Holder for a beverage container

Abstract

A holder for a beverage container has a container receptacle, gripping elements with holding elements capable of being resiliently pressed away radially and project into the container receptacle, each of the holding elements having at least two vertically offset gripping points and being fastened by a spring element, such that each of the holding elements and each of the spring elements form a horizontally tiltable one of the gripping elements.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a holder for a beverage container.

[0002] Many such holders having a cup-shaped container receptacle for cups, beakers, beverage cans, bottles or the like are known from the prior art. The known holders have at least one or several gripping elements in the form of flaps, holding jaws or the like arranged distributed in part around the circumference. These project into the interior of the cup-shaped container receptacle and can be pressed away radially by the circumferential surface of a beverage container owing to a spring system and provided support for the drinks container by gripping. Such a holder is described, for example, in DE 100 15 197.3. The corresponding gripping element comprises a compensating flap, which is resiliently secured by way of a pivoting bearing. Such a gripping element has the drawback, however, that the compensating flap effects gripping only at gripping points at substantially the same level, and therefore often provides only unsatisfactory support particularly for tall drinks containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a holder for a beverage container, which eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0004] More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a holder for a beverage container, which has improved holding properties.

[0005] In keeping with these objects and with others which have become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated in a holder for a beverage container which has a container receptacle; gripping elements with holding elements capable of being resiliently pressed away radially and project into said container receptacle, each of said holding elements having at least two vertically offset gripping points and being fastened by a spring element such that each of said holding elements and each of said spring elements form a horizontally tiltable one of said gripping elements.

[0006] In accordance with the present invention, the holder according to the invention has holding elements each having at least two gripping points and the gripping points are offset vertically with respect to one another. The holding elements are fixed to the housing of the holder by means of a spring element, so that a holding element and a spring element form a gripping element. The spring element serves on the one hand for radial spring-biasing of the holding element and on the other hand allows horizontal tilting thereof. This allows, on the one hand, diameter-compensating for different sizes of drinks container. On the other hand, the ability of the holding element to tilt ensures that the holding element, especially in the case of non-cylindrical drinks containers, is matched to the drinks container also in a vertical direction.

[0007] The spring element is preferably a wire spring and the holding elements each have two bores offset with respect to one another in which the two free ends of a respective wire spring engage. To achieve a bistable system, the wire spring has two limbs with the free ends thereof engaging in the bores, at least one portion of each limb extending in the direction of offset of the bores and the two limbs being biased with respect to one another in this portion. Bistable shall be understood to mean that two stable states for the gripping element can be set from the arrangement and the bias. Whereas a state in which the two said portions of the limbs and the bores lie in one plane is unstable, by tilting the holding element in one or the other direction a respective stable can be achieved.

[0008] The bias can be produced by corresponding resilient deformation as the wire springs are inserted in the holding elements. Preferably the two bores are vertically offset with respect to one another so that the wire spring has two limbs, each with a vertically extending portion, which vertically are biased with respect to one another. A clear improvement in support, for example, for waisted bottles, is achieved by the bistable behaviour, when as the bottle is inserted, the change-over point of the bistable system is overcome and hence the radial spring is reinforced by a torque effect.

[0009] The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder according to the invention, partly cut away;

[0011] FIG. 2 shows the wire spring of this holder in the installed state.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A holder 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention is provided for installation in a motor vehicle and can be used for holding a bottle 2 or other beverage containers, for example, cups, beakers, drinks cans or the like. It has a cup-shaped container receptacle 3. Adjacent an open top side of the container receptacle 3 the holder 1 has a cover 4. Alternatively, the container receptacle could merge integrally into a flange-like surround provided for closure of an installation opening for the holder 1 in the motor vehicle.

[0013] Four holding elements 7 distributed around the circumference are arranged in openings 5 in the inner circumferential wall 6 of the container receptacle 3. The holding elements 7 reduce the inside width of the container receptacle 3 and grip the bottle 2 to provide support. They are fixed to the housing 8 of the holder body by means of wire springs 9. FIG. 2 shows a wire spring 9 in the installed state. It has in particular two vertical limbs 10 and two free ends 11. The centre lines of the free ends 11 are offset vertically with respect to one another.

[0014] During manufacture of the wire spring 9, i.e. before it is mounted, it is twisted about the axis A. On assembly, the geometry illustrated is imposed by resilient deformation, with the result that the two vertical limbs 10 are biased towards one another. The free ends 11 engage in two bores 12 of the holding element 7 vertically offset with respect too one another. The holding element 7 and the spring element 9 consequently form a bistably horizontally tiltable gripping element 12. A state in which the two limbs 10 are parallel to one another, and the limbs 10, the free ends 11 and the bores 12 lie in one plane, is unstable because of the tensile and compressive stresses in the limbs 10.

[0015] The system can tilt to two sides in that the limbs 10 twist about the axis A opposed to one another. The holding element 7 is therefore tilted about its horizontal axis lying tangential to the bottle. The tilt angle achieved depends on the bias of the two limbs 10. Provided that no beverage container has been placed in the holder 1, the holding elements 7 are normally tiled such that the lower gripping point 14 is directed further radially inwardly than the upper gripping point 15. As the bottle 2 is inserted, the holding elements 7 are pressed radially outwards, i.e. both limbs 10 of the wire spring 9 are resiliently rotated about the axis B.

[0016] The horizontal inclination of the holding elements 7 adjusts itself, depending on the geometry of the bottle 2 and the resultant forces acting at the gripping points 14 and 15, and tilts, if applicable; beyond the unstable state of inclination, as shown here for example. This provides a very good hold for the waisted bottle 2, since the unstable state has to be overcome in order to remove the bottle 2. The holding elements 7 therefore effect gripping not simply by means of the radially-acting spring-biasing of the wire spring 9, but also by means of the tilting moment that is generated in the holding elements 7 by the fores acting in the limbs 10.

[0017] It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

[0018] While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in holder for a beverage container, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

[0019] Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

Claims

1. A holder for a beverage container, comprising a container receptacle; gripping elements with holding elements capable of being resiliently pressed away radially and project into said container receptacle, each of said holding elements having at least two vertically offset gripping points and being fastened by a spring element, such that each of said holding elements and each of said spring elements form a horizontally tiltable one of said gripping elements.

2. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said spring element is formed as a wire spring.

3. A holder as defined in claim 2, wherein said holding elements each have two bores which are offset with respect to one another, said wire springs each comprising two limbs with free ends engaging in said bores, at least one portion of each of said limbs extending approximately in a direction of offset of said bores, and said limbs being biased with respect to one another in said direction.

4. A holder as defined in claim 3, wherein said bores are offset substantially vertically with respect to one another.