Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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llolder for drinkin~ containers
Field of the invention:
The present invention relates to the field of holders and is particularly
concerned with a holder for supporting drinking containers.
Prior art:
Drinking containers such as cups, bottles, drinking glasses or the like
are often used in situations wherein the user alternatively drinks a fraction
of the volume of the liquid contained inside the container and then temporarily
rests the latter on an horizontal surface such as a tabletop. This cycle is
usually repeated until the container is left empty on the tabletop.
Drinking containers resting on a tabletop thus not only occupy valuable
space on the latter but they also represent a potential spillage hazard. In
situations where the tabletop is used simultaneously for providing a surface on
which the containers may be rested as well as for another purpose such as for
providing a surface on which an activity such as work or games is being
performed, the drinking containers become even more cumbersome.
The art of drinking container holders is replete with devices for securing
the drinking containers to the tabletop in order to prevent their spillage.
However, these devices usually occupy even more space on the tabletop.
Summary of the invention:
Accordingly, it is an ob~ect of the present invention to provide an
improved holder for drinking containers.
The holder in accordance with the present invention is adapted to prevent
spillage while freeing up space on the tabletop since the holder supports the
container at a level located below the tabletop.
m e present invention proposes a holder which is adapted to support
numerous types of drinking containers including cans, bottles, glasses, cups or
the like of various shapes and sizes.
The holder in accordance with the present invention proposes a structure
which can be readily mounted to a lar~e variety of mounting surfaces such as
tablelegs, countertops and the like.
Furthermore, the present invention proposes a holder for drinking cups which will
conform to conventional forms of manufacturing, is of simple construction and
easy to use, thus providing a holder which is economically feasi~le, long-lasting
and relatively trouble-free in operation.
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According to one embodiment of -the invention there is provided a drinking
container holder for supporting a drinking container at a position located belowa tabletop, said drinking container holder comprising:
- a fixing means for fixing said drinking container holder to said
tabletop,
- a linking arm having a first end and a second end, said linking arm
extending downwardly at its first end from said fixing means,
- a container receiving means for releasal~ly receiving said drinking
container, said container receivin~ means being fixed to said second
end of said linking arm,
Conveniently said container receiving means comprises a base wall and a
set of peripheral, grasping fingers extending substantially upwardly from said
base wall in order td form a fragmented peripheral wall.
Preferably each one of said grasping fingers has a tip and wherein each
one of said fingers has a configuration defining an internal abutment shoulder
positioned intermediate said base wall and said tip whereby said abutment
shoulders define an interrupted peripheral surface on which said containers may
be abuttingly rested,
In a preferred embodiment said fixing means comprises a fixed upper ~aw
extending substantially perpendicularly from said first end of said linking arm,a cursor-type lower ~aw adapted to translate along said linking arm, a locking
mechanism for locking said lower ~aw relative to said linking ann, whereby said
upper and lower ja~s are adapted to squeezingly grasp the peripheral edge of said
tabletop.
Conveniently said lower jaw comprises an abutting section having a
subs~antially flat surface, a substantially "U" shaped locking frame section
extending integrally from said abutting section, said locking mechanism comprises
a locking lever pivotally mounted to said locking frame so as ~o close off the
latter, said locking lever having a locking lip at one of its end, whereby said
linking arm is adapted to be slidably inserted between said locking lever and
said locking frame, and said locking lever is adapted to be pivoted between a
locked position wherein said locking lip squeezes said linking arm against said
locking frame and an unlocked position wherein said locking lip is not in contact
with said linking arm thus allowing said lower jaw to translate freely on said
linkin~ arm.
Preferably said fixing means is a set of apertures extending through said
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linking arm, said apertures being adapted to receive a corresponding set of
fixing elements such as screws.
In a preferred embodiment, said linking arm has a main longitudinal segment
and wherein said second end of said linking arm terminates into a substantially
perpendicular spacing segment, said spacing segment creating a spacing between
said non-longitudinal segment and said container receiving means, whereby said
spacing is adapted to accommodate a fraction of the peripheral edge of a
tablecloth.
Brief description of the drawings:igure 1: in a perspective view illustrates a drinking container holder in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention mounted to
a tabletop and supporting a drinking container.igure 2: in an elevational view illustrates a drinking container holder in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention having its
anchoring clip moved between an open and a closed position.igure 3: in a detail view illustrates an anchoring clip part of a drinking
container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fi~ure 4: in a cross-sectional view taken alon~ arrows 4-4 of figure 2
illustrates a drinking container holder in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention being fixed to a table top in
an alternative method by a set of screws.
etailed description:
Referring to figure 1, there is shown a drinking container holder 10 in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The holder 10 is mounted
to an horizontal supporting structure such as a tabletop 12 by a fixing means
such as anchoring mechanism 14. The holder 10 is shown supporting a beverage
container such as a coffee mug 16 (shown in phantom lines). The coffee mug 16
is inserted inside a container receiving means 18. The anchoring mechanism 14
extends integrally into the first end of a linking arm 20. The linking arm 20
extends integrally at a second end into the container receiving means 18. The
anchoring mechanism 14 and the container receiving means 18 are thus linked and
spaced apart by the arm 20.
Typically, the arm 20 extends downwardly from the clip 14 so that the mug
16 or any other container will be located at a position situated below the
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tabletop 12.
The con-tainer receiving means 18 has a circular base wall 22 with a
peripheral upwardly extending rim 24. The receiving means 18 also has a set of
grasping fingers 26 extending integrally from the basewall 22 in order to form
a fragmented slightly frustro-conical peripheral waLl. Typically, the set of
graspin~ fingers 26 comprises a pair of substantially Eron-twardly located fingers
261 and a pair of substantially rearwardly located fingers 261l, the latter
merging integrally into the arm 20.
Each one of the fingers 26 has a configuration defining an internal
abutment shoulder 28 positioned intermediate the base wall 22 and the tip 30 of
the finger 26. As illustrated in figure 4, the abutment shoulders 28 thus form
an interrupted peripheral surface on which the lower sur~ace of larger containermay be alternatively rested.
The fingers 26 are spaced apart relative to each other. A set of deep
recesses 32 in the peripheral wall formed by the fingers 26 are thus defined
between adjacent fingers 26. As illustrated in figure 1, the recesses 32 are
adapted to receive the handle of drinking containers such as cups or mugs. l'herecesses 32 also facilitate grasping of the containers when ~he latter are
inserted between the fingers 26.
As stated pre~iously, the interrupted peripheral wall formed by the fingers
26 has a rclatively frustro-conical configuration, tapering outwardlty from the
base wall 22. The fingers 26 typically form an angle indicated by the referenceletter A in figure 4 of approximately 95 degrees. This configuration allows
the containers of various diameters to be easily inserted between the fingers
26.
Typically, a drinking container such as the mug 16 ~ill be lowered between
the fingers 26 until its bottom wall 34 abuttingly rests either on the bottom
wall 22 or the abutment shoulders 28 of the holder 10 depending on the diameter
of the container. The tapering configuration of the peripheral wall formed by
the fingers 26 allows for the lower peripheral edge of the container to be
securin~ly squeezed by the fingers 26 thus further stabilizing the container
inside the holder 10.
Alternatively, when the container has a diameter other than the one defined
by the lower wall 22 or the abutment shoulders 28 or when the container has a
non-circular cross-section, the container may be secured inside the holder by
lowering it inside the receiving means 18 until the lower peripheral edge of the
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container is squeezed between the fingers 26 without the lower wall of the
container abu-tting against either the bottom wall 22 or the shoulders 28.
The anchoring mechanism 14 has a fixed upper jaw 36 extending integrally
and substantially perpendicularly from the upper end of the linking arm 20. A
cursor-type lower jaw 38 is adapted to translate along the linking arm 20. The
lower jaw 38 has an abutting section 40 extending integrally into a substantially
"U" shaped locking frame section 42. The locking frame section 42 has a back
member 41 and a pair of side members 43. A locking lever 44 is pivotally mounted
to the locking frame section 42 for closing of the open segment of the
substantially "U" shaped locking frame section. The :locking lever 44 has a lower
locking lip 46.
The linking arm 20 is adapted to be slidably inserted inside the locking
frame section 42. The front surface of the linking arm 20 is provided with a
set of spaced transversal locking protuberances 48. The lever 44 is adapted to
be pivoted between a locked position indicated in phantom lines and an unlocked
position. In the loc~ed position, the locking li~ 46 squeezes the linking arm
20 against the locking frame section 42 in order to lock the lower Jaw 38 in a
predetermined position relative to the upper ~aw 36. The locking lip 46 i9
preferably positioned between two adjacent locking protuberances 48 in order to
further prevent potential movement of the lower ~aw 38 relative to the upper
~aw 36.
In use, according to a first method of fixing the holder 10 to a tabletop
12, the holder 10 is first suspended to the tabletop 12 with the upper jaw
resting on the upper surface 50 of the tabletop 12. The lever 44 is then moved
to its unlocked position and the cursor-type lower ~aw 38 is moved along the
linking arm 20 towards the upper jaw 36 until the low~r ~aw 38 contacts the lower
surface 52 of the tabletop 12. In this position, a portion of the peripheral
edge of the tabletop 12 is squeezingly grasped between the respective upper and
lower jaw 36 and 38. The lever 44 is then pivoted to its locking position in
order to releasably prevent displacement of the jaw 38.
To remove the holder 10 from -the tabletop 12, the user merely needs to
pivot the lever 44 back to its unlocked position and to slide the lower jaw 38
down the linking arm 22. The anchoring mechanism 14 thus provides a means for
quickly and ergonomically fixing and removing the holder from a variety of
tabletops having various shapes and sizes. The anchoring mechanism 14 can
readily adapt to tabletops of various thicknesses. Optionally, the respective
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inner surfaces 54 and 56 of the Jaws 36 and 38 may be coated or configured with
an antiskid type of pattern to further increase frlction between the jaws and
the tabletop. Another method of fixing the holder lO is illustrated more
specifically in figure 4. As can be seen in this figure, the upper jaw 36 and
the upper portion of the linking arm 20 are provided with corresponding sets of
fixing apertures 58 and 60 extending therethrough. The apertures 58 and 60 are
adapted to receive a corresponding set of fastening elements such as screws 61
for respectively fixing the holder 10 to either a substantially horizontal or
a substantially vertical surface.
The linking arm 20 is provided with a substantially perpendicular spacing
segment 62. The spacing segment 62 creates a spacing, indicated by the reference
letter "S" in figure 2 and 4, between the rearwardly located fingers 261l and
the lower longer segment of the linking arm 20 perpendicular to the spacing
segment 62. The spacing "S" is adapted to receive the peripheral section of a
conventional tablecloth. The tablecloth can thus be used to hide the linking
arm 20 and the anchoring mechanism 14 without interfering with the access to thecontainer receivine means l8.
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