The present invention relates to container holders for vehicles and, more particularly, to a collapsible container holder operative to be selectably installed in a vehicle and capable of being stored in a plurality of locations inside the vehicle when disposed in the collapsed position.
It is a well known fact that a driver or passenger in an automobile is somewhat restricted in movement and in some cases has little or no place to temporarily hold his or her beverage container. Many commercially available auto beverage holders are said to be unsatisfactory as far as the designs for adjustability, stability and more importantly storageability when not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,211 to McConnell discloses a holder for beverage containers and the like for steadily, but removably and replaceably, supporting such a beverage container in a vehicle so as to prevent spilling of the contents of the beverage container when the vehicle is moving. The holder is foldable into a relatively compact boxlike configuration so as to protrude minimally from the supporting surface of the vehicle when not in use. It is appreciated that the holder is functionally and commercially advantageous with respect to storageability in view of many commercially available holders which lack the ability to be compacted for storage in the vehicle thus limiting the number of convenient and/or available spaces for such storage. However, the holder of the '211 reference requires a complex design to facilitate the disclosed folding characteristic and is operative to be attached to an upstanding supporting surface for use in a vehicle.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a selectably attachable container holder for a vehicle wherein the holder includes a collapsible feature that facilitates storage in a plurality of convenient locations within the interior of the vehicle when not in use.
The present invention provides a collapsible container holder assembly for use in a vehicle. The container holder assembly includes a support or carrier portion adapted to be selectably disposed in the vehicle as desired when needed to support a beverage container of the user. The carrier portion includes at least one retaining member for securing the holder assembly to the floor tray in a stable manner at all times during vehicle mobility. The carrier portion also includes at least one recessed opening formed therein wherein the openings are dimensioned to receive beverage containers of various sizes therein and operative to support a portion of the beverage container to inhibit tilting or swaying during driving.
At least one container receptor portion is provided and is adapted to be telescopically engaged and retained within the at least one opening formed in the carrier portion. Once assembled together with the carrier portion, the at least one container receptor portion is selectably adjustable between extended and collapsed positions relative to the carrier portion.
For use, the container holder assembly is preferably disposed on the floor tray of the vehicle after the at least one container receptor portion is adjusted to the extended position relative to the carrier portion. When not in use, the container holder assembly is adjusted to the collapsed position relative to the carrier portion such that the container holder assembly may be compactly and conveniently stored in a number of locations within the vehicle interior.
A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are given like reference numerals and wherein:
Concealable container holders for vehicles are particularly useful in motor vehicles where space conservation and aesthetics are prime concerns. When not in use, a storageable container holder can be stashed away in a glove box compartment, under a passenger seat, or in a door panel, thereby freeing the space occupied by the container holder and removing it from the sight of the drivers and passengers. The present invention provides a selectably attachable container holder assembly preferably for use in a floor tray of a vehicle wherein the container holder assembly is compactly adjustable to enhance its storageability in a plurality of convenient locations within the vehicle. Although a preferred embodiment of the container holder assembly is selectably attachable to a vehicle floor tray, it is appreciated that the inventive holder may be adapted to selectably attach at various locations within a vehicle interior without exceeding the scope of the invention.
With reference to
It is appreciated that the size of the recessed openings 14 formed in the carrier portion 12 are dimensioned to receive a plurality of beverage containers of different sizes therein whereby the beverage container will be supported by the recessed opening 14 in a manner that minimizes tipping or tilting of the beverage container during mobility of the vehicle. The recessed openings 14 may be provided is a plurality of cylindrical shapes which illustratively include circular, polygonal, oval and/or elliptical.
The carrier portion 12 includes front 18 and rear 20 sides wherein at least the front side 18 is preferably formed to the contour of the floor tray to enhance its aesthetic appearance when disposed therein. A preferred embodiment of the carrier portion 12 includes two recessed cylindrical openings 14 such that at least one beverage container for the driver and passenger of a vehicle may be supported in the container holder assembly 10. However, it is appreciated that container holder assembly 10 may be provided with one or more cylindrical openings without departing from the scope of the invention.
Still referring to
With reference now to
With reference now to
Preferably, the components of the collapsible container holder assembly 10 are formed from an injection molding process using an appropriate injection moldable material as known to those skilled in the art. However, it is appreciated that the inventive container holder assembly 10 may be formed by other methods and made of other materials suitable for such purpose.
The foregoing figures and descriptions are provided as illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the inventive collapsible container holder assembly 10 for use in a vehicle having a floor tray. However, it is appreciated that other embodiments may be structured to be selectably attachable to other locations within a vehicle other than the floor tray, as illustrated at 12′ and 12″ in
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