Abstract:
The invention is a beverage container holder sized to secure a beverage container with a variance in diameters, with frictional fin appendages securing the beverage container in the cup holder. The holder is composed of a soft, flexible, non-slip material. The holder is surrounded by a stabilizer to enhance stability and protect from liquid spills. The bottom is also textured to provide a sticky surface that does not readily slip over flat surfaces.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     A beverage cup holder featuring a stabilizer around the base. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Cup holders are exterior container receptacles appropriately sized to receive the base of a cup, beaker, glass, can, or similar beverage container. Many people use cup holders to protect furniture, upholstered surfaces, and carpeted surfaces from spills. Cup holders are a car accessory and several prior art designs are intended for use in homes or similar settings. 
     Children present increased risks when drinking from a beverage container. Children often tip beverages over, thereby causing spills. Prior art cup holders are generally sized to accommodate soda cans and beverage containers of approximately the same size. These prior art cup holders are not sized to accommodate the cup sizes typically used by young children. Such cup holders also lack a means of providing enhanced stability and guarding from tip-over spills, which frequently occur with children. There is a need for an improved cup holder that can accommodate various sized cups and glasses and provide enhanced protection from spills. Such holders would be useful in dining or craft activity in a home, school, daycare, or medical situation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a cup holder capable of accommodating various cup sizes frequently used by children and providing enhanced stability and protecting from spills. The cup holder consists of a central cylindrical structure with protruding, resilient friction fins that will grip the sides of an inserted glass or other beverage container. The friction fins maintain a flexible friction contact, but also provide a variance in the size of cups that can be securely placed in the cup holder. Beverage containers inserted into the holder press against the fins so as to accommodate varying cup sizes, while still providing a friction grip to help retain the beverage container. 
     Around the base of the holder is a stabilizer designed to help catch liquid spills from the container and provide stability of the holder. This stabilizer can be formed in a decorative fashion, and various configurations are possible. As an alternate embodiment, the bottom portion extending laterally from the base of the stabilizer can include a raised lip to enhance liquid spill protection and leakage. The bottom of the container is textured to provide a non-slick bottom surface, creating frictional forces with the surface supporting the cup holder. This frictional bottom surface keeps the holder from sliding over solid, smooth surfaces. The holder is made from silicone, rubber, or similar flexible, non-slip material. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects and features of the invention will become more readily understood from the following detailed description and appended claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an overhead view of a first embodiment of the holder; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the holder; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a first embodiment of the holder; 
         FIG. 4  is an overhead view of a second embodiment of the holder; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the holder; and 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of a first embodiment of the holder. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows an overhead view of the cup holder  100  in a first embodiment. The cup holder  100  is constructed from silicone, silicone-based, rubber, or similar soft, flexible, rubberized non-slip material. The most prominent feature of the cup holder is the cylindrical central structure  5  sized for receiving a predetermined sized cup. Different sized cups can be accommodated based on the size of the central structure  5  of cup holder  100  and the size and shape of the frictional fins  10  protruding inwardly in the cup holder. Inserts can also be placed inside the cup holder to securely hold a smaller cup than otherwise held by cup holder as sized by the fins  10 . 
     Extending from the inner side  7  of the cylinder  5  toward a point offset from the center  50  are resilient, flexible fins  10  to grip the sides of the inserted beverage containers. Three flexible fins  10  are shown, but one or more fins  10  can be used and are contemplated by the present invention. The fins  10  allow for a variance of cup sizes to be maintained in the cup holder. Other shapes are possible to grip the sides of any inserted beverage containers. The cylinder  5  has a closed base  12  opposite from an open top  30  into which a cup is inserted. The closed base  12  has cutouts or slits  53  directly under the fins  10 . These cutouts  53  enhance manufacture of the cup holder  100  and leave the fins  10  free to move. The fins  10  are not in contact with the closed base  12 , and the cutouts  53  enable simpler and less expensive molding and finishing. As an alternative embodiment, fins can contact the closed base or the base may be open with retaining tabs supporting the bottom of the drink container. 
     Extending from the bottom of the center cylinder  5  is a scalloped base that is a stabilizer  15  intended to catch small quantities of inadvertently spilled liquid beverage or condensation, both of which would leak over the outer surface of the cup holder. Also, this base can provide a decorative element to the holder. Different shapes for the stabilizer are possible, such as round, circular, star-shaped, square, or rectangular. The stabilizer  15  adds to stability of the cup holder when it is resting on a flat surface by extending horizontally at the lower portion of the cup holder  35 . Surrounding the base or stabilizer  15  is a tapering or sloping lip  37  that helps stiffen and strengthen the stabilizer  15  to retain its shape. Alternatively, a raised lip can replace the sloping lip and provide increased spill protection in another embodiment. The stabilizer  15  has a series of rounded, semi-circular appurtenances  37  forming the outer edge, but other configurations are possible in other embodiments. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the cup holder  100 . The inner side  105  of the cylindrical center structure  5  has frictional fins  110  extending from the inner side  105  toward a point offset from the center. These fins can possess a straight vertical contact edge  120  or a tapered edge wider toward the bottom of cup holder—to allow easy entry of the beverage container into the cup holder  100  and a more secure fit if the cup holder  100  tips over. The outer side  106  of the center structure  5  includes a surrounding raised decorative strip  116 . The decorative strip  116  also helps strengthen and stiffen the center structure  5 . Other shapes and sizes of strengthening strips are possible. The scalloped stabilizer  135  extends from the closed base or end  12  of the center structure to form the base of the cup holder and provide a stable platform and includes a sloping lip  137 . The sloping lip  137  assists in catching liquid spills and stiffens and strengthens the stabilizer  135 . 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the first embodiment of the cup holder  100 . The outer side  206  of the cylindrical center structure is embossed with a surrounding decorative strip  207 . The decorative strip  207  helps stiffen and strengthen the center structure, and other embodiments of decorative and strengthening structural elements to strengthen and stiffen the center structure are possible. Different materials such as metal or varying plastic or rubber materials can also be used. A scalloped stabilizer  215  forms the base of the cup holder to enhance protection from spills and stability of the holder  100 , and includes a sloping lip  37 . The sloping lip  37  aids in catching liquid spills and stiffens and strengthens the stabilizer  215 . The bottom surface  225  of the cup holder  100  is slightly textured and creates a sticky bottom because of material used to make the cup holder. The resulting friction forces keep the holder from freely sliding over smooth flat surfaces. 
       FIG. 4  shows an overhead view of the cup holder  300  in the second embodiment. The most prominent feature of the cup holder  300  is the cylindrical central structure  305  sized for receiving a predetermined sized cup. Different sized cups can be accommodated based on the size of the cup holder  300 . Inserts can be placed inside the cup holder to severely hold a smaller cup than otherwise held by cup holder  300 . 
     Extending from the inner side  371  of the cylinder  305  toward a point offset from the center are resilient, flexible fins  310  to grip the sides of an inserted beverage containers. Three flexible fins  310  are shown, but one or more fins  310  can be used and are contemplated by the present invention. The fins  310  allow for a variance of cup sizes to be maintained in the cup holder. Other shapes are possible to grip the sides of any inserted beverage containers. The cylinder  305  has a closed base  312  opposite from an open top  372  into which a beverage container is inserted. The closed base  312  has a center point  350  and cutouts or slits  353  directly under the fins  310 . These cutouts  353  enhance manufacture of the cup holder  300  and leave the fins free to move. The fins  310  are not in contact with the closed base  312 , and the cutouts  352  enable simpler and less expensive molding and finishing. As an alternative embodiment, the fins can touch the closed base or the base may be open with retaining tabs used to support the drink containers. 
     Extending from the bottom of the center cylinder  305  is a star-shaped base that is a stabilizer  315  intended to catch small quantities of inadvertently spilled liquid beverage or condensation, both of which would leak over the outer surface of the cup holder  300 . Also, this base can provide a decorative element to the holder. Different shapes for the stabilizer  312  are possible, such as round, circular, star-shaped, square, or rectangular. The stabilizer  315  adds to stability of the cup holder when it is resting on a flat surface by extending horizontally at the lower portion of the cup holder. Surrounding the base or stabilizer  315  is a tapering or sloping lip  320  that helps stiffen and strengthen the stabilizer  315  to retain its shape. Alternatively, a raised lip can replace the sloping lip and provide increased spill protection in another embodiment. The stabilizer  320  in this embodiment has a series of star-shaped appurtenances, but other configurations are possible. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the cup holder  300 . The inner side  371  of the cylindrical center  305  has frictional fins  310  extending from the inner side  305  toward a point offset from the center. These fins  310  can possess a straight vertical contact edge or a tapered edge wider toward the bottom of cup holder  312 —to allow easy entry of the beverage container into the cup holder  305  and a more secure fit if the cup holder  300  tips over. The outer side  306  of the center structure includes a raised surrounding decorative strip  307 . The decorative strip  307  helps stiffen and strengthen the center structure  305 , and other embodiments of decorative structural elements to strengthen and stiffen the center structure  305  are possible. The star-shaped stabilizer  315  forms the base of the cup holder  300  to provide a stable platform and includes a sloping lip  320 . The sloping lip  320  aids in catching liquid spills and stiffens and strengthens the stabilizer  315 . 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the second embodiment of the cup holder. The outer side  306  of the cylindrical center structure is embossed with a surrounding raised decorative strip  307 . The decorative strip  307  helps strengthen and stiffen the center structure  305 , and other embodiments of decorative structural elements to strengthen and stiffen the center structure  305  are possible. A star-shaped stabilizer  315  forms the base of the cup holder and includes a sloping lip  320 . The sloping lip  320  aids in retaining liquid spills and stiffens and strengthens the stabilizer  315  as well as providing a stable platform. The bottom  351  of the cup holder  300  is slightly textured and creates a sticky bottom  351  because of material used to make the cup holder  300 . The resulting friction forces keep the holder from freely sliding over flat surfaces. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments, it will be readily understood that minor changes in the details of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Having described the invention.