Abstract:
A Vehicle Beverage Shield. The shield should protect the interior of a vehicle by capturing any spilled liquids around the interior cup holder(s). The shield should have a cup-shaped receptacle that inserts through an aperture formed in a protective mat. The protective mat should have an absorbant upper layer and a liquid-proof lower layers attached to one another. The shield should optionally accommodate one or more beverage cups.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to vehicle accessories and, more specifically, to a Vehicle Beverage Shield. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  depicts a conventional arrangement for the interior of a passenger vehicle. It is common in current vehicles that there be a center console  22  located between the driver&#39;s seat  24  and the passenger seat  26 . The center console  22  will almost always include a pair of cup holders  28 A,  28 B to provide the user with a convenient location to safely hold a beverage cup. In the depicted vehicle, the cup holders  28 A,  28 B are of the pop-up type (i.e. they can be refracted or pushed down to close them); other versions may be the immovable or permanently open type. In the depicted pop-up design, the cup holders  28 A,  28 B retract into a cup holder compartment  29  formed in the center console  22  by pushing down on the face of the cover panel  31 . 
         [0005]    While the conventional vehicle cup holders (collectively  28 ) are extremely convenient, there is one serious drawback related to spillage. If the driver or passenger accidentally spills their drink while inserting it or removing it from the cup holder  28 , then the liquid will end up all over the center console  22  (best case), or inside of the cup holder compartment  29  (worst case). In either case, the mess created by the spilled liquid is difficult to clean and potentially damaging to the vehicle&#39;s interior. 
         [0006]    While a variety of different vehicle cup holder designs are available as accessories to vehicles after purchase, none have been found that provide a decorative cover to capture and absorb liquid spilled onto the cup holders. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices and assemblies, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Vehicle Beverage Shield. The shield should protect the interior of a vehicle by capturing any spilled liquids around the interior cup holder(s). The shield should have a cup-shaped receptacle that inserts through an aperture formed in a protective mat. The protective mat should have an absorbant upper layer and a liquid-proof lower layers attached to one another. The shield should optionally accommodate one or more beverage cups. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the driver area of the interior of a conventional vehicle; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the vehicle beverage shield of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a second exploded perspective view of the shield of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the assembled shield of  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the shield of  FIGS. 2-4  installed in the vehicle interior of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the installation of  FIG. 5  retaining a beverage cup therein; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a partially cutaway exploded view depicting an alternate version of the receptacle of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Vehicle Beverage Shield. 
         [0017]    The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of FIG.  2 . 1    FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the vehicle beverage shield  10  of the present invention. The two main components of the shield  10  are the protective mat  12  and the cylindrical insert  16 . The mat  12  could be provided in a variety of sizes and shapes, particularly if customized for the driver&#39;s particular vehicle. The mat  12  is defined by a central aperture  14  (or apertures as will be discussed below) formed therethrough. In some versions, the edge of the aperture  14  will further include a peripheral ring  20 . The peripheral ring  20  adjusts the diameter of the aperture  14  so that it can fit the widest variety of cylindrical inserts  16 . The ring  20  could be a drawstring sewn into the mat  12 , or alternatively could be an elastic ring.  1  As used throughout this disclosure, element numbers enclosed in square brackets [ ] indicates that the referenced element is not shown in the instant drawing figure, but rather is displayed elsewhere in another drawing figure. 
         [0018]    In this version, the mat  12  has a plurality of quilt seams  35  formed in its upper surface. This quilted look has been found to be particularly attractive, while also adding functionality and durability to the mat  12  by stitching the different layers of the mat  12  together. 
         [0019]    The cylindrical insert  16  is preferably a plastic or metal sleeve having a closed bottom to form a receptacle  18  therein. There is preferably a collar ring  33  extending outwardly from the upper edge of the insert  16 , the purpose of which will become apparent when discussed below in connection with other drawing figure(s). Now turning to  FIG. 3 , we can continue to examine the inventive details of the current invention. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a second exploded perspective view of the shield  10  of  FIG. 2 . As discussed above, the mat  12  in this version is rectangular in shape and has rounded corners. In particular, this version is approximately 28 inches long (“L”) by 14 inches wide (“W”), which is a size found particularly suitable for full-sized vehicles. The mat  12  is flexible so that it will lay down over the center console area of the vehicle, and can even be tucked in to the sides of the seats if necessary (in order to hold the shield  10  in place). The material is washable so that any spillage can be removed easily through normal cleaning methods. 
         [0021]    As shown, the cylindrical insert  16  inserts into the aperture  14 , where it is grasped by the peripheral ring [ 20 ], if so equipped. The user&#39;s beverage cup  22  can then easily be inserted into, and removed from, the cylindrical insert  16 .  FIG. 4  shows the shield  10  fully assembled. 
         [0022]    The mat  12  is found to be most useful if it has two or more layers of different material. In this version, the top layer  37  is made from absorbent material such as cotton or a cotton blend. The bottom layer  39 , in contrast, is made from a liquid-resistant material, such as plastic or rubber (or a surface coating of plasticized or rubberized material). There may be additional layers as well, such as a padding layer sandwiched between the top and bottom layers  37 ,  39 . 
         [0023]    The collar ring  33  and aperture [ 14 ] are cooperatively sized so that the collar ring  33  is larger than the aperture [ 14 ], so that the lip of the collar ring  33  extends over the top of the mat  12 . 
         [0024]    Another potential feature is that additional apertures  14 A and inserts  16 A could be provided in the shield  10 , so that more than one protected cup holder is provided for the users. By way of example, the dashed circles in the instant drawing is intended to represent a second aperture/insert  14 A,  16 A. In other versions, three or more aperture/inserts (generically  14 ,  16 ) could be provided. Finally, starting with  FIG. 5 , we will examine how the device of the present invention is actually used. 
         [0025]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the shield  10  of  FIGS. 2-4  installed in the vehicle interior of  FIG. 1 . First, the mat  12  is laid over the center console  22  so that it snugly fits, and so that the aperture [ 14 ] is aligned with one of the cup holders [ 28 A,  28 B] (or both cup holders in the case where the shield has two inserts  16 ). The insert  16  is inserted through the aperture [ 14 ] so that it is captured in one of the cup holders [ 28 A,  28 B]. The side edges of the mat  12  are preferably tucked in between the seats  24 ,  26  and the center console  22  so that a sleek appearance is achieved (and also to prevent spillage from getting between the console  22  and the seats  24 ,  26 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , once installed, the convenience of the original equipment cup holder has not changed. The user can still place his or her beverage cup  22  into the center console  22 , just as was originally designed. With the shield  10  installed, however, now the user has security that they won&#39;t damage the vehicle by spillage. 
         [0026]    An alternate design of the instant invention is depicted in  FIG. 7 . In this version, a retainer ring  42  is threadedly engaged with the receptacle  18 A from beneath the protective mat  12 . There is a threaded portion  40  on the upper end of the outer surface of the receptacle  18 A, and a corresponding threaded portion  44  on the inner surface of the retainer ring  42 . To attach, the user inserts the receptacle  18 A through the aperture  14 , and then slips the retainer ring  42  over the bottom of the receptacle  18 A and then rotates the ring  42  to engage the threads  42 ,  44 . 
         [0027]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.