CUP HOLDER

• US 20190084475A1
• Filed: 06/26/2018
• Published: 03/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tokunaga, Yoko, Nishimura, Naoto, Umeda, Yukihiko
• Granted Patent: US 10,449,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/101 fixed
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/105 for receptables of different size or shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/20 for lighting specific fittings of passenger or driving compartments; mounted on specific fittings of passenger or driving compartments lighting for dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/229 Cup holders
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/64 for a single lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/66 for distributing light among several lighting devices

Abstract

A cup holder includes a main body that includes a recess-shaped cup housing portion for housing a cup, a light source arranged on a back surface of the main body and located under the cup housing portion, and a plate-shaped light guide lens placed on a bottom surface of the cup housing portion of the main body. The main body includes a first hole and a second hole on the bottom surface of the cup housing portion. The second hole is arranged to guide light emitted from the light source to the light guide lens, and the first hole is arranged to drain liquid inside the cup housing portion.

Claims

1. A cup holder, comprising:

a main body that comprises a recess-shaped cup housing portion for housing a cup;

a light source arranged on a back surface of the main body and located under the cup housing portion; and

a plate-shaped light guide lens placed on a bottom surface of the cup housing portion of the main body,

wherein the main body comprises a first hole and a second hole on the bottom surface of the cup housing portion,

wherein the second hole is arranged to guide light emitted from the light source to the light guide lens, and

wherein the first hole is arranged to drain liquid inside the cup housing portion.

2. The cup holder according to claim 1, wherein the light guide lens comprises a protrusion formed on a surface facing the bottom surface of the cup housing portion, and

wherein the first hole is arranged to receive the protrusion of the light guide lens to fix the light guide lens to the main body and to form a gap to communicate from the cup housing portion to the back surface when the protrusion of the light guide lens is received in the first hole.

3. The cup holder according to claim 1, further comprising a mat placed on the light guide lens inside the cup housing portion,

wherein the mat comprises a protrusion formed on a surface facing the light guide lens,

wherein the light guide lens comprises a hole to receive the protrusion of the mat to fix the mat to the light guide lens,

wherein the main body comprises a third hole formed on the bottom surface of the cup housing portion to avoid contact with the protrusion of the mat, and

wherein the hole of the light guide lens and the third hole of the main body are arranged to form a gap to communicate from the cup housing portion to the back surface when the protrusion of the mat are received in the hole of the light guide lens so as to serve as a drain hole to drain liquid inside the cup housing portion.

4. The cup holder according to claim 3, wherein the hole of the light guide lens has an arc shape at a portion on the light source side.

5. The cup holder according to claim 1, wherein the light guide lens is installed to decline to one of the first hole.

6. The cup holder according to claim 1, wherein the main body further comprises an annular protrusion formed on the back surface so as to surround the first hole.

7. The cup holder according to claim 1, wherein the main body further comprises a plurality of wall-shaped protrusions formed on the back surface so as to surround the second hole.

8. The cup holder according to claim 1, wherein the light source is installed to decline to a side of the connector.

9. The cup holder according to claim 3, wherein the light guide lens further comprises a groove that reflects light entering the light guide lens through a light inlet portion to collect light emitted from the light source and that changes a travel direction of the light to a region of the edge of the light guide lens that is hidden behind the holes when viewed from the light inlet portion.