Package and article carriers – Vehicle attached – Complementary to vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-27
2001-05-15
Vidovich, Gregory M. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Vehicle attached
Complementary to vehicle
C224S552000, C224S553000, C224S926000, C248S311200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230948
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cup holder. More particularly this invention concerns a cup holder of the type normally provided in a motor vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A standard cup holder of the type used in a motor vehicle, although of course suitable for use elsewhere such as on a golf pull cart, typically has an upwardly open cup-shaped seat dimensioned to hold the largest normally encountered cup or beverage container. When a large beverage container, such as a 20-oz soda bottle, is set in it, the fit is fairly good and the beverage container is solidly held. When, however, a smaller-diameter container or a tapered container is set in such a cup holder, it is fairly loose and can wobble from side to side as the vehicle moves, spilling or even allowing the beverage container to hop out of the holder.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved cup holder.
Another object is the provision of such an improved cup holder which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, that is which solidly holds both large and small beverage containers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A vehicle cup holder has according to the invention a housing forming an upwardly open cup-shaped seat centered on an upright seat axis and having a side wall and a floor and a plurality of gripping arms spaced around the seat on the side wall and pivotal about respective upright axes between radially inner positions projecting into the seat and radially outer positions generally disengaged from the seat. A drive under the floor is connected to the arms for displacing them synchronously between the inner and outer positions.
The arms can either be thin so they lie against the side wall in the outer position or can be received in pockets formed in this side wall. Their synchronous movement ensures that a beverage container set in the seat will be held on center and gently gripped so that it will not tip in the seat. The arms can themselves be springy for a delicate but firm hold on the container. Springs engaging the arms can urge them into one of the positions.
The entire assembly can be a compact unit that is installed in the vehicle with nothing more needed than a connection to the battery. It can sit between the seats or be built into the dashboard. The provision of the drive underneath the seat floors gives the cup holder according to the invention a very small footprint.
Respective shafts extending generally parallel to the seat axis are journaled in the housing and carry the arms. Each such shaft has a lower end projecting past the floor and the drive includes respective drive elements fixed on the lower ends. The drive itself can be a gear or belt drive and normally is powered by an electric motor provided below the seat floor. The gear-drive system includes a drive gear rotatable about a gear axis substantially parallel to the axes of the arms and a worm gear driven by the motor and meshing with the drive gear. In this case the elements are sector gears meshing with the drive gear. More specifically, the drive gear includes a pair of coaxial gears one of which meshes with the sector gears. The drive further includes a worm gear meshing with the other of the coaxial gears and rotated by the motor. Springs braced between the coaxial gears rotationally coupling same together while permitting them to rotate limitedly relative to each other.
It is also possible according to the invention for the drive to include a cam rotatable about an axis parallel to axes of the arms and respective cam followers on the arms bearing on the cam.
The cup holder according to the invention has a sensor for detecting an object in the seat and a controller connected between the sensor and the drive for actuating the drive to move the arms from the outer to the inner position on detection of an object in the seat. Similarly the controller moves the arms from the inner position to the outer position when not detecting an object in the seat. The sensor can be an infrared proximity detector.
Normally with this system infrared proximity detector is adjacent a mouth of the seat. Furthermore another sensor can be provided adjacent a floor of the seat, typically about 5 mm above the floor. In this latter case the controller operates the sensor such that, when the arms are in the outer position, the arms are moved into the inner position only when both sensors detect an object in the seat, and, when the arms are in the inner position, the arms are moved into the outer position when either of the sensors no longer detects an object in the seat.
In a somewhat more complex system, when the arms are in the inner position and the lower sensor no longer detects an object in the seat, the controller only moves the arms into the outer position when this failure to detect an object by the lower sensor continues for a predetermined time. Thus if the container bounces a little in the seat the cup holder will not open.
The controller includes a current sensor for detecting current consumption by the motor and deenergizing the motor when the detected current consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold. This prevents overloading the motor or crushing of the container. Alternately or in addition the controller includes a timer for deenergizing the motor a predetermined time after energizing the motor.
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Christ Martin
Neist Traci Angela
Raff John
Steiger Rainer
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Dubno Herbert
Vidovich Gregory M.
Wilford Andrew
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