Patent Application
20250233434
Cup holders are used for placing a cup, bringing convenience to people's lives because they are available to be carried around. In addition, with the popularity of intelligent devices, the problem of mobile terminal charging and securing mobile terminals conveniently has become widespread. The single function of the existing cup holders cannot satisfy the various demands of people. Accordingly, it will bring further convenience for people's lives to provide a cup holder with additional functions of securing a cup, securing a mobile terminal, charging a mobile terminal, and securing additional personal items. Such a cup holder may provide convenience and utility in situations where a user is on the move, such as on the side of a personal travel luggage bag.
The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects of the single function of the current cup holder by providing a charging cup holder with securing grooves for securing various personal items such as a mobile device, or hanging bags.
The present invention solves the above technical problem by providing the following technical solutions:
A charging cup holder according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a fixing base; a pair of arms hinged to an upper end of the fixing base and configured to secure sides of a cup; a cup carrier hinged to a lower end of the fixing base and configured to support a bottom of the cup; and a USB interface provided at the fixing base and configured to transfer electric power from a second side of the USB interface to a first side of the USB interface, wherein the cup carrier comprises opposing raised side edges shaped to form pairs of corresponding securing grooves to provide a securing position for a personal item placed on the fixing base.
According to an embodiment, the USB interface is configured to transfer the power from a power source electrically connected to the second side of the USB interface to a mobile device electrically connected to the first side of the USB interface.
According to an embodiment, each of the securing grooves is separated by an upward protrusion to define the securing grooves therebetween.
According to an embodiment, the upward protrusion is formed to have an angled edge angled toward the fixing base to allow tilting of the mobile device against the angled edge.
According to an embodiment, an upper surface of the cup carrier comprises a plurality of raised ridges each configured to provide a resting surface for a bottom edge of the mobile device when the mobile device is propped up against the fixing base.
According to an embodiment, the pair of arms is configured to hinge downward to a closed position toward the fixing base, and the cup carrier is configured to hinge upward to a closed position toward the fixing base to cover the pair of arms.
According to an embodiment, the fixing base comprises an upper hinge portion to which the pair of arms are coupled, and each of the pair of arms are independently laterally rotatable with respect to the upper hinge portion to secure various cup sizes between the pair of arms.
According to an embodiment, the upper hinge portion comprises a pair of springs corresponding to the pair of arms to apply a biasing force to return rotation of the arms to a default position.
According to an embodiment, a front side of the cup carrier comprises at least one wall protruding upward when the cup carrier is in an open position with respect to the fixing base.
According to an embodiment, the at least one wall of the front side of the cup carrier covers at least a portion of an upper surface of the upper hinge portion of the fixing base when the cup carrier is in the closed position.
According to an embodiment, the cup carrier comprises a protruding lip to facilitate opening the cup carrier from the closed position, and the at least one wall is divided by an opening corresponding to a position of the protruding lip.
According to an embodiment, the at least one wall is configured to secure a lower portion of a mobile terminal being propped up against the fixing base.
According to an embodiment, the raised side edges of the cup carrier are further shaped to form a pair of corresponding hanging grooves positioned closest to the fixing base with respect to the pairs of corresponding securing grooves.
According to an embodiment, the pair of corresponding hanging grooves are shaped differently from the pairs of corresponding securing grooves, and are positioned closest to the fixing base to provide a securing position for hanging a handle of a bag.
The present disclosure includes an embodiment of a luggage article comprising a charging cup holder, the luggage article comprising: a body having a top face, a bottom face, and a plurality of side faces, at least two wheels disposed at the bottom face of the body; an extendable handle; and a charging cup holder disposed at one of the plurality of side faces, the charging cup holder comprising: a fixing base; a pair of arms hinged to an upper end of the fixing base and configured to secure a cup; a cup carrier hinged to a lower end of the fixing base; and a USB interface provided at the fixing base and configured to transfer electric power from a second side of the USB interface to a first side of the USB interface, wherein the cup carrier comprises opposing raised side edges shaped to form pairs of corresponding securing grooves to provide a securing position for a personal item placed on the fixing base.
According to an embodiment, the USB interface is configured to transfer the power from a power source electrically connected to the second side of the USB interface and provided internal to the one of the plurality of side faces, to a mobile device electrically connected to the first side of the USB interface.
According to an embodiment, the extendable handle extends along a rear face of the plurality of side faces, and the charging cup holder is provided at the rear face.
The charging cup holder may not only place the cup, but also mobile terminals can be placed in the cup holder conveniently, such as mobile phones, to realize charging easily by electrically connecting to the USB interface on the fixing base.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
The preferable embodiment will be described combined with figures to illustrate the present invention more precisely and completely.
As shown in
The cup carrier 106 for supporting a cup is hinged to the lower end of the fixing base 300 via a lower hinge 112, and a cup can pass through and be secured between the pair of arms 104. The pair of arms 104 and the cup carrier 106 can rotate from an open position to a closed position (i.e., substantially 0-90 degrees) relative to the fixing base 300 via the upper hinge 110 and lower hinge 112.
Each of the pair of arms 104 may be independently coupled to the arm base 126, or the fixing base 300 in some embodiments. Each arm may be coupled to rotate via an arm hinge 116 corresponding to each arm such that each arm is capable of rotating independently from each other. The rotation of each arm may allow the space defined between the pair of arms to expand or contract in order to accommodate and secure various sizes of cups therebetween.
In some embodiments, springs 114 are provided at the arm base 126 (or at the fixing base 300, in embodiments in which the pair of arms 104 are directly hinged to the fixing base 300). Each of the springs 114 may be installed such that a biasing force is provided to a corresponding arm to return the rotation of the arm to a default rotational position. For example, rotating the pairs of arms 104 by inserting a cup that is larger than the default rotational position size may apply a contracting force to each of the springs 114. When the cup is removed, the springs 114 may force the pair of arms back to the default rotational position by applying the restorative force of the spring. In some embodiments, each of the pair of arms may have a rounded surface along the length of the arms such that larger size cups that are larger than the default rotational position size may be easily inserted while pushing the arms apart.
A universal serial bus (USB) interface 108, which can be used to electrically connect a mobile device 200 may be provided at the fixing base 102. The USB interface 108 may include a first side 108a of the USB interface 108 provided at a front side of the fixing base 102. The first side 108a may include one or more USB interface ports of different types, including but not limited to USB-A, USB-C, micro-USB, mini-USB, or the like.
The cup carrier 106 may include raised side edges to define a space for resting a bottom of the cup in the cup holder 100. The raised side edges of the cup carrier 106 may also include pairs of corresponding grooves 118 on opposite sides, where each pair is aligned to provide a resting and securing position for a personal item, such as an edge of a mobile device.
As shown in
In the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, the upper surface of the cup carrier 106 may include raised ridges 130 which provide a resting surface against which a bottom of a device may be rested. For example, as shown in
In some embodiments (not depicted), the cup carrier 106 may not include raised side edges and instead the grooves 118 may be defined between upward protrusions from a flat bottom surface of the cup carrier 106.
In some embodiments, the cup carrier 106 may also include an additional pair of grooves 120 which are differently shaped and positioned than the pairs of securing grooves 118. For example,
The hanging grooves 120 may also be positioned closest to the fixing base 300, and closest to the hinge joint between the cup carrier 106 and the fixing base 300. Due to this positioning, where the fixing base 300 is secured to a stable structure, the hanging grooves 120 may provide a stronger supporting position for personal items as compared to the remaining securing grooves 118 positioned toward the free end of the cup carrier 106. For example, the hanging grooves 120 may allow for a user to hang a bag by placing the handles of a bag across the corresponding pair of hanging grooves 120, and a significant amount of weight may be supported. Such configuration may also allow a user to support an item such as a bag at the hanging grooves 120 while simultaneously supporting a mobile device in a pair of the securing grooves 118. The cup carrier 106 may also include a raised indicator 128, which indicates that a user may place bag handles or other items across the pair of hanging grooves 120, and to differentiate the hanging grooves 120 from the rest of the securing grooves 118.
The embodiment of
In an embodiment, the cup carrier 106 may include a protruding lip 401 at a distal end of the cup carrier with respect to the lower hinge, where the protruding lip 401 provides a gripping surface for a user. The protruding lip 401 may be used to pull the cup carrier 106 open from the closed position, or may be used to push the cup carrier 106 toward the closed position. The protruding lip 401 may be convexly curved and extend further past other components of the cup holder in the closed position to provide for easy grip and easy access by a user, as shown in
The mounting connector 502 may include the second side 108b of the USB interface. The second side 108b of the USB interface 108 may include one or more USB ports for plugging in an electronic device, or a power source such as a battery for powering an electronic device that is plugged into the first side 108a of the USB interface. Thus, the USB interface 108 may act as a connector for transferring power between a power source plugged into one side 108a/108b of the USB interface 108 to the other side 108b/108a of the USB interface 108. For example, a battery may be connected to the second side 108b of the USB interface 108. When a personal mobile device, such as a cellphone, is plugged into the first side 108a of the USB interface 108, power may be provided from the battery to the mobile device. When a USB power cable is then inserted into the first side 108a of the USB interface 108, the battery that is connected to the second side 108b may receive power through the USB interface 108 for recharging the battery.
The second side 108b of the USB interface 108 may include more than one USB port, and
It should be understood that, in the description of the utility, terms used to reference the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship in the drawings, such as “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, etc., and they are only used to facilitate the description of the present invention and simplify the description, but not to indicate or suggest the specific orientation of the arrangement or member or to suggest it must be configured or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore, they should not be deemed as limiting.
Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but it should be understood by the skilled in the art that those are merely illustrations, and the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by appended claims. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variants and modifications can be made in the embodiments without departing from the principles and essential characteristics of the present invention, and these variants and modifications are within the scope of the present invention.
