U.S. patent application number 09/730693 was filed with the patent office on 2001-12-13 for canned and bottled beverage holder.
Invention is credited to Duff, Scott B., Ortiz, Carols E..
Application Number | 20010050286 09/730693 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24368508 |
Filed Date | 2001-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010050286 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Duff, Scott B. ; et
al. |
December 13, 2001 |
Canned and Bottled Beverage Holder
Abstract
A holder for a beverage container, typically a can or a bottle,
to provide supplemental cooling to the beverage. The holder
includes support ridges, pedestal, or other support means to
support the bottom of the can or bottle above the holder bottom to
create a space for an ice or an ice and water cooling medium. A
sealing means between the holder and the beverage container permits
the container and the holder to be tipped for drinking without
spilling the ice or ice and water used to provide the cooling.
Inventors: |
Duff, Scott B.; (Austin,
TX) ; Ortiz, Carols E.; (Austin, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Rick B. Yeager
10805 Mellow Lane
Austin
TX
78759
US
|
Family ID: |
24368508 |
Appl. No.: |
09/730693 |
Filed: |
December 6, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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09730693 |
Dec 6, 2000 |
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09591921 |
Jun 12, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/592.01 ;
220/592.17; 220/737 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2331/805 20130101;
F25D 3/08 20130101; F25D 31/007 20130101; F25D 2303/081 20130101;
F25D 2331/809 20130101; F25D 2331/803 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/592.01 ;
220/592.17; 220/737 |
International
Class: |
B65D 081/38; B65D
088/74 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A holder for a beverage container comprising a housing such that
the container will reside substantially inside the housing, the
housing including a bottom, at least one container support means
that supports the container above the bottom of the housing,
thereby permitting a coolant medium to be placed in the housing,
such that a substantial portion of the coolant medium is positioned
below the beverage container, a side wall having an inside surface
and an exterior surface, the side wall creating an annular space
between a portion of the exterior of the container and the inside
surface of the side wall, whereby a coolant can be placed in the
annular space and directly contact a portion of the beverage
container, and a top opening; a sealing means positioned within a
portion of the housing such that the sealing means creates a seal
between a portion of the exterior of the container and a portion of
the housing, thereby preventing leakage of the coolant medium from
the annular space when the housing is tilted; and a seal
containment means positioned along the circumference of the top of
the housing such that the seal containment means reinforces the
sealing means and assists in holding the sealing means in place in
the housing.
2. The holder of claim 1 wherein the sealing means and the seal
containment means comprise a detachable seal subassembly.
3. The holder of claim 2 wherein the seal subassembly includes at
least one release tab such that the tab may be lifted in order to
allow air into the space between the sealing means and the housing
in order to release any pressure present to permit removal of the
beverage container and the seal subassembly.
4. The holder of claim I wherein the beverage container is a
can.
5. The holder of claim 1 wherein the beverage container is a
bottle.
6. The holder of claim 1 wherein the housing is tapered.
7. The holder of claim 1 wherein the container support means is a
plurality of support ridges.
8. The holder of claim 1 wherein the container support means is at
least one pedestal.
9. The holder of claim 1 wherein the coolant medium is ice.
10. The holder of claim 1 wherein the coolant medium is a mixture
of ice and water.
11. A holder for a beverage can comprising: a truncated conical
tumbler housing such that the beverage can will reside
substantially inside the housing, the housing including a truncated
bottom portion having a diameter of approximately 2.7 inches, a
side wall having an inside surface and an exterior surface, the
side wall creating an annular space between a portion of the
exterior of the can and the inside surface of the side wall, at
least three support ridges integral to the bottom portion of the
inside surface of the side wall, such that the tabs support the
bottom of the beverage can above the bottom of the housing, thereby
permitting ice and ice water to be placed in the housing, such that
a substantial portion of ice and ice water is positioned below the
beverage can, a top opening having a diameter of approximately 3.6
inches; a detachable seal subassembly positioned within a portion
of the housing such that the seal subassembly creates a seal
between a portion of the exterior of the can and a portion of the
housing, thereby preventing leakage of the coolant medium from the
annular space when the housing is tilted, the seal subassembly
comprising: a compliant seal means having a flexible flap
extension, and a seal containment means having a pair of integral
tabs.
12. A holder for a beverage bottle comprising: a truncated conical
tumbler housing such that the beverage bottle will reside
substantially inside the housing, the housing including a truncated
bottom portion having a diameter of approximately 2.7 inches, a
side wall having an inside surface and an exterior surface, the
side wall creating an annular space between a portion of the
exterior of the can and the inside surface of the side wall, at
least three support ridges integral to the bottom portion of the
inside surface of the side wall, such that the tabs support the
bottom of the beverage bottle above the bottom of the housing,
thereby permitting ice and ice water to be placed in the housing,
such that a substantial portion of ice and ice water is positioned
below the beverage bottle, a top opening having a diameter of
approximately 3.6 inches; a detachable seal subassembly positioned
within a portion of the housing such that the seal subassembly
creates a seal between a portion of the exterior of the bottle and
a portion of the housing, thereby preventing leakage of the coolant
medium from the annular space when the housing is tilted, the seal
subassembly comprising: a compliant seal means having a flexible
flap extension, and a seal containment means having a pair of
integral tabs.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part of application
Ser. No. 09/591,921 filed on Jun. 12, 2000.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to a holder to keep beverage
containers, such as cans and bottles, cool while allowing a user to
drink from the can or bottle in the holder without spilling the ice
or water used to provide the cooling.
BACKGROUND
[0003] An object of the current invention is to provide
supplemental cooling to keep a beverage cold.
[0004] The embodiments of this invention permit a person to place a
can or bottle into a holder along with ice or ice and ice water,
and to periodically drink from the can or bottle without spilling
the ice or water. A beverage container is placed in the holder, and
the seal means provides a sealed enclosure to hold the ice and
water
[0005] The embodiments include a compliant seal means which
establishes a leak-proof seal between a portion of the beverage can
or bottle and the housing.
[0006] Typically, the holder cools the drink while it is being
consumed. In some embodiments, the housing is outwardly tapered to
allow ice water to surround a portion of the beverage container,
and to permit the holder to fit into most cup receptacles such as
those found in automobiles, boats, and golf carts.
[0007] The beverage container is typically supported above the
bottom of the holder with tabs that support the bottom of the
beverage container.
[0008] This offset provides space for a cooling medium such as ice
or ice and water. This cooling medium can be replaced in order to
provide immediate additional refrigeration to the beverage.
SUMMARY
[0009] The embodiments of the current invention include a tumbler
housing which is larger than a beverage can or beverage bottle. One
embodiment of the invention is a removable sealing subassembly
comprised of a compliant seal and a seal containment means which
establish a leak-proof seal between a portion of the beverage can
or bottle and the housing. The housing includes a support means to
support the bottom of the can or bottle above the housing bottom in
order to create a space for an ice or an ice and water cooling
medium.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] These and other objects and advantages of the present
invention are set forth below and further made clear by reference
to the drawings, wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1A is a side cut-away view of a beverage can holder
with a tabbed seal subassembly.
[0012] FIG. 1B is a detailed cross-sectional view of the sealing
means and the seal containment means of the embodiment of FIG.
1A.
[0013] FIG. 1C is a top and bottom perspective view of the tabbed
seal subassembly of FIG. 1A.
[0014] FIG. 2A is a side cut-away view of a beverage bottle holder
with a tabbed seal subassembly.
[0015] FIG. 2B is a detailed cross-sectional view of the sealing
means and the seal containment means of the embodiment of FIG.
2A.
[0016] FIG. 2C is a top and bottom perspective view of the tabbed
seal subassembly of FIG. 2A.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT
[0017] Can holder with removable seal subassembly
[0018] Referring to FIG. 1A, a can holder embodiment of the current
invention includes a tumbler housing 20 that is designed to hold a
beverage can 10. The can is supported above the bottom of the
housing by three support ridges 30 so that there is room below the
can for ice or ice and water to be added to the housing in order to
provide cooling to the can. The width of the housing is slightly
larger than the can to permit additional ice and water to be in
contact with a portion of the sides of the can. The housing has an
upper opening that is larger than the can, and a seal containment
means 40 is placed within a portion of the circumference of this
upper opening so that the seal containment means provides support
and constraint for a compliant sealing means 50 which is positioned
below the seal containment means.
[0019] The seal containment means 40 and the compliant sealing
means 50 form a seal subassembly 45 that is removable. The seal
subassembly serves to hold the can in place as the holder is tipped
for drinking from the can, and the sealing means prevents ice 60
and water 61 from escaping from the housing while the user is
tipping the holder to drink from the can.
[0020] The housing is preferably injection molded from
polypropylene, although other materials and production methods may
be employed. The housing is preferably in the shape of a tumbler
with a bottom diameter of about 2.7 inches so that it will fit into
a cup holder such as those found in automobiles, boats, and golf
carts. In this embodiment, the can is supported at a height of
about 1.4 inches above the bottom of the housing. The support
ridges are shown extending to the bottom of the housing in order to
permit them to be fabricated with the housing by injection molding.
Other support means including pedestals or shelves may be used. The
housing has an overall height of about 5.1 inches, so that about
1.1 inches of a standard beverage can is exposed above the housing
to permit the user to drink from the can. These dimensions support
most 12-ounce beverage cans.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 1B, which is a detailed cross
sectional detail of this embodiment, the seal containment means
includes a pair of tabs 52 located approximately 180 degrees apart.
These tabs provide a leveraging mechanism to assist in removing the
seal subassembly from the housing. Lifting a tab also permits the
release of positive pressure or negative pressure from the space
between the beverage container and the housing, thereby permitting
the beverage container and seal subassembly to be removed more
easily from the housing.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1C, a polypropylene seal containment
means 40 is separately fabricated, preferably by injection molding.
The compliant sealing means 50 is a Dynaflex G7940 thermoplastic
rubber compound, Braton.TM. copolymer, or similar type of compliant
material. One method of manufacturing the seal subassembly is to
mold the seal containment means and then to over-mold the compliant
sealing means over the seal containment means. This process
provides a good bond between the seal containment means and the
compliant sealing means. The compliant sealing means and the
polypropylene seal containment means may be assembled together with
other methods such as glue.
[0023] In typical operation, either ice or an ice and water mixture
is added to the holder before the can is placed in the container.
The can is then placed into the top opening until it contacts the
support ridges or ice which has been placed in the housing. The
support ridges assure adequate space for ice and prevent the can
from disappearing into the container. The seal subassembly is then
placed over the top of the can so that it engages the can as the
seal subassembly is pushed into the housing, thereby creating a
seal between the housing and the can.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT
[0024] Bottle Holder with removable seal subassembly
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 2A-C, a bottle holder embodiment of the
current invention may be produced in the same manner as in the
above-described can holder embodiment. A bottle holder embodiment
of the current invention may be produced in the same manner as in
the above-described can holder embodiment including a tumbler
housing 20 that is designed to hold a beverage bottle 12; support
ridges 30; a seal subassembly 45 comprised of a seal containment
means 40 with tabs 52 and a compliant sealing means 50; ice 60 and
water 61.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 2B, in one embodiment, the bottle
holder is the same device as the can holder, and flexible flap
extensions 54 of the compliant seal adapt to beverage containers of
different diameters. For instance, the flexible flap extensions
permit the holder to seal against both beverage cans and beverage
bottles. In other embodiments, the bottle holder may have a taller
housing and a slightly smaller opening in the compliant sealing
means to accommodate a bottle.
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