JP7524850B2 - Cup holder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cup holder. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cup holder that has a recess for holding a plastic bottle or the like, and a lid that can open and close the recess.

Conventionally, a cup holder with an openable lid is provided on an armrest arranged on a car seat. In the car seat described in Patent Document 1, the cup holder is applied to the center armrest of the rear seat. With the lid closed, this cup holder allows small items such as a smartphone to be placed on it, and with the lid open, a beverage container such as a plastic bottle can be placed and held in the recess. A sub-holder piece that can be folded against the spring force is attached to the back side of the lid, and when a beverage container is placed in the recess with the lid open, the tip of the sub-holder piece abuts against the beverage container, and the spring force presses and holds the container so that it does not fall over.

JP 2020-199947 A

In the cup holder disclosed in Patent Document 1, when inserting or removing a beverage container into or from the recess, depending on the shape of the beverage container, the tip of the sub-holder piece may get caught on a part of the beverage container, preventing smooth insertion or removal. Also, when a small item is placed on the lid with the lid closed, a member for increasing the coefficient of friction, such as nonwoven fabric, may be disposed on the surface of the lid to prevent the small item from moving on the lid due to changes in horizontal acceleration caused by the movement of the vehicle. In this case, a member for increasing the coefficient of friction, such as nonwoven fabric, which is a separate part from the sub-holder piece, is required, which increases the number of parts.

In view of these problems, the objective of the present invention is to provide a cup holder with a simple structure that allows a beverage container to be smoothly inserted and removed from the recess, and can stably hold small items on the lid when it is closed.

The first invention of the present invention is a cup holder having a recess for inserting and removing a beverage container, a pair of lids that can open and close the recess in a double door manner, and a flexible, approximately flat rubber member attached to at least one of the pair of lids, the rubber member being attached to the lids by passing through a through hole provided in at least one of the pair of lids and being fixed thereto, the rubber member having a first portion that protrudes from the upper surface of the pair of lids when the pair of lids are closed and has a higher friction coefficient than the pair of lids, and a second portion that protrudes toward the beverage container when the pair of lids are opened and elastically deforms when it comes into contact with the beverage container, applying a pressing force to the beverage container.

According to the first invention, when the beverage container is inserted or removed from the recess, the second portion of the rubber member elastically deforms, allowing the tip to be inserted or removed smoothly without getting caught on any part of the beverage container. In addition, when the pair of lids are closed, the first portion, which has a greater coefficient of friction than the pair of lids, abuts against a small item placed on the lids, preventing the small item from moving on the pair of lids due to changes in horizontal acceleration caused by the movement of the vehicle. Furthermore, because a single rubber member can be used to cover both the first portion, which allows the small item to be held stably without slipping, and the second portion, which holds the beverage container in the recess, an increase in the number of parts can be prevented.

The second invention of the present invention is characterized in that in the first invention, the pair of lids are each provided with the rubber member.

According to the second invention, when the pair of lids are opened and the beverage container is placed in the recess, the beverage container is pressed and supported by the second parts from both sides, so the beverage container can be stably held in the recess. Also, when the pair of lids are closed and a small item is placed on top of them, the presence of two first parts further reduces slippage, allowing the small item to be held stably.

The third invention of the present invention is characterized in that in the first or second invention, the portion of the first part that comes into contact with the small object has slits or irregularities formed therein to increase the coefficient of friction.

According to the third invention, when the pair of lids are closed and small items are placed on them, slippage is suppressed and the small items can be held stably.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that in any one of the first to third aspects, the rubber member is colored a different color from the pair of lids.

According to the fourth invention, when the pair of lids are closed, it is possible to provide design variation, increasing the degree of freedom in design.

1 is a perspective view of an armrest provided with a cup holder according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a small item is placed on the armrest with the lid closed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the armrest with the cup holder of the embodiment, showing a state in which the lid is open and a beverage container is placed in the recess and held therein; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cup holder in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 with the lid closed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cup holder in the embodiment with the lid open. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 3. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 4.

Figures 1 to 6 show a cup holder 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a center armrest 1 of a rear seat of an automobile. In each figure, arrows indicate each direction based on the automobile and the rear seat of the automobile. In the following explanation, descriptions of directions will be made based on these directions.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the center armrest 1 provided with a cup holder 10 according to this embodiment is applied to a bench-type rear seat in an automobile. The center armrest 1 is attached to the center seat portion of the seat back of the rear seat so that it can be folded forward and deployed horizontally. The cup holder 10 is provided on the front end portion of the upper surface of the center armrest 1 when deployed horizontally. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the center armrest 1 has a metal frame 1a forming the skeleton, a urethane resin pad 1b as a cushioning material placed over the frame 1a, and a cover 1c as a skin material that covers the pad 1b.

As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 6, the cup holder 10 has a main body 20, a receiving portion 30 that holds a beverage container 2 such as a plastic bottle, and a pair of front and rear lids 40 that open and close the upper opening of the receiving portion 30. Here, the receiving portion 30 corresponds to the "recess" in the claims.

The main body 20 is an injection molded resin part, and has a rectangular shape with its long axis running left-right when viewed from above. A bottomed corner recess 21 with an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape on the inside is provided on the rear side, and a corner wall 22 with an approximately rectangular tubular shape on the inside is provided on the front side. The corner recess 21 is used as a small item holder. The lower side of the corner wall 22 is a rectangular opening 22a with its long axis running left-right when viewed from above.

The receiving portion 30 is an injection molded resin part, and its external shape is rectangular when viewed from above, matching the opening 22a of the corner wall portion 22, and it is attached to the corner wall portion 22 so as to close the opening 22a. The receiving portion 30 is formed with a pair of left and right cup-shaped recesses 31 that open upward, and a partition portion 32 that partitions the pair of left and right recesses 31 at the center in the left-right direction. The recesses 31 are shaped to fit the bottom surface of a beverage container 2 such as a plastic bottle, and are set so as to be recessed below the partition portion 32.

The pair of lids 40 are nearly symmetrical in the front-to-rear direction, so the rear lid 40 will be described as a representative, and only the differences will be explained as appropriate. The lid 40 is an injection-molded resin part, and in the closed state S1 shown in Figures 3 and 5, it has a planar lid portion 41 that extends horizontally, a first wall portion 42 that extends downward from the front end of the lid portion 41, and a pair of second wall portions 43 that extend downward on both the left and right sides of the lid portion 41.

3 and 5, in the closed state S1, the cover 41 has a rectangular shape with the long axis direction as viewed from above, and a pair of slits 41a extending in the left-right direction are provided at the front end side of the cover 41 at symmetrical positions. A flexible, flat rubber pressure plate member 45 is inserted and attached to each slit 41a. The pressure plate member 45 is colored in a different color from the pair of lids 40. In detail, the pressure plate member 45 has an expanded portion 45a provided at the upper end and expanded in the front-rear direction, which is the plate thickness direction, and a main body portion 45b extending downward from the lower surface of the expanded portion 45a. A plurality of protrusions 45c protruding toward the rear are provided at the upper end side of the main body portion 45b. In addition, a storage recess 41b capable of accommodating the expanded portion 45a is formed at the outer peripheral edge of the upper end side of the slit 41a in the cover 41. When the main body 45b of the pressing plate member 45 is inserted into the slit 41a from the tip side, the widened portion 45a is accommodated in the accommodation recess 41b, and the plurality of protrusions 45c engage with the lower end side outer periphery of the slit 41a, thereby fixing the pressing plate member 45 to the lid portion 41. At this time, the recess depth of the accommodation recess 41b is set so that the upper surface portion 45a1 of the widened portion 45a protrudes slightly upward from the upper surface of the lid portion 41. The upper surface portion 45a1 is formed with unevenness such as graining to increase the friction coefficient. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, in the open state S2, the main body 45b of the pressing plate member 45 extends horizontally, and the front end side of the main body 45b is cut into an arc shape so that it can easily adapt to the outer shape of the beverage container 2. Here, the slit 41a and the pressing plate member 45 correspond to the "through hole" and the "rubber member" in the claims, respectively. Additionally, the widened portion 45a and the main portion 45b correspond to the "first portion" and "second portion" in the claims, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first wall 42 has a rectangular central notch 42a in the left-right center, and a pair of arc-shaped side notches 42b at positions corresponding to the left and right slits 41a. The central notch 42a is for preventing the first wall 42 from interfering with the partition 32 of the receiving part 30 when the lid 41 is in the closed state S1, and the side notches 42b are for preventing interference with the beverage container 2. The pair of left and right second wall parts 43 contribute to increasing the rigidity of the lid 41. Between the front lid 41 and the first wall 42, in the closed state S1, a handhold recess 44 is formed in the left-right center of the rear end side for holding when opening and closing.

As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the cover 41 is connected to the rear end of the receiving part 30 by a pivot axis A1 extending in the left-right direction at the rear end so that it can rotate up and down. The front cover 41 is connected to the rear end of the receiving part 30 by a pivot axis A2 extending in the left-right direction at the front end so that it can rotate up and down. The pivot axis A1 and the pivot axis A2 are connected via an interlocking mechanism 46, so that the rear lid 40 and the front lid 40 rotate synchronously up and down about the pivot axis A1 and the pivot axis A2, respectively, to open and close in a double door state, and are configured to be able to adopt a closed state S1 and an open state S2. At this time, due to the action of a torsion spring (not shown), when the pair of lids 40 are in a rotation region close to the closed state S1, the rotation axis A1 and the rotation axis A2 are urged to rotate in the direction of the closed state S1, and when the pair of lids 40 are in a rotation region close to the open state S2, the rotation axis A1 and the rotation axis A2 are urged to rotate in the direction of the open state S2. As a result, when opening the lids 40 from the closed state S1, if you place your hands on the handle recesses 44 and lift the front lid 40, the rear lid 40 will also lift in conjunction, and the pair of lids 40 will open in a double door state and be held in the open state S2. To change from the open state S2 to the closed state S1, push in either the front or rear lid 40 to close it, and they will close in conjunction.

The present embodiment configured as described above provides the following advantageous effects. When the pair of lids 40 are in the open state S2, the cup holder 10 allows the beverage container 2 to be smoothly inserted or removed from the recessed portion 31 of the receiving portion 30 without the main portion 45b of the pressing plate member 45 getting caught on a part of the beverage container 2. When the pair of lids 40 are in the closed state S1 and a small item 3 such as a smartphone is placed on the pair of lids 40, the upper surface portion 45a1 of the widening portion 45a of the pressing plate member 45 abuts against the small item 3. At this time, the upper surface portion 45a1 of the widening portion 45a has a larger coefficient of friction than the upper surfaces of the pair of lids 40, so that the small item 3 can be prevented from moving on the pair of lids 40 due to changes in horizontal acceleration caused by the movement of the automobile. In addition, the widened portion 45a, which allows the small item 3 to be stably held without slipping, and the main portion 45b, which supports the beverage container 2 in the recessed portion 31 of the receiving portion 30, can be provided by a single pressing plate member 45, thereby preventing an increase in the number of parts.

When the pair of lids 40 are in the open state S2 and the beverage container 2 is placed in the recessed portion 31 of the receiving portion 30, the beverage container 2 is pressed and supported by the main portion 45b of the pressing plate member 45 from both the front and rear sides, so that the beverage container 2 can be stably held in the recessed portion 31 of the receiving portion 30. When the pair of lids 40 are in the closed state S1 and a small item 3 is placed on them, the two widened portions 45a can more stably hold the small item 3 with less slippage. Furthermore, the upper surface portion 45a1 of the widened portion 45a is formed with unevenness such as grain, so that when the pair of lids 40 are in the closed state S1 and a small item 3 is placed on them, the small item 3 can be more stably held with less slippage. In addition, the pressing plate member 45 is colored in a different color from the pair of lids 40, so that when the pair of lids 40 are in the closed state S1, the cup holder 10 can be given a design change, and the degree of freedom in design is increased.

Although specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to those appearances and configurations, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without changing the gist of the present invention. For example, the following can be mentioned:

1. In the above embodiment, the upper surface 45a1 of the pressing plate member 45 is formed with unevenness such as embossing to increase the coefficient of friction, but this is not limiting, and the coefficient of friction can also be increased by forming at least one slit.

2. In the above embodiment, when the pressing plate member 45 is attached to the cover portion 41 of the lid 40, the main portion 45b of the pressing plate member 45 is inserted into the slit 41a from the tip side, and the multiple protrusions 45c engage with the outer peripheral edge of the lower end side of the slit 41a with the widened portion 45a accommodated in the accommodation recess 41b, thereby fixing the pressing plate member 45 to the cover portion 41. However, this is not limited to the above, and the pressing plate member 45 may be fixed to the cover portion 41 by adhesive or mechanically by screws or the like.

3. In the above embodiment, the cup holder 10 is applied to a car seat, but it may also be applied to seats installed in airplanes, ships, trains, etc.

1 Center armrest 2 Drink container 3 Small item 10 Cup holder 30 Receiving portion (recess)
40 Lid 41 Lid portion 41a Slit (through hole)
45 Presser plate member (rubber member)
45a Widened portion (first portion)
45a1 Upper surface portion 45b Main body portion (second portion)
A1: Rotation axis A2: Rotation axis S1: Closed state S2: Open state

Claims (4)

A cup holder having a recess for inserting and removing a beverage container, a pair of lids for opening and closing the recess in a double door manner, and a flexible, generally flat rubber member attached to at least one of the pair of lids,
the rubber member is attached to the lid by being passed through a through hole provided in at least one of the pair of lids and fixed thereto;
The rubber member has a first portion that protrudes from the upper surface of the pair of lids and has a higher friction coefficient than the pair of lids when the pair of lids are closed, and a second portion that protrudes toward the beverage container when the pair of lids are opened, and elastically deforms when it comes into contact with the beverage container to apply a pressing force to the beverage container. A cup holder according to claim 1, in which the rubber member is disposed on each of the pair of lids. A cup holder according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the portion of the first part that comes into contact with the small object has slits or irregularities formed therein to increase the coefficient of friction. 4. The cup holder according to claim 1, wherein the rubber member is colored a different color from the pair of lids.

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