Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a receptacle holder, particularly a portable receptacle holder for cups or bottles.

Background of the Invention

Cup holders are common fixtures in vehicles or the like for holding cups or bottles containing beverages, preventing or minimising spillage. They generally comprise a fixed socket or bracket in the console of the vehicle.

Outside of vehicles, there is the problem of beverages being easily spilled by the cup being accidentally struck when placed on a desk or similar surface. One type of cup holder comprises a cylindrical recess with an outer clip, similar to a bulldog clip, which is arranged in use to be attached to the edge of a table or desk or the like so that the cup can sit in the recess held to one side of the desk. This leaves the cup exposed to accidental knocking and the holder can only be secured if there is an overhanging edge that the outer clip can connect to. Its usage is therefore limited. Summary of the Invention

A first aspect of the invention provides a receptacle holder, comprising: a receptacle holding unit having an upstanding wall defining a socket or recess for receiving a cup; and a base unit rotatably connected below the receptacle holding unit and having a lower surface adapted to releasably attach to an underlying surface in response to rotation of the receptacle holding unit relative to the base unit.

The base unit lower surface may comprise a suction cup or pad having a deformable central portion surrounded by a lip, the central portion being arranged to deform in response to the relative rotation to enable a suction-type attachment to an underlying surface.

A cam may be disposed between the receptacle holding unit and the suction pad or cup and configured to rotate together with the relative rotation to effect linear movement of the suction pad or cup's central portion upwards. The cam may comprise a ring having a sloping upper surface, and the suction pad or cup has a shaft extending upwards through the ring and a substantially transverse pin that locates on the cam upper surface so that rotation of the cam effects said linear movement.

The receptacle holding unit may be arranged to rotate relative to the base unit between a first, release position, and a second, attachment position. The receptacle holding unit may further comprise a movable or deformable inner wall within said upstanding wall to define an inner socket.

The inner wall may comprise a plurality of movable or deformable, spaced-apart arms extending upwardly and inwardly from the base of the receptacle holding unit.

The upstanding wall may comprise a plurality of spaced-apart sections, each having an interior slot within which a corresponding arm of the inner wall at least partially locates. The movable or deformable arms at their lower end may extend through the receptacle holding unit base and into the base unit, a spring member being associated with each arm within the base arranged to bias the arms inwards in the receptacle holding unit. The movable or deformable arms may be generally S-shaped in profile.

The upstanding wall may comprise a plurality of spaced apart arms or sections leaving a space between the arms or sections. A second aspect of the invention provides a receptacle holder, comprising: a socket part; and a base part rotatably connected beneath the socket part such that the base part can rotate between first and second positions relative to the socket part, the base part comprising a suction member on its lower end having a deformable inner section and a surrounding perimeter lip, wherein the inner section is connected to a mechanism contained within the base part configured to draw it upwards as the base part is rotated from the first position to the second position, and to return it downwards as the base part is rotated back to the first position. The socket part may comprise an outer wall and a movable inner wall that is urged inwardly towards the centre of the socket, and which can be moved outwards by insertion of a receptacle, e.g. a cup, whilst maintaining a grip thereon

References to the term receptacle in this specification may comprise any form, but the holder is particularly adapted for use with receptacles such as cups, beakers or bottles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portable cup holder according to the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the Figure 1 holder;

Figure 3 is a close-up view of a base portion of the Figure 1 holder, showing internal components;

Figures 4a and 4b are close-up views showing internal components of the base portion of the Figure 1 holder from different angles;

Figures 5a and 5b are close-up views showing internal components of the base portion of the Figure 1 holder in section; and

Figures 6a and 6b are side and top plan views of the Figure 1 holder when used to grip a bottle on a surface.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

Embodiments herein relate to a portable cup holder 1 , particularly one that is hand- held and can be transported from place to place and temporarily fixed on a relatively flat underlying surface such as a desk or table top. It can provide stability to the cup or other receptacle when the surface to which it is attached itself lacks stability, e.g. a drop-down table, or the back of a car seat, or a camping table. In the preferred embodiment, the cup holder has a cup-receiving socket that can accommodate and retain cups of different sizes, and also grip the cup.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a cup holder 1 comprises a cup unit 3 connected on top of a base unit 5. The cup unit 1 comprises a frame providing a socket 7 within which receptacles of varying sizes can be inserted and gripped. The socket 7 is defined by two sets of walls, one outer 9 and one inner 1 1. The outer wall 9 defines the maximum diameter of the cup that can be held. The cup unit 3 and base unit 5 are rotatably connected about a vertical axis X-X and, in use, rotate relative to each other to effect mechanical attachment and detachment to and from an underlying surface. Typically, it will be the base unit 5 that is rotated by the user whilst the cup unit 3 remains held static. Finger grips 13 are provided on the base unit for this purpose. Referring particularly to Figure 2, the outer wall 9 is comprised of a plurality of spaced-apart U-shaped sections 15; specifically four such sections are provided in the embodiment, spaced-apart around the perimeter of a socket base in opposed pairs. The inner wall 1 1 is comprised of plural S-shaped fingers 19, similarly extending upwards from the socket base. Four such fingers 19 are provided, and each locates partially within the slot or space within one of the U-shaped sections 15 forming the outer wall 9 thereby keeping a compact, neat design. This also leaves gaps 17 around the socket 7 circumference to allow, for example, cup handles or the like to project outside of the socket, and also allows fingers to take hold of the cup. The fingers 19 are S-shaped such that their profile extends inwardly of the outer wall 9 towards the distal ends, before returning outwards in a smooth curve. As will be explained below, the fingers 19 extend through slots in the base unit 5 to an underlying mechanism which, without any cup inserted, keeps them biased in the shown position by coil springs 23 which act on levers 21 at the proximal end; it will be appreciated that a cup being placed within the S-shaped fingers 19 causes them to deflect outwards, and so the levers 21 move inwards to compress the springs 23. The springs 23 acting on the levers 21 retain a grip on the cup by virtue of their biasing. A base seat in the form of a disk 18 sits within the bottom of the socket.

It will be seen that the base unit 5 comprises a hollow frusto-conical base cover 25, beneath which is provided a cam 26, a lower plate 27 and a suction cup or pad 29. A connector shaft 33 extends upwards from the top surface of the suction cup 29, extending through an aperture in the centre of the lower plate 27, and an aperture in the centre of the cam 26, which is ring-like. A pin 35 is fixed within a transverse aperture 34 near the top of the shaft 33 so that it rests on the upper surface of the cam 26 which has a tapered surface between lower and upper end-stops. The lower plate 27 is fixed to the base cover 25 by means of three screws 31 which pass through bores in the lower plate.

Referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that the screws 31 extend upwards into respective U-shaped guide slots 41 which help guide the relative rotation of the base 5 and cup unit 3 between locked (attached) and unlocked (unattached) positions.

Referring to Figures 4a and 4b, it will be seen how the springs 23 locate between a bezel within the case 25 and the levers 21 . The ring-like cam 26 comprises a pair of cam surfaces 43 which slope or taper to effect the unlocked and locked modes. Each end of the transverse pin 35 rests on one of the cam surfaces 43 between end- stops 36 which limit the amount of rotation. In some embodiments, only one cam surface is required. In the unlocked mode, the pin rests on the lower end of the cam surface 43, against the lower stop 36. In this position, the suction cup or pad 29 is relatively flat. When the base 5 is rotated, the cam 26 rotates in sympathy causing the pin 35 and therefore the shaft 33 to move linearly upwards therefore to draw the central, flexible portion of the suction cup or pad 29 upwards along the X-X axis. This represents the locking position.

It will be appreciated that, in use, by locating the suction cup or pad 29 on a non- porous and relatively flat surface, upwards movement on the central portion resulting directly from rotation increases the interior volume and results in a lower pressure than the air outside, providing the suction effect to attach the device 1 to the surface. Referring to Figures 5a and 5b, one of the springs 23 is shown housed between the lever (proximal end) 21 of finger 19. The finger 19 at this proximal end has an elbow 48 that travels through a slot 49 provided in the base cover 25. The spring 23 locates between an internal bezel 51 projecting down from the plate 18 and a projection 53 on the lever 21. The spring 23 is therefore substantially transverse to axis X-X previously shown. Figure 5a shows the spring 23 when no cup is located in the socket 7, meaning that fingers 1 1 are in the position shown in Figure 1 by virtue of the spring biasing which urges their distal ends inwards to their narrow most position. Referring to Figure 6, when a cup or similar receptacle 50 is located in the socket 7 as shown, the four fingers 1 1 are urged outwards as the receptacle passes through their curved parts, and, as shown in Figure 5b, this causes compression of the spring 23 which grips the receptacle.

It will be appreciated that alternative forms of spring can be used in place of coil springs 23, e.g. leaf springs or resilient foam material. It will also be appreciated that alternative numbers of arms/fingers for the inner and outer walls 9, 1 1 can be employed. Typically plastics material will be used for the majority of the device, primarily the visible components, although the pin 35, springs 23 and screws 31 may be metal.

Typically, a label is provided on the outer side of the base casing 25 to indicate the direction a user should rotate the base unit 5 to effect attachment and detachment.

In summary, there has been described a cup holder 1 that is capable of holding cups or other receptacles of a variety of diameters by virtue of the inner wall 19 which deforms outwardly but nevertheless exhibits a gripping force. Other receptacles may include glasses, mugs, cans and bottles. The cup holder 1 is portable and can be attached to an underlying surface in a simple, single-action rotational motion between the cup unit 3 and the base unit 3, when the base unit 3 is first held down on the surface.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiments are purely illustrative and are not limiting on the scope of the invention as should be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reading the present application. Moreover, the disclosure of the present application should be understood to include any novel features or any novel combination of features either explicitly or implicitly disclosed herein or any generalization thereof and during the prosecution of the present application or of any application derived therefrom, new claims may be formulated to cover any such features and/or combination of such features.