Cup rack for stacked disposable cups
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cup holders in the food service industry are difficult to clean, provide inadequate stability, and are often expensive, posing sanitary issues and requiring professional installation.
Innovation Solution
A cup rack with a base and a cup retainer plate featuring a plurality of apertures that securely hold disposable cups in place, allowing for easy access and stability, while being easy to clean and requiring no specialized tools for installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If spring loaded cup holders are recessed into cabinetry behind the counter, then employees can quickly obtain cups for service, but they take up a great deal of space, are costly, require professional installation, and are difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, complex spring-loaded mechanisms with a simple, inexpensive cup rack that can be easily manufactured and installed. The design uses basic components like a base, retainer plate, and apertures that can be produced cost-effectively without requiring professional installation
Solution Approach 2:
The cup rack is divided into separate, simple components (base, retainer plate, apertures) that can be easily assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows for simple installation without professional help and facilitates easy cleaning by separating the cup-holding function from the structural base
2Reliability
If spring loaded cup holders are recessed into cabinetry, then cups are held securely, but spills will soil the entire contents of the cup holder, requiring that the cup holder be emptied for cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of recessing the cup holder into cabinetry (which traps spills inside), the patent positions the cup rack on top of the counter. This inversion allows spills to be contained on the surface and easily wiped away without requiring emptying of the entire holder
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the cup-holding function from the complex spring-loaded mechanism and implements it through simple apertures in a retainer plate. This extraction creates a design where cups are secured through the aperture design itself rather than through a complex spring mechanism, simplifying both the structure and cleaning process
3Ease of operation
If stacks of cups are simply left out on an open table, then they are easily accessible, but they pose sanitary problems and are prone to being moved, upset or toppled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a retainer plate with apertures as an intermediary structure between the cups and the counter surface. This intermediary component secures the cups in place while maintaining accessibility, preventing them from being moved or toppled while still allowing easy retrieval
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating specific aperture designs in the retainer plate that provide targeted stability to each cup position. The apertures are sized and shaped to fit specific cup types, providing localized security where needed while maintaining overall accessibility
Data Source
AI summary
A cup stacking and holding assembly is disclosed with methods of application in standard use and with internal electronics for visual displays. The cup holder assembly may be manufactured in various configurations, all providing a cup rack for convenient and stable stacking of disposable cups. The cup rack may comprise a base providing a surface for abutting support for a cup retainer plate and a plurality of mounting cups; the cup retainer plate coupled to the base; the plurality of mounting cups integrally molded to the cup retainer plate; the cup retainer plate moveable from a first closed position parallel and proximal to the surface for abutting support to a second open position; a back panel extending from the base, the back panel substantially perpendicular relative to the surface for abutting support, and an electronic display installed in the back panel.