Cup Holder Design – Simple, Elegant, and Often Forgotten
There are hardly any places nowadays where you will not see cup holders. They are among so many other simple inventions that make our life meaningful as well as comfortable. Most of us don’t even think about this. For instance, we keep on using our drink holder day in and day out, and are unable to even spare a thought about it.
A lot of doctors advise us to drink lots of water, and this is quite explicable given the fact that around 3/4ths of our body is made up of water. Medical experts say that if you are trying to lose weight, extra water increases the metabolism of your body cells and increases your rate of weight loss. It is somewhat sad but true that there are lots of folks who prefer stimulants and beverages like colas, coffee and tea to drinking water. There are so many options that you have in this day and age, in terms of the various blends of coffee as well as cappuccino and espresso. Some people are so used to these things that they even sip from cups while they are driving.
There is a little bit of a history of cup holders. James Guillow was the first person to have installed a cup holder in his vehicle way back in 1943. It was however much later that this invention was recognized and got world wide acclaim.
Drive in movies as well as drive through eateries became popular in the 1960s where cup holders made their first appearance. Most of these were in the form of contractions as well as wedges. These used to be placed on windowsills to hold food as well as beverages. These are simple inventions and in the beginning cup holders were not included in many car models. In some of the cars these holders used to look more like food trays and less like cup holders.
It was in the late 1960s and early 1970s, vehicle makers began to include cup holders in cars. In the case of minivans this was quite prevalent because minivans carry a lot of people who would find cup holders quite handy. With the passage of time, as the design of cars as well as exteriors of the cars changed, the look and feel of cup holders also got altered.
With cup holders, you will find that concerns of safety are also material. This must be viewed in the perspective of the fact that there are more than 5 to 6 million motor accidents in the US every year. This means that users trying to sip coffee perched on their lap while driving is not the most advisable method. Drink holders that are comfortably and suitably placed can thus enhance the level of safety while driving.
When you look at cup holders, you marvel at the simplicity of the idea, which is nonetheless so very utilitarian. This is also one of the innumerable inventions and innovations that we use every day and yet fail to admire or appreciate, as we often have got so used to these and inured to their novelty.
