Patent ID: 7891623

Claim:
A stowable cup holder tray assembly for a vehicle having an interior floor structure and at least one seat assembly mounted thereto, the cup holder assembly comprising: a stowage compartment having a bottom portion with a plurality of opposing sidewalls extending therefrom and defining a stowage volume; wherein said stowage compartment is mounted substantially adjacent to the interior floor structure; a cover member hinged to one of said plurality of opposing sidewalls and operable to substantially open and close said stowage volume; a cup holder tray member movable between a stowed position substantially within said stowage volume and a deployed position substantially out of said stowage volume; wherein said stowage volume is sufficiently configured to receive said cup holder tray member when substantially in said stowed position; wherein the stowable cup holder tray assembly is disposed substantially adjacent to the at least one seat assembly of the vehicle; wherein the at least one seat assembly includes a lower seat member and wherein the stowable cup holder tray assembly is sufficiently below the height of said lower seat member when said cup holder tray member is in said stowed position to increase the cargo carrying capacity of the vehicle as well as to provide unobstructed movement for occupants of the vehicle; wherein the cup holder tray member is aligned substantially above the stowage volume when the cup holder tray member is in the deployed position; wherein said cover member is configured to selectively lock at a substantially right angle with respect to the interior floor structure; wherein said cup holder tray member is hinged to said cover member and sufficiently configured to selectively lock at a substantially right angle to said cover member such that said cup holder tray member is generally parallel with respect to the interior floor structure when said cup holder tray member is in said deployed position; a first locking mechanism, wherein said first locking mechanism is operable to selectively lock said cover member at a substantially right angle with respect to the one of said plurality of opposing sidewalls to which the cover member is hinged; a second locking mechanism operable to selectively lock said cup holder tray member at the substantially right angle to said cover member; and wherein the first and the second locking mechanism each include a locking rod which is selectively received within at least one hole defined by a respective one of the first and second locking mechanisms.