Holder for a beverage container

Abstract

A holder for a beverage container has a storage compartment, a divider which is movably guided on the storage compartment with a substantially vertically arranged rotary bearing as a guide, from the non-use position in which the divider does not divide the storage compartment, in the position of use in which the divider divides off an insertion region for the beverage container from a remainder of the storage compartment, and back again, a diameter-compensating flap which is moved out of the storage compartment as the divider moves into the non-use position, the divider having a torsion spring system and being lockable by a locking device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The invention relates to a holder for a beverage container, for example a cup, a beaker or a can, which is provided for installation in a motor vehicle. [0002] Such a holder is known, for example, from the printed publication DE 101 34 027. The known holder comprises a storage compartment with a divider. The divider serves to divide off a region for a beverage container to be inserted. For that purpose, it can be moved from a non-use position, in which it does not divide up the storage compartment, into a position of use in which it divides off the insertion region. To do this, it has a rotary bearing as guide means, so that it can be pivoted out of a lateral wall of the storage compartment into the interior of the storage compartment. In addition, the known holder has a diameter-compensating flap, which is moved into the interior of the storage compartment as the divider is pivoted into the position of use. When the divider is pivoted out, however...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005] More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a holder for beverage containers of the kind described in the introduction that is more convenient to operate.

[0008] Compared with the prior art, this allows a distinctly easier manipulation. In particular, the appeal of the product is substantially improved thereby, since pivoting into the position of use is effected “automatically”. Furthermore, there is the advantage that the divider assumes stable positions only in the position of use and in the non-use position. Compared with the prior art, in which, without additional locking devices, the divider may be undesirably pivoted owing to vibrations and / or inertia forces resulting from driving, this is excluded with the holder according to the invention.

[0009] The invention also excludes the possibility that the divider will be left in an only partly pivoted position, which would provide neither a satisfactory hold for a beverages container nor render the storage compartment as such fully usable. This also increases convenience of operation and improves the product appeal, since the divider can no longer stick in arbitrary pivoted positions.

[0010] In a preferred construction of the holder, the divider includes an operating element. Pivoting into the position of use is initiated not by manipulation of the divider itself, but by the operating element. This considerably simplifies operation of the divider. In the non-use position it can also be pivoted fully out of the storage compartment, or can position itself next to the inner side, with the result that the storage compartment has no projections or the like whatsoever.

[0011] The locking device and the operating element are in this case preferably arranged partly on the diameter-compensating flap. A simple structural design with few parts is consequently possible. Similarly, a single spring is preferably employed for simultaneous use as part of the locking device and to effect the compensating movement of the diameter-compensating flap.

[0013] In a development of the holder according to the invention, the divider has a rotary damping element. The speed in particular of the pivoting movement into the position of use is limited by this means, providing both better product appeal and protection of the end-position stops compared with an undamped movement.

Problems solved by technology

The drawback of the known holder lies in the awkward manipulation of the divider.

Nevertheless, operation of this grippable enlargement requires considerable dexterity when pivoting the divider into the position of use since the grippable enlargement is intended to protrude only a little way into the compartment and therefore lacks adequate contours for gripping.

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