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A cup holder is a device, such as a podstakannik (Russian) or zarf (Turkish), to hold a cup or other drinking vessel. It may be free standing to hold cups securely on a desk or other flat surface, or in a tree style to store sets of cups in kitchens. They may be built into or chairs, or fixed to the walls of airplanes, boats, buses and trains.
The later development of the drive-through restaurant encouraged the development of better holders for drinks, and a more fast-paced life and longer commute times made many drivers desire to drink their morning coffee in the car on the way to work. The 1960s saw coffee cups with wide, flat, rubberised bases being sold, which would keep them steady on the dash or console. A little later, aftermarket cup holders began to be sold. These often clipped onto the door windows, although other designs wedge in between the front seats and the center console.
Built-in cup holders began to be available in the 1920s. Factory installed cupholders in cars date back to at least the 1930s or 1940s, with many cars featuring shallow indents for cups on the inside of the glovebox lid. One of the first applications of cup holders outside of the glovebox in a mass produced car was in 1977, when the Chevrolet Blazer and Pickup began offering an optional plastic center console with molded cup holders, replacing the square holes that were there before. Later, in 1984, the Plymouth Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country became two of the first vehicles to offer cup holders as standard. Over time, automotive cup holders have become larger and more sophisticated, so that they can hold a variety of different cup sizes securely. Many offer spring-loaded holders that clasp the cup securely, no matter how large or small. The development of ever-larger cups by fast-food chains and convenience stores in the US and Canada has proven a challenge to automotive designers; many fast-food chains now offer 44 fl.oz. (1.3 L) drinks. The automobile cup-holder has also driven the development of "car cups" designed to fit within most cars' cup holders; these have a narrower base but flare outward after a short cylindrical distance. The installation of cup holders in automobiles increased significantly after Stella Liebeck v. McDonald's Corporation, in which a 79-year-old woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico ordered hot coffee from a McDonald's restaurant and, when it spilled, was scalded so severely she required Skin grafting.
On a table or work desk, coffee cups can be knocked over by the person sitting and working at the desk by their arms or hands. This can happen very easily if they are disturbed e.g. by a telephone call or by a sudden impulse move. Coffee cups on desks can also be knocked over by pets such as dogs or cats who may jump up on to the desk. Coffee or tea can also spill out of a cup if the table is knocked by a person walking by.
Several devices were patented to hold coffee cups. The main problem in the endeavor is to provide a mechanism to hold the handle of the cup which usually protrudes a few centimeters from the side of the mug. Another problem facing the inventors is the varying sizes of coffee cups. Some devices which were patented are as follows.
New Zealand patent number 565067. This is a completely free-standing desktop coffee cup holder that can sit on any flat surface this was invented by Digby Green, George Green and Aly Matthews. It can be manufactured in several materials, e.g. wood, metal or plastic. It has been manufactured in plastic by Adovationz Ltd in New Zealand under the brand name of Adkaf.
Dorian Gibbs of Los Angeles, California had the earliest workable cup holder that attaches to a flat edge in the U.S. with US 5,842,671 granted Dec. 1, 1998. US 6,929,229 was granted on Aug. 16, 2005 to Chris D. Palmby of Bellingham, Washington. Perry Segretto of Elmhurst, Illinois had a similar cup holder pending like Palmby's in the U.S. around the same time. Segretto and Michael Koczor sold a cup holder called Drink Hold'em featured on HGTV's "I want that." Antro Technology sold one similar briefly. A South Korean company exported a clip type cup holder to the U.S. No lawsuits were involved to slow the product though mail was received. An agenda regarding jobs with a patent trolls interest occurred during the time of the Obama administration.
A wide variety of cup holders that attach to cylinders were produced in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Another popular cup holder for boats is the "drop in" cup holder. This is a round plastic item, that has a lip at the top. It requires that a hole is drilled into the boat's table or console and then the unit is inserted and the lip holds it in place. These do not accommodate cups with handles.
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