摘要 |
A removable docking station (20) disposed on a coffee mug or liquid container (22) for increasing surface stability and, when separated, to allow use of the coffee mug or liquid container in a vehicle cup holder. The docking station includes an integral flat base (24) with a cavity (28) on the inside and a number of partial female threads (34) protruding outwardly from vertical walls (30) formed in the cavity. The base is snapped onto the coffee mug or liquid container forming its integral substructure. A docking station body (36) having a bottom larger in surface area than the flat base is configured to mate with the flat base on the container. This body has a top recess (42) with a raised pedestal (46) inside. A number of partial male threads (48) protrude outwardly from the raised pedestal such that when the docking station body is mated with the integral flat base and rotated, the male threads interface with the female threads bring the docking station body into intimate contact with the coffee mug or liquid container locking the body securely to the base. A resilient pad (50) may be attached to the bottom of the body to increase stability of the container on a flat surface such as a table or counter top and the pad also forms a non-slip structure. When used in a vehicle with cup holders, the body is removed and stored in a convenient place.
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