CUP HOLDER

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a cup holder, and more particularly to a cup holder that prevent a cardboard-made cup holder from absorbing waterdrops condensed on the outside of a cold drink cup to become soft and lose strength.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

In order to facilitate carrying beverages, various cup holder products are available on the market. With the rise of environmental awareness, more and more cup holder products are made of folded cardboard, which have the functions of cup holder and handle. For example, a known carrying card A shown in FIG. 1 allows a user to carry a cup D to move in the way illustrated in FIG. 2. However, usually, the two conventional through holes A1 of such products are of the same size. When the user buys a higher and a lower cup D as shown in FIG. 2, if the known carrying card A is directly placed on a tabletop B, the higher cup D touches the tabletop B first and its top will be stuck to the handle portion A3, making the known carrying card A impossible to separate from the higher cup D, and under such a condition, the lower cup D will tilt as shown in FIG. 3 and cannot touch the tabletop B horizontally. The rotational torque generated when the lower cup D tilts may cause the two cups D to tip over, resulting in a potential risk of safety. If conventional through holes A1 of different sizes are pre-made on the conventional carrying card A to match the heights of different cups D, the commonality of materials is greatly limited, which is likely to cause waste of resources.

Further, if the cup D contains cold drinks, waterdrops E will condense on the outside due to the low temperature. These waterdrops E, when coming into contact with the cardboard of the conventional carrying card A, will be absorbed, causing the cardboard to become soft and lose strength. The weight of the cup D may case the conventional carrying card A to be damaged during the course of being carried by a user. Even if the conventional carrying card A has been subjected to treatment of film lamination, and the through hole A1 is punched with a cutter after the treatment of film lamination, so that the hole wall of the through hole A1 is not covered by the laminated film and the waterdrops E can still penetrate into the conventional carrying card A from the hole wall of the through hole A1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a cup holder, which includes a waterdrop resistant layer for preventing waterdrops condensing on a cold drink cup from being absorbed by the cardboard so as to prevent the cardboard from losing strength and being damaged after absorbing water, and which can be made into various embodiments to match various stores selling different meals.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a cup holder, which comprises a main body. The main body has at least one through hole. The cup holder comprises a waterdrop resistant layer arranged on a top surface of the main body. The waterdrop resistant layer is formed with at least one waterdrop resistant through hole at a location corresponding to the through hole. The waterdrop resistant through hole has a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the through hole, so that a portion of the waterdrop resistant layer is suspended on a hole wall of the through hole. A length of the portion of the waterdrop resistant layer suspended on the hole wall of the through hole is greater than a thickness of the main body.

In one embodiment, the main body comprises a board, which comprises a central portion, two sidewall portions respectively connected to two opposite sides of the central portion, and two handle portions respectively connected to sides of the sidewall portions that are opposite to the central portion. A fold line is formed between the central portion and each of the sidewall portions. A fold line is formed on each of the handle portions and each of the sidewall portions. The central portion is formed with the at least one through hole. Each of the handle portions is formed with a handle hole. Each of the handle holes is connected, through a fold line, to a buckle plate. Each of the buckle plates is formed with an engagement slit. The buckle plates are manipulatable to buckle and connect to each other to combine the handle portions. A length of each of the handle portions at one end thereof adjacent to the respective one of the sidewall portions is shorter than a length of the respective one of the sidewall portions. The waterdrop resistant layer is combined with a top surface of the board.

In the above embodiment, the handle portions are reduced to allow the present invention to accommodate cups of different heights at the same time without the potential risk of tipping over when placed; and a waterdrop resistant layer is arranged to suspend on the hole wall of the through hole to prevent the cup from directly contacting the cardboard when the cup is placed in the present invention, so that waterdrops on the surface of the cup will not contact the cardboard, preventing the cardboard from absorbing the waterdrops and becoming soft and losing strength.

In the above embodiment, the board is formed by cutting cardboard, and the waterdrop resistant layer is made of polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). The through hole is circular, and the waterdrop resistant through hole is a circle concentric with the through hole. In case that a plurality of through holes are provided, the through holes are arranged along a length direction of the central portion, and the through holes are of the same size to allow the present invention to accommodate 2-4 or more beverage cups at the same time.

In the above embodiment, the length of the handle portion at an end thereof adjacent to the respective sidewall portion is shorter than the sidewall portion, so that when two handle portions are combined together with the buckle plates, there is an extra space above the cups, and when the present invention that carries a higher and a lower cup is placed on a tabletop, the top of the higher cup will not be struck by the handle portions and the higher cup can smoothly detach from the present invention, while the lower cup can move downward with the present invention to allow the lower cup to be horizontally placed on the tabletop, avoiding the potential risk of tipping over.

In the above embodiment, in order to increase the lengths of the handle portions and the handle holes for the convenience of users of various hand shapes, the length of each handle portion is made gradually increased from one end adjacent to the sidewall portion toward the opposite end, so that the length of the handle hole is not limited by the length of the handle portion at the end adjacent to the sidewall portion.

To use the above embodiment, the cup is first placed on the waterdrop resistant through hole, and then, the present invention is picked up, so that the portion of the waterdrop resistant layer that is suspended from the through hole is bent downward by the force applied by the weight of the cup. Since the length of the portion of the waterdrop resistant layer suspended on the hole wall of the through hole is greater than the thickness of the board, the downwardly bent portion of the waterdrop resistant layer completely covers the hole wall of the through hole, so that the waterdrop resistant layer is present between the cup and the board, blocking the hole wall of the through hole from contact with the cup, and waterdrops condensed on the outside of the cup will not be absorbed by the board.

In the above embodiment, in order to prevent the handle hole from breaking when a user carries the present invention, each handle portion is provided, between one end thereof opposite to the sidewall portion and the handle hole, with a back-folded reinforcement portion. Structural reinforcement is provided above the handle hole after assembly of the back-folded reinforcement portion. Each of the handle portions is further provided with two hanging rope apertures, and the hanging rope apertures are respectively arranged two sides of the handle hole. Each of the hanging rope apertures is coupled with a hanging rope to allow consumers to use the hanging rope to hang the present invention on a hanger provided on a bicycle or a motorcycle.

In one embodiment, two main bodies are provided to connect to two opposite sides of a box. The box has an openable top cover, and the top cover is openable toward the sides which are not combined with the main bodies. The box and the main bodies are formed by cutting and folding cardboard. The top cover is made up of left and right halves and is formed with a handle hole for holding by a user. The box may receive various meals to place therein. The main bodies are each a cup holder combined with the outer side of the front and rear ends of the box. Each the main body is further provided with a fixing portion that is folded back. Each fixing portion has a fixing hole for locking the handle portions. When a user places a cup into the cup holder, the waterdrops condensing on the outside of the cup will not be absorbed by the cardboard.

In one embodiment, at least one side edge of the main body is combined with a receptacle unit, and the top of the receptacle unit is formed with an opening for placing other food or dipping sauces. For example, the main body can be a square, and each side of the square is combined with a different receptacle unit. The main body and the receptacle unit are formed by cutting and folding cardboard. The receptacle unit can be a receiving cavity having an opening on the top for placing French fries or other food. The user can carry multiple meals at the same time with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a conventional beverage carrying card.

FIG. 2 is a first schematic view showing use of the conventional beverage carrying card.

FIG. 3 is a second schematic view showing the use of the conventional beverage carrying card.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a first schematic view illustrating steps of use of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a second schematic view illustrating steps of use of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a third schematic view illustrating steps of use of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows another angle of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 7

FIG. 10 is a fourth schematic view illustrating steps of use of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view illustrating use of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 4, which shows implementation of a first embodiment according to the present invention, the drawing illustrates a cup holder of the present invention, which comprises a main body 4. The main body 4 has at least one through hole 14. The cup holder features a waterdrop resistant layer 3 on a top surface of the main body 4. The waterdrop resistant layer 3 is provided with at least one waterdrop resistant through hole 31 arranged at the position corresponding to the through hole 14, and the diameter of the waterdrop resistant through hole 31 is smaller than the diameter of the through hole 14, so that a portion of the waterdrop resistant layer 3 is suspended on the hole wall of the through hole 14. The portion of the waterdrop resistant layer 3 suspended on the hole wall of the through hole 14 has a length that is greater than the thickness of the main body 4. It is noted that in FIGS. 4-8 and 10-13, a hatched portion is shown to represent the portion of the film of the waterdrop resistant layer 3 that is suspended from the through hole 14. In the first embodiment, the main body 4 comprises a board 1, which comprises a central portion 11, two sidewall portions 12 respectively connected to two opposite sides of the central portion 11, and two handle portions 13 respectively connected to one side of each sidewall portion 12 opposite to the central portion 11. A fold line 2 is formed between the central portion 11 and each of the sidewall portions 12, and a fold line 2 is formed between each of the handle portions 13 and a respective one of the sidewall portions 12. The central portion 11 is provided with the at least one through hole 14, and each of the handle portions 13 is provided with a handle hole 131. Each handle hole 131 is connected, through a fold line 2, to a buckle plate 15. Each of the buckle plates 15 includes an engagement slit 151 to allow the buckle plates 15 to buckle and connect to each other in order to have the handle portions 13 combined with each other. The length of each handle portion 13 at one end adjacent to each sidewall portion 12 is shorter than the length of each sidewall portion 12. The waterdrop resistant layer 3 is combined with a top surface of the board 1.

In the first embodiment, the board 1 is formed by cutting a cardboard, and the waterdrop resistant layer 3 is made of polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). The through hole 14 is circular, and the waterdrop resistant through hole 31 is circle concentric with the through hole 14. In the instant embodiment, two through holes 14 are provided, and each through hole 14 is arranged to line up along the length direction of the central portion 11 and each through hole 14 is of the same size. The present invention can use the through holes 14 of the same size to carry cups D of different heights without the risk of tipping over, and the manufacturers do not need to make through holes 14 of different sizes in the same carrying card for the purposes of allowing a user to carry cups D of different heights at the same time. The number of the through holes 14 and the waterdrop resistant through holes 31 can be further increased to allow the present invention to accommodate 2, 3, 4, or more cups D, and the through holes 14 can also be arranged in a straight line or side by side.

The length of the handle portion 13 at one end thereof adjacent to the respective sidewall portion 12 is shorter than the sidewall portion 12. In order to increase the lengths of the handle portion 13 and the handle hole 131 for the convenience of users of various hand shapes, the length of each handle portion 13 can be gradually increased from one end adjacent to the respective sidewall portion 12 toward the opposite end, so that the length of the handle hole 131 is not limited by the length of the handle portion 13 at the end adjacent to the sidewall portion 12. In the instant embodiment, each handle portion 13 may have two hanging rope apertures 16, and the hanging rope apertures 16 are respectively arranged at two sides of the handle hole 131. The hanging rope aperture 16 is provided for coupling with a hanging rope F.

In order to prevent the handle hole 131 from breaking when the user carries the present invention, each handle portion 13 is provided, between one end thereof opposite to the respective sidewall portion 12 and the handle hole 131, with a back-folded reinforcement portion 132. Structural reinforcement is provided above the handle hole 131 after assembly. The back-folded reinforcement portion 132 can be made by preserving a part of the material of the board 1 during cutting and then folding and gluing it.

In the first embodiment, the waterdrop resistant layer 3 is combined with the top surface of the board 1. It is seen from FIGS. 5-9 that to use the first embodiment, the cup D is first placed on the waterdrop resistant through hole 31, and then, the first embodiment is picked up, so that the portion of the waterdrop resistant layer 3 that is suspended from the through hole 14 is bent downward by the force applied by the weight of the cup D. Since the length of the portion of the waterdrop resistant layer 3 suspended on the hole wall of the through hole 14 is greater than the thickness of the board 1, the downwardly bent portion of the waterdrop resistant layer 3 can completely cover the hole wall of the through hole 14, so that the waterdrop resistant layer 3 is present between the cup D and the board 1, blocking the hole wall of the through hole 14 from contact with the cup D, and waterdrops E condensed on the outside of the cup D that may contain cold drinks will not be absorbed by the board 1. The board 1 does not become softened due to absorbing water and does not loss strength to thereby reduce the risk of breaking of the present invention. Then, the sidewall portions 12 and the handle portions 13 are folded inward to allow the buckle plates 15 to buckle and connect together with the engagement slits 151, and the handle portions 13 on both sides are tightly combined to allow the user's hand C to firmly hold the present invention through the handle holes 131 to carry the cup D to move.

As can be seen from FIGS. 7-9, the waterdrops E condensed on the outside of the cup D containing cold drinks will flow to the top of the waterdrop resistant layer 3 and then flow out from the side of the first embodiment without being absorbed by the board 1.

As can be seen in FIG. 10, when the user places the present invention holding one higher and one lower cup D on a tabletop B after arriving at the predetermined location, the top of the higher cup D will not be caught by the handle portions 13 and can protrude upward, allowing the higher cup D to smoothly separate from the present invention, and the present invention can move downward together with the lower cup D, so that the lower cup D can also be placed horizontally on the tabletop B, avoiding the potential risk of possible overturning.

As can be seen in FIG. 11, in a second embodiment, each of the hanging rope apertures 16 can be combined with a hanging rope F, so that consumers can use the hanging rope F to hang the present invention on a hanger provided on a bicycle or a motorcycle (not shown).

As can be seen in FIG. 12, in a third embodiment, two main bodies 4 are provided and are respectively combined with two opposite sides of a box 5. The box 5 has a top cover 51 that is openable, and the top cover 51 can open toward the side that is not combined with each of the main bodies 4. The box 5 and the main bodies 4 can be formed by cutting and folding cardboard. The top cover 51 can be divided into left and right halves and each is provided with a handle portion 13 and a handle hole 131 for users to hold. Various meals can be placed in the box 5. The main bodies 4 are each a semicircular cup holder portion combined with the outer side of the front and rear ends of the box 5. The main body 4 can be further provided with a fixing portion 17 that is folded back. Each fixing portion 17 has a fixing hole (not shown) for locking the handle portions 13, so that the user can stably lift the third embodiment. When the user places a cup D into the main body 4 of the third embodiment, there is no need to worry about the cardboard being wetted by waterdrops E condensed on the outside of the cup D and damaged.

As can be seen in FIG. 13, in a fourth embodiment, at least one side edge of the main body 4 is combined with a receptacle unit, and the top of the receptacle unit is formed with an opening 61 for placing other food or dipping sauces. For example, the main body can be a square, and the fourth embodiment provides a receptacle unit to combine with each of two opposite sides of the square. The main body 4 and the receptacle units can be formed by cutting and folding cardboard. The receptacle unit can be a receiving cavity 62 having an opening 61 on the top for placing food such as French fries or hamburgers (left and right sides in FIG. 13). The user can carry multiple meals and drinks at the same time with the present invention without worrying about the cardboard being wetted and damaged by condensed waterdrops E on the outside of the cup D.