EP2499943B1 - Cup holder - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a cup holder.

Hot beverage machines for dispensing hot drinks such as coffee, tea and the like are in numerous variants in a variety of installation sites such as public buildings, gas stations, railway stations and the like, in use.

The principle of operation of such automatic hot drinks machines is generally such that after a successful input of money, a hot beverage is automatically filled in a cup such as a plastic cup or optionally a paper cup and then dispensed at a dispensing point.

The presented hot drink is ready to use for the respective operator. The disadvantage here, however, is that the cups are very thin-walled. This leads to a low stiffness of the cup, so that there is a risk that the operator squeezes it when grasping the cup and so spills the hot drink. An even more serious disadvantage is that the cups have virtually no thermal insulation. If the operator takes the cup in his hand, there is often the danger that the operator burns his fingers or at least the operator can not hold in his hand for a long time, that is, must turn off quickly. Generally there is thus the problem of extremely low operating comfort in such cups.

The DE 20 2008 000 979 U1 concerns a drinking aid. In this drinking aid is a drinking cup in a cup holder on two opposite rotation points and a swivel ring, which has offset by 90 degrees two opposite pivot points, gimbal hung.

The DE 20 2008 001 545 A1 relates to a foldable cup carrier for carrying a plurality of drinking cups. In the cup carrier a plurality of support members are pivotally mounted about a common axis. In each support member spaced from the pivot axis opening for receiving drinking cups is provided, wherein the openings of the support elements in the folded state of the cup carrier concentric one above the other and in the unfolded state of the cup carrier are overlapping free.

The US Pat. No. 7,080,753 B 1 relates to a collapsible cup holder formed from an array of sheet-like plate segments wherein adjacent plate segments are hinged to form an open linear structure. This structure can be formed into an annular cup holder in which the first and last plate segment are connected via closure means. In the annular cup holder thus formed, the plate segments form conical contact surfaces, which are adapted to a specific cup size.

The US Pat. No. 7,364,129 B1 relates to a stand consisting of an array of rectangular hinged plates, one of the plates having a circular bore into which a cup can be adjusted.

The invention has for its object to form a cup holder, which is inexpensive to produce and with the ease of use in the handling of cups is increased

To solve this problem, the features of claim 1 are provided. Advantageous embodiments and expedient developments of the invention are described in the subclaims.

The cup holder according to the invention comprises a hinged cup receptacle and a handle arranged thereon with a receiving means. The cup holder is designed as a pendant. The cup holder consists of four hinged beam elements. In the unfolded state, the beam elements form a running in a plane annular receptacle, wherein the beam elements are hingedly connected by film hinges. The inner sides of the beam elements form contact surfaces for a cup. In the folded state, the beam elements are close together and are secured in position in this position by a closure means, which is designed as a mushroom lock. Two beam elements, which form two outer elements in the folded state of the cup holder, are connected with film hinges with the handle. At the other two beam elements, which form internal elements in the folded state of the beam elements, the components of the mushroom closure are arranged.

The cup holder according to the invention forms a mobile, as a pendant in bags, handbag mitführbars accessory, with the ease of use when using removed from hot beverage machines cups with hot drinks can be significantly increased.

If the cup holder of the cup holder according to the invention is unfolded, a cup with a hot beverage can be stored there. Since a handle adjoins the cup holder of the cup holder, the respective operator, that is, the person who wants to use the cup, hold the cup holder on the handle and so does not come with the cup itself Contact. With the cup holder according to the invention thus the cup can be kept without this is compressed undesirable. This can be kept safe in the cup holder from hot drinks vending cups made of plastic or cardboard, which have only a low bending stiffness. The advantage here is also that there is no risk of burning the figure for the operator, since this holds only the grip of the cup holder and so does not come into contact with the heated by the hot drink fingers.

Another advantage of the cup holder according to the invention is that it occupies only a very small volume in the folded state and can be carried comfortably in pockets of clothes, handbags and the like without stressing a large storage space of people and thus immediately ready for use is available if the respective Person on any hot drinks machine wants to take a cup of hot drink. In particular, the cup holder can be attached by training as a pendant on garments such as belts, straps and the like and so comfortably carried by a person.

Particularly suitably, the cup holder according to the invention forms a key fob. For this purpose, the receiving means is preferably designed as a ring on which key can be attached. Thus, the cup holder on a useful additional function.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the cup holder and the handle made of a plastic injection molded part.

Thus, the entire cup holder, with the exception of the receiving means of a single plastic part, which can be inexpensively and efficiently produced in an injection molding process. In principle, even the receiving means, for example in the form of a tab, be part of the plastic injection-molded part.

The structural design of the cup holder according to the invention is designed such that the cup holder consists of several articulated beam elements, which form an extending in a plane annular receptacle in the unfolded state. The inner sides of the beam elements form contact surfaces for a cup.

The ring-shaped receptacle thus formed ensures simple storage of cups even in the case of slightly varying cup sizes. Since the sizes of the cups of hot drinks machines do not vary greatly, all types of cup can be stored safely with a fixed inner diameter of the annular receptacle, that is, costly size adjustments of the annular receptacle are not required. The inner diameter of the annular receptacle is expediently dimensioned such that with this the cup in an upper half of the circumference is enclosed. Thus, the cup is held against unwanted tilting in the cup receptacle.

According to the invention, the beam elements of the cup receptacle are hinged together by means of film hinges as components of the plastic injection-molded part. The articulated joints formed by the film hinges can thus be produced efficiently with the injection molding of the plastic injection-molded part. The cup receptacle expediently has four identical bar elements extending in each case along a straight line.

With the beam element thus formed, the annular receptacle has a substantially rectangular, in particular square, cross section. Since the cup has a circular cross section, only individual surface segments of the cup surface and the bar elements abut each other. This allows a tolerance-insensitive storage of the cup in the cup receptacle and at the same time prevents excessive squeezing of the cup in the cup receptacle.

In the folded state, the beam elements are close together and are secured in position in this position by a closure means.

In an embodiment of the cup receptacle, each with bar elements running along a straight line, these are in the folded state tight and aligned parallel to each other, so that they form a special small, compact unit.

By the closure means an undesirable opening of the cup holder is prevented. Particularly advantageously, the closure means forms latching means which can be easily closed and opened.

According to the invention, the closure means is designed in the form of a mushroom closure, the components of which advantageously form part of the plastic injection-molded part are. The thus formed closure means is thus particularly efficient to produce.

Figur 1:

Seitenansicht eines Ausführungsbeispiels des erfindungsgemäßen Becherhalters mit einem in der Becheraufnahme des Becherhalters gelagerten Becher.

Figur 2:

Draufsicht auf den Becherhalter gemäß Figur 1 bei geöffneter Becheraufnahme.

Figur 3a:

Draufsicht auf die Unterseite eines Balkenelements der Becheraufnahme des Becherhalters gemäß Figur 1 mit einer Bohrung eines Pilzverschlusses.

Figur 3b:

Schnittdarstellung des Balkenelements gemäß Figur 3a.

Figur 4:

Seitenansicht eines Balkenelements der Becheraufnahme des Becherhalters gemäß Figur 1 mit einem Rastmittel als Bestandteil des Pilzverschlusses.

Figur 5:

Draufsicht auf den Becherhalter gemäß Figur 1 bei zusammengeklappter Becheraufnahme.

The invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings. Show it:

FIG. 1:

Side view of an embodiment of the cup holder according to the invention with a cup mounted in the cup holder of the cup holder.

FIG. 2:

Top view of the cup holder according to FIG. 1 with open cup holder.

FIG. 3a:

Top view of the underside of a beam element of the cup holder of the cup holder according to FIG. 1 with a hole of a mushroom closure.

FIG. 3b:

Sectional view of the beam element according to FIG. 3a ,

FIG. 4:

Side view of a beam element of the cup holder of the cup holder according to FIG. 1 with a locking agent as part of the mushroom closure.

FIG. 5:

Top view of the cup holder according to FIG. 1 with folded cup holder.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the cup holder 1 according to the invention for the storage of a cup 2. The cup 2 comes from a hot beverage machine and contains a hot beverage such as coffee.

The cup holder 1 comprises a handle 3 and a retractable cup holder 4. FIG. 1 shows the cup holder 1 with unfolded cup holder 4 and a cup 2 stored therein. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the cup holder 1 with unfolded cup holder. 4

The cup holder 1 is designed as a key chain. For this purpose, a ring 6, in particular a metal ring is inserted into a bore 5 on the handle 3 of the cup holder 1, in which key, not shown, can be stored.

Except for the ring 6 as a means for receiving the key all components of the cup holder 1 are part of a plastic injection molding. Particularly advantageously, the plastic consists of polyamide. This can be colored in any colors, whereby the appearance of the cup holder 1 can be made variable.

How out FIG. 1 can be seen, the handle 3 has a central recess 7 through which a finger of a person can be performed, so that this person can hold the cup holder 1 alone on the handle 3 and does not come into contact with the cup 2 mounted in the cup holder 4 ,

The cup holder 4 is, as in particular FIG. 2 can be seen, from four beam elements 8, each having identical geometries. The longitudinal axis of a beam element 8 runs along a straight line. Due to their thickness, the beam elements 8 form rigid, non-deformable components of the cup receptacle 4. Each beam element 8 is connected in an articulated manner to the respectively next beam element 8 at a longitudinal end. The left beam elements 8 in FIG. 2 are hingedly connected at both longitudinal ends with a beam member 8, while the two right beam elements 8 are each connected at a longitudinal end with the handle 3 articulated.

All joints are formed by film hinges 9. The film hinges 9 as components of the plastic injection molding form thin elastic deformable surface elements and thus form articulated connection parts. The layers of the film hinges 9 are considerably thinner than the beam elements 8.

By a suitable choice of the plastic, in particular polyamide, and by a suitable choice of the layer thickness is achieved that the film hinge 9 is at the same time well bendable and also has a high long-term stability, that is allows a variety of bending operations without breaking the film hinge 9.

In the unfolded state of the cup holder 4 form the four beam elements 8 as from FIG. 2 can be seen extending in a plane annular receptacle for the cup 2, wherein the beam elements 8 form a substantially square arrangement. The introduced into this annular receptacle cup 2 abuts with segments of its outer circumferential surface of segments of the inside of the beam elements 8.

The FIGS. 3a, 3b and 4 each show an individual representation of a beam element 8. FIG. 3a shows a plan view of the inside of a first beam element eighth FIG. 3b shows a section of the arrangement according to FIG. 3a along the line marked A FIG. 4 shows a side view of a second beam element eighth

As can be seen from these illustrations, each beam element 8 has an outer wall 8a which is inherently rigid in itself. The stability of the beam element 8 is achieved by a U-shaped reinforcing rib 8b, which rotates along three edges of the beam element 8.

After use of the cup holder 1 for holding a cup 2, the cup holder 4 of the cup holder 1 can be folded and transported as a compact unit.

FIG. 5 The cup holder 4 is folded by exerting a pressure on the handle 3 opposite film hinge 9. This fold the two opposite the handle 3 bar elements 8 and are adjacent to the handle 3 between the two Beam elements 8 retracted until the beam elements 8 in the in FIG. 5 are shown folded end position.

In this folded state all beam elements 8 are aligned parallel to each other at a small distance from each other.

The beam elements 8 are fixed in position in this folded state by a closure means. The closure means according to the invention is formed by a mushroom closure whose components are part of the plastic injection-molded part. These components consist, as in particular FIG. 2 can be seen from a mushroom-shaped locking head 10 on a first, the handle 3 opposite beam element 8 and a locking head 10 associated bore 11 in a second, the handle 3 opposite beam element. 8

As is apparent from the detailed representation of the beam element 8 according to FIGS FIGS. 3a and 3b can be seen, the bore 11 passes through the outer wall 8a of the beam member 8. The bore 11 is outside the range of the reinforcing rib 8b, that is, the bore 11 does not pass through the reinforcing rib 8b. Thus, the bore 11 terminates in the cavity defined by the reinforcing rib 8b behind the outer wall 8a.

How out FIG. 2 and also out FIG. 4 can be seen, the mushroom-shaped locking head 10 opens on the outside of the outer wall 8a of the beam member 8. The mushroom-shaped locking head 10 is bisected by a longitudinal slot.

The mushroom-shaped locking head 10 on the one beam element 8 and the bore 11 on the adjacent beam element 8 are arranged so that when folded the bar receptacle 4 of the locking head 10 is automatically inserted into the bore 11 and latched there. So that's how out FIG. 5 can be seen, the two inner beam elements 8 are locked against each other directly with the mushroom lock and so keep the outer beam elements 8 in their desired positions.

Since the bore 11 opens in the space defined by the reinforcing rib 8b of the beam member 8, where the front end of the locking head 10, which projects beyond the bore 11, spread and thus form the latching connection of the mushroom closure.

To solve the locking connection again, the inner beam elements 8 must be pulled apart with little force, so that then the beam element 8 can be opened again.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(1)

cup holders

(2)

cups

(3)

grip

(4)

cup receiving

(5)

drilling

(6)

ring

(7)

recess

(8th)

beam element

(8a)

outer wall

(8b)

reinforcing rib

(9)

film hinge

(10)

Rastkopf

(11)

drilling

Claims (4)

1. Cup holder (1) with a foldable cup receptacle (4) and a handle (3) arranged thereat with a receiving means, by which the cup holder (1) is constructed as a hang attachment, characterised in that the cup receptacle (4) and the handle (3) consist of a plastics material injection-moulded part, that the cup receptacle (4) consists of four pivotably connected bar elements (8), which in the unfolded state form an annular receptacle extending in a plane, wherein the inner sides of the bar elements (8) form contact surfaces for a cup (2), that the bar elements (8) are connected together by film hinges (9), that in the folded state the bar elements (8) lie tightly against one another and in this position are positionally secured by closure means, that the closure means is a mushroom-type closure, the components of which are a constituent of the plastics material injection-moulded part, that two bar elements (8), which in the folded state of the cup receptacle (4) form two outwardly disposed elements, are connected with the handle (3) by film hinges (9) and that the components of the mushroom-type closure are arranged at the further two bar elements (8), which in the folded state of the bar elements (8) form inwardly disposed elements.
2. Cup holder according to claim 1, characterised in that the cup receptacle (4) comprises four identical bar elements (8) extending along a straight line.
3. Cup holder according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterised in that this is constructed as a key fob.
4. Cup holder according to claim 3, characterised in that a ring (6) is mounted at the handle (3) as receiving means.

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