Sliding and removable cup holder assembly for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9333920-B2
Application number	US-201414526606-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2014
Priority date	Jun 9, 2014
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A cup holder assembly for use in a console structure in a vehicle includes a cup holder for slidably and removably mounting within the console structure. The cup holder includes a cup holder body defining at least one cup holder recess. A guide is secured to the cup holder body for being removably received in the console structure. A finger recess portion connected to the guide defines a finger recess for manipulating at least one of the guide or the cup holder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cup holder assembly for use in a console structure in a vehicle, the cup holder assembly comprising:
a cup holder for slidably and removably mounting within the console structure, the cup holder including a cup holder body defining at least one cup holder recess;
a guide secured to the cup holder body for being removably received in the console structure; and
a finger recess portion connected to the guide defining a finger recess for manipulating at least one of the guide or the cup holder, the finger recess portion arranged such that the finger recess portion is moved to completely remove the guide from the console structure when removing the cup holder assembly.

2. The cup holder assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one cup holder recess is at least two cup holder recesses and the cup holder body defines a side wall between the at least two cup holder recesses, and further wherein the finger recess is positioned opposite the side wall so that opposing forces can be applied to the finger recess and the side wall to facilitate manipulation of the cup holder.

3. The cup holder assembly of claim 1 wherein the console structure includes first and second lateral side walls defining a storage bin therebetween, the first lateral side wall defines a recessed track, the guide is removably received in the recessed track and slidably movable along the recessed track.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the recessed track is a first recessed track and the guide is a first guide received in the first recessed track, and wherein a second recessed track is defined in the second lateral side wall and the cup holder includes a second guide secured to the cup holder body, the second guide removably received in the second recessed track and slidably movable along the second recessed track.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the first guide is a spring-biased guide that is movably secured to the cup holder body, the first guide urged laterally outwardly into the first recessed track, and wherein the finger recess portion is configured to receive a manual force applied thereagainst sufficient to overcome said urging to move the first guide laterally inwardly and out of the first recessed track for removing the cup holder.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the second guide is fixed to the cup holder body.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein at least one of the first guide and the second guide extends at least along nearly an entire longitudinal length of the cup holder.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the guide and the finger recess portion are integrally formed, and further wherein the guide includes a spring urging the guide laterally outwardly, the cup holder removable from the console structure by applying a manual force via the finger recess to compress the guide against the spring.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the guide is an elongated guide that extends at least along nearly an entire longitudinal length of the cup holder.

10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the finger recessed portion is disposed at or near a center of the elongated guide and spaced apart from longitudinal ends of the elongated guide.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the finger recessed portion includes a lateral wall spaced apart from the guide against which manual force is applied to remove the guide from the recessed track.

12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the finger recessed portion includes spaced apart longitudinal walls extending laterally from the lateral wall toward the guide, manual force is applied to the longitudinal walls to slidably move the cup holder body relative to the console structure.

13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the finger recess portion is accommodated within a lateral recess defined in a lateral side of the cup holder body.

14. A cup holder assembly of a vehicle, comprising:
a cup holder slidably and removably disposed within a storage compartment of an associated console structure of the vehicle for sliding movement between a forward sliding position and a rearward sliding position, the cup holder including a cup holder body and a combination button and guide secured to the cup holder body, the combination button and guide having an elongated guide portion and a button portion that enables at least one of the guide and the cup holder to be manipulated, the elongated guide portion extending at least along nearly an entire longitudinal length of the cup holder, and wherein the combination button and guide is an integrally molded component movably secured to the cup holder body for lateral movement relative to the cup holder body.

15. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the associated console structure has laterally spaced apart walls defining a storage compartment, the laterally spaced apart walls having recessed tracks defined therein, and wherein said elongated guide portion is removably received in one of the recessed tracks to enable sliding movement of the cup holder body and the combination button and guide is urged into said one of the recessed tracks by a biasing device, the guide portion of the combination button and guide fully removable from said one of the recessed tracks by application of a manual force on the button portion thereby enabling the cup holder to be removed from the console structure.

16. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the elongated guide portion is elongated so as to be coextensive or nearly coextensive with a longitudinal length of the cup holder body, the button portion disposed centrally along the guide portion and spaced apart from longitudinal ends of the guide portion.

17. In a console assembly for a vehicle that defines a storage compartment with lateral walls thereof defining recessed tracks, a cup holder comprising:
a cup holder body slidably and removably mounted to the console structure within the storage compartment, the cup holder body slideable between a forward position disposed adjacent a front wall of the console structure and a rearward position disposed adjacent a rearward wall of the console structure;
guide portions of the cup holder body removably received in the recessed tracks for guiding sliding movement of the cup holder between the forward position and the rearward position; and
a finger recess portion integrally molded with one of the guide portions for manipulating said one of the guide portions or the cup holder body,
wherein said one of the guide portions is a spring-biased guide portion urged by a spring into a corresponding one of the recessed tracks, and wherein the finger recess portion is integrally molded with the spring-biased guide portion to receive application of manual force overcoming the urging of the spring-biased guide portion to remove the spring-biased guide portion from said corresponding one of the recessed tracks.

18. The assembly of claim 17 wherein the guide portion is elongated so as to be coextensive or nearly coextensive with a longitudinal length of the cup holder body, the finger recess portion disposed centrally along the guide portion and spaced apart from longitudinal ends of the guide portion.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Skapof Robert A
• Chmelar Albert Pankrac
• Arcuri Anthony J

Classifications

• B60N2/4686

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N3/102

  storable or foldable in a non-use position · CPC title

• B60R7/04 Primary

  in driver or passenger space {, e.g. using racks (B60R7/005, B60R7/08 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B60N3/10

  of receptacles for food or beverages, e.g. refrigerated · CPC title

• B60R2011/0007

  Mid-console · CPC title