CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on and claims priority from, Korean Patent Application Ser. No. 10-2004-0066609, filed on Aug. 24, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cup holder for vehicles. More particularly, the cup holder is able to stably support cups or drink containers having various sizes and shapes by using the elasticity of a spring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally, cup holders for vehicles are provided in the center of fascia panels along with audio system components and air conditioner control panels. The typical cup holders are operated by a sliding type movement so that the cup holders extract from and retract into the center fascia panels. Alternatively, cup holders may be mounted in floor console trays between gearshift levers and console boxes such that the cup holders are exposed.

Typically, cup receiving holes of cup holders have prescribed sizes, but, recently, cup holders having structures, such that drink containers of various diameters can be seated in the cup holders, have been developed. Furthermore, cup holders, having structures in which cup holders can stably support drink containers such that the drink containers do not move despite the vibration of vehicles, have been proposed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention includes a cup holder for vehicles that is able to stably support cups or drink containers of various sizes and shapes by using the elasticity of a spring. When a drink container is seated in the cup holder, a support member simultaneously moves backwards along a guide means and steadily holds the circumferential outer surface of the drink container using the elasticity of the spring. When the drink container is removed from the cup holder, an upper part of the support member is rotated backwards so that the drink container can be smoothly removed from the cup holder without being interrupted by the support member.

Embodiments of the prevent invention provide cup holders for vehicles including a holder base having at least one receiving seat provided in the holder base to receive a drink container therein and at least one mounting hole formed at a predetermined position in a sidewall of the receiving seat. A hollow case is mounted behind the mounting hole of the holder base with an opening formed in a front surface of the hollow case. A pair of first slots, each having an inclined semicircular shape are formed in opposite sidewalls of the hollow case are also included. A pair of second slots, each having an inclined linear shape are formed below the first slots in the opposite sidewalls of the hollow case. A support member is inserted into the opening of the hollow case, the support member being open at a surface thereof with a pair of first pins provided on outer surfaces of sidewalls of the support member and inserted into the first slots of the hollow case. A pair of second pins are provided below the first pins on the outer surfaces of the sidewalls of the support member and inserted into the second slots of the hollow case. A return spring is included at a predetermined position in the support member and supported at a first end thereof by the support member and at a second end thereof by the hollow case.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing both a support member and a spring of a cup holder for vehicles, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the assembly of the support member and the spring of FIG 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hollow case of a cup holder according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4a and 4b are perspective views showing the support member and the spring which are assembled with the hollow case of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a holder base of a cup holder according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6a and 6b are, respectively, a perspective view and a plan view showing the holder base of FIG. 5 to which a plurality of hollow cases each having the support member is mounted;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing installation of a cup holder according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing operation of a cup holder for vehicles as a cup is inserted, installed, and removed from the cup holder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A cup holder for vehicles according to the present invention can be installed in a floor console between a driver's seat and a passenger seat. As shown in the drawings, a cup holder includes a support member 12 which is manufactured through a molding process. The support member 12 serves to substantially support a drink container. The support member 12 is open at a rear surface thereof and has a hollow and semicircular shape. Two first pins 14 and two second pins 16 integrally protrude from outer surfaces of sidewalls of the support member 12 at upper and lower positions, respectively.

A support surface 18, which is preferably convex in a semicircular or elliptical shape and serves to hold the circumferential outer surface of a drink container 10, forms a front surface of the support member 12. Furthermore, a support shaft 22 is integrally included on an inner surface of a sidewall of the support member 12 and a return spring 20 is fitted over the support shaft 22. A stopper 24 is integrally provided on an inner surface of the front wall of the support member 12 so that a first end of the return spring 20 is supported by the stopper 24.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the return spring 20 is coupled at the first end thereof to the stopper 24 of the support member 12 and is bent at a second end thereof such that the second end of the return spring 20 is easily hooked to a support groove 28 of a hollow case 26 which is described in more detail herein.

The support member 12, to which the return spring 20 is coupled, is mounted to the hollow case 26. As shown in FIG. 3, the hollow case 26 is manufactured through a molding process such that an opening is formed on the front surface of the hollow case 26. A first slot 30, having an inclined semicircular shape, and a second slot 32, having an inclined linear shape, are formed through each sidewall of the hollow case 26.

Each first slot 30 has a semicircular or elliptical shape to allow the upper part of the support member 12 to be rotated backwards when the drink container 10 is removed from the cup holder. Movement of the support member 12 is further described herein. Each second slot 32 is inclined in an upward diagonal direction from the rear end of the hollow case 26 to the front end. Furthermore, two insert ends 38 are integrally provided on opposite side edges of the front surface of the hollow case 26 such that the hollow case 26 may be mounted behind a mounting hole 36 of a holder base 34 in a sliding manner. Moreover, the support groove 28 is formed at an upper position on an inner surface of the rear wall of the hollow case 26 so that the second end of the return spring 20 is hooked to and supported by the support groove 28 of the hollow case 26.

FIGS. 4a and 4b are perspective views showing the support member 12 and the return spring 20 which are assembled with the hollow case 26. As shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b, the support member 12, to which the return spring 20 is coupled, is inserted into the hollow case 26 through the opening formed in the front surface of the hollow case 26. When the rear part of the support member 12 is inserted into the opening of the hollow case 26, the first pins 14 of the support member 12 are inserted into the semicircular first slots 30 of the hollow case 26. Simultaneously, the second pins 16 of the support member 12 are inserted into the diagonal second slots 32 of the hollow case 26. At this time, the bent second end of the return spring 20 is hooked to the support groove 28 of the hollow case 26 while the first end of the return spring 20 is supported by the stopper 24 of the support member 12. Thus, the return spring 20 is disposed in a V shape.

According to a preferred embodiment, a plurality of hollow cases 26, each having a support member 12, are mounted behind the holder base 34, as shown in FIG. 5. The holder base 34 has at least one receiving seat 42 into which the drink container 10 is inserted. According to an embodiment, the holder base 34 is provided in a floor console of a vehicle between a driver's seat and a passenger seat. Furthermore, a plurality of mounting holes 36 for mounting the hollow cases 26 are formed in a sidewall of each receiving seat 42 of the holder base 34 at predetermined positions spaced apart from each other by regular intervals. Two sliding grooves 44 are formed at opposite sides of each mounting hole 36.

As shown in FIG. 6a, to mount the hollow cases 26 to the holder base 34, the insert ends 38 of each hollow case 26 are inserted into the related sliding grooves 44 of the holder base 34. Thereafter, the holder base 34 is installed in the floor console 46. Then, preferably only the support members 12 protrude to the outside from the sidewalls of the receiving seats 42 of the holder base 34, as shown in FIG. 6b.

As shown in FIG. 7, each hollow case 26, which is mounted behind each mounting hole 36 of the holder base 34, is placed between the holder base 34 and the floor console 46. Only the front surface of each support member 12, that is, only the convex support surface 18, which, has a semicircular or elliptical shape, protrudes to the outside due to the elasticity of the return spring 20.

The operation and effect of the cup holder of the present invention having the above-mentioned construction will be described herein below in connection with FIG. 8 which shows sectional views of the operation of the cup holder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When no drink container 10 is in the cup holder, the first and second pins 14 and 16 of each support member 12 are located at uppermost positions in the first and second slots 30 and 32 of the hollow case 26 as a result of the elasticity of the return spring 20. In this state, when a drink container 10 is seated into the receiving seat 42 of the holder base 34, the lower end of the drink container 10 compresses the upper portions of the support members 12 and the support members 12 move backwards. When the drink container 10 is completely seated in the receiving seat 42, the support surfaces 18 of the support members 12 come into close contact with the circumferential outer surface of the drink container 10 and, thus, steadily support the drink container 10 using the elasticity of the return springs 20.

In other words, when the lower end of the drink container 10 compresses the upper portions of the support members 12, the support members 12 compress the return springs 20. Simultaneously, the first and second pins 14 and 16 of each support member 12 move downwards and backwards along the first and second slots 30 and 32 of each hollow case 26. As such, when the support members 12 are moved backwards by the drink container 10 seated in the receiving seat 42, the support surfaces 18 of the support members 12 elastically support the circumferential outer surface of the drink container 10 using the restoring force of the return springs 20, as shown in sequence in FIG. 8.

Hereinafter, the operation of removing the drink container 10 from the cup holder will be described. When the drink container 10, which has been seated in the receiving seat 42 is removed from the receiving seat 42, the lower end of the drink container 10 raises the support members 12. Then, as shown in the final sequence view of FIG. 8, the upper part of each support member 12 is rotated backwards around the second pins 16, which are in the second slots 32 of the hollow case 26.

In detail, because the second slots 32 are diagonal linear slots, when upward force is applied to the support member 12, the second pins 32 serve as a rotating axis for the angular motion of the support member 12 without moving along the second slots 32. The support member 12 compresses the return spring 20 while rotating backwards around the rotating axis defined by the second pins 16. Here, because the first pins 14 of the support member 12 are inserted in the first slots 32, having semicircular shapes, the upper part of the support member 12 smoothly rotates backwards.

That is, when the upper part of the support member 12 is rotated backwards, the movement path of each first pin 14 is not linear, but is curved. To allow such curved movement of the first pin 14, each first slot 32 has a semicircular shape. Therefore, when the lower end of the drink container 10 raises the support members 12, because the upper parts of the support members 12 are rotated backwards, the drink container 10 is easily removed from the cup holder.

In particular, if a drink container has a relatively wide lower end and is concave at an intermediate portion, even if the lower end of the drink container strikes the lower portions of the support members 12 when being removed from the cup holder, the support members 12 absorb the impact because they rotate backwards. Consequently, the drink container is easily removed from the cup holder.

As is apparent from the foregoing, there is an advantage in a cup holder for vehicles according to embodiments of the present invention in that when a drink container is seated in the cup holder, a support member simultaneously moves backwards and steadily holds the circumferential outer surface of the drink container using the elasticity of a spring. When the drink container is removed from the cup holder an upper part of the support member is rotated backwards at the moment that the lower end of the drink container raises the lower part of the support member so that the drink container can be easily removed from the cup holder. In other words, the cup holder of the present invention makes it possible for the drink container, which has been supported by the support member in the cup holder, to be easily removed from the cup holder without interference from the support member.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the best practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.