US20080047924A1

US20080047924A1 - Liquid Bottle for a Bicycle

Info

Publication number: US20080047924A1
Application number: US11/466,368
Authority: US
Inventors: William E. Coats; Robert V. Walsh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-22
Filing date: 2006-08-22
Publication date: 2008-02-28

Abstract

A bottle for containing liquids for a rider. The bottle includes a hollow container sized to be held in one hand of a rider having opposed top and bottom ends, and a continuous side wall extending between the top and bottom ends. The bottom end is closed, the top end has a filling means, and the side wall has an opening near the bottom end of the container. The opening has a closable spigot for drinking the liquid contained in the container without having to tip the bottle. The rider can hold the bottle in a generally upright position while pedaling the bicycle without having to remove his or her eyes from the road, thus improving riding safety.

Description

BACKGROUND

Most bicycle riders store bottles on bottle holders on their bicycles to replenish their thirst while riding. Riders, particularly high performance riders, often drink out of their water bottles while riding, instead of stopping to drink the water. A common problem for riders is falling or colliding with objects while simultaneously drinking liquids and pedaling a bicycle. The rider risks falling while looking down to reach for the water bottle, and then titling his or her head back to drink out of a conventional water bottle that has a spout on the top.
Some attempts have been made to provide riders with safer means to access to their water bottles. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,441,638; 5,301,858; 6,457,691; and 6,837,407.
Regrettably, none of these inventions provide an unobtrusive bottle that can easily be removed from a holder and used by the rider without requiring the rider to take his or her eyes off of the road. Such a water bottle is needed.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a bottle for containing liquids for a rider. The bottle comprises a hollow container sized to be held in one hand of a rider, the container having opposed top and bottom ends. A continuous side wall extends between the top and bottom ends. The bottom end is closed to hold the liquid in the container. The bottle further comprises closable filling means at the top end of the container, which allows for filling the container with a liquid from the top end. The side wall comprises an opening near the bottom end of the container. The opening comprises a closable spigot for drinking liquid in the container without having to tip the bottle. The bottle further comprises at least one indentation in the side wall between the top and bottom ends for placement of a rider's fingers for holding the bottle in a generally upright position. Additionally, the side wall can have a first diameter proximal the top end and can taper to a second diameter proximal the opening, the second diameter being less than the first diameter.
The filling means at the top end of the container can have a closable orifice that is sized for filling the container with liquid. Optionally, the filling means is removable from the container. The filling means can be attached to the container with a hinge. The filling means can optionally have a pull out spout that opens when pulled out and closes when pushed in.
Near the bottom end of the container is an opening having a spigot. Optionally, the spigot can be a pull out spout that opens when pulled out and closes when pushed in. The side wall of the bottle can be of a flexible material to allow the rider to easily squeeze liquid from the bottle. Additionally, the spigot can be a one-way valve that opens to allow liquid out of the bottle when the container is squeezed.
Additionally, the spigot can have a hinge and a spring biasing the spigot around the hinge toward a closed position. The spigot can be moved from the closed position to an open position for drinking.
To use the present invention, a rider can drink liquid while riding a bicycle by first placing the bottle in a holder on a bicycle. A rider then grasps the bottle using at least one indentation of the bottle while pedaling the bicycle and brings the spigot to the mouth while maintaining the bottle generally upright. The rider then causes the spigot to open and drinks liquid from the bottle.
Thus, a bottle is provided which allows a rider to safely drink liquids while continuing to pedal a bicycle.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the bottle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of a bottle having a concave portion and opposing indentations according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bottle of the present invention in a mounting position in a holder on a bicycle;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the bottle of the present invention in use by a rider on a bicycle; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bottle of the present invention in use by a rider on a bicycle.

DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, a bottle 10 having features of the present invention comprises a hollow container 12 sized to be held in one hand of a rider, the container having opposed top 14 and bottom 16 ends. The bottle 10 has a continuous side wall 18 that extends between the top 14 and bottom 16 ends. The bottom end 16 of the container 12 is closed to hold liquid 19 within the container 12. The top end 14 of the container 12 is generally open, which allows for filling the container 12 with liquid 19 from the top end 14. However, the bottle 10 further comprises a filling means 20 at the top end 14 of the container 12, to keep liquid 19 contained within the bottle 10 upon filling the bottle 10 with liquid 19.
The side wall 18 has an opening 22 or aperture near the bottom end 16 of the container 12. The opening 22 allows the liquid 19 to be dispensed to the rider. Secured to the side wall 18 at the opening 22 is a closable spigot 24 for dispensing the liquid 19 contained in the container 12 without having to tip the bottle 10. The closable spigot 24 prevents liquid 19 leaking from the opening 22 in the container 12.
The bottle 10 further comprises at least one indentation 28 in the side wall 18 between the top 14 and bottom 16 ends for placement of a rider's fingers for holding the bottle 10 in a generally upright position. The indentations 28 are preferably located on the middle of the side wall 18 to allow a rider to easily grasp the bottle 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the indentations 28 can be placed on opposing sides of the side wall 18 to provide a grasp for both left-handed and right-handed riders. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the indentations 28 are preferably the size of a rider's fingers.
The filling means 20 at the top end 14 of the container 12 comprises a closable orifice that is sized for filling the container 12 with liquid 19. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, preferably the filling means 20 at the top end 14 of the container 12 is removable from the container 12. The removable filling means 20 can be attached to the container 12 with a hinge 30 to prevent against permanently detaching the filling means 20 from the bottle 10. Additionally, the removable filling means 20 can be a screw top. The filling means 12 can optionally have a pull out spout 32 that opens when pulled out and closes when pushed in, as shown in FIG. 1. The spout 32 gives riders the option to drink from the top end 14 of the container 12.
The side wall 18 of the bottle 10 can be of a flexible material to allow a rider to easily squeeze the bottle. Materials usable for making the bottle 10 include, for example PVC, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Other usable materials will be recognized by those skilled in the art. The bottle 10 can contain a variety of liquids including, for example, water, juice, soda and the like.
The closable spigot 24 is located near the bottom end 16 of the container 12. Preferably, in an embodiment where the side wall 18 is flexible and squeezable, the spigot 24 is a one-way valve 34 that opens to allow liquid 19 out of the bottle 10 when the container 12 is squeezed, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
Optionally, the spigot 24 can be a pull out spout that opens when pulled out and closes when pushed in, as shown in FIG. 3. Preferably, the pull out spout can be pulled out and pushed closed with a rider's teeth. The spigot 24 can also have a hinge 36 for allowing the spigot 24 to be moved from a first position proximal the sidewall 18 for ease of handling and storage, to a second position extended from the sidewall 18 for easier access by the rider.
Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3, the spigot 24 can have a spring 38 to bias the position of the spigot 24. The spring can function to bias the spigot 24 toward the sidewall 18 so that the spigot will not impact or become stuck on whatever bottle holder is used in conjunction with the bottle. Moreover, the spigot 24 can be configured so that the spigot is closed when moved to a closed position proximal the sidewall 18 by the spring 38, and opened for liquid flow when pulled away from the closed position to an open position by a rider.
Optionally, the spigot 24 is a bite valve where the passage of liquid 19 is triggered by pressure from the rider's teeth on the spigot. An example of a bite valve is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,767 to Gardner et al., the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Another valve usable with the present invention is the “kicker valve” by Ultimate Direction U.S.A, in Louisville, Colo. Some spigots 24 are self venting. Alternatively, the sidewall 18 or filling means 20 may contain a vent (not shown) for increasing fluid flow through the valve.
In an exemplary version of the invention, the bottle 10 is preferably from about 2 to about 5 inches in diameter and more preferably from about 2½ inches to about 3 inches in diameter. Additionally, the bottle 10 is preferably from about 6 to about 14 inches in height and more preferably from about 8 to about 10 inches in height. These dimension allow the bottle 10 to be easily inserted into most standard existing bottle holders attached to bicycles. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there are four indentations 28 in the side wall 18 of the container 12 to allow for a rider's four fingers to grasp the bottle 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the side wall 18 may have a tapered portion 40 with the spigot 24 being positioned inside the tapered portion 40. The tapered portion allows a rider to easily access the spigot 24 without the sidewall 18 interfering with the rider's mouth or jaw. Additionally, the tapered portion helps the rider drain all of the liquid out of the bottle 10.
Preferably, the tapered portion is rounded to fit the contours of a rider's face. Preferably, the spigot 24 is moveable to a closed position proximal the tapered portion 40 so that when in the closed position the spigot 24 does not extend outside an untapered portion of the sidewall.
A rider uses the bottle 10 by placing the bottle 10 in a holder 42 on the bicycle 44, as shown in FIG. 4. Preferably, the indentations 28 are facing upwards toward the rider when placed in the holder 42. When thirsty, a rider grasps the bottle 10 using at least one of the indentations 28 of the container 12 while continuing to pedal the bicycle 38. The rider does not have to divert their attention away from the road or path while grasping for the bottle 10, since the indentations 28 provide the rider with a convenient surface to grasp the bottle 10.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, upon grasping the bottle 10, the rider brings the spigot 24 to the mouth 46 while maintaining the bottle 10 generally upright. The rider then causes the spigot 24 to open. The rider drinks liquid from the bottle 10. Because the spigot 24 is located near the bottom end 16 of the container 12, the rider can drink the liquid without tipping their head back. This allows the rider to continue pedaling while looking at the road, path, and/or obstacles. Additionally, the rider does not have to invert their arm, wrist or hand to bring the spigot 24 to their mouth, thereby allowing the rider to maintain their body in a stable position while drinking. All of these features function to dramatically increase the safety of the rider.
The bottle 10 has many applications where it can be used. In addition to being used on a bicycle, it may be used in other vehicles of transportation, including automobiles, airplanes, boats, scooters, motorcycles, unicycles, tandem bicycles, and other vehicles where a rider needs to maintain a focus on a path.
In addition to the advantages discussed above, the bottle 10 of the present invention has many advantages over prior art bottles. For example, the bottle's design is lightweight. Additionally, use of the bottle requires minimal muscle movement thereby saving energy.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.
All features disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstracts, and drawings, and all the steps in any method or process disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in the specification, including the claims, abstract, and drawings, can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means” for performing a specified function or “step” for performing a specified function, should not be interpreted as a “means” for “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. § 112.

Claims

1. A bottle suitable for containing liquids for a rider comprising:

a) a hollow container sized to be held in a hand of the rider and having opposed top and bottom ends and a continuous side wall extending between the top and bottom ends, the bottom end being closed;

b) a closable filing means at the top end of the container, the filling means allowing for filling the container with a liquid;

c) an opening in the side wall proximal the bottom end of the container with a closable spigot for the opening for drinking liquid contained in the container without having to tip the bottle; and

d) at least one indentation in the side wall between the top and bottom ends for placement of a rider's fingers for holding the bottle in a generally upright position.

2. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the filling means is removable from the container.

3. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the filling means is attached to the container with a hinge.

4. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the filling means comprises a closable orifice sized for filling the container with liquid.

5. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the filling means comprises a pull out spout that opens when pulled out and closes when pushed in.

6. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the side wall is flexible and squeezable, and wherein the spigot comprises a one-way valve that opens to allow liquid out of the bottle when the container is squeezed.

7. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the spigot comprises a pull out spout that opens when pulled out and closes when pushed in.

8. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the spigot comprises a bite valve.

9. The bottle of claim 1 wherein the side wall has a first diameter proximal the top end and tapers to a second diameter proximal the opening, the second diameter being less than the first diameter.

10. The bottle of claim 9 wherein the spigot comprise a pull out spout that opens when pulled out and closes when pushed in.

11. The bottle of claim 9 wherein the spigot further comprises a hinge.

12. The bottle of claim 9 wherein the spigot further comprises a spring, the spring biasing the spigot toward the sidewall.

13. A bottle suitable for containing liquids for a rider comprising:

b) a closable filing means at the top end of the container, the filling means allowing for filling the container with a liquid; and

c) an opening in the side wall proximal the bottom end of the container with a closable spigot for the opening for drinking liquid contained in the container without having to tip the bottle, the spigot further comprising:

a hinge; and

a spring biasing the spigot around the hinge toward a closed position; and

wherein the spigot is moveable from the closed position to an open position for drinking.

14. The bottle of claim 13 wherein the sidewall has a first diameter proximal the top end and tapers to a second diameter proximal the opening, the second diameter being less than the first diameter.

15. A method for dispensing a liquid comprising the steps of:

a. obtaining the bottle of claim 1;

b. filling the bottle through the closable filling means; and

c. emptying the bottle through the closable spigot.