Patent ID: 7458481

Claim:
Drink-item holding apparatus comprising: an upper pivot mounted on a wall structure and defining an upper pivot axis; an upper flap pivotably supported by the upper pivot for pivoting about the upper pivot axis from a deployed position which is generally horizontal to a stowed, downwardly-folded position which is generally vertical; a lower pivot mounted on the wall structure and defining a lower pivot axis; and a lower flap pivotably supported by the lower pivot for pivoting about the lower pivot axis from a deployed position which is generally horizontal to a stowed position which is generally vertical; wherein: when the upper and lower flaps are in their deployed positions, the flaps are arranged to provide at least one drink-item holder structure comprising an aperture in the upper flap for receiving an upper portion of a drink-item and a base support provided by the lower flap for supporting a base portion of the drink-item; wherein the upper flap is held in its deployed position by a latch mechanism which may be released by applying a downward force to the upper flap to fold the upper flap downwards to its stowed position; the latch mechanism comprises a projection on the upper flap and detent means mounted on the wall structure; when the upper flap is moved from its stowed position to its deployed position, the projection resiliently passes the detent means to latch the upper flap in the deployed position; when said downward force is applied to the upper flap, the projection resiliently passes the detent means to unlatch the upper flap; wherein the detent means comprises an arm having a first end mounted on the wall structure and a second end positioned to be resiliently moved from a home position by the projection as the upper flap moves from its stowed position to its deployed position and as the upper flap moves from its deployed position to its stowed position; the first end of the arm is located behind the wall structure; and the second end of the arm projects into a hole in the wall structure which is open at the front of the wall structure.