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      My name is Vincent Higgins and I am the President of GLV, LLC and the inventor of Cup-Rella®.    I am also a retired veteran, having served twenty-five years in the United States Army, as a Special Forces Green Beret. If I may, I would like to share with you - how my invention, “Cup-Rella®” started.   

    As a native of North Carolina growing up on the east coast, I spent many summer vacations at the beaches. In 1984, I enlisted into the Army and traveled the world many times over.  Unfortunately, one of the draw backs of the job was that vacations during the spring or summer months were not usually available.  So, I often longed for the old summer days of ocean spray and the sound of waves.  As the years passed, I returned to Fort Bragg, N.C. This final change of station provided many opportunities of revisiting Wilmington and Wrightsville Beaches in North Carolina and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.  

 

    In fact; in April 2002, after returning home from a deployment, serving overseas. I took my fiancé to Myrtle Beach, SC where I proposed to her. The very next day she and I were sitting around a patio table with an umbrella. We were having breakfast with drinks outside the hotel restaurant.  The day was beautiful, mild but a bit windy.  As I sat there, I should have taken in the early morning sunrise. Instead, my attention was distracted by my Styrofoam cup of coffee.  I was concerned that it might blow over and spill everywhere – spoiling this perfect moment. In that instance - I thought to myself, “Why hasn’t anyone designed a cup holder for a patio table with an umbrella?” It never dawned on me that I could do it. So, I let it pass. But every time I would return to the beach and sit at a patio table - that same thought would always cross my mind.

 

   In September of 2002, she and I were married and decided to travel to a different city for each anniversary.  One year, we traveled to Chicago and as we walked through the “Windy City”, I noticed that there were many restaurants downtown with outdoor seating with patio tables and umbrellas.  Even the coffee shops and sandwich eateries had them and again, a silly question crossed my mind. “Why hasn’t anyone designed a cup holder for a patio table with an umbrella?”  I then thought, maybe I should try to design one.  I already had the idea in my head - I should put in onto paper.  So, I did and this was the beginning of Cup-Rella®.

 

     It wasn’t until 2010, that I decided to take a stab at it. I would have started earlier but I was deployed overseas in 2003 and in 2004 my wife and I became the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl.  She was born twenty – eight weeks prematurely with many complications and surgeries – resulting in cerebral palsy. So our priorities quickly changed to meet her needs.

 

   Despite the delay, I was still resolute to begin my research and development. So, I decided to make my first prototype out of wood. Wood; however, is expensive and requires a lot of sanding, priming, painting, lacquering and maintenance. It was not the most practical or economical material to use for Cup-Rella®; especially, in the outdoors - weathering four seasons.  I had to find something that was better suited for those conditions. Unfortunately I was having a difficult time. 

 

    In February of 2012, I completed my second prototype, using plastic sheeting and PVC.  It was the right material for using outdoors, all year round.  It was moisture resistant, insect resistant, warp resistant, and flame retardant.  I could drill, cut and paint it; as if, it was a piece of wood.  It was perfect.  The only drawback was that the plastic was too thick.  So I had to come up with a different solution.  

 

    In December of 2012, I decided to go with injection molding here in the United States to complete my third prototype.  I was reluctant at first because I thought I would have to outsource to China and that was the last thing I wanted to do.  The end product was a 12 inch diameter disc designed to hold four beverages on a patio table with an umbrella. 

 

    In January of 2013, I introduced my idea to my sister-in-law who owns and operates a local coffee shop (The Coffee Scene).  I wanted to get her opinion about this concept.   I knew that she had patio tables but I didn't realize that her tables were under cover and did not have umbrellas. At that moment - I thought to myself, “Can I design a cup holder for a patio table without an umbrella?”   So, I went back to the drawing board and completed a design that would secure the cup holder to a table on its own.  At first she thought the idea was great but the size of the cup holder was too big.  She wanted a smaller (more discrete) profile, considering her tables measured 2 ft. by 2 ft. square for seating two customers.  

 

    In April 2013, I presented a newer and smaller look and she loved the idea.  This concept is practical for her because spillages are common occurrences on her patio, due to gusts of wind passing through and/or tables tilting and wobbling.  Some of the tables tend to shake because the cement floor is not exactly level, or some of the table legs are uneven. Cup-Rella® frees up the staff from cleaning up messes and doing their job as baristas, making and selling coffee.  It also prevents customers from spilling hot coffee or fountain drinks on themselves or others, on their books or laptops while sitting at the tables reading or studying for classes. 

 

     Successfully, I have completed my research and development.  I am now ready to introduce “Cup-Rella®” to the general public.  I am very pleased with the outcome and its application. Over the course of five years,  I have also considered and implemented a variety of ways that Cup-Rella® can be used or employed.  The most practical and popular idea, is taking a small PVC pipe and securing it to the bottom of Cup-Rella®.  The pipe is used to stick the cup holder into the beach sand or surf. It can also be used on the side of a lake, or a lawn in the park or backyard.  

 

   I have also considered the use of "cup-Rella" for the pool side or on a patio or deck. I have a plastic base for Cup-Rella™ that can be situated between two chase loungers or chairs. I have a taller version that can be used while playing corn hole or horse shoes. Lastly, if you have a restaurant or sandwich eatery with outdoor patio seating and have the need for a condiment holder, Cup-Rella™  is fully capable of fulfilling that need as well.  I believe that Cup-Rella® offers many advantages. First and foremost, it provides a secure place for a cup of many sizes of any beverage in a coffee shop, sandwich eatery, beach front or lake side property, sporting event, chain food restaurant, or backyard-patio picnic.  It saves everyone from losing his or her beverage. Secondly and just as important, it saves the environment from excessive litter. Lastly, it prevents unnecessary cleanup on clothes, shoes, books, laptops, and floors in coffee shops and sandwich eateries.

 

    I realize that Cup-Rella® may not be a necessity, but it is unique and a huge convenience that I believe will become very popular worldwide.  I am confident that you will agree. Please let us know what you think and again, thank you for visiting our website.

 

 

 

Vincent Higgins

President

GLV-LLC (Consulting, Designing, Fabricating & Sales)