GB2254793A - Apparatus for holding beverages. - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus (10) for holding beverage containers (28) such as bottles or cans and supporting such containers (28) on an inclined golf bag (24) comprises a cylindrical holder (11) for receiving the container (28) and a pair of jaws (19, 22) which are inclined to the holder (11) and engage over the upper edge (26) of the golf bag (24) so as to support the holder (11) in an upright attitude. <IMAGE>

Description

APPARATUS FOR HOLDING BEVERAGES Technical Field THIS INVENTION relates to apparatus for holding beverages and in a particular aspect to apparatus for holding beverage containers such as cans or bottles. The present invention has particular but not exclusive application to use with a golf bag or the like.

Background Art In playing the game of golf, most golfers utilize a golf bag supported on a buggy so that golf clubs may be easily conveyed about a golf course. Playing a game of golf is a pastime which often generates in the player a considerable thirst so that most golfers carry a supply of drinks in the form of bottles or cans usually in their golf bag. Drinks usually are required to be either purchased during or before a round of golf. Once a drink container is opened, however, it must be hand held and then placed on the ground or given to somebody else to hold when a particular golf shot is being taken as two hands are required to grip the golf club. If drink containers are placed on the ground there is always a risk that the container may spill its contents onto the ground or alternatively it may be forgotten and left behind after its placement on the ground.Additionally it is often inconvenient for a person to bend down and pick up a drink container after playing a golf shot. Of course where one is playing by oneself no other person is available to hold a drink container whilst a shot is being taken. A further disadvantage is that drinks if cold tend to lose their chill if say, placed in the sun or gripped for a period of time in the hand. The drink therefore often becomes unpalatable.

Summarv of the Invention The present invention aims to overcome or at least alleviate the above disadvantages by providing apparatus for holding beverages which is particularly suited to holding beverage containers such as bottles or cans and which may be attached to a golf bag or the like so as to support such drink containers in a stable attitude. The present invention further aims to provide in a preferred aspect apparatus which may be readily gripped by the user for the purposes of drinking from a drink container supported therein. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

The present invention thus provides in a preferred aspect an apparatus for supporting a beverage container or the like to an inclined support, said apparatus including a holder for receiving and holding a beverage container and mounting means for mounting said holder to said support, said mounting means including means engageable with said inclined support and adapted to maintain said holder and a beverage container therein in a substantially upright attitude.

The mounting means is preferably such as to facilitate mounting of the apparatus to a golf bag so as to maintain a beverage container supported in the holder in a substantially upright attitude when the golf bag is in its normal carried attitude, either mounted on a golf buggy when parked or travelling or carried, say over the shoulder by a golfer.

The holder for the beverage container is suitably of hollow form and configured to neatly receive a beverage container therein. In a particular preferred form the holder includes or incorporates an insulating material so as to insulate a beverage container located therein from weather extremes and protect the container from possible breakage, where for example the container is a glass bottle. Preferably the insulating material is in the form of a sleeve provided with or without a base and defining an insert for receipt by the holder. The insulating material forming the sleeve preferably comprises a foam plastic material.

The engagement mechanism of said mounting means preferably comprises a pair of jaws adapted for sliding engagement over the edge of a golf bag or a portion of material within the confines of a golf bag or any other carry bag. The pair of jaws preferably function in the manner of a clip or peg. If desired one or both jaws may include serrations on their inner faces or sides to facilitate gripping to the carry bag to which the apparatus is mounted. At least one of the jaws is preferably formed of a resilient material so as to exert in use a resilient gripping force on the bag.

Alternatively, one of the jaws may be pivotally connected to the other jaw and biasing means are provided for biasing it towards the other jaw.

The pair of jaws may be incorporated in or comprise a handle for the apparatus. Preferably one of the jaws is defined by a first member fixed to or formed integrally at one end with the holder and the other jaw is defined by a second member fixed to or formed integrally with the first member and extending generally parallel thereto to be free at its opposite end and define therewith a slot for receipt of the edge of a carry bag. The other member may be in the form of an elongated leg which may be bifurcated so as to assist in rigidly and stably affixing the apparatus to a golf bag.

At least one of the jaws and thus the slot are inclined relative to the central axis of the holder, the inclined jaw defining a datum face such that when the apparatus is mounted to the inclined support such as a golf bag, the axis of the holder is substantially vertical. Preferably the angle of inclination is approximately 45 degrees.

In one form the holder is formed so as to carry a single beverage container, however, in an alternative form the holder may be formed so as to carry a plurality of beverage containers.

When designed for carrying single beverage containers, the holder is of generally hollow cylindrical form of an internal diameter such as to neatly receive the insert or a beverage container to be held therein.

The mounting means may be adjustably connected to the holder for pivotal movement about a normally horizontal axis so that the holder may be pivotally adjusted to an upright attitude.

The apparatus of the invention may be constructed of any suitable material, however, the apparatus is preferably constructed of a plastic material being preferably moulded in one piece.

Brief DescrlDtion of the Drawings In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein: Fig. 1 illustrates a first form of apparatus according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the holder of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 illustrates the apparatus of Fig. 1 supported on a golf bag; Fig. 4 illustrates the relationship between the apparatus of Fig. 1 and the edge of a golf bag; Fig. 5 illustrates an alternative form of apparatus according to the invention; and Fig. 6 illustrates yet an alternative form of apparatus according to the invention modified so as to be adjustable.

Detailed DescriDtion of the Preferred Embodiments Referring now to the drawings and firstly to Figs.

1 and 2, there is illustrated an apparatus 10 according to the present invention including a hollow tubular holder 11 having a generally cylindrical side wall 12 and a base 13 closing one end of the holder 11 whilst the other end 14 thereof is open to accept a drink container or the like. Arranged within the holder 11 is a cylindrical insert 15 formed of an insulating material such as foam plastic material and being of a known form so that a drink container supported therein Is Insulated from external weather conditions.

Formed integrally with the holder 11 or attached thereto is a mounting assembly 16 for mounting the apparatus 10 in a manner described below. The mounting assembly 16 include a pair of arms 17 and 18 which extend outwardly of the support 11, one arm 17 being at the upper end of the holder 12 and being normally substantially horizontal and the other arm 18 extending upwardly and outwardly from a lower portion of the holder 11 to join the arm 17 and define a jaw 19. A further arm 20 extends from the junction of the arms 17 and 18 in an attitude generally parallel to the arm 18 so as to define therewith a slot 21, inclined to the central axis of the holder 11 at in this instance an angle of approximately 45 degrees, the arm 20 defining on its inner side a jaw 22 opposite the jaw 19.Preferably the arm 20 is formed such that the slot 21 has a width which increases in a tapering manner from a minimum adjacent the free end of the arm 20 to a maximum adjacent its opposite closed end. Preferably the slot 21 in this region is enlarged as at 23 for a purpose which will hereafter become apparent.

In use and as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the apparatus 10 is particularly suitable for use with a golf bag 24 supported on a golf buggy 25 by engaging with the upper portion 26 thereof. It will be seen that mounting assembly 16 may be slidably engaged with the bag 24 so that the arm 20 locates on the inside of the bag 24 and the arm 18 locates on the outside thereof so that the upper edge 20 of the bag 24 is firmly gripped between the opposing jaws 19 and 22 in a resilient manner. The upper portion 26 usually includes an increased thickness region 27 and this thickened region 27 is accommodated as shown in Fig. 4 within the enlarged region 23 of the slot 21. The resilience inherent in the outer arm 20 ensures that a firm pressure is exerted on the inner side of the bag 24 so that the apparatus 10 is securely held to the bag 24.The angle of inclination of the arm 18 and thus the jaw 19 sets a datum face which determines the angle of the holder 11 relative to the inclined bag 24.

In the attitudes of Fig. 3 and 4 it will be apparent that a drink container 28 may be simply located within the holder 11 so as to be arranged in a substantially upright attitude. Whether the buggy 25 is parked as shown in Fig. 3 or travelling, the holder 11 will always be maintained in a substantially upright attitude so that the risks of spillage from the container 28 are minimized and similarly if the bag 24 is carried over the shoulder in an inclined attitude.

Additionally, the beverage container 28 is easily accessible for removal and drinking therefrom and then may be simply be replaced into the holder 11 as desired. The apparatus 10 at the end of a game of golf may be simply detached from the golf bag 24 and if desired the apparatus 10 may be used in the manner of a normal drink cooler with the flat base 13 of the holder 11 being able to be seated flat on any supporting surface with the mounting assembly 16 defining a gripping handle to enable manual grasping thereof. The configuration of the arm 17 and 18 define a space 29 for receipt of the fingers of the hand of the user whereby to facilitate gripping of the apparatus 10. The apparatus 10 if desired may be simply used for holding beverages directly with the holder 11 provide a cup shaped receptacle for beverages which may be directly drunk from the holder 11.

Fig. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of apparatus 30 according to the invention including a holder 11 and arms 17 and 18 of similar form to that of Fig. 1. In this case however, the arm 31 equivalent to the arm 20 is pivotally attached to the apparatus 30 via a fastener 32 at the junction of the arms 17 and 18 and a biasing spring 33 is mounted about the fastener 32 and urges the arm 31 towards the arm 18. The apparatus 30 may be mounted to a golf bag 25 or the like in the manner described previously with the upper edge 26 of the bag 25 being gripped between the biased arm 31 and arm 18.

Fig. 6 illustrates yet a further embodiment of apparatus 34 according to the invention which includes as before a tubular holder 11 for a beverage container and a jaw assembly 35 including jaws 36 and 37 which are connected to each other and which are similar to the jaws 18 and 20 of the embodiment of Fig. 1 except that the jaw 36 is free at its lower end. The jaw assembly 35 is pivotally connected to the holder 11 for movement about a normally horizontal attitude by being connected to the arm 38 (equivalent to the arm 17 of Fig.

1). The pivotal connection may comprise a ratchet type connection or any other adjustable connection such as a connection incorporating a thumb screw or the like 39 as shown so that the holder 11 may be adjusted to any desired attitude relative to the jaw assembly 16 and secured or locked in that attitude. Thus the holder 11 may be adjusted to maintain an upright position irrespective of the attitude of the bag or other support to which is mounted.

The present invention thus provides beverage holding apparatus which may be used in many applications but which is particularly suited for holding a beverage container in an upright attitude on a golf bag supported on a golf buggy. The apparatus of the invention however is by no means limited to that application and accordingly, whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein defined in the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. Apparatus for supporting a beverage container or the like to an inclined support, said apparatus including a holder for receiving and holding a beverage container and mounting means for mounting said holder to said support, said mounting means including means engageable with said inclined support and adapted to maintain said holder and a beverage container held therein in a substantially upright attitude.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein said engageable means includes at least one jaw angled relative to said holder such that when engaged with said support, said jaw maintains said holder in said upright attitude.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2 and including a pair of opposite said jaws adapted for engagement with opposite sides of said support.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3 wherein at least one of the jaws is resilient material so as to exert in use a resilient gripping force on said support.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 3 wherein one said jaw is mounted for pivotal movement relative to the other said jaw, and there being provided biasing means for biasing said one jaw towards the other said jaw.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein one of said jaws is defined by a first member fixed to or formed integrally with the holder and the other said jaw is defined by a second member fixed to or formed integrally with said first member and extending generally parallel thereto to define therewith a slot for receipt on the edge portion of said inclined support.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 6 wherein said jaws and -thus said slot are inclined relative to the axis of said holder.

8. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 3 to 7 wherein said jaws are incorporated in or comprise a handle for said apparatus.

9. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said holder is of hollow cylindrical form.

10. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said holder includes or incorporates an insulating material.

11. Apparatus according to Claim 10 wherein said insulating material is in the form of a sleeve defining an insert for receipt by the holder.

12. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein said mounting means is adjustably connected to said holder whereby said holder may be adjusted in attitude relative to said mounting means and said support.

13. Apparatus for supporting a beverage container or the like to an inclined golf bag, said apparatus including a holder for receiving said beverage container; an insert formed of insulating material located within said holder; mounting means for mounting said holder to said golf bag, said mounting means comprising a first jaw; a second jaw spaced from said first jaw, said first and second jaws being adapted to be located over and engage the upper edge of said golf bag; said first and second jaws being inclined relative to the axis of said holder such that when engaged with said golf bag, said holder is in a substantially upright attitude.

14. Apparatus for supporting a beverage container substantiallyas herebefore described with reference to Figs.

1 to 4, 5 or 6 of the accompanying drawings.