Claims:We Claim:
1. A holder (100) for holding an article (200), the holder (100) being arranged on or in an interior panel (300) of a vehicle, the holder (100) comprising:
a frame (110) arranged on or in the interior panel (300), the frame (110) is movable between a deployed position (100a) and a retracted position (100b); and
a flexible strap (120) arranged on or in the frame (110), the flexible strap (120) comprises a front end (120a) and a rear end (120b), wherein the front end (120a) is connected to the frame (110), and the rear end (120b) is being fixed on a roller shaft (130) arranged on or inside the interior panel (300),
wherein the flexible strap (120) is adapted to move along with the frame (110) from the retracted position (100b) to the deployed position (100a) for holding the article (200) therein or thereon.

2. The holder (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible strap (120) is provided with a circular recess (121) having a stretchable area (122) around the circumference of the circular recess (121) for accommodating the article (200) of different size and shapes therein such as a cup-shaped article.

3. The holder (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a locking mechanism (140) is provided for locking and unlocking the rolling movement of the roller shaft (130).

4. The holder (100) as claimed in claims 1 and 3, wherein the flexible strap (120) sags when the roller shaft (130) is locked by the locking mechanism (140) in the deployed position (100a) of the frame (110) and when the frame (110) moves towards the retracted position (100b) for accommodating and holding the article (200) thereon such as a tab-shaped article.

5. The holder (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the locking mechanism (140) includes an operating member (142) having a locking surface (144) with a biasing member (146) adapted to engage with the roller shaft (130) to prevent the rotation of the roller shaft (130).

6. The holder (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the operating member (142) is an “L” shaped shaft.

7. The holder (100) as claimed in claim 5 and 6, wherein a proximal end (142a) of the operating member (142) partially projects outside a housing (400) or the interior panel (300) to manually operate the locking mechanism (140), and a distal end (142b) of the operating member (142) is having the locking surface (144) adapted to engage with the roller shaft (130) to prevent the rotation of the roller shaft (130).

8. The holder (100) as claimed in claims 1, 3 and 5, wherein the locking surface (144) of the locking mechanism (140) is adapted to engage with a roller surface (132) of the roller shaft (130), such that when operating the operating member (142), the locking surface (144) engages with the roller surface (132) thereby preventing the rotation of the roller shaft (130) in the deployed position (100a).

9. The holder (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the operating member (142) can be operable mechanically or electronically.

10. The holder (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame (110) is a telescopic expandable frame (110).
, Description:Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a holding arrangement for a vehicle interior. More specifically, the present invention relates to a holder arranged on or in an interior panel of a vehicle for receiving and / or retaining articles such as a mobile phone, tabs, beverage container and the like.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Holding arrangement are placed inside vehicles, particularly for holding articles, such as bottles, documents, coins, mobile phone, tablet and the like. Mostly, the holding arrangement is arranged on the instrument panel of the vehicle for easy access for both the driver and the occupant. Such arrangements can be made accessible in sideways like glove box or on a top portion or upper side of the instrument panel.

[0003] Along with the storage arrangements, holding arrangements are also vastly used inside the vehicle for holding and retaining articles such as mobile phones and beverage containers. Unlike the storage compartments, the holding arrangements has open storage space for holding and accommodating articles. Such holding arrangements are either configured on the interior panel or instrument console or door panel of the vehicle. Also, it may project outside of the interior panel by utilizing a sufficient amount of space. Further, the holding arrangements of such kinds may have limited space for storing articles such as tabs or smartphones and the like.

[0004] Therefore, there is a requirement of a holder for holding articles inside the vehicle interior which overcomes few or all drawbacks of the existing holder arrangements.

Objects of the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a holder for holding an article arranged inside a vehicle interior.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a holder for holding an article arranged inside a vehicle interior such as for holding a mobile phone or a beverage container with minimum additional components add-on.
[0007] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a holder for holding an article arranged inside a vehicle interior which is structurally simple in design giving the advantage of stowing the holder in a compact area.

[0008] One more object of the present invention is to provide a holder for holding an article arranged inside a vehicle interior which is operable manually or automatically.
[0009] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a holder for holding an article arranged inside a vehicle interior which is economical and robust in construction.

Summary of the invention

[0010] According to the present invention, a holder for holding an article in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. The holder is capable of receiving and / or gripping an article(s) such as a mobile phone or a beverage container or cup or a wallet(s) and the like. The holder includes a frame, a flexible strap. The flexible strap is enveloped by the frame such that the flexible strap can hold the articles therein or thereon. The holder can be arranged on or in an interior panel of a vehicle. In an embodiment, the holder is arranged on or in the interior panel of the vehicle. In such embodiment, the frame is inserted into a slot arranged on the interior panel of the vehicle or the frame is mounted on the interior panel of the vehicle. The interior panel can be an instrument panel or a central console or a door panel and the like of the vehicle interior panel.

[0011] In another embodiment, the holder (100) comprises a housing (400), a frame (110) and a flexible strap (120). The frame is arranged inside a housing. The housing here refers to a box arrangement in which the frame and the flexible strap is configured. The housing can be inserted inside the slot of the interior panel, or the housing can be arranged on the interior panel of the vehicle. The interior panel can be an instrument panel or a central console or a door panel and the like of the vehicle interior panel.

[0012] Further, the frame is movable between a deployed position and a retracted position. The frame may be a telescopic expandable frame such that the frame can move between the deployed position and the retracted position. Further, the flexible strap is arranged on or in the frame. The frame is a supportive structure for the flexible strap. The flexible strap may be a flexible fabric or a flexible sheet-like material which is capable of holding articles therein or thereon. Specifically, the flexible strap is provided with a circular recess having a stretchable area around the circumference of the circular recess for accommodating the article(s) of different size and shapes such as a cup-shaped article therein. The flexible strap is adapted to move along with the frame from the retracted position to the deployed position for holding the articles.

[0013] Further, the flexible strap may include a front end and a rear end. The front end is connected to a front portion of the frame, and the rear end is fixed on a roller shaft arranged on or inside the interior panel. The roller shaft may be arranged on a rear portion of the frame. The flexible strap is rollably arranged on the roller shaft such that the rotation of the roller shaft enables the movement of the flexible strap. The roller shaft is rotatable by a motor or by a biasing element such as a coil spring and the like connected to the roller shaft. In the retracted position, the flexible strap may roll on the roller shaft.

[0014] The holder may be provided with a locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the rolling movement of the roller shaft. The locking mechanism includes an operating member and a biasing member. The operating member is an "L" shaped shaft which adapted to engage with the roller shaft. In an embodiment, a proximal end of the operating member partially projects outside the housing to manually operate the locking mechanism, and a distal end of the operating member has a locking surface adapted to engage with the roller shaft. The proximal end of the operating member is visibly configured outside the periphery of the housing such that the occupant can proceed with manual operation. The operating member can be operated mechanically or electronically.

[0015] Upon operating the operating member, the locking surface may engage with a roller surface, thereby preventing the rotation of the roller shaft. Further, the flexible strap may sags when the locking mechanism locks the roller shaft in the deployed position, and the frame moves towards the retracted position (100b). When the flexible strap sags, a cavity is configured by the flexible strap configuring a holding area for accommodating and holding the articles such as a tab-shaped article. Specifically, when the flexible strap sags, the frame moves towards the retracted position and the flexible strap sags for supporting the articles thereon. The occupant can use the circular recess for using the tab or mobile phone, for example for viewing notifications or for receiving an incoming call etc.

Brief Description of the Drawings
[0016] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent when reading the detailed description given below, purely by way of example and in a non-limitative manner, referring to the following figures:

[0017] Figure 1 illustrates a holder arranged on an interior panel of the vehicle in accordance with the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 shows an embodiment illustrating the holder arranged inside a housing in accordance with the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 illustrates a top view of the holder in the deployed position for holding articles therein in accordance with the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of the holder in deployed position holding a cup-shape article therein;

[0021] Figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of the holder in the deployed position with a flexible strap sagging to accommodate a tab-shape article thereon;

[0022] Figure 6 and 7 illustrates a perspective view of a locking mechanism of the holder in a deployed position and a retracted position respectively;
[0023] Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of figure 5 where a housing or an interior panel is hidden to illustrate the locking mechanism;

[0024] Figure 9 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of figure 5; and
[0025] Figure 10 illustrates another perspective view of the holder for holding an article(s) in a cavity configured by a flexible strap in the deployed position and where a housing or an interior panel is hidden to illustrate the locking mechanism.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0026] An embodiment of this invention, illustrating its features, will now be described in detail. The words "comprising, "having, "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

[0027] The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms “an” and “a” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
[0028] The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms.

[0029] Storage compartments are a necessary arrangement for storing articles inside a vehicle. Many such storage compartments are available inside the vehicle, with some arrangement configured on an instrument panel or door panel or on a vehicle seat. Storage compartments are used for storing articles such as a beverage container, mobile phones, books, keys, wallets, coins and the like which are essential for the day to day life. One such example is a glove box arranged on the instrument panel of the vehicle for storing the articles. Along with the storage arrangements, holding arrangements are also vastly used inside the vehicle for holding and retaining the articles such as mobile phones and beverage containers. Unlike the storage compartments, the holding arrangements provide easier access to the articles to the user.

[0030] Referring now to figures 1, 2 and 3, a holder (100) for receiving and / or gripping an article (200) in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. The holder (100) is capable of holding an article (200) such as a mobile phone, or beverage container, or cup, or wallets and the like. The holder (100) includes a frame (110), a flexible strap (120). The flexible strap (120) is enveloped by the frame (110) such that the flexible strap (120) can hold the articles (200) therein. The holder (100) can be arranged on or in an interior panel (300) of a vehicle. In a first embodiment, as shown in figure 1, the holder (100) is arranged in the interior panel (300) like an instrument panel of the vehicle. In such an embodiment, the frame (110) is inserted into a slot (500) arranged in the instrument panel (300) of the vehicle. In an alternative embodiment, the interior panel (300) can be a door panel or a central console panel with the slot (500) arranged to accommodate the frame (110).

[0031] In a second embodiment, as shown in figure 2, the holder (100) comprises a housing (400), a frame (110) and a flexible strap (120). The frame (110) is arranged inside the housing (400). The housing (400) here refers to a box arrangement which covers or envelopes the frame (110) and the flexible strap (120) therein. The housing (400) can be inserted inside the slot (500) of an interior panel (300) like an instrument panel or a door panel and the like of the vehicle interior, or the housing (400) can be mounted on the interior panel (300) of the vehicle interior.

[0032] Referring now to figures 2 and 3, the frame (110) is movable between a deployed position (100a) and a retracted position (100b). In the present embodiment, the frame (110) is extendable linearly towards the occupant. Specifically, the frame (110) is a telescopic expandable frame such that the frame (110) can move between the deployed position (100a) and the retracted position (100b). The telescopic expandable frame gives the advantage of stowing the holder (100) in a compact area. Further, a flat spring (not shown) may be arranged in the telescopic expandable frame for smooth movement of the frame (110) in between the retracted position (100b) and deployed position (100a). The flexible strap (120) is adapted to move along with the frame (110) from the retracted position (100b) to the deployed position (100a) for holding the article (200).

[0033] Further, the flexible strap (120) is arranged on or in the frame (110). The frame (110) is a supportive structure for the flexible strap (120). The flexible strap (120) is a flexible fabric or a flexible sheet-like material which is capable of holding the articles (200) therein or thereon. Specifically, the flexible strap (120) is provided with a circular recess (121) having a stretchable area (122) around the circumference of the circular recess (121) for accommodating the article (200) of different size and shapes such as a cup-shaped article therein as shown in figures 4 and 10.

[0034] Further, the flexible strap (120) includes a front end (120a) and a rear end (120b). The front end (120a) is connected to a front portion of the frame (110), and the rear end (120b) is fixed on a roller shaft (130) as shown in figures 6 and 7. In the present embodiment, the roller shaft (130) is arranged beside a rear portion of the frame (110). The flexible strap (120) is rollably arranged on the roller shaft (130) such that the rotation of the roller shaft (130) enables the movement of the flexible strap (120). The roller shaft (130) is rotatable by a motor or by a biasing element such as a coil spring and the like connected to the roller shaft (130). In the retracted position (100b), the flexible strap (120) rolls on the roller shaft (130).

[0035] In the present embodiment, the holder (100) is provided with a locking mechanism (140) for locking and unlocking the rolling movement of the roller shaft (130) as shown in figures 6, 7 and 8. The locking mechanism (140) includes an operating member (142) and a biasing member (146). The operating member (142) is an “L” shaped shaft which is adapted to engage with the roller shaft (130). In the present embodiment, a proximal end (142a) of the operating member (142) partially projects outside the housing (400) or the interior panel (300) to manually operate the locking mechanism (140), and a distal end (142b) of the operating member (142) is having a locking surface (144) adapted to engage with the roller shaft (130). The proximal end (142a) of the operating member (142) is visibly configured outside the periphery of the interior panel (300) such that the occupant can proceed with manual operation. In the present embodiment, the operating member (142) is operated manually by a user by mechanical means. In another embodiment, the operating member (142) is operated automatically by electronic sensors.

[0036] The locking surface (144) of the operating member (142) and the roller shaft (130) are arranged symmetrically opposite to each other. The locking surface (144) has a gear structure which facilitates in engaging with the roller shaft (130). Similarly, the engaging portion of the roller shaft (130) has a roller surface (132) with similar gear structure at the receiving end to engage with the locking surface (144) of the operating member (142). Upon operating the operating member (142), the locking surface (144) engages with the roller surface (132), thereby preventing the rotation of the roller shaft (130). In the present embodiment, the proximal end (142a) of the operating member (142) is movable sideways such that the biasing member (146) pushes the locking surface (144) of the operating member (142) to engage with the roller surface (132).

[0037] Referring now to figures 5, 8 and 9, the flexible strap (120) sags when the roller shaft (130) is locked by the locking mechanism (140) in the deployed position (100a), and the frame (110) is moved towards the retracted position (100b). When the flexible strap (120) sags, a cavity is configured by the flexible strap (120) to configure a holding area for accommodating and holding the article (200) such as a tab-shaped article thereon. When the flexible strap sags and forms the cavity, the circular recess (121) forming part of the cavity can be used by the occupant for using the tab or mobile phone for example for viewing notifications or for receiving an incoming call through the circular recess (121).

[0038] Therefore the advantage of the present invention is to provide a holder (100) for holding an article arranged inside a vehicle interior. The holder (100) is capable of holding a mobile phone or a beverage container with a minimum additional components add-on. The holder (100) is structurally simple in design, giving the advantage of stowing the holder (100) in a compact area. Further, it can be operated manually or automatically. Also, the holder (100) is economical and robust in construction.

[0039] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention.