Vehicle tray

• US 9,221,376 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2014
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Forrest S. Baker
• Original Assignee: Forrest S. Baker
• Inventors: Baker, Forrest S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pickett, J. Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): COGILL, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US14/183,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20150232042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 224/547, 224/564
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/065 with thumb holes, handles or the like enabling the user to support the plate from below
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 19/2205 Drinking glasses or vessels A47G19/23 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/002 of trays
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/10 of receptacles for food or beverages, e.g. refrigerated
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/103 detachable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/107 with different elements of fixed geometry
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0075 using a containment or docking space

Abstract

A tray for use in a vehicle may include a base sized and shaped to fit within a vehicle cup holder and a tray attachable to the base and repositionable on the base to different positions.

Claims

1. A tray system for use in a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle use tray including a circularly shaped aperture formed through a bottom of the tray, the circularly shaped aperture being sized to receive a beverage container;

a track on a bottom of the tray and non-overlappingly spaced apart from the circularly shaped aperture; and

a base, sized and shaped to fit within a vehicle cup holder, wherein the base is removably attachable to the tray, is removably and repositionably attachable to the track and is laterally repositionable within the track.

2. A tray system for use in a vehicle, comprising:

a base, sized and shaped to fit within a vehicle cup holder, a lower portion of the base approximating a shape of a beverage container;

the tray including a circularly shaped aperture formed through a bottom of the tray, the circularly shaped aperture being sized to receive the beverage container; and

a track on a bottom of the tray and non-overlappingly spaced apart from the circularly shaped aperture;

wherein the tray is configured to be supported within the vehicle by the base when the tray is attached to the base and the base is within the vehicle cup holder, and the base is removably and repositionably attachable to the track and is laterally repositionable within the track.

3. The tray system of claim 2, wherein the tray is slidably attachable to the base along the track.

4. The tray system of claim 2, wherein the base comprises a track insert sized and shaped to fit within the track.

5. The tray system of claim 4, wherein the track insert includes a height of the insert that is less than a width of the track insert, and wherein the width of the track insert is less than a length of the track insert.

6. The tray system of claim 5, wherein sides of the track insert and the track extend at an oblique angle with respect to a top of the base or the bottom of the tray.

7. The tray system of claim 3, wherein the track is repositionable along the bottom of the tray and includes a track securing device to secure a position of the track.

8. The tray system of claim 2, wherein the tray is repositionable on the base at any position along an entire width or length of the track, the track extending along substantially the entire width or length of the tray at a greatest entire width or greatest entire length of the tray.

9. The tray system of claim 2, wherein the base comprises the lower portion and a shoulder portion, the lower portion having a circular cross-sectional shape and the shoulder portion having a polygonal cross-sectional shape.

10. The tray system of claim 9, wherein the shoulder portion comprises a greater cross-sectional width than the lower portion, the base further comprising a tapered transition portion transitioning from the circular cross-sectional shape to the polygonal cross-sectional shape with the greater cross-sectional width.

11. The tray system of claim 2, further comprising a tray wall circumscribing an edge of the tray and extending upwardly from the tray away from the base.

12. The tray system of claim 11, wherein:

the tray wall extends downwardly from the edge of the tray;

the bottom of the tray is vertically inset from a bottom of the wall;

an inner portion of the track is flush with the bottom of the wall; and

an outer portion of the track extends below the bottom of the wall.

13. The tray system of claim 2, wherein the track comprises a plurality of perpendicular tracks along a bottom of the tray and the tray is slidably attachable to the base using at least one of the plurality of perpendicular tracks.

14. The tray system of claim 13, wherein the base comprises a track insert sized and shaped to fit within an individual track of the plurality of perpendicular tracks, the base being further sized and shaped to be slidable within the individual track by insertion from an end of the individual track, a length of the track insert being greater than a width of an intersection of the plurality of perpendicular tracks.

15. The tray system of claim 2, wherein the base further comprises a shoulder portion having a planar surface for supporting the tray by supporting the track against an outer, bottom side of the track.

16. The tray system of claim 2, wherein the circularly shaped aperture comprises a plurality of circularly shaped apertures formed through a bottom of the tray and offset from a center of the tray in both depth and width directions of the tray, the apertures each being sized to receive the beverage container.

17. The tray system of claim 11, wherein the wall comprises a plurality of interlocking wall sections, each wall section including a groove for receiving the edge of the tray.

18. The tray system of claim 2, further comprising a securing device insertable through a top of the tray into the base to secure the tray to the base, the tray including a plurality of holes extending through the tray at the plurality of different positions for receiving the securing device to secure the tray to the base at one of the plurality of different positions.

19. The tray system of claim 2, further comprising a peg removably insertable through a top of the tray into the base to secure the tray to the base and substantially prevent lateral movement of the tray relative to the base.

20. A tray system for use in a vehicle, comprising:

a tray including a bottom and a circularly shaped aperture formed through the bottom, the aperture being sized to receive a beverage container;

a track attached to the bottom of the tray and non-overlappingly spaced apart from the aperture; and

a base removably attachable to the track and laterally repositionable within the track, the base being configured to support the tray in the vehicle when the base is positioned within a vehicle cup holder, the base comprising;

a track insert slidably receivable within the track, the track insert having a length L, a width W and a height H with a relationship H<

W<

L, walls extending along the height of the track insert extending at an oblique angle with respect to a planar top of the base;

a shoulder portion adjacent to the walls of the track insert and configured to support the tray about the track;

a lower portion being sized and circularly shaped to fit within the vehicle cup holder and the aperture, the lower portion being tapered and having a different size and shape than the shoulder portion, the shoulder portion having a greater circumference than the lower portion; and

a transition portion comprising a taper tapering between the shoulder portion and the lower portion.