Fold-Out Cup Holder With Curved Support for Lateral Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cup holders face challenges in maintaining stability while holding cups without increasing size, which affects assembly and appearance, especially when trying to control lateral movement with enlarged abutted surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A cup holder design featuring a base, lid body, and arm with a support portion that controls lateral movement, where the arm and holder have matching curvature for stable cup holding, and are connected through pivotal supporting portions for easy assembly and reduced component count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the abutted surface area is enlarged to control lateral movement of the cup, then the stability is improved, but the holder size increases making it difficult to house between base plate and tray
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from controlling lateral movement through surface area enlargement in two dimensions to using a curved support surface that contacts the cup along its lateral face. The curvature radius is designed to match the cup's curvature, creating line contact rather than face contact, thus achieving stability without increasing the holder's volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The support portion is designed with a curved surface that flexes to match the cup's curvature. This flexible curved surface can adapt to different cup sizes and shapes while maintaining stable contact, allowing the holder to remain compact while providing effective lateral movement control.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the holder is designed to control lateral movement effectively, then the cup holding stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the support function and lateral movement control function into a single integrated support portion. The curved surface of the support portion simultaneously provides vertical support and lateral constraint, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support portion is designed with universal curvature that can accommodate various cup sizes and shapes. The curved surface with radius R serves multiple functions: supporting the cup from below, controlling lateral movement, and adapting to different cup geometries, thus reducing the need for multiple specialized components.
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 2(C)
AI summary
The cup holder includes a base adapted to be fixed to an attached portion; a lid body provided switchably between a closed position and an open position by turning relative to the base, overlapped with the base in the closed position, and supporting the cup from a lower side thereof in the open position; and a holder supported at the base or the lid body through an arm, and moving in association with a turning of the lid body to become a housed state when the lid body is in the closed position, and to become a used state when the lid body is in the open position. The arm includes a support portion controlling the lateral movement of the cup in the used state of the holder.