to the cup retaining portion  3  side. 
     The lower portion structure  23  includes an opening portion  27  in a position corresponding to the locking piece  52  of the container  4 . Around the opening portion  27 , a recessed concave portion  28  dented from the bottom surface  23   a  of the lower portion structure  23  is formed. In a concaved portion  28 , an L-shaped locking piece  29  is formed, which extends in a parallel direction to the bottom surface  23   a  of the lower portion structure  23  after protruding to the lower direction. The protruding amount from the concave portion  28  of the L-shaped locking piece  29  is set not to reach the bottom surface  23   a  of the lower portion structure  23 . The locking piece  52  of the container  4  is bent approximately 90° after passing the opening portion  27  and engages the L-shaped locking piece  29  at the locking hole  51 . At this moment, the knob portion  54  of the locking portion  52  is fixed to a position by the L-shaped locking piece  29  and arranged along the surface of the concave portion  28 . 
     The upper portion structure  21  includes a protrusion  30 , which is positioned corresponding to the position formed at the second locking piece  55  of the container  4 . The protrusion  30  engages the locking hole of the second locking piece  55  to prevent the second flange  44  of the container  4  from separating from the upper portion structure  21  and turning over. Also, on the side edge portion of the upper portion structure  21 , a flange  31  is provided to abut against the bottom surface of the console box  101 . The flange portion  31  is provided with an attachment hole  32  where a screw or a clip etc. is inserted to fix to the bottom surface of the console box  101 . 
     The lid portion  6  comprises a plate-shaped lid body  61  and arms  62 , which project approximately perpendicular to the lid body  61  on both sides of the lid body  61 , and is supported pivotally at the upper portion structure  21  of the frame structure  2  by an axis  63  fixed to the arm  62 . In the closed condition of the cup holder  1 , the lid body  61  of the lid portion  6  covers the cup retaining portion  3  extending approximately in a horizontal direction, and from that condition until the movement is restricted by the contact with the first flange portion  43  of the container  4 , pivots at the axis  63  as the center. When the lid body  61  is in contact with the first flange portion  43 , the lid body  61  is in an open condition upstanding almost parallel to the pivot line of the cup retaining portion  3  (refer to  FIG. 2 ). Because lid portion  6  stops its movement when contacting the first flange having flexibility, the hitting sound generated from the stop can be decreased. The lid body  61  is biased consistently towards the opening direction because of the torsion spring  64  provided in the axis  63 . Also, the arm  62  has a push-push type latch  65 , and when the lid portion  6  is in a closed condition, the section of the lid storage  24  corresponding to the push-push latch  65  has a striker  66  engaging the push-push type latch  65 . Also, not shown in the figure, a rack is formed on either one of the frame structure  2  or the arm  62 , and the other one has a rotating damper engaging the rack to buffer the opening-closing movement of the lid portion  6 . 
     Next, the function and effect of this embodiment are explained. In this cup holder of the embodiment, a cup (drink container) is retained and held in the cup retaining portion  3  of the container  4 . When a cup with a diameter smaller than the diameter of a sidewall  42  is held in the cup retaining portion  3 , the protruding portion  46  formed on the sidewall  42  is in contact with the cup, and the cup is held stably. Since the protruding portion  46  has flexibility, the protruding portion could deform according to the size and shape of the cup, so that cups of various forms could be retained. Also, the container  4  is formed from a material with higher friction coefficient compared to the frame structure, so that the cup could be retained stably without slipping. Also, because a container  4  is formed to have a sidewall  42  and bottom portion  41  continuously, even if a liquid from the cup spills, the liquid will not spill to the lower direction, which will prevent other automotive components from rusting. 
     Because the protruding portion  46  is formed at the thin section  48 , it could deform easily with relatively weak strength. Thus, when the cup is moved in and out from the cup retaining portion  3 , the friction coefficient between the cup and the protruding portion could be decreased, and the handling and usability of the cup holder  1  would be improved. The thin section  48  extends to the protruding portion  48  to surround the protruding portion  46 , so the deformation of the protruding portion  46  by holding the cup occurs extensively including a portion surrounding the protruding portion  46 . Thus, the protruding portion  46  could deform easily. Because the area of the deformation is expanded, it could prevent the deformation from concentrating in one section and prevent the fatigue fracture from the deformation of the container  4 . 
     Since the protruding portion  46  is pressed by the leaf spring  26  from the back surface side towards the inside direction of the cup retaining portion  3 , the protruding portion  46  creates a predetermined amount of pressure against the cup retain the cup stably. Also, because of the leaf spring  26 , the protruding portion  46  could maintain the condition of protruding towards the inside direction of the cup retaining portion  3  when the cup is not stored. Because the leaf spring  26  is in contact with the rib  50 , where the thickness of the protruding portion  46  is thick, wearing of the protruding portion  46  by the contact and tearing can be prevented. 
     The upper portion  46   a  of the protruding portion  46  shows an arrow shaped tip facing upwards, so that the upper portion  46   a  acts as a guide when inserting the cup into the cup retaining portion  3 , which leads the cup to the center position of the cup retaining portion  3 . Because the rib  47  is formed in the section of the protruding portion  46  where the cup comes in contact, the contact area between the protruding portion  46  and the cup is decreased; thus, the frictional resistance by the insertion and withdrawal of the cup is decreased. Also, because the rib  47  contacts, the wearing from the friction of the protruding portion  46  can be prevented. 
     Because the protruding portion  46  is provided at a section separate from the bottom portion  41  of the sidewall  42 , the deformation of the protruding portion  46  has no effect on the form of the bottom portion  41 ; thus, the bottom portion  41  is always maintained flat. Thus, the cup in the stored condition maintains an upstanding position against the bottom portion  41 . If the bottom portion  41  is positioned horizontally, the cup maintains a vertically upstanding position. 
     By providing the rib  50  on the thin section  48 , the manufacturing of the container  4  becomes easier. When forming the container  4  by injection molding, because of the thinness of the thin section  48 , the problem such as a filling defect of the resin may occur, but the rib  50  ensures a flow path of the resin and the resin is equally filled to the center of the thin section  48 ; thus, the manufacturing yield improves. If the rib  50  is extended to cross the thin section  48 , the filling of the resin to the thin section  48  becomes even easier, which prevents the occurrence of defective products. 
     The explanation of the embodiment is done, but this invention is not restricted to the above-mentioned embodiment and is able to be applied extensively. The protruding portion  46  could be formed in various forms; for example, it could be formed in a ring form extending towards the circumferential direction of the sidewall  42 . Also, the number of protruding portion  46  and rib  50  could be adjusted accordingly. Without deviating from the effect of the invention, the rest of the structure of the control unit could be adjusted accordingly. 
     EXPLANATION OF THE REFERENCE SYMBOLS 
       1  cup holder 
       2  frame structure 
       3  cup retaining portion 
       4  container 
       6  lid body 
       41  bottom portion 
       42  sidewall 
       43  first flange portion 
       44  second flange portion 
       46  protruding portion 
       47  rib 
       48  thin section 
       49  step portion 
       50  rib