Self-leveling cup holder

Abstract

A self-leveling cup holder for a vehicle, said cup holder suspended from a rim rotatable within an inner ring, along an axis of the inner ring, said inner ring rotatable within an outer ring, attachable to a mounting which is attachable to the vehicle, permitting said rim to be rotatable, or tilt able, about two perpendicular axes of rotation, to self level.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present intention relates to cup holders for use in moving vehicles, and specifically to cup holders which prevent the spilling of the cup contents as the vehicle turns, accelerates, and brakes. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] There have been numerous attempts to provide cup holders for use in vehicles to prevent the spilling of liquid from the cup as the vehicle moves. Some cup holders are designed to prevent the cup from sliding and falling. U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,987 discloses a cup holder with suction cups at the under surface thereof, activated by placement of a cup in the holder. [0003] Other cup holders are designed to prevent the cup from tipping over. U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,892 discloses a non-tipping drinking glass coaster; a construction which prevents the glass from tipping by providing a larger base, but does little to prevent the tipping of the coaster in a moving vehicle. The U.S. Design Pat. No. 311,477 discloses a similar cup holder, w...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a cup holder for vehicles that reduces spillage when the vehicle accelerates or brakes quickly. It also prevents spills when the vehicle turns or goes over bumps. The cup holder can be attached to any surface of the vehicle and adjusted to level the cup holder parallel to the surface of the ground or at any other desired angle. The cup holder has an outer ring, inner ring, and cup receptacle suspended between them. The inner ring is suspended within the outer ring by pins that are freely rotatable within the openings in the outer ring and the inner ring. The cup receptacle is suspended within the inner ring by pins that pass through the openings in the inner ring and are also freely rotatable. The cup holder allows the cup receptacle to rotate around perpendicular axes and the weight of the receptacle and anything placed inside it operates through gravity to level the rim of the receptacle, preventing spillage."

Problems solved by technology

U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,892 discloses a non-tipping drinking glass coaster; a construction which prevents the glass from tipping by providing a larger base, but does little to prevent the tipping of the coaster in a moving vehicle.

The U.S. Design Pat. No. 311,477 discloses a similar cup holder, which resists tipping, but cannot maintain the cup in an upright position when the underlying surface tilts rapidly, as in a moving vehicle.

It is, however, difficult to get the cup through the hanger to get it into and out of the carrier.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,635 discloses a cup holder stabilizer comprising an extensible and contractible cylinder unit, which though it traps the cup in the holder, and prevents the cup from moving with respect to the cup holder, does not otherwise prevent spills.

By disengaging the Velcro, the cup holder may swing toward and away from the surface, but only one plane of motion is tolerated, hence spills will occur.

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