Foldable Adjustable Cup Holder With Clamp-Mounted Support Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cup holders are not adaptable to various sizes and shapes of containers, and lack a convenient mechanism for storage when not in use, making them inefficient for carrying spillable contents.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable cup holder with an elongated clamp assembly and cup support assembly, featuring pivoting and swivel capabilities, arcuate cup-encircling arms, a spring-biased handle, and a locking mechanism, allowing for secure holding and easy conversion between in-use and stowed positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional cup holders are designed with fixed structure, then manufacturing is simple, but adaptability to various container sizes and shapes is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The cup holder employs a dynamic adjustable structure where the cup-retaining arms can move between extended and retracted positions. The arms are connected via pivots and springs, allowing them to adapt to different cup diameters and shapes while maintaining secure contact. This dynamic mechanism resolves the contradiction by providing versatility without requiring multiple fixed-size holders.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup holder changes its geometric parameters (arm spacing, arm angle, contact point position) to accommodate different container sizes and shapes. The adjustable arms can be positioned at various angles and distances from the clamp axis, enabling the same device to securely hold everything from small cans to large bottles, thus improving adaptability without increasing overall device complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cup holder is designed with adjustable and foldable mechanism, then adaptability and storage convenience are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the clamp assembly and cup support assembly into a single integrated unit. The cup-retaining arms are directly connected to the clamp mechanism through pivots, combining the clamping function with the cup-holding function. This integration reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall mechanism while maintaining adjustability and foldability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup-retaining arms can be folded back against the clamp assembly when not in use, with the arms nesting within the space defined by the clamp structure. The spaced-apart free ends of the arms allow the clamp assembly to pass between them during folding, enabling compact storage without requiring additional external storage space, thus reducing device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If cup holder arms are spaced apart for foldability, then storage convenience is improved, but structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cup-retaining arms are designed with arcuate (curved) geometry rather than straight lines. This curvature allows the arms to maintain structural integrity while accommodating the spaced-apart configuration needed for folding. The arcuate shape distributes mechanical stresses more effectively during both the extended (use) and folded (storage) positions, maintaining stability while enabling convenient storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot stops are pre-positioned on the clamp assembly to limit the pivoting range of the cup-retaining arms. This preliminary constraint ensures that the arms maintain proper structural alignment and stability during use, preventing excessive movement that could compromise structural integrity, while still allowing sufficient range of motion for folding and storage.
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 adjustable cup holder securely accommodates a wide range of container sizes and shapes, providing stability and balance, while allowing for convenient storage and portability by folding into a stowed position for easy carrying.
Implementation Method 1
The clamp assembly comprises a spring-biased pivoted handle
Implementation Method 2
Means are provided for pivoting the cup support assembly at the proximal end of the clamp assembly, such that the cup support assembly is movable between a desired in-use position depending from the clamp assembly, and a folded stowed position beside the clamp assembly
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable cup holder incorporates an elongated clamp assembly and cup support assembly. The clamp assembly has a proximal end and a distal clamping end. The cup support assembly is connected at the proximal end of the clamp assembly, and comprises a body portion and a pair of arcuate cup-encircling arms having respective spaced-apart free ends. A pivot pin enables pivot adjustment of the cup support assembly at the proximal end of the clamp assembly, such that the cup support assembly is movable between a desired in-use position depending from the clamp assembly, and a folded stowed position beside the clamp assembly. In the stowed position, the clamp assembly passes between the spaced-apart free ends of the cup-encircling arms and into an area defined between the cup-encircling arms.