U.S. patent application number 10/338114 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-15 for beverage bottle holder.
Invention is credited to Kent-Fawkes, Rod.
Application Number | 20040135049 10/338114 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32655440 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040135049 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kent-Fawkes, Rod |
July 15, 2004 |
Beverage bottle holder
Abstract
A beverage bottle holder is adapted to hold a cylindrical
beverage bottle and comprises a bottom seating member adapted to
accept the bottom surface of the beverage bottle; a top grasping
member adapted to exert compressive forces against the outside
surface of the beverage bottle to firmly holding the bottle in a
stable configuration within the bottle holder; and, a handle
member. The beverage holder is adapted for easy grasping and
manipulation of beverage bottles by persons have weakened hands and
lessened motor skills.
Inventors: |
Kent-Fawkes, Rod;
(Parksville, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GORDON THOMSON
1353 MOUNTAINSIDE CRES.
OTTAWA
ON
KIE3G5
CA
|
Family ID: |
32655440 |
Appl. No.: |
10/338114 |
Filed: |
January 9, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/311.2 ;
248/312; 248/312.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 23/106
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/311.2 ;
248/312; 248/312.1 |
International
Class: |
A47K 001/08 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A beverage bottle holder adapted to hold a cylindrical beverage
bottle having a diameter, a bottom surface and an outer surface,
said beverage bottle holder comprising: a. a bottom seating member
adapted to accept said bottom surface of said bottle; b. a top
grasping member adapted to exert compressive forces against the
outside surface of the bottle thereby firmly holding the bottle in
a stable configuration; and, c. a handle member, having a top end
and a bottom end, said handle member disposed between said bottom
seating member and said top grasping member, said handle adapted
for grasping and manipulating the bottle holder, and wherein said
handle member is rigid has an inherent acclivity from the vertical
to facilitate the positioning of a human hand between the handle
and the bottle.
2. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
bottom seating member comprises a circular sleeve portion, said
circular sleeve portion including a waist, said waist having an
inner surface, outer surface, an upper surface and a bottom
surface.
3. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
waist further includes a flange member depending downwardly and
inwardly from said waist inner surface, wherein said flange
includes a curved surface adapted to accept the curved bottom
surface of the bottle.
4. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 3, wherein the
bottle holder is injection molded from light weight and resilient
plastic materials capable of maintaining their resiliency at cold
temperatures.
5. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 4, further
comprising a projection extending horizontally from said bottom of
said handle member, said projection integral to the bottom of the
handle and adapted to stabilize the base of the beverage bottle
holder and prevent tipping in the horizontal direction of the
projection.
6. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 5, wherein said
top grasping member comprises a first arcuate arm and a second
arcuate arm, said first arcuate arm and said second arcuate arms
congruent and incurvate upon each other.
7. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 6, wherein each
of said first and second arcuate arms has a front end and a back
end, wherein the said back end of the first and second arcuate arms
is attached to the top of the handle member.
8. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 7, wherein said
front end of each of the first and second arcuate arms further
includes a tip, wherein the tip of the first and second arcuate
arms are positioned opposite each other and define a gap between
them.
9. The bottle holder as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first and
second arcuate arms define an bore, said bore having inner diameter
less than said diameter of the cylindrical body of the bottle, so
that when the bottle is inserted between first and second arcuate
arms, the arms flex outwardly, creating a compressive force against
the bottle thereby holding the bottle firmly between the first and
second arcuate arms.
10. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
top grasping member further includes a projection protruding
horizontally there from, and adapted to connect to the top of the
handle member thereby fixing the top grasping member to the handle
in a rigid and horizontal configuration.
11. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 10, wherein the
projection further includes a notched upper surface and an inwardly
curved bottom surface, said notched upper surface adapted to accept
the thumb pad of a human operator so that the human operator may
firmly grasp and manipulate the beverage bottle holder, and wherein
said projection inwardly curved bottom surface is adapted to accept
the first finger of a human operator.
12. The beverage holder as claimed in claim 11, wherein the handle
means further includes gripping means to facilitate gripping of the
handle by a human operator.
13. The beverage holder as claimed in claim 12, wherein said
gripping means is configured as a pistol grip.
14. The beverage holder as claimed in claim 13, wherein the waist
of the sleeve is inwardly beveled creating a chamfer, said chamfer
adapted to facilitate the tipping forward of the bottle contained
in the bottle holder so that contents may be poured from it.
15. The beverage bottle holder as claimed in claim 12, wherein the
height of the first and second arcuate arms is adapted so that the
centre of gravity of the bottle is below the centre line of the
first and second arcuate arms thereby maintaining a stable
configuration regardless of the amount of beverage contained in the
bottle.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to the field of hand manipulated
handling devices and more specifically a handling device adapted
for holding beverage bottles.
[0003] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art
[0004] There are many infirmities related to aging, injury and
disease which result in a reduction of motor skills and limb
strength particularly in the arms and hands. For example,
arthritis, carpel tunnel syndrome, and injury induced paralysis
often restrict the ability of individuals to grasp and firmly hold
objects such as bottles containing soft drinks, water or milk.
Furthermore, the large height, diameter and weight of containers,
such as liter-sized beverage bottles, make it difficult for
weakened individuals to manipulate such things safely.
[0005] The prior art discloses a number of devices that are
designed to aid individuals to grasp, lift and carry bottles and
like containers. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,904 "Bottle
Lifting Device" issued to Smith on Sep. 15, 1998; U.S. Pat. No.
5,695,232 "Bottle Carrier" issued to Tipp on Dec. 9, 1997; U.S.
Pat. No. 5,183,169 "Reusable Bottle Handle" issued to Grzych on
Feb. 2, 1993; and, U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,924 "Reusable Bottle Holder"
issued to McCumb on Apr. 30, 2002. However, all of these devices
are not well adapted for use by persons who have diminished
strength and motor skills due to age, injury or disease.
Furthermore, these devices do not facilitate the safe manipulation
of beverage bottles by such persons.
[0006] Therefore, there continues to be a need for a beverage
bottle holder that is able to conveniently hold and permit carriage
and manipulation of a beverage bottle by an individual with reduced
or weakened arm and hand strength.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In light of the disadvantages noted above, it is a principle
object of the present invention to provide a beverage bottle holder
that overcomes the deficiencies noted above.
[0008] Another object of this invention is to provide a beverage
bottle holder that is specifically designed for individuals that
have reduced arm and hand strength due to age, injury or
disease.
[0009] It is a further object of the invention to provide a
beverage bottle holder that is comfortable and safe to use by
persons with weakened arm and hand strength.
[0010] It is yet another object of the invention to provide a
beverage bottle holder that is lightweight, easy to manufacture and
inexpensive to purchase.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The objects are achieved by providing a beverage bottle
holder adapted to hold a cylindrical beverage bottle having a
diameter, a bottom surface and an outer surface. The beverage
bottle holder comprises: a bottom seating member adapted to accept
the bottom surface of the bottle; a top grasping member adapted to
exert compressive forces against the outside surface of the bottle
thereby firmly holding the bottle in a stable configuration; and, a
handle member, having a top end and a bottom end, the handle member
disposed between the bottom seating member and the top grasping
member. The handle is adapted for grasping and manipulating the
bottle holder. The handle member is rigid and has an inherent
acclivity from the vertical to facilitate the positioning of a
human hand between the handle and the bottle.
[0012] The bottom seating member comprises a circular sleeve
portion that includes a waist having an inner surface, outer
surface, an upper surface and a bottom surface. The waist further
includes a flange member depending downwardly and inwardly from the
waist inner surface. The flange includes a curved surface adapted
to accept the curved bottom surface of the bottle.
[0013] In the preferred embodiment, the bottle holder is injection
molded from light weight and resilient plastic materials capable of
maintaining their resiliency at cold temperatures.
[0014] The invention further comprises a projection extending
horizontally from the bottom of the handle member. The projection
is integral to the bottom of the handle and adapted to stabilize
the base of the beverage bottle holder and prevent tipping in the
horizontal direction of the projection.
[0015] The top grasping member comprises a first arcuate arm and a
second arcuate arm that are congruent and incurvate upon each
other. Each of the arms has a front end and a back end. The back
end of the arms is attached to the top of the handle member. The
front end of each of the arms includes a tip and the tips of each
arm are positioned opposite each other and define a gap between
them.
[0016] The arms define a bore having inner diameter less than the
diameter of the cylindrical body of the beverage bottle, so that
when the bottle is inserted between the arms, the arms flex
outwardly, creating a compressive force against the bottle thereby
holding the bottle firmly between them.
[0017] The top grasping member further includes a projection
protruding horizontally from the back of the top grasping member.
The projection connects the top of the handle member and fixes the
top grasping member to the handle in a rigid and horizontal
configuration. The projection further includes a notched upper
surface and an upwardly curved bottom surface. The notched upper
surface is adapted to accept the thumb pad of a human operator so
that the human operator may firmly grasp and manipulate the
beverage bottle holder. The curved bottom surface is adapted to
accept the first finger of a human operator.
[0018] The handle member further includes gripping means to
facilitate gripping of the handle member by a human operator. In
one embodiment of the invention, the gripping means is configured
as a pistol grip.
[0019] The waist of the sleeve is inwardly beveled creating a
chamfer that is adapted to facilitate the tipping forward of the
bottle contained in the bottle holder so that contents may be
poured from it while preventing overall instability during a
pouring operation.
[0020] The invention is adapted so that a person who lacks
sufficient grasping strength can still manipulate the bottle held
within the invention by inserting a hand under the handle member
and between the grip and bottle and balance the beverage holder on
the top surface of the hand.
[0021] The height of the arms is such that the centre of gravity of
the bottle and contents is always below the centre line of the arms
thereby maintaining a stable configuration regardless of the amount
of beverage contained in the bottle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of
the invention will be apparent from the following more particular
description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference
characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views.
The drawings are not necessary to scale, emphasis instead being
placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the
invention,
[0024] FIG. 2 is a front view of one embodiment of the
invention.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of one embodiment of the
invention.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention.
[0027] FIG. 5 is a view of one embodiment of the invention holding
a bottle showing gripping by a human hand.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a view of one embodiment of the invention holding
a bottle showing the holder suspended by the back of a human
hand.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of
one embodiment of the invention (10), being a beverage bottle
holder, comprising a bottom seating member (12) a top grasping
member (14) and a handle member (16) between the top grasping and
bottom seating members. The handle member is rigid and controllable
in the hand of an individual. In the embodiment shown there is
indicated a hand gripping means (15) adapted to comfortably confirm
to the fingers of a human hand to facilitate manipulation of the
invention. The bottom seating member (12) comprises a circular
sleeve (18) having a waist (20). For orientation purposes, the
invention (10) has a front (9) and a rear (8). The waist (20) has
an inner surface (21), and outer surface (23), an upper surface
(22) and a bottom surface (24).
[0030] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the waist has a uniform
height designated at (25) as "h" about its circumference. The waist
further includes a flange (26) depending downwardly and inwardly
from the inner surface (21) of waist (24). The flange (26) has an
upper bearing surface (30) adapted to conform to the curved shape
of the bottom of a typical beverage bottle. The circular sleeve
(18) is adapted to seat the bottom portion of a beverage container
so that the inner surface (21) of waist (24) is in abutting contact
with the outside surface of the bottom portion of a bottle and so
that the upper surface (30) of the flange (26) is in an abutting
contact with the bottom curved portion of the bottle. The
above-identified features of the circular sleeve (18) are adapted
to hold the bottom of a beverage container firmly once in placed
therein and permit easy insertion and removal of the beverage
container from the circular sleeve by a person with diminished hand
strength.
[0031] The device may be injection molded using light weight and
resilient plastic materials that are capable of maintaining their
resiliency when under cold temperatures. Injection molding permits
easy and inexpensive manufacturing of the invention.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 3 there is shown the bottom surface
(24) of the circular sleeve (18) and the bottom surface (41) of the
flange (26). Flange (26) defines a bore (42) that leaves the
majority of the bottom of the bottle held within the sleeve
exposed. The width (28) of the flange (26) is adequately wide to
support the bottom of the bottle. The flange (26) prevents slippage
of the bottle through the bottom of the sleeve (18) and acts as a
contact point to inform the user that the bottle is properly seated
within the sleeve.
[0033] Still referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a projection (46)
extending horizontally from the back (8) of the sleeve (18).
Projection (46) is integral to the sleeve (18) and connects the
lower seating member (12) to the handle member (16). The projection
is sufficiently sized to provide for stability of the combined
bottle holder and bottle and prevents tipping motions in the
rearward direction.
[0034] Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the features of the top
grasping member (14) are identified. The grasping member (14)
comprises a first arcuate arm (50) and a second arcuate arm (52).
The arms are congruent and incurvate upon each other. The back (8)
portions of the arms are mounted to the top of the handle member
(16) by way of projection (70). The tips (58) and (60) respectively
of arms (50) and (52) are not joined but are in a confronting
relation and extend sufficiently to create a gap (62) between them.
The inner diameter (51) between the arms is smaller than the
diameter of the bottle it is intended to hold. As a result, the
first arcuate arm (50) and the second arcuate arm (52) have an
operative relationship to each other so that when a bottle is
placed between the arms the arms will have an inherent tendency to
flex outwardly to accommodate the diameter of the bottle and then
exert a compressive force against the outside surface of the bottle
once the bottle is seated within the holder thereby firmly grasping
it. The inside surfaces (68) and (66) of arms (50) and (52)
respectively are adapted to firmly grasp the bottle once it is
inserted between them. Projection (70) protrudes horizontally from
the back (8) of the grasping member (14). The projection is adapted
to connect the upper grasping member (14) with the handle member
(16) and maintain the top grasping member (12) in a rigid and
horizontal configuration. The projection member (70) is notched
(71). Notch (71) is adapted to accommodate the curved profile of a
human thumb pad to facilitate grasping and manipulation of the
beverage bottle holder.
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a top view of the
invention (10). The invention comprises a bottom seating member
(12), a top grasping member (14) and a handle member (16) between
the top grasping and bottom seating members. The bottom seating
member (12) comprises a top surface (22) and a waist having an
outer surface and an inner surface (21). Flange (26) curves
downwards and inwards from the waist in a curvilinear manner
forming curved surface (30) adapted to conform to the outside
bottom surface of a beverage bottle. The inner circumference of
flange (26) defines a circular opening (42). Projection (70) with
thumb notch (71) is shown connecting the arcuate arms (50) and (52)
to the top of handle member (16). The tips (58) and (60) of the
arms (50) and (52) respectively define a gap (62) between them. The
diameter (51) between the arcuate arms is equal to the diameter
(57) defined by the top surface (22) of the lower seating portion
(12).
[0036] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown one embodiment of
the invention with a bottle (90) shown mounted in the beverage
bottle holder (10). The bottle (90) is a typical beverage bottom
manufactured from light plastic material. The curved bottom (92) of
the bottle (90) sits within the lower seating portion (12) of the
invention (10) so that the curved bottom portion of the bottle (90)
abuts against the curved inside surface (30) of supporting flange
(26). The bottom portion of the sleeve (18) is inwardly beveled
creating a chamfer (80) that extends backwards and downwards around
the curved circumference of the sleeve. The chamfer facilitates
tipping forward of the bottle contained in the bottle holder so
that contents may be poured from it. Projection (46) is shown
extending rearwardly from the sleeve (18) to provide additional
supporting and stabilizing base area for the invention. Handle
member (16) depends upwardly from the rear of the bottom seating
portion (12) and joins top grasping member (14) by way of
projection (70). Notch (71) is shown accommodating the placement of
the operator's thumb pad (94). Gripping means (15) is illustrated
extending upwards from a mid-portion of the handle member (16) to
the top of the handle member where it joins projection (70). As
shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the inside surface (77) of
projection (70) is curved in a concave fashion to accommodate the
shape of the first grasping finger (96) of hand (98).
[0037] Still referring to FIG. 5, the height (105) of the grasping
member (14) above the surface upon which the invention (10) sits is
adapted to always remain above the centre of gravity (108) of the
bottle and contents contained within the invention. This keeps the
invention and bottle combination stable and reduces the tipping
hazards associated with such tall containers.
[0038] Still referring to FIG. 5, in this embodiment of the
invention, the height (82) of the arms (50) and (52) is generally
the same as the height (25) of the sleeve (20) and sufficiently
sized to create sufficient contact between the inside surface of
the arms and the bottle (90) contained therein. The handle member
(16) has an acclivity (99) away from the vertical that creates a
void (101) between the inside surface (92) of the handle (116) and
the outside surface (103) of the bottle (90) contained within the
invention (10) to permit the fingers of a grasping hand (98) to
grasp the handle.
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown one embodiment of
the invention (10) from a top view. The invention balances the
beverage bottle when carried in a horizontal configuration so that
the grip (15) of the handle member (16) is in contact with the top
surface (110) of hand (98). This is particularly advantageous for
persons with weak gripping strength. The invention and the bottle
can be manipulated into and out of a refrigerator without having to
grasp the handle member.
[0040] Although this description contains much specificity, these
should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention by
merely providing illustrations of some of the embodiment of the
invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by
the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the
examples given.
* * * * *