U.S. patent application number 11/689844 was filed with the patent office on 2007-09-27 for bottle holder.
Invention is credited to Ketan C. Mehta.
Application Number | 20070221806 11/689844 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38283696 |
Filed Date | 2007-09-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070221806 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mehta; Ketan C. |
September 27, 2007 |
Bottle Holder
Abstract
A bottle holder is described. The bottle holder has one or more
receptacles for holding a bottle and optionally, for holding
portions of the bottle, such as a cap and a tube. The bottle holder
is configured to hold the bottle in an inverted position, allowing
the bottle to drain any liquid out. The bottle holder also has an
aperture in the receptacle so that moisture is not trapped within
the bottle.
Inventors: |
Mehta; Ketan C.; (Santa
Rosa, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FISH & RICHARDSON P.C.
PO BOX 1022
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55440-1022
US
|
Family ID: |
38283696 |
Appl. No.: |
11/689844 |
Filed: |
March 22, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60784978 |
Mar 22, 2006 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
248/311.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F26B 25/18 20130101;
B08B 9/08 20130101; A47G 23/0241 20130101; B08B 13/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/311.2 |
International
Class: |
A47K 1/08 20060101
A47K001/08 |
Claims
1. A device, comprising: a first receptacle configured to retain a
bottle in an inverted position, the first receptacle having a
bottle neck support extending from a bottom portion of the
receptacle, the bottle neck support having an aperture therein; and
a second receptacle connected to the first receptacle, wherein the
second receptacle has an aperture in a bottom surface, the second
receptacle adapted to support a cap associated with the bottle.
2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a back configured to
connect the device to a wall.
3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a connecting piece for
connecting the first receptacle to the second receptacle.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first receptacle has a width
of 23/4 inches.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the second receptacle has a width
of 13/8 inches.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first receptacle further
includes a shoulder support region.
7. The device of claim 6, wherein the shoulder support region is at
least 1/4 inches in depth.
8. The device of claim 6, wherein the shoulder support region has a
depth sufficient to keep a bottle from tipping over when inverted
in the first receptacle.
9. The device of claim 6, wherein the shoulder support region is
curved.
10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a stand for
supporting the first and second receptacles on a flat surface.
11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a pocket on the
stand.
12. The device of claim 10, wherein the stand is foldable.
13. The device of claim 10, wherein the stand is formed of two or
more telescoping portions.
14. The device of claim 10, wherein the stand has a foot for
supporting the stand on a surface.
15. The device of claim 14, further comprising at least one suction
cup on the foot for adhering to the surface.
16. A system comprising: the device of claim 1, wherein the device
has a back plate; and a stand having a jacket portion that receives
the back plate.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/784,978, filed on Mar. 22, 2006, which is
incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This invention relates generally to mechanical devices.
[0003] Bottles can be used for containing liquids, powders, or
other types of materials for consumer use. Often, the bottles are
made from durable materials, such as plastics, glass or metals.
These materials lend themselves to reuse by the consumer. Because
the bottle may be reused as a container for a different type of
material or because the material that was in the bottle previously
may be prone to contamination or spoilage, the consumer may wish to
clean the bottle prior to refilling with a new substance. Cleaning
can be particularly important when the bottle is reused for
materials that are to be ingested by a human or applied to the
human body. At least one problem associated with cleaning a bottle
for reuse is the difficulty in finding an adequate location for
subsequent uncontaminated drying of the bottle. For example, when
drying the bottle should ideally be positioned where fluid is
allowed to drip out, but so that vapor is not trapped inside the
bottle.
SUMMARY
[0004] The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are
set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.
Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the description and drawings, and from the
claims.
[0005] A device is described herein. The device includes a first
receptacle and a second receptacle. The first receptacle is
configured to retain a bottle in an inverted position, the first
receptacle having a bottle neck support extending from a bottom
portion of the receptacle, the bottle neck support having an
aperture therein. The second receptacle is connected to the first
receptacle, wherein the second receptacle has an aperture in a
bottom surface, the second receptacle is adapted to support a cap
associated with the bottle.
[0006] Embodiments of the device may include one or more of the
following features. The device can have a back configured to
connect the device to a wall. The device can have a connecting
piece for connecting the first receptacle to the second receptacle.
The first receptacle can have a width of 23/4 inches. The second
receptacle can have a width of 21/8 inches. The first receptacle
can include a shoulder support region. The shoulder support region
can have a depth of at least 3/4 inches. The shoulder support
region can have a depth sufficient to keep a bottle from tipping
over when inverted in the first receptacle. The shoulder support
region can be curved. The device can include a stand for supporting
the first and second receptacles on a flat surface. The device can
include a pocket on the stand. The stand can be foldable and/or can
be formed of two or more telescoping portions. The stand can have a
foot for supporting the stand on a surface. The stand can have at
least one suction cup on the foot for adhering to the surface. The
device can have a back plate. The back plate can fit into a jacket
portion of a stand.
[0007] Advantages of the techniques and devices described herein
include one or more of the following. A holder is provided for
allowing a bottle and cap to dry without trapping liquid inside the
bottle. A convenient storage apparatus for the bottle and cap are
also provided. The holder can be mounted onto a surface, such as a
wall, which allows the bottle opening to be open to the air. Also,
because the bottle can be inverted in the holder, dust is less
likely to enter the bottle and contaminate the interior of the
bottle. In some embodiments, the holder has a stand so that the
holder need not be mounted on a wall, but stands on a counter or
table.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective plan view of a bottle holder.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side view of the bottle holder.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic of a bottle.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a back side view of the bottle holder.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a side view of a bottle holder holding bottle
components.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a perspective view and a front view of a bottle
holder with specific dimensions.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a bottle
holder.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a bottle
holder with a pocket.
[0016] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a stand for supporting a
bottle holder.
[0017] FIG. 10 is a side view of a stand and a bottle holder.
[0018] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a stand supporting a bottle
holder and a bottle.
[0019] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like
elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a bottle component holder 100
includes at least a first receptacle 10 and a second receptacle 20.
The first receptacle 10 and the second receptacle 20 are joined
together by a connector 30.
[0021] The first receptacle 10 is sized for holding a body of a
bottle 200 in an inverted position (bottle 200 shown in FIG. 3).
The first receptacle 10 has an inner surface 15 with a curvature or
features to compliment the upper shoulders 210 of a bottle 200. The
inner surface 15 can prevent the bottle from toppling when the
bottle 200 is in the holder. For example, the inner surface 15 can
have sufficiently tall sides to stabilize the bottle 200. In some
implementations, the curvature prevents debris from collecting in
the receptacle or allows for easy removal of debris from the inner
surface 15 of the first receptacle 10. An aperture 40 in the
receptacle 10 provides a location for fluid to escape from the
bottle 200 when the bottle is inverted within the receptacle 10.
The inner surface 15 can extend down from a bottle shoulder
supporting portion 17 of the receptacle 10, forming a cylindrical
neck support 25. Neck support 25 supports the neck 220 of bottle
200. The neck support 25 can have a sufficient length so that when
the neck 220 is in the neck support 25, the neck support 25
prevents the bottle 200 from falling out of the bottle component
holder 100.
[0022] The second receptacle 20 is configured to retain a cap 230
for bottle 200. The second receptacle 20 has an inner surface 35
that includes features to retain the cap 230. An aperture 50 in the
bottom of the second receptacle 20 allows for fluid to escape from
the bottom side of the cap 230. In some implementations of caps, a
tube 240 extends from the bottom of the cap 230. Tube 240 can be
positioned in the aperture 50 of the receptacle 20 to allow liquid
to be able to drain out of the tube 240.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 4, in some implementations, connector 30
can have a back portion 60 with one or more elements for mounting
the bottle component holder 100 onto a surface, such as a wall. The
elements can be holes 65, such as key hole shaped holes for fitting
over a fastener in the wall, such as a nail head or a screw head,
hook and loop style fasteners, hooks for engaging with a hole in a
mounting bracket attached to the wall, an adhesive, such as a
pressure sensitive adhesive, suction cups for fastening onto a
smooth surface or other suitable fastener. The back portion 60 can
include a recess where the fastener can be placed, which allows for
flush mounting of the bottle component holder 100 to the surface.
The connector 30 can connect the first and second receptacles 10
and 20 at a top portion of the receptacles, a bottom portion or in
between. Further, the connector 30 can be sized to be coextensive
with one or more of the first and second receptacles. In
implementations where the receptacles are connected at a top
portion, the back portion 60 can extend from the top portion of a
respective receptacle to a distance less than the depth of one or
both of the receptacles. Alternatively, the back portion 60 can
have a height that is greater than the depth of one of the
receptacles or equal to a depth of one of the receptacles.
[0024] The holder 100 can be formed of a moldable material, such as
a plastic or metal. Plastic can be molded into the appropriate
shape. A metal bottle holder can be stamped from a sheet of
metal.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 5, in one exemplary implementation, the
bottle component holder 100 can be adapted to hold a bottle, such
as a bottle described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,384, which is
incorporated herein for all purposes. The body 210 of the bottle is
inverted into a first receptacle 10 and the neck of the bottle 200
is support by neck support 25. The aperture in neck support 25
allows residual fluid to drain out of bottle 200. A tube 240
extends through the aperture in the second receptacle 20 when a cap
230 with a tube connected thereto rests in the receptacle 20. If
the bottle component holder 100 is mounted at a distance
sufficiently high from a surface below, the tube 240 is free to
extend from the receptacle 20 and any liquid in the cap 230 or tube
240 drains out.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 6, the bottle holder can have specific
dimensions to hold a bottle, such as the bottle described in U.S.
Pat. No. 6,520,384. The dimensions can be varied from those
described in the figure, the dimensions depending on the type of
bottle to be held, the bottle dimensions and the components of the
bottle. The first receptacle 10 can have a diameter of between
about one half inch and four inches, such as about one inch, two
inches, two and three quarters inch or three inches. The second
receptacle 20 can have a diameter of between about one half inch
and two inches, such as about one an three eighths inch. The back
portion can have a length of between about one quarter and two
inches, such as about three quarters inch. The neck support 25 can
have a diameter of between about one half and two inches, such as
one inch. The bottle neck support can have a depth of between about
one quarter inch and one inch, such as about five eighths inch. The
portion of the first receptacle that supports the bottle shoulders
can have a depth of less than two inches, such as between about one
eighth inch and two inches, such as about one half inch, one inch
or one and a half inches.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 7, in one implementation, the bottle
holder includes a stand for placing the holder on a flat surface,
such as a counter or a table. The stand 300 can have a stem that
extends from the connector 30 and be connected to a flat support
310. The support 310 is sufficiently wide to prevent the bottle
holder from toppling over when placed on a flat surface. In
alternative embodiments, the stand 300 extends from one or both of
the receptacles 10, 20. Instead of extending from the receptacles
10, 20 or connector 30 as a single support piece, the stand 300 can
be in the form a tripod, with three legs flaring outwardly from the
connector or one of the receptacles. In yet another alternative,
the stand 300 has a conical shape, with the widest part at the
bottom and the narrowest part toward the receptacles 10, 20. A
conical shape keeps the stand 300 from interfering with the
downward extension of the bottle receptacles 10, 20. In yet another
alternative, the stand has the features of both a tripod and a
single support, where the single support extends from one of the
receptacles 10, 20 or the connector 30 and is connected to the
tripod portion. The stand 300 has a height that is sufficient for
allowing any tubes or other such items that extend downwardly from
the receptacles from contacting the bottom of the stand 300 or the
surface that supports the stand 300.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 8, the holder can further include a pocket
320. The pocket 320 can be sized for retaining packets. As
described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,384, a packet can include a
mixture, such as a salt mixture or components for forming a
therapeutic solution, that is added to the bottle along with a
liquid, such as water, to form the solution that is retained by the
bottle. The pocket 320 can extend outwardly to fit more than one
packet. In some implementations, the pocket includes one or more
drain holes in a bottom of the pocket to allow for draining or
drying of any liquids that might enter the pocket, such as during
washing of the bottle holder. Although the pocket 320 is shown on
the stand 300, the pocket 320 can be placed anywhere on the bottle
holder and may be incorporated into a bottle holder that does not
include a stand.
[0029] In some embodiments, the pocket is configured to fit a spoon
or scooping device and powder. The powder can be removed from the
pocket with the spoon. The spoon can be a separate piece from the
stand. Alternatively, the spoon can be connected to the stand, such
as by a chain, wire, string or other mechanism, so that the spoon
is not misplaced.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 9, a stand 400 for providing the bottle
component holder 100 can be used in lieu of attaching the bottle
component holder 100 to a wall. The stand 400 can include a foot
410 which rests on a flat surface. The foot 410 is connected to a
vertically extending portion, or stem 420. The stem 420 is
connected to a jacket 430. The jacket 430 forms a recess 440 or
slot. The jacket 430 can be formed of a piece that has ears that
extend outwardly from the stem 420 and wrap around to form the
jacket 430. The ends of the ears can either not touch one another
or contact one another. Alternatively, the jacket 430 can be formed
of a contiguous piece, without a gap as shown in FIG. 9. The recess
440 can accept the back portion 60 (as shown in FIG. 4) and thereby
support the holder 100. As shown in FIG. 10, the back portion 60 of
the holder 100 can extend from the receptacles 10, 20 so that there
is a gap between the back portion 60 and the receptacles 10, 20.
When the back portion 60 of the holder 100 is in the recess 440 of
the stand 400, the stand 400 and holder 100 form a free-standing
system, as shown in FIG. 11. If the jacket 430 includes a gap, as
shown in FIG. 9, and is formed slightly so that the recess 440 is
slightly smaller than the back portion 60, the jacket 430 can
comply to the size of the back portion 60 and can hold the back
portion 60 securely. The height of the stem 420 can be sufficient
that the tube 240 does not contact the foot 410 of the stand
400.
[0031] In some embodiments, the holder 100 is divided into more
than one piece to make the holder more compact. The connector 30
and/or back portion 60 can be split into two pieces. The pieces can
have friction fittings so that when a user receives the two pieces,
the user can snap fit the pieces together, thereby forming the
holder.
[0032] In some embodiments, the stem telescopes. That is, the stem
420 can be formed of multiple concentric pieces that allow the stem
to be compressed into a compact configuration or be extended. When
the stem is extended, the concentric pieces can remain in place by
locking into one another, by pressure fitting into one another or
another mechanism that prevents the stem from collapsing. In some
embodiments, the stand folds.
[0033] In some embodiments, the stand includes a suction cup. The
suction cup, or multiple suction cups, can be used to adhere the
stand to a surface, such as a counter or table. The suction cup can
be on the bottom side of the foot of the stand.
[0034] Various embodiments of the bottle holder can be made. In
some embodiments, either none, one or both of the receptacles have
a neck support style extension surrounding the aperture in the
bottom of receptacle. The holder can include only one or more than
two receptacles, such as three, four, five, six, seven, eight or
more receptacles. The receptacles can be sized differently from one
another or have the same dimensions. Additional receptacles can be
formed for supporting other components, such as irrigator tips,
nozzles, medicine droppers or other bottle attachments. The sides
of the receptacles can be straight (e.g., 90 degrees) or can taper
down from the top to the bottom. The holder can be modified to hold
bottles, such as milk bottles and their corresponding nipples,
sports bottles and their corresponding caps, bottles for dispensing
food items, such as syrups, oils or other edible substances or
medicines.
[0035] The bottle holder allows for liquids to drain out of the
bottle and out of the cap and or any extending tubes. Because
liquid is not trapped inside the bottle or cap, the bottle is able
to dry more quickly than if the bottle is allowed dry on its side
where water can become trapped therein. Preventing the end of the
tube from contacting a surface can also help avoid contaminating
the tube. Further, the bottle holder allows for air to circulate
below the bottle neck and around the bottom of the cap and/or tube.
This overcomes the problem of having fluid vapor trapped inside the
bottle, cap or tube. For applications where the bottle is used with
food or medicine products, bacterial, fungal or mold growth can be
avoided or reduced. If the bottle holder is formed from a
dishwasher safe material, dishwashing the bottle holder can
sterilize the bottle holder and prevent contamination of any bottle
that is retained by the holder for drying. The bottle holder also
provides a convenient location for bottle storage when the bottle
is not in use.
[0036] The bottle holder can be formed so that multiple bottle
holders can be stacked together. A tapered receptacle can enable
stacking, which can conserve packaging space.
[0037] The stands described herein, which incorporate the bottle
holder or support the bottle holder provide a convenient means for
supporting the bottle holder without physically or permanently
attaching the holder to a wall. Because the stands can be made to
collapse or fold, the stand and holder can be more compact, such as
for shipping or storage. In some embodiments, the stand holds a
flat plate with one or more apertures in the plate. The apertures
can support a neck of a bottle.
[0038] A number of embodiments of the invention have been
described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. For example, any of the features described
in reference to one of the embodiments can be incorporated into
another of the embodiments described herein. The features are no
exclusive to a single embodiment. Accordingly, other embodiments
are within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *