Drinking receptacle holder

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional drinking receptacle holders with fixed apertures fail to securely hold cups or bottles of varying sizes, leading to spills or inconvenience, especially in moving vehicles or situations where manual holding is difficult.

Innovation Solution

A drinking receptacle holder with a variable aperture size, adjusted by a cam plate and moveable members that reduce in size as the base portion is pushed away by the receptacle, ensuring a secure fit through gravitational force, utilizing a resilient biasing member like a torsion spring for automatic adjustment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a fixed diameter aperture is used in the drinking receptacle holder, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the holder cannot securely hold receptacles of varying sizes, leading to spills or inconvenience

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to hold different sizes of drinking receptaclesVSAvoidcomplexity of the aperture adjustment mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The aperture size is made dynamic rather than fixed. The holding portion can change its aperture size based on the diameter of the inserted receptacle, allowing it to adapt to different sizes while maintaining a secure grip. This dynamic adjustment eliminates spills and inconvenience associated with fixed apertures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The physical parameter of aperture size is changed based on the receptacle diameter. The system automatically adjusts the aperture dimension to match the inserted receptacle, transforming a static structure into one that varies its key dimensional parameter to suit different objects.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If a resilient biasing member is used to automatically adjust the aperture size, then manual adjustment is not required, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of adjusting aperture size to match receptacleVSAvoidcomplexity of the mechanism with resilient biasing member

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-adjustment using a resilient biasing member that automatically reacts to the insertion of a receptacle. The biasing member provides the necessary force to adjust the aperture size without requiring manual intervention, making the system serve itself and eliminating the need for user operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Manual mechanical adjustment is replaced with an automatic mechanical system using a resilient biasing member. The spring-based mechanism automatically converts the insertion motion into aperture size adjustment, substituting human-operated mechanical adjustment with an autonomous mechanical system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 holder securely grips drinking receptacles of different sizes, reducing the likelihood of spills and providing convenient use in various settings without requiring manual adjustment, as the aperture size adjusts automatically to match the receptacle's diameter.

Implementation Method 1

The holding portion comprises a cam plate defining a channel and one or more members configured to move into the channel as the base moves away from the holding portion, wherein the one or more members define the aperture. As the base portion is pushed away from the holding portion by the drinking receptacle, the cam plate is configured to abut against the members and move the members into the channel

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCam mechanism: Cam

Implementation Method 2

The resilient biasing member may be a torsion spring. The base portion may be configured to have to be pushed away from the holding portion against the resilient bias of the member

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElastic potential energy: Spring

Implementation Method 3

The base portion may be configured to be pushed away from the holding portion under the weight of a drinking receptacle

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGravity: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP3663130B1Drinking receptacle holder

Publication Date: 2022.10.12 SAFRAN SEATS GB LTD

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AI summary

A drinking receptacle holder (1) comprising a holding portion (3), the holding portion (3) providing an aperture (31) with a variable size, and a base portion (5), wherein the drinking receptacle holder (1) is configured so that a drinking receptacle (13) can be received within the aperture (31) of the holding portion (3) with the drinking receptacle (13) resting upon the base portion (5), wherein the base portion (5) is configured to be pushed away from the holding portion (3) by the drinking receptacle (13) as the drinking receptacle (13) is moved through the aperture (31) of the holding portion (3), and wherein the holding portion (3) is connected to the base portion (5) such that the size of the aperture (31) is configured to reduce as the base portion (5) is pushed away from the holding portion (3).