Cup Carrier Socket With Dual-Angle Stabilizing Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cup carriers struggle to securely and stably accommodate a wide range of beverage cup sizes, including large 'step-walled' and small cups, often leading to instability and buckling under weight, while also being inefficient in material use and production processes.
Innovation Solution
A cup carrier with sockets featuring stabilizing shoulders and dual-angle stabilizing walls that extend further into the socket, providing increased contact area and stability for various cup sizes, combined with a stepped center cavity for enhanced rigidity and resistance to buckling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If flexible members are provided on the sides of cup-holding sockets to accommodate a range of cup base sizes, then adaptability to different cup sizes is improved, but stability is worsened because cups with smaller base sizes are gripped at very low points
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing wall is divided into two distinct portions: an upper portion with a shallower downward slope and a lower portion with a steeper downward slope. This segmentation allows the upper portion to contact smaller cups at higher points for stability, while the lower portion accommodates larger cups with bigger base sizes, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the depth of cup-holding sockets is increased to provide tipping resistance to small cups, then stability is improved, but device complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing socket depth, the invention applies local quality by creating an upper portion of the stabilizing wall with a shallower slope that extends further inward. This localized modification provides the necessary tipping resistance for small cups without requiring a uniform increase in overall socket depth, thereby maintaining simpler device complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the depth of cup-holding sockets is increased to accommodate small cups, then stability is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases due to taller structure requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing wall is segmented into upper and lower portions with different slopes. The upper portion extends further inward with a shallower slope to provide stability for small cups, while the lower portion maintains a steeper slope for structural support. This segmentation allows the carrier to be manufactured on existing molding machines without requiring a uniform increase in overall height.
4Adaptability or versatility
If longer flexible tabs are used to contact a wider range of cup sizes, then adaptability is improved, but gripping force decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing wall is segmented into an upper portion that extends further inward with a shallower slope and a lower portion with a steeper slope. This segmentation enables the structure to contact cups of varying sizes at appropriate heights without requiring long flexible tabs, thereby maintaining gripping force while accommodating a wide range of cup sizes.
5Adaptability or versatility
If sockets of different sizes are provided on the same cup carrier to accommodate various cup sizes, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity and practicality worsen due to limited combination options
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a universal socket design where the stabilizing wall with its two portions can accommodate multiple cup sizes within a single uniform socket configuration. This eliminates the need for different sized sockets or complex carrier configurations, allowing any socket to hold any cup size while maintaining structural simplicity and practicality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables secure holding of both large and small cups without tipping, while reducing material usage and maintaining structural integrity, as demonstrated by improved tipping and deflection tests and computer simulations.
Implementation Method 1
a cup carrier formed of a resilient material having cup-holding sockets capable of holding and securing a variety of cups
Implementation Method 2
The upper portion has a downward slope that is shallower than that of the downward slope of the lower portion
Data Source
AI summary
A cup carrier for holding beverage cups within a range of shapes and sizes is provided. The carrier has a cup-holding socket that has stabilizing shoulders and stabilizing walls extending inwardly and downwardly therefrom. The stabilizing walls include an upper portion having a relatively shallow angle and lower portions having a steeper angle. This extends the stabilizing wall further into an upper region of the socket, thereby enabling the stabilizing wall to contact smaller diameter cups at a higher point in order to increase stability. The upper portion contacts larger cups inserted into the socket. Because the upper portion initially has a relatively shallow angle, it exerts a desirable gripping force on the cups when it is deflected outwardly by the cup's sidewall. The carrier also includes a stepped center cavity for increased strength and rigidity.