Stowable Cupholder Hinge for Spill Reduction and Tray Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airline passengers face issues with drinks spilling from meal tray cup recesses and the recess occupying valuable surface area, leading to inconvenience and potential spills.
Innovation Solution
A stowable cupholder apparatus with a cupholder member, cup grip ring, and hinge that allows movement between stowed and deployed positions, providing additional support and versatility for holding various items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cup recess is provided on the meal tray, then passengers can hold drinks, but drinks are frequently spilled and valuable surface area is occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The cupholder member is designed to be movable between a stowed position (within the recess) and a deployed position (extending outward). This dynamic configuration allows the cupholder to adapt to different usage scenarios: when deployed, it provides stable drink holding; when stowed, it clears the meal tray surface area and does not interfere with drink stability during meal consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The cupholding function is segmented from the meal tray structure itself into a separate, movable cupholder member. This segmentation allows the cupholder to be independently positioned and configured, providing dedicated drink holding support when needed while clearing the meal tray surface when not in use, thus preventing spills without permanently occupying surface area
2Ease of operation
If a cup recess is provided on the meal tray, then passengers can hold drinks, but valuable surface area is occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The cupholder member transitions from a static recess to a dynamic, movable component that can be deployed only when needed. This allows the meal tray surface area to remain fully available during meal consumption, while providing dedicated cupholding support when beverages are consumed, thus optimizing space utilization without compromising drink holding capability
3Reliability
If a stowable cupholder apparatus is deployed, then spillage is reduced and space is optimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cupholder member is designed to be manually operable by passengers without requiring complex motors, actuators, or control systems. The simple movable design allows passengers to easily deploy or stow the cupholder as needed, achieving spill resistance and space optimization through user-controlled simplicity rather than automated complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a stowable cupholder apparatus. The stowable cupholder apparatus includes a cupholder member defined by: a top planar member, the top planar member having a cup hole configured to accommodate a cup; a rear planar member extending from the top planar member; and a base planar member extending from the rear planar member, wherein a gap exists between the top planar member and the base planar member. The stowable cupholder apparatus may include a cup grip ring member attached to the top planar member, the cup grip ring member including a ring and cup grip fingers extending inwardly away from the ring. The stowable cupholder apparatus may include a hinge attached to the rear planar member and configured to attach to a structure, wherein the hinge has a range of motion configured to move the cupholder member between a stowed position and a deployed position.