Collapsible Plate Cup Holder With Anti-Tilt Latching Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing combined plate and beverage holder solutions are unstable, prone to tipping, and require excessive space due to large draft angles and inadequate coupling mechanisms, leading to spilling and difficulty in carrying.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible beverage holder with flexible latching tabs and an external guide channel system that automatically adjusts between collapsed and un-collapsed positions, providing stability and secure attachment to the plate, reducing the draft angle and preventing rotation and tilting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the beverage holder extends considerably above the plate to hold the beverage container upright, then the beverage container is more stable, but the combined apparatus requires significantly more space for storage and is heavier to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage holder employs a collapsible structure with multiple telescoping sidewalls that can dynamically adjust between extended and retracted positions. When extended, the holder provides sufficient height for stable beverage container placement; when retracted, it minimizes storage space requirements. This dynamic adjustment allows the same structure to satisfy both stability and compact storage needs.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the beverage holder extends considerably above the plate to securely hold the beverage container, then the beverage is less prone to tipping, but the apparatus becomes awkward and heavy to carry with one hand
Solution Approach 1:
The collapsible sidewalls allow the beverage holder to adapt its height dynamically. During carrying, the holder remains extended to maintain stability, but the overall apparatus design integrates this extended height in a way that balances center of gravity. The lightweight material construction further mitigates the weight penalty of the extended structure.
3Volume of moving object
If a large draft angle is used in the collapsible beverage holder design to allow collapse, then the holder can be compacted, but the top opening area becomes excessively large reducing stability and requiring more space
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage holder is divided into multiple telescoping sidewall segments that can collapse independently. This segmentation allows each segment to contribute to the overall collapse function without requiring any single segment to have a large draft angle. The cumulative effect of multiple segments achieves compact collapsed volume while maintaining smaller top opening area for better stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping sidewalls are designed to nest within each other during collapse, similar to nested dolls. This nesting arrangement allows the structure to achieve compact collapsed volume without requiring large draft angles, as each segment fits within the previous segment rather than spreading outward.
4Ease of operation
If coupling mechanisms with large draft angles are used to prevent binding during collapse, then the sidewalls can collapse smoothly, but the top opening area increases and storage space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the collapse function across multiple segmented sidewalls, each segment requires only a small draft angle for smooth collapse. The segmentation distributes the mechanical clearance requirements across multiple joints rather than requiring large clearance at a single joint, thus maintaining small top opening area while ensuring smooth collapse operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a plate defining a surface for holding food and further defines at least one opening therein. A collapsible beverage holder fits within the at least one opening defined within the surface of the plate and moves between a collapsed configuration responsive to the apparatus being placed on a surface and an un-collapsed configuration responsive to the apparatus being lifted off the surface by the plate. A plurality of flexible latching tabs secures the collapsible beverage holder to an edge of the at least one opening. The plurality of flexible latching tabs further comprises at least one locking member for engaging the edge of the at least one opening to removeably secure the collapsible beverage holder to the plate. A flexible member interconnects the at least one locking member to the collapsible beverage holder. The flexible member enables the at least one locking member to be moved between a first position for inserting and removing the collapsible beverage holder from the plate and a second position for securing the collapsible beverage holder to the plate.