U.S. patent application number 13/042202 was filed with the patent office on 2012-09-13 for novelty floating beverage holder.
Invention is credited to Amy L. Ressel, Terrence B. Ressel.
Application Number | 20120228175 13/042202 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46794553 |
Filed Date | 2012-09-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120228175 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ressel; Terrence B. ; et
al. |
September 13, 2012 |
NOVELTY FLOATING BEVERAGE HOLDER
Abstract
A cup holder is disclosed including a body in the shape of an
Animal, a container compartment in the body shaped to hold a
beverage container, a keel projecting downward from the body, and a
ballast to orient the body in an upright position.
Inventors: |
Ressel; Terrence B.;
(Corona, CA) ; Ressel; Amy L.; (Corona,
CA) |
Family ID: |
46794553 |
Appl. No.: |
13/042202 |
Filed: |
March 7, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/457 ;
220/560 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 23/0216 20130101;
A47G 2200/02 20130101; E04H 4/14 20130101; A45C 2200/20
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/457 ;
220/560 |
International
Class: |
B63B 35/73 20060101
B63B035/73; B65D 25/00 20060101 B65D025/00 |
Claims
1. A cup holder, comprising: a body in the shape of a duck; a
container compartment in the body shaped to hold a beverage
container; a keel projecting downward from the body; and a ballast
to orient the body in an upright position, wherein the body and
keel are configured to orient the cup holder parallel with a
direction of moving water, and the ballast maintains the cup holder
upright when encountering a wave.
2. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the container compartment
comprises a bottom, a generally cylindrical wall, and a lip
circumscribing a top of the cylindrical wall projecting radially
from the cylindrical wall.
3. The cup holder of claim 2, wherein the body comprises an opening
in a top surface of the body to accommodate the container
compartment, wherein the lip of the container compartment rests
against the top surface of the body.
4. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the ballast is within a
portion of the keel.
5. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the body is contoured, sized,
and colored to resemble a real duck.
6. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the cup holder is buoyant to
maintain a top of the container compartment above water.
7. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the body includes a slit
along a bottom central axis to receive a projection on the keel to
slidingly mate the keel to the body.
8. (canceled)
9. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the body and keel are
injection molded to form an integral shape.
10. The cup holder of claim 1, further comprising insulation inside
the body and surrounding the container compartment.
11. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the container compartment is
removable from the body.
12. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein a front profile of the body
is smaller than a side profile of the body.
13. A cup holder, comprising a body in the shape of a turtle; a
first container compartment; a second container compartment; and a
keel projecting from a bottom surface of the body.
14. The cup holder of claim 13, wherein the first container
compartment is a cylindrical cavity shaped to accommodate a single
beverage container, and the second container compartment is shaped
to accommodate more than one beverage container.
15. The cup holder of claim 13, wherein the second container
compartment is fully enclosed.
16. The cup holder of claim 13 wherein the second container
compartment is within the body and the first container compartment
is on a surface of the body.
17. The cup holder of claim 13, wherein the second container
compartment comprises a lid to enclose the second container
compartment.
18. The cup holder of claim 17, wherein the lid of the second
container compartment comprises the first container
compartment.
19. The cup holder of claim 13, wherein the keel further comprises
a ballast.
20. The cup holder of claim 13, wherein the body comprises surface
relief to resemble features, and is colored to resemble a real
turtle.
21. The cup holder of claim 19, wherein the body and keel are
configured to orient the cup holder parallel with a direction of
moving water, and the ballast maintains the cup holder upright when
encountering a wave.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Cup holders are generally cylindrical devices or frames
designed to circumscribe a beverage container to maintain the
container in an upright position at a given location. Cup holders
may include various attachments to secure the holder to a larger
object, such as a car, bike, chair, etc. Inflatable cup holders
have also been used to float a beverage container on the water for
use at the pool. However, these devices are not properly weighted
or designed to maintain a beverage container in an upright position
if the water is moving or turbulent.
SUMMARY
[0002] A novelty floating cup holder is designed to maintain a
beverage container in an upright position through turbulent or
moving water. The cup holder may include a holding compartment
sized and shaped to accommodate a desired beverage container, or
multiple beverage containers. The cup holder is sufficiently
buoyant to float the cup holder and the added beverage container.
The cup holder may also include a ballast to keep the cup holder
oriented upright in the water. The outer surface of the cup holder
may be shaped such that a side profile is longer than the frontal
profile to assist in moving the water around the cup holder. The
cup holder may also include a keel to further assist in orienting
the cup holder such that the front profile is directed into the
flow of moving water, such that the ballast, keel, and outer
surface of the cup holder can work together to maintain the cup
holder in an upright position through moving or turbulent
water.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary cup holder according to
embodiments of the invention.
[0004] FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the exemplary cup
holder of FIG. 1.
[0005] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of an exemplary
cup holder.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0006] The following detailed description illustrates by way of
example, not by way of limitation, the principles of the invention.
This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make
and use the invention, and describes several embodiments,
adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention,
including what is presently believed to be the best mode of
carrying out the invention. It should be understood that the
drawings are diagrammatic and schematic representations of
exemplary embodiments of the invention, and are not limiting of the
present invention nor are they necessarily drawn to scale.
[0007] FIGS. 1-2 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a novelty
cup holder according to embodiments of the present invention in the
form of a duck. FIG. 1A illustrates a side profile, FIG. 1B
illustrates a front profile, and FIG. 1C illustrates a top profile
of the exemplary novelty cup holder. FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded
view of the novelty cup holder. The cup holder 100 may include a
body 102 and a container compartment 104 for a container 106. A
keel 108 may project from the underside of the body 102 to orient
the cup holder 100 in the water (not shown). The cup holder 100 may
also include a ballast 110 to bias the cup holder in an upright
position within the water.
[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, the cup holder 100 includes a
body 102 in the shape of a duck. The body may be contoured and
colored to resemble the features of a realistic water animal, such
as a duck. The cup holder may be made of a light weight, durable
material, such as plastic or rubber. The body 102 may be hollow and
water tight, to provide a buoyant structure to support a beverage
container in the water. The interior may also be filled with foam
or other material for buoyancy and/or insulation. The cup holder
may be injection molded to include the various features of the
animal, including a head with eyes and beak, neck, wings, and tail.
The features or further details of the animal may be relief on the
body surface, such as feathers. The animal may be colored or
decorated to further add to the realistic perception of the cup
holder. Alternatively, the cup holder 100 may be colored or
configured to distinguish the reality of the holder, such as by
applying bright colors inconsistent with the natural animal.
[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the cup holder 100 includes a
container compartment 104 to hold one or more containers 106. As
shown, the container compartment 104 is a generally cylindrical
compartment open at the top to accommodate a container 106, such as
a can or cup. The container compartment includes a flange
circumscribing the outer perimeter, creating a lip at the top of
the container compartment. The lip rests on the body 102 of cup
holder 100 to support the container compartment 104 and container
106. The container compartment 104 may be permanently coupled to
the body 102 by adhering or bonding the lip to the body by glue,
epoxy, adhesive, etc. The container compartment 104 may also be
releasably attached to the body 102 through a mechanical fastener,
or may simply rest on the body, supported by the lip.
[0010] The container compartment 104 may be a generally cylindrical
indention in the back of the cup holder 100 body 102 as illustrated
and described above. Alternatively, the container compartment 104
may be a larger cylindrical, oval, rectangular, or other shaped
compartment to accommodate multiple containers in the same space,
similar to a cooler. In this case, the container compartment 104
may also include a lid or other structure to fully enclose the
container compartment. The cup holder 100 may also include more
than one container compartment 104 accordingly to one or more
embodiments as described herein. Therefore, the cup holder may
include a container compartment of the cylindrical indention to
support a single beverage as well as a larger compartment for
multiple containers. These compartments may be separate or may be
integrated together. For example, the lid of a larger compartment
may be designed to hold multiple closed containers with a lid that
includes the single holder compartment for an open container.
[0011] The container compartment 104 may be integrally formed into
the body 102 or may be a separate component fitted into or onto the
body 102. The container compartment 104 may be permanently coupled
to the body 102, or may be removable to provide access to the
interior of the body 102. In one embodiment, the container
compartment 104 is detachable from the body 102 to provide access
to the interior of the body. The body 102 may include a generally
hollow area under the container compartment 104 accessible through
a hole in the body 102 which accommodates the container compartment
104. The hollow area of the body 102 may be used to house a cooling
medium, such as ice, to maintain the container compartment 104, and
associated container 106, at a desired temperature. The interior
may also provide the space for a second container compartment to
house one or more additional beverage containers. In this case, the
hole of the body is sufficiently sized to permit a hand to enter
the interior space and retrieve the additional containers. The
width of the flange of the container compartment 104 may be
increased to span the distances from the cylindrical body of the
container compartment to the edge of the enlarged hole and permit
sufficient overlap to support the container compartment.
[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the body of the cup holder 100
may be shaped to orient the body in a desired position relative to
a direction of moving water. For example, the body may have a
frontal profile area less than a side profile area, where the
profile is the projection of the body surface from one perspective
onto a two-dimensional surface. The frontal surface may also be
contoured to further assist in orienting the cup holder 100 in the
water. Therefore, the breast of the duck 120 may be swept back to
create a profile as seen from the top of an end of an ellipse or
oval, and the tail of the duck 122 may be more sharply contoured,
such that the top profile is generally tear shaped.
[0013] The cup holder 100 may also include a keel 108 for orienting
the cup holder with respect to moving water. The keel 108 may
project from the underside of the body 100 and create a blade or
fin along the long axis of the body. The keel 108 may be integral
with the body 102 or separate and removably attached. For example,
the body 102 and keel 108 may be injection molded to form a
seamless, integral structure. Alternatively, the body 102 may
include a slot on the underside to accommodate a corresponding
projection from the keel. The slot and keel may include other
features, such as detent and notch, to secure the keel to the body
once properly positioned within the slot. Other connections are
also possible, including mechanical fasteners, cooperating body
structures, etc. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the keel
runs along the long central axis of the cup holder, from front to
end. The body include a slot with cross-bar indentions, generally
in the form of a "T". The keel includes a generally flat fin with a
projection along the upper edge that corresponds to the T-shaped
slot in the body. The projection along the top of the fin includes
two pairs of indentions on either side of the projection to mate
with two pairs of ridges within the top of the slot in the body.
The lower portion of the keel, may include a shaped body to orient
the keel in the water. The shaped portion may also include a
ballast, as described in more detail below. The keel may also
include one or more holes, indentions, rib, hook, connector,
fastener, etc. to link the cup holder to a tether. The separable
keel may improve packaging and shipping and also provide greater
flexibility in material choices.
[0014] The cup holder 100 may include a ballast 110 to assist in
stability and orientation of the cup holder in the water. The
ballast 110 may be incorporated into the keel 108, or may be in the
lower part of the body 102. The ballast includes a weight to the
bottom of the cup holder, to retain the cup holder in an up-right
position in the water. For example, the lower portion of the keel
108 may include a hollow shaped portion filled with weight such as
sand, gravel, coarse rock, metal rod or bar, etc. The added weight
pulls the ballast into the water, and keeps the cup holder oriented
in the up-right position. The buoyancy of the cup holder maintains
the top of the container compartment 104 above the water. The
ballast may also or alternatively be incorporated into the body 102
of the cup holder 100. Therefore, a weight may be added to the
lower portion of the body 102 to properly orient the cup holder in
the water.
[0015] The cup holder may be formed of one or more combination of
materials. For example, the container compartment, body, and keel
may be of one or more light weight, durable plastics, while the
ballast material may include lead or sand. The body may be
injection molded in the desired form, and may integrally include
the container compartment and/or the keel. Alternatively, the body,
container compartment, and keel may be separately molded, and
coupled together. The components may be fixed through glue,
adhesive, bonding, mechanical fasteners, or cooperating
configurations.
[0016] Although embodiments of the invention may be described and
illustrated herein in terms of an exemplary cup holder in the form
of a duck, it should be understood that embodiments of this
invention are not so limited, but are additionally applicable to
other forms of a floating cup holder. Furthermore, although
embodiments of the invention may be described and illustrated
herein in terms of separate components, it should be understood
that embodiments of the invention are also applicable to
configurations in which components are combined, integrated,
separated, coupled, etc. as would be within a person of skill in
the art.
[0017] For example, other animals and shaped cup holders may be
used according to embodiments of the invention. The exemplary duck
illustrates one exemplary configuration utilizing the preferred
body profile adapted to traverse the water surface (side profile
longer than frontal profile), however other configurations are
permissible and contemplated. While the duck is depicted as the cup
holder for the purpose of illustration, is to be understood that
the cup holder can be the shape of any Animal as is encompassed in
the Animal Kingdom or Kingdom Animalia. Both terms for the purpose
of this description are interchangeable and have the same meaning.
The Animal Kingdom ("Animal Kingdom") shall be defined as
"taxonomic kingdom comprising all living or extinct animals." For
the purpose of further clarification, Animal ("Animal") shall be
defined by (1) Merriam-Webster dictionary or (2) as generally
accepted by the greater scientific community, whichever gives
greater creditability to the term Animal. To further clarify, the
term Animal shall include but is not limited to mammals, birds,
fishes, reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders and all other forms
of creatures within the Animal Kingdom, and including imaginary and
real creatures. A person of skill in the art will understand that
the disclosure herein may be adapted to other shapes as well, and
is not limited to the disclosed figures, shapes, or animals as
described, but includes all such variations.
[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates and exemplary alternative embodiment of
cup holder 300 including a body formed as a turtle. The cup holder
300 includes a body 602 and a container compartment 304 as
described above. The exemplary cup holder 300 may modify some of
the attributes of the cup holder 200 to correspond to the new body
shape of the turtle. The body 302 is shaped as a turtle with a
shell and fins. As shown, one or more fins may be oriented to act
as a keel 308, as described above. As such, the fin may project
downward into the water to orient the turtle toward the direction
of water movement. A ballast 310 may be included at the bottom
portion of the body 302 and/or within a portion of the keel 308.
The body 302 may also contain one or more container compartments
304. For example, a first container compartment 304a may be as
described above with respect to a holder for a single container of
a generally cylindrical indentation in the top of the body 302. The
body 302 may include a second container compartment 304b to house
one or more additional containers. For example, the top of the
body, generally depicted as the shell, may be removably coupled to
the bottom portion of the body 302 and enclose a storage space for
additional beverages. The top portion of the body 302 may be simply
placed over the bottom portion to form a lid. The top portion of
the body 302 may be tethered or coupled to the bottom portion to
provide a secure attachment but still permit access to the interior
space of the second container compartment 304b, for example by a
hinge. The space of the second container compartment 304b may be
used and adapted to contain a cooling medium for the first
container compartment 304a. The lower portion of the body 302 may
also be shaped to assist in orientating the cup holder 300 while
traversing moving water. For example, the bottom portion may be
curved or contoured to further assist the keel 308 in orienting the
body to face the direction of motion. Therefore, the lower portion
of the body, i.e. the portion generally below the water line in use
may be shaped and sized such that a frontal profile of the lower
portion is less than a side profile of the lower portion.
[0019] Although embodiments of this invention have been fully
described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be
noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent
to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to
be understood as being included within the scope of embodiments of
this invention as defined by the appended claims. The cup holder
may also include other features or accessories. For example, a
bottle opener may be tethered to the cup holder or integrally
formed into a body portion of the cup holder, such as the underside
of the beak. All such modifications and alternatives are within the
spirit and scope of the present claims.
[0020] A person of skill in the art will recognize that features as
disclosed herein may be used alone or in combination, as described.
Benefits of the various features will be realized by one of skill
in the art. For example, the body profile, keel, and ballast may be
used to orient the body with respect to moving water, such as shown
in FIG. 1C. Such an orientation may assist the cup holder in
traversing moving water without capsizing. For example, the keel
may orient the body parallel to the direction of flow. The buoyancy
of the cup holder may retain the container compartment above water.
The ballast may be used to maintain the body upright while
traversing rough water. The body profile and keel may also assist
in cutting through rough water, such as waves without
capsizing.
* * * * *