Portable cup holder

Abstract

The invention provides a portable cup holder for carrying a cup with, for example, take-out coffee. The portable cup holder is made with a minimum amount of material that may be folded rapidly and easily, and comprises a bottom portion 1 forming a bottom surface through which a cup opening 3 is formed, a fixing portion 4 connected to top and bottom ends of the bottom portion 1 and folded vertically, a rising portion 7 folded and disposed vertically at right and left ends of the bottom portion 1, a top portion 2 connected to the rising portion 7 forming a top surface and including the cup opening 3a, and a handle portion 10 folded vertically upwards at the top portion 2 that forms a handle.

Claims

1. A portable cup holder made with minimum amount of folded material, the portable cup holder comprising: a bottom portion (1) forming a bottom surface and through which a bottom cup opening (3) is formed; a fixing portion (4) connected to top and bottom ends of the bottom portion (1) and folded vertically; a rising portion (7) folded and disposed vertically at right and left ends of the bottom portion (1); a top portion (2) connected to the rising portion (7) forming a top surface and forming a top cup opening (3a); and a handle portion (10) folded vertically upwards at the top portion (2) and forming a handle, wherein in the fixing portion (4) is formed an inserting groove (5), wherein in a bottom portion of the handle portion (10) is formed a fixing piece (14), and wherein the fixing piece (14) is configured to be inserted into the inserting groove (5) of the folded fixing portion (4).

2. The portable cup holder of claim 1, wherein in the inserting groove (5) is formed a cutting portion (19) extending outwards to an outside of the inserting groove (5).

3. The portable cup holder of claim 1, wherein a circumference of the bottom cup opening (3) is configured with corrugated portions (20) having a circumferential surface of corrugated shape.

4. The portable cup holder of claim 3, wherein any one of a slip-preventing surface (23) formed by a slip-preventing material or dots (22) having protruding shapes are formed between one cutting portion (21) and another cutting portion (21).

5. The portable cup holder of claim 1, wherein when the top portion (2) is folded, center axes vertical to the top cup opening (3a) formed in the top portion (2) and the bottom cup opening (3) formed in the bottom portion (1) are not coincided.

6. The portable cup holder of claim 1, wherein a width length of a bottom portion of the fixing portion (4) is equal to a length of a bottom-surface width portion (31) of the bottom portion (1).

7. The portable cup holder of claim 1, wherein in the bottom portion of the handle portion (10) are formed a first tilted surface (26) bent and tilted inwards and a second tilted surface (27) extending from an end of the first tilted surface (26) and bent outwards, and wherein between the fixing piece (14) and the second tilted surface (27) is formed a fixing-piece groove portion (28) comprising an elongated groove.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a planar figure of a cup holder according to the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a state diagram with first, second, and third folding portions 16, 17, 18 folded slightly.

(3) FIGS. 3 to 5 are diagrams showing steps for folding the cup holder according to the invention.

(4) FIGS. 6 to 9 are exemplar views showing other embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF INVENTION

(5) The invention, is going to be described referring to the attached drawings below.

(6) First, FIG. 1 is a planar figure of a cup holder according to the invention.

(7) As shown, when viewing the invention, on a plane, on right and left sides of the bottom portion 1 is formed the top portion 2, and there are formed the top cup openings 3a respectively. On top and bottom ends of the bottom portion 1 are formed the fixing portions 4, and in the fixing portion 4 is formed the inserting groove 5. Between the bottom portion 1 and the top portion 2 is formed the rising portion 7. In the top portion 2 is connected and formed the handle portion 10. In the handle portion 10 on both ends of the right and left is formed the handle hole 11, and in one of the two is formed the folding piece 13. In the top and bottom edges of the handle portion 10 connected to the top portion 2 is formed a fixing piece 14 in a shape of sort of hook or arrow. The reason for making in such shapes, as described below, is for inserting stably in the inserting groove 5 of the fixing portion 4, so as not to be dislocated easily. On the bottom portion 1 and the top portion 2 are formed the first, second, and third folding portions 16, 17, 18, so as to be foldable. The first, second, and third folding portions 16, 17, 18 may be made so as to be folded easily by adding a weak pre-cut line or dot-shaped through-holes.

(8) A pattern of folding is described below according to the structure of the planar figure of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows a state of folding the first, second, and third folding portions 16, 17, 18 and also the folding piece 13. Here, it is possible to provide a cutting portion 19 disposed outwards extending with the inserting groove 5. The cutting portion 19 may be made so as to be cut easily by adding a pre-cut line or line of through-holes or with pre-cutting line.

(9) FIG. 3 shows a shape when making the rising portion 7 by folding the first, second, and third folding portions 16, 17, 18 and raising the handle portion 10. And the top end of the two handle portions 10 is made to hold easily by inserting through the handle hole 11 and folding the folding piece 13. FIG. 4 shows a state of folding and raising the fixing portion 4 and inserting the fixing piece 14 formed at a bottom portion of the handle portion 10 in FIG. 4 into the inserting groove 5. The fixing piece 14 has a top end portion having a shape of hook or arrow, and it won't come out easily once inserted and entered into the inserting groove 5. At this moment, if opening the top end portions of the fixing piece 14 to the right and left sides, its latching effect makes it harder for the fixing piece 14 to escape from the inserting groove 5.

(10) FIG. 5 shows a state of opening the fixing piece 14 to the right and left sides. Fixing is possible without opening the fixing piece 14, but in a case of using in much safer way, the fixing piece 14 can be opened to be used. That is, the user can use it alternatively.

(11) FIG. 6 is another embodiment of the invention. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, four cups can be received. However, it is not limiting, and as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 it can be made so that even 6 or 8 cups be received.

(12) FIG. 9 is still another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the cup-holding force is made stronger by forming a corrugated portions 20 on the surface forming the cup opening 3. As still another embodiment, the diameter of circle forming the corrugated portions 20 is made smaller than the diameter of the cup opening 3 of FIG. 6, making a small-diameter hole 30, and a cutting portion 21 is formed in a radial direction outside the corrugated portions 20. If configured like this, the holding force for holding the inserted cup gets larger.

(13) As still another embodiment, between the cutting portions 21 is formed a slip-preventing surface 23. The slip-preventing surface 23 may be coating-formed using slip-preventing material such as rubber material, silicon material etc., through printing and the like. Or, instead of forming the slip-preventing surface 23, dots 22 having a protruding structure with rubber or silicon material can be formed. These provide an effect of holding the cup solidly.

(14) On the other hand, as still another embodiment of the invention, at a bottom portion of the handle side portion 25 of the handle portion 10 may be formed a first tilted surface 26 tilting inwards and a second tilted surface 27 rising oppositely, and between the second tilted surface 27 and the fixing piece 14 is formed a fixing-piece groove portion 28. If configured like this, when inserting the inserting groove 5 of the fixing portion 4, it gets inserted smoothly as if sliding along the second tilted surface 27, and also it is possible to have a solid engagement by the first tilted surface 26 with steps and the groove structure of the fixing-piece groove portion 28, so that it would not be dislocated once engaged.

(15) In still another embodiment of the invention, the bottom structure of the fixing portion 4 is made to contact the entire length of the bottom-surface width portion 31 of the bottom portion 1, not like as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. If making the bottom structure of the fixing portion 4 contact with the length of the bottom-surface width portion 31 like this, when the cup is received and the weight is loaded, since a portion of the weight loaded on the bottom portion 1 is supported by the fixing portion 4, the bottom portion 1 can be kept from sagging down.

(16) In still another embodiment of the embodiment, in which an assembly is made by folding the top portion 2 as shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, if the bottom cup opening 3 formed in the bottom portion 1 and the top cup opening 3a formed in the top portion 2 are configured so that they are not aligned along the same axis, forming eccentric axes, when the cup is received, the top cup opening 3a of the top portion 2 is distorted by the weight of the cup, which performs a function of holding the received cup more solidly.

(17) According to the invention, as in the above, an easily-foldable and solid cup holder can be provided by folding the first, second, and third folding portions 16, 17, 18 and raising the handle portion 10 vertically, raising the fixing portion 4 vertically and inserting it to the inserting groove 5, and opening to the right and left the fixing piece 14 selectively. Also, according to the structure of the invention, material such as corrugated papers, etc. as a material of the portable cup holder can be saved a lot compared to any kinds of conventional portable cup holder. The cup holder according to the invention, is made with paper material, preferably with material of corrugated papers or cardboards, but they can be formed with other material, such as synthetic resins, of course. Such variations are interpreted to belong to the scope of the invention.

(18) TABLE-US-00001 1 bottom portion 3, 3a bottom and top cup openings 4 fixing portion 5 inserting groove 7 rising portion 10 handle portion 11 handle hole 13 folding piece 14 fixing piece 16, 17, 18 first, second, third folding portions 19 cutting portion 20 corrugated portions 21 cutting portion 22 dots 23 slip-preventing surface 26, 27 first, second tilted surfaces 28 fixing-piece groove portion