US3913879A

US3913879A - Container holder

Info

Publication number: US3913879A
Application number: US421588A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Thomas H Wright
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-12-04
Filing date: 1973-12-04
Publication date: 1975-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 1992-10-21

Abstract

A container holder for supporting containers, such as bottles, in which the holder comprises a tubular body of mesh construction with a restricted opening at the bottom thereof and means at the top thereof to receive a hook means.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Wright, Jr. 1 Oct. 21, 1975 1 CONTAINER HOLDER 2,457,918 1/1949 Pierce 248/309 Inventor: Thomas H. g J 1500 Sw- 3,366,360 1/1968 Burke 248/318 5111 Court, Bo R t Fl 33432 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS- 253,160 7/1964 Australia 248/318 [22] 1973 2,183 6 1914 United Kingdom 248/318 [21] Appl. No.: 421,588

Primary Examiner-William H; Schultz [52] U S Cl 248/318 Attorney, Agent, or FirmJack N. McCarthy [51] Int. Cl. A47K 1/08 [58] Field Of Search 248/102, 105, 106, 311, [57] ABSTRACT 248/318 A container holder for supporting containers, such as bottles, in which the holder comprises a tubular body [56] References Cit d of mesh construction with a restricted opening at the UNITED STATES PATENTS bottom thereof and means at the top thereof to re- 832,754 10 1906 Smith 248/311 cewe a hook means 1,029,414 6/1912 Bennett 248/311 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures whom; 1 00 0000000008? 01010192 1 00 0 Q-|Hl 0004i 0 0 00 1 011 1i 1 ....H|M I 00000 0111- US. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 3,913,879

CONTAINER HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a container holder for providing quick suspension of a container while permitting easy access to contents of the container for gravity feed therefrom.

Prior art container holders are shown in US. Pat. No. 3,366,360 to Burke; US. Pat. No. 3,395,882 to Marshall; U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,367 to Morita et al; and US. Pat. No. 3,653,610 to Owen. Further, these patents also refer to other patents which further describe the prior art. However, none of these prior art patents are believed to provide the versatility which the container holder set forth in this application does.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved container holder for providing means for suspending a container or bottle while permitting easy access to an exit opening therein which will then permit gravity feed to obtain immediate use of the contents therein.

In accordance with the present invention, a container holder is constructed in which the contents of the container can be viewed therethrough.

In accordance with further aspects of the present invention, a container holder is provided which will accommodate many sizes of containers and containers which may also have odd shapes.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a container holder is formed of a tubular body of mesh construction having a restricted opening at the bottom thereof to prevent the passage of a container therethrough while the mesh construction remaining at the top thereof provides the means for mounting the container holder and therefore the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container holder in its operative position holding a bottle;

FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken through the bottom of the container holder showing the collar means forming the restricted opening;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the collar means assembled.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the figures, the container holder 2 comprises a tubular body 4 of mesh construction with one end being held to a smaller restricted opening by a collar means 6. The tubular body 4 of mesh construction can receive items having a range of diameters and heights, since it stretches. Further, the tubular body can be made of various sizes to accommodate many ranges. The collar means 6 can be constructed in many ways as long as it is fixed to the tubular body and has left a restricted opening of such size so as to permit the neck 18 of a bottle 20 or other device to pass therethrough. This permits the neck of the bottle to be easily accessible and available for emergency entry, such as in the use of intravenous infusion of blood, plasma, saline, glucose, or other liquids. A two-piece collar means is shown in FIG. 2 wherein in assembly (a) the tubular member is fed through an inner ring 8; (b) the tubular member is bent back around the exterior of the ring;

and (c) an outer ring 10 is then fixed, such as by snapping, over the mesh construction and inner ring 8. In the construction shown, the outer ring 10 has formed around the inner'surface thereof an inwardly extending annular flange 14 which is adapted to fit into an annular groove 12 formed around the outer surface of the inner ring 8. The inner and outer rings, 8 and 10, respectively, are formed of a resilient material, such as a plastic, so that the annular flange 14 of the outer ring 10 can pass over the mesh construction and end of the inner ring 8 between its bottom and the annular groove 12. Other collars can be used made out of all types of materials. A rope could be threaded through the lower mesh portion of the tube of the body and knotted at some desired length to provide the required restricted opening.

After a container, such as a bottle 20, has been inserted into the tubular body of mesh construction with the neck of the opening extending through the collar means 6, the top of the mesh can be merely placed over a hook to support the entire device. The mesh construction of the tubular body can be made of many materials, including plastics, metal wire or hemp, such as in the construction of fishnets.

If desired, a second collar means, similar to collar means 6, can be placed on the top of the tubular body of mesh construction, after a container or bottle has been inserted, if this type of arrangement is desired. This second collar means can have a hook extending therefrom for supporting said holder 2 and container.

It is noted that the use of netting material does not obscure any written material appearing on the surface of a container or bottle, either placed directly on the container or on an individual label affixed to the container.

I claim:

1. A container holder for holding a container upside down to permit contents therein to pass through an opening in the top of the container, said holder comprising a tubular body of mesh construction for receiving and supporting a container, means forming a restricted opening at the bottom of the tubular body of mesh construction to receive the neck of a container and support a container, the upper part of the mesh construction forming means for mounting the container holder and a container, said means forming a restricted opening comprising ring means fixed to the bottom of said mesh construction, said ring means comprising a first ring having an inner and outer surface and a second ring having an inner and outer surface, said tubular body of mesh construction extending through the inner surface of said first ring and back over the outer surface of said first ring, said second ring having its inner surface placed over the portion of the surface of the tubular body of mesh construction over the outer surface of the first ring, said first and second rings being fixed in place.

2. A container holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein said outer surface of said first ring and the inner surface of said second ring are contoured to have a snap action which will fix them in place and hold the tubular body of mesh construction between them.

3. A container holder as set forth in claim 2 wherein said first ring has a circular inner surface having a diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the tubular body of mesh construction as it is positioned on a container.

wherein in step (2) one end of said tubular body of mesh construction is inserted into a first ring member while the tubular body of mesh construction is then pulled around said first ring member with a second ring member being formed to engage said first ring member over said tubular body of mesh construction and fixedly retain the tubular body of mesh construction between said ring members.

Claims

4. A method of holding a container upside down to permit contents therein to pass through an opening in a neck in the top of a container, comprising (1) forming a tubular body of mesh construction for receiving and supporting a container, (2) restricting the opening at one end of the tubular body of mesh construction to receive the neck of a container and support the container, (3) extending said tubular body of mesh construction beyond the bottom of a container to provide for mounting the container holder and container, wherein in step (2) one end of said tubular body of mesh construction is inserted into a first ring member while the tubular body of mesh construction is then pulled around said first ring member with a second ring member being formed to engage said first ring membEr over said tubular body of mesh construction and fixedly retain the tubular body of mesh construction between said ring members.