AU3520901A - Cooler for drink bottle - Google Patents

Description

-1-

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

S Name of Applicant/s: Addis (Australia) Pty Limited Actual Inventor/s: Michelle McNaught and Richard Lin Address for Service: BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS MARGARET STREET SYDNEY NSW 2000 Invention Title: 'COOLER FOR DRINK BOTTLE' Details of Associated Provisional Application No. PQ6946 dated 17 April 2000 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- File: 31300AUP00 -2- COOLER FOR DRINK BOTTLE Field of the Invention This invention relates to a cooler for a drink bottle and has been devised particularly, though not solely, for use with drink bottles having a cap incorporating a drinking nozzle or spout.

Backpround of the Invention Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Drink bottles of the type typically moulded from a plastics material and having a wide neck closed by a screw cap incorporating a pop-up or otherwise releasable nozzle 0* or spout have become very popular for use in many situations, including sport related situations and other situations where the user needs the convenience of a readily accessible and tough drink bottle. So called "sports drink bottles" can be used to contain a wide variety of drinking liquids as chosen by the user.

There are many applications for such drink bottles where it would be desired by 0the user to keep the contents of the bottle cool for more enjoyable drinking but this is not oooee: •easily obtainable using drink bottles currently available without placing the drink bottle in a container such as a cool bin or insulated bag, preferably accompanied by a frozen "brick", ice, or other cooling medium. The use of such separate insulated containers is at times inconvenient or clumsy and users therefore tend to consume the contents of their drink bottles in a relatively warm state.

Summary of the Invention -3- It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

The present invention therefore provides a cooler for a drink bottle of the type having a wide mouthed neck and a removable cap, the cooler including: an elongate container adapted to be inserted into the drink bottle through the neck so as to extend downwardly into the drink bottle; location means at the upper end of the container adapted to co-act with the neck of the bottle to locate the container therein; and filling means by which the container is adapted to be filled with a freezable fluid.

Preferably, the elongate container is ofa length such that when the lower end of o. the container rests on the bottom of the bottle, the location means is aligned with the neck of the bottle.

Preferably, the location means comprise two or more fins projecting upwardly S.from the upper part of the container.

Preferably, the outer faces of the fins are contoured to form a fit within the neck of oo the bottle.

Preferably, two said fins are provided.

*o Preferably, the filling means comprise a plug engagable with a corresponding hole in the container.

Preferably, the plug and hole are located at the upper end of the container between the fins.

Preferably, the elongate container is substantially rectangular in cross-section.

Preferably, the wider faces of the rectangular section container are moulded to display advertising or other indicia.

Brief Description of the Drawings Notwithstanding any other forms that may fall within its scope, one preferred form of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a drink container with the cap removed showing a cooler according to the invention inserted in the bottle; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cooler shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a bottom elevation of a cooler similar to that shown in Fig.2; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the cooler shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a right end elevation of the cooler shown in Fig.3; Fig. 6 is an enlarged section view of the filling hole of the cooler within area "B" of Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 shows the filling hole of Fig. 6 together with the closing plug.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment In the preferred form of the invention, a drink bottle typically moulded from a suitable plastics material and commonly referred to as a "sports drink bottle" has the form shown at 1 with a bottom 2, cylindrical side wall 3, and wide mouthed neck 4 0 *oo which is typically threaded as shown to receive a correspondingly threaded cap 5. The cap is typically provided with a pop-up nozzle or drinking spout 6 which when pushed down, seals the cap and when pulled up, enables liquid from the bottle to be released to the user in the well known manner.

The bottle may be of any desired configuration but is typically waisted as shown at 7 to provide a good hand grip for the user.

A cooler for the drink bottle is provided in the form of an elongate container 8 which is typically rectangular in cross-section and is also typically moulded from a suitable plastics material. The container 8 is sufficiently small in cross-section that it can be easily inserted into the drink bottle through the neck 4 so as to extend downwardly into the drink bottle and be immersed in the contents held therein.

The container is typically of such length that the bottom end 9 can rest on the bottom 2 of the drink bottle having the standard overall dimensions so that the upper end is adjacent the neck 4. In this embodiment, the container is provided with location means in the form of upwardly extended fins 11 which co-act with the neck of the bottle o. •10 4 to locate the upper end of the container. There are typically two such fins provided as o can be clearly seen in Figs. 2 to 5 and the outer faces 12 of the fins are contoured to form 0. 1:1 a fit within the neck of the bottle. This is typically achieved by providing the outer surfaces of the fins with a part cylindrical surface slightly smaller in diameter than the 0000.: "inner surface of the bottle neck 4.

0060 The container 8 is further provided with filling means in the form of a plug 13 "0 engagable with a moulded hole 14 at the upper end of the container so as to releasably seal the contents of the container.

0 In use, the container is filled with a suitable freezable fluid which is typically salt water but can be any fluid which is able to be chilled and preferably frozen in a domestic freezer. The plug 13 is then inserted to keep the salt water within the container.

The container is to be kept in the freezer of the user until use of the drink bottle is required when the container is inserted into the bottle as shown in Fig. 1 in order to cool, or keep cool the contents of the drink bottle.

-6- Although one particular form of the invention has been described it will be appreciated that many variations are possible. For example, the container may be of a shorter length than the depth of the bottle and may depend downwardly into the bottle, supported by the fins 11 engaged with the neck of the bottle. Similarly the number of fins may be varied and the overall configuration and particularly the cross section of the container may be varied.

It is, however, a particular feature of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, that the container is substantially rectangular in cross-section as this shape lends itself to the moulding of advertising material or other indicia into the wider faces o 10 of the rectangular section container as can be clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 4. This has a significant advantage in the typical market for sport drink bottles where brand awareness •is an important feature for a typical user.

The invention has been described herein by way of example only. Skilled workers in this field will readily recognise many variations and modifications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the broad inventive concept.

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Claims (4)

1. A cooler for a drink bottle of the type having a wide mouthed neck and a removable cap, the cooler including: an elongate container adapted to be inserted into the drink bottle through the neck so as to extend downwardly into the drink bottle; location means at the upper end of the container adapted to co-act with the neck of the bottle to locate the container therein; and filling means by which the container is adapted to be filled with a freezable fluid.

2. A cooler according to claim 1, wherein the elongate container is of a length such 10 that when the lower end of the container rests on the bottom of the bottle, the location means is aligned with the neck of the bottle.

3. A cooler according to claim 2, wherein the location means comprise two or more fins projecting upwardly from the upper part of the container.

995.. 9oo A cooler according to claim 3, wherein the outer faces of the fins are contoured to 15 form a fit within the neck of the bottle. 99** A cooler according to claim 3 or 4, wherein two said fins are provided. 6. A cooler according to claims 1 to 5, wherein the filling means comprise a plug engagable with a corresponding hole in the container. 7. A cooler according to claim 6, wherein the plug and hole are located at the upper end of the container between the fins. 8. A cooler according to claims I to 7, wherein the elongate container is substantially rectangular in cross-section. 9. A cooler according to claim 8, wherein the wider faces of the rectangular section container are moulded to display advertising or other indicia. -8- A cooler for a drink bottle of the type having a wide mouthed neck and removeable cap, substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this 17th day of April, 2001 ADDIS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LIMITED Attorney: KENNETH W. BOLTON Registered Patent and Trade Mark Attorney of Australia of BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS .o oo oo