Illuminated cup holder assembly

• US 9,751,460 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2016
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Canada ULC (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Canada ULC (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Iordache, Lucian, Yu, Nelson, Gyimes, Andras
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US15/051,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20170240104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 362154, 362488, 36224902
• 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

Abstract

A cup holder assembly includes a lens and a cup holder liner. The lens is configured to receive light from a light source and direct the light towards a perimeter edge of the lens. The cup holder liner is composed of a light transmissive material and is disposed above the lens. The cup holder liner includes a peripheral wall that has an interior surface defining a receptacle. The lens extends beyond an exterior surface of the peripheral wall to define a perimeter edge segment of the lens that protrudes from the exterior surface of the peripheral wall to the perimeter edge of the lens. The lens is configured to emit light from the perimeter edge segment into the peripheral wall through the exterior surface thereof to illuminate the interior surface of the peripheral wall of the cup holder liner.

Claims

1. A cup holder assembly comprising:

a lens extending radially to a perimeter edge, the lens configured to receive light from a light source and direct the light towards the perimeter edge; and

a cup holder liner composed of a light transmissive material and disposed above the lens, the cup holder liner including a peripheral wall that extends between a top end and a bottom end, an interior surface of the peripheral wall defining a receptacle that is open at the top end of the peripheral wall,

wherein the lens extends beyond an exterior surface of the peripheral wall to define a perimeter edge segment of the lens that protrudes from the exterior surface of the peripheral wall to the perimeter edge of the lens, wherein the lens is configured to emit light from the perimeter edge segment into the peripheral wall through the exterior surface thereof to illuminate the interior surface of the peripheral wall.

2. The cup holder assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens is a planar disc having a diameter that is greater than an outer diameter of the peripheral wall at the bottom end thereof, the outer diameter defined by the exterior surface of the peripheral wall.

3. The cup holder assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens has a top side that faces the cup holder liner above and an opposite bottom side, the perimeter edge being beveled to define an angled surface such that the top side of the lens has a greater diameter than the bottom side, the angled surface configured to reflect light towards the top side of the lens for emission therefrom towards the peripheral wall of the cup holder liner.

4. The cup holder assembly of claim 1, further comprising a cup holder body having a side wall surrounding the peripheral wall of the cup holder liner, the cup holder liner and the cup holder body defining a radial gap extending between the exterior surface of the peripheral wall and an inner surface of the side wall, the perimeter edge segment of the lens configured to emit light into the radial gap.

5. The cup holder assembly of claim 4, wherein the inner surface of the side wall of the cup holder body is reflective to reflect light towards the exterior surface of the peripheral wall of the cup holder liner.

6. The cup holder assembly of claim 4, wherein the peripheral wall of the cup holder liner is angled relative to the side wall of the cup holder body such that a width of the radial gap between the exterior surface of the peripheral wall and the inner surface of the side wall decreases along a height of the peripheral wall from the bottom end towards the top end.

7. The cup holder assembly of claim 1, wherein the lens has an interior region between a top side of the lens that faces the cup holder liner above and an opposite bottom side of the lens, the lens receiving light from the light source into the interior region through the bottom side, the lens emitting light from the interior region through the top side along the perimeter edge segment thereof.

8. The cup holder assembly of claim 7, wherein the lens includes a notch formed in the interior region along a central area of the lens that is spaced apart from the perimeter edge segment of the lens, the notch including at least one angled surface that reflects light received from the light source generally laterally through the interior region of the lens towards the perimeter edge of the lens.

9. The cup holder assembly of claim 1, wherein the cup holder liner has a bottom wall at the bottom end of the peripheral wall, the cup holder assembly further comprising an insert disposed in the receptacle along the bottom wall, the insert configured to at least one of limit or block illumination of an interior surface of the bottom wall.

10. The cup holder assembly of claim 1, wherein the cup holder liner has a bottom wall at the bottom end of the peripheral wall, the cup holder assembly including a cover disposed between the bottom wall of the cup holder liner and the lens, the cover being opaque to prohibit light transmission from the lens directly into the bottom wall of the cup holder liner.

11. A cup holder assembly comprising:

a cup holder body having a side wall, the side wall including an inner surface defining a cavity of the cup holder body;

a cup holder liner composed of a light transmissive material, the cup holder liner including a peripheral wall disposed in the cavity, the peripheral wall extending between a top end and a bottom end, an interior surface of the peripheral wall defining a receptacle that is open at the top end of the peripheral wall, an exterior surface of the peripheral wall being spaced apart radially from the inner surface of the side wall to define a radial gap; and

a lens disposed in the cavity of the cup holder body below the cup holder liner, the lens extending radially to a perimeter edge, the lens configured to receive light from a light source and direct the light towards the perimeter edge, the lens extending beyond the exterior surface of the peripheral wall to define a perimeter edge segment of the lens that protrudes from the exterior surface of the peripheral wall to the perimeter edge of the lens,

wherein the lens is configured to emit light from the perimeter edge segment into the radial gap, the peripheral wall of the cup holder liner receiving light therein from the radial gap through the exterior surface to illuminate the interior surface.

12. The cup holder assembly of claim 11, wherein the lens has a top side and an opposite bottom side, the lens receiving light from the light source through the bottom side, the lens emitting light from the perimeter edge segment along the top side of the lens.

13. The cup holder assembly of claim 11, wherein the lens has a top side and an opposite bottom side, the perimeter edge of the lens being beveled to define an angled surface such that the top side of the lens has a greater diameter than the bottom side, the angled surface configured to reflect light that is within the lens towards the top side of the lens for emission therefrom into the radial gap.

14. The cup holder assembly of claim 11, wherein the inner surface of the side wall of the cup holder body is reflective and reflects light towards the exterior surface of the peripheral wall of the cup holder liner.

15. The cup holder assembly of claim 11, wherein the peripheral wall of the cup holder liner is angled relative to the side wall of the cup holder body such that the radial gap between the exterior surface of the peripheral wall and the inner surface of the side wall is greater at the bottom end of the peripheral wall than at the top end of the peripheral wall.

16. The cup holder assembly of claim 11, wherein the cup holder liner includes a lip that extends radially outward from the exterior surface of the peripheral wall at least proximate to the top end of the peripheral wall, the lip extending across the radial gap and engaging the side wall to secure the cup holder liner to the cup holder body.

17. The cup holder assembly of claim 11, wherein the cup holder liner has a bottom wall at the bottom end of the peripheral wall, the cup holder assembly further comprising an insert disposed in the receptacle of the cup holder liner along the bottom wall, the insert configured to at least one of limit or block illumination of an interior surface of the bottom wall.

18. The cup holder assembly of claim 11, wherein the lens has an interior region between a top side of the lens that faces the cup holder liner above and an opposite bottom side of the lens, the lens including a notch formed in the interior region along a central area of the lens that is spaced apart from the perimeter edge segment, the notch including at least one first angled surface that reflects light received from the light source generally laterally through the interior region of the lens towards the perimeter edge.

19. The cup holder assembly of claim 11, wherein the interior surface of the peripheral wall of the cup holder liner is illuminated along a substantial entirety of the height of the peripheral wall from the bottom end to the top end.

20. The cup holder assembly of claim 19, wherein a luminous intensity of light emitted through the interior surface diminishes gradually along the height of the peripheral wall with increasing distance from the bottom end.