Portable Tray Table With Cup Holder Mount and Pivoting Top
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable trays often interfere with seat occupants or require intrusive attachment mechanisms when affixed to a seat back with a cup holder, and they are not easily adaptable to existing cup holders.
Innovation Solution
A portable tray table design featuring a base with a cup holder protrusion that fits into an existing cup holder, allowing the tray to be securely positioned without disturbing the seat occupant, and a pivotable tabletop that can move between positions to accommodate either side of the cup holder, using a locking push-in fastener system for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a portable tray uses traditional attachment mechanisms (screws, bolts, fastening means) to affix to a seat back, then the tray can be securely attached, but the attachment mechanism becomes intrusive and disturbs the seat occupant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cup holder as an intermediary component that interfaces between the tray base and the seat back. Instead of directly attaching the tray to the seat back with intrusive mechanisms, the cup holder serves as a mediator that utilizes the existing cup holder receptacle in the seat back, thereby securing the tray without disturbing the occupant.
Solution Approach 2:
The design leverages the existing cup holder infrastructure already present in the seat back. The tray base with cup holder protrusion utilizes the seat's own cup holder receptacle for attachment, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for separate attachment mechanisms that would interfere with the occupant.
2Ease of manufacture
If a portable tray is designed to affix to a seat back with existing cup holder, then the tray can be easily attached without intrusive mechanisms, but traditional trays cannot be adapted to use existing cup holders
Solution Approach 1:
The cup holder protrusion design creates a universal interface that is compatible with standard cup holder receptacles found in seat backs. The protrusion fits into the receptacle, allowing the tray to be universally attached to any seat back with a cup holder, thereby enhancing adaptability while maintaining ease of attachment.
3Reliability
If a tray uses seat support members and back-rest structures for attachment, then the tray can be securely mounted, but the attachment mechanism becomes complex and intrusive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the attachment function from complex mounting mechanisms involving seat support members and back-rest structures. By isolating the attachment to simply inserting the cup holder protrusion into the cup holder receptacle, the design eliminates unnecessary structural components and simplifies the attachment mechanism while maintaining security.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable tray table (10) includes a base (12) having a support base (14) that carries raised ends (15) and a plurality of tabletop supports (16). The tray (10) further includes a cup holder protrusion (20) including a sidewall (22) and an optional sleeve (24). A tabletop (32) is positioned in a tabletop opening (18) and is secured to the base (12) by locking push-in fasteners (44, 44′) and securing protrusions (42). The tabletop (32) can move from a down position to an upward position to an opposite down position, and vice versa. The cup holder protrusion (20) is capable of fitting into an existing cup holder, particularly a cup holder on a seat back, in order to secure the portable tray (10) in a position for use as a tray table.