Slidable Drink Holder in Vehicular Console Box

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Solution Overview

Problem

In existing vehicular console boxes, short beverage containers are inconvenient to retrieve due to being positioned deep within the console body, requiring occupants to reach deeply.

Innovation Solution

A vehicular console box design featuring a drink holder that is slidable on rails positioned higher than the bottom portion, allowing for shallower placement of beverage containers and easy retrieval, with a bottom portion capable of supporting taller containers and a retractable mechanism for tall containers to be placed directly on the bottom surface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the drink holder is formed in the bottom portion of the console body, then the beverage container can be supported, but the beverage container is positioned deep inside the console body making it inconvenient to retrieve

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveConvenience of retrieving beverage containerVSAvoidDepth position of beverage container

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The drink holder is made slidable along the rails in the front-rear direction, transforming from a fixed position to a movable one. This allows the drink holder to be dynamically adjusted to position short beverage containers at a shallower depth for easier retrieval, while still supporting them when placed in the bottom portion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The console body is divided into functional zones: the bottom portion with container supports for tall containers, the mid-portion with rails for the slidable drink holder, and the front-rear directional separation that allows independent positioning of short and tall beverage containers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If the drink holder is made slidable on rails positioned higher than the bottom portion, then short beverage containers can be positioned at shallower depth for easy retrieval, but the structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAccessibility of short beverage containerVSAvoidStructure with rails and slidable mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The rails are integrated into the sidewall portions of the console body, merging the support structure with the existing console framework. The drink holder combines both the slidable mechanism and the container support function in a single integrated component, reducing overall structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the console body accommodates both short and tall beverage containers, then versatility is improved, but the design becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAbility to support various container sizesVSAvoidMultiple container support structures

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bottom portion container supports serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for the console body, act as positioning references for the slidable drink holder, and directly support tall beverage containers. The rails and drink holder mechanism also serve dual purposes of guiding the drink holder movement and defining the storage zone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9981589B2Vehicular console box

Publication Date: 2018.05.29 HONDA MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

A vehicular console box includes a console body that is open on an upper side and that is attached to a floor panel of a vehicle. The console body includes a bottom portion that is positioned on an upper surface of the floor panel and sidewall portions that each stand from a corresponding one of two ends in a vehicle width direction of the bottom portion. The sidewall portions include rails that extend in a front-rear direction, the rails supporting a drink holder so that the drink holder is slidable in the front-rear direction.