US20080128440A1 - Drink Carrier - Google Patents
Drink Carrier Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080128440A1 US20080128440A1 US11/575,988 US57598805A US2008128440A1 US 20080128440 A1 US20080128440 A1 US 20080128440A1 US 57598805 A US57598805 A US 57598805A US 2008128440 A1 US2008128440 A1 US 2008128440A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- carrier
- fold lines
- apertures
- drinks
- aperture
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
- A47G23/00—Other table equipment
- A47G23/06—Serving trays
- A47G23/0641—Serving trays provided with a plurality of openings, e.g. for carrying glasses, bottles or the like
Definitions
- This invention relates to a device for carrying drinks that is convenient to use and inexpensive.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,139 discloses a one handed cup and plate holder which is made by injection moulding but is not adapted to carrying multiple glasses or cups.
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,877 discloses a circular drinks holder with holes to support glasses or cups that are wider at the top than at the base. It is more elaborate than necessary as it has an axial handle and dependent legs.
- Australian design registration 122762 discloses a two handed tray with six holes to support glasses. This also is large and difficult to carry or dispose of when not in use.
- the present invention provides a drinks carrier which consists of a flat body section with two or more apertures adapted to receive drinking cups or glasses and an edge recess to enable the body portion to be held in one hand, the apertures being arranged around the edge recess so that the edge recess is adjacent the centre of mass of the carrier.
- This arrangement provides a stable one handed carrier that can easily accommodate 4 glasses or cups and allow the second hand to be free to open doors or carry some other object.
- the carrier can easily be formed by stamping and moulding and involves no expensive tooling when compared to some prior art proposals.
- the apertures can be any shape that is able to stably retain glasses or cups with minimum risk of spillage. Circular or elliptical shapes are generally preferred.
- the present invention provides a drinks carrier which consists of a flat body section with three or more apertures adapted to receive drinking cups or glasses and having at least one fold line that enables the carrier to be folded into a smaller shape, the fold lines being arranged between the apertures.
- the carrier Preferably there are two or more intersecting fold lines that enable the carrier to be folded twice.
- the fold lines preferably allow the carrier to be folded so that the apertures are aligned concentrically with each other. This is achieved by arranging the fold lines to bisect at right angles the line between the centres of two adjacent apertures.
- the present invention provides a drinks carrier which consists of a flat body section with three or more container apertures adapted to receive drinking cups or glasses and having at least one fold line that enables the carrier to be folded into a smaller shape, the fold lines being arranged between the container apertures.
- the carrier contains four container apertures with the support aperture being equidistant from an edge of each container aperture and two intersecting fold lines extend from the support aperture between said container apertures.
- a further pair of fold lines extends from said support aperture about a line that bisects the angle of said intersecting fold lines and said pair of fold lines are parallel and separated by a distance that is at least double the thickness of said body section.
- the carrier may be made from any suitable material that is strong enough to provide stable support to full glasses or cups and which is robust enough to be reusable.
- the material could be wood or plywood with inset hinges for the fold line but is preferably a synthetic plastic of sufficient thickness to provide the strength characteristics and scored to enable folding.
- Preferably the fold lines only operate in one direction that is upwardly from the glass support surface.
- Suitable plastics are poly ethylene and poly propylene.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of from above of the carrier of a preferred embodiment of this invention
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of from below of the carrier of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is an edge view of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 shows three stages of folding the carrier of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the carrier of FIG. 1 folded for storage.
- the carrier is designed in this embodiment to hold 4 takeaway coffee cups or drink glasses of similar diameter.
- the four sections 11 , 16 , 21 and 26 each contain one aperture 12 , 17 , 22 and 27 .
- the apertures are shown as being of the same size this is not essential but depends on the needs of the venue. Similarly the apertures need not be circular but may be any convenient shape that serves to hold the cups or glasses in a stable position.
- the material chosen is sufficiently flexible to allow the carrier to be folded firstly along the lines 33 A and 33 B so that sector 11 lies on sector 16 and sector 26 lies on sector 21 . Pairs of wedges 35 A and 35 B ensure that the unfolded sectors 11 and 26 don't bend under the weight of a full glass. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4 B the first fold along line 33 A brings sector 26 into contact with sector 21 . The second fold shown in 4 C along line 33 B brings sector 11 in contact with sector 16 and exposes the locking pin 24 .
- the second fold line is a pair of fold lines 34 A and 34 B which brings sector 11 into contact with sector 26 .
- the distance apart of the pair of lines 34 A and 34 B is equal to the thickness of the two sectors 11 and 26 .
- the wedges 35 A and 35 B are set at different distances from the fold lines 34 to avoid each other when making the final folds along lines 34 A and 34 B.
- a locking pin 24 is arranged to fit snugly into hole 28 .
- the carrier When unfolded the carrier is conveniently held in one hand using the recess 14 with the thumb on the top surface and the fingers underneath.
- the glasses are placed into the apertures and the carrier is lifted so that the weight of the glasses is supported by the carrier and is conveniently balanced in one hand because the recess 14 allows the hand to support the carrier adjacent the centre of mass which approximates with the junction of the fold lines 33 and 34 .
- the material is 3 mm thick and the apertures are 70 mm in diameter and the carrier can be folded into a shape that is 100 mm by 130 mm and 12 mm thick. Any suitable thermoplastic polymeric material may be used.
Abstract
A drinks carrier which consists of a flat body section with three or more apertures (12, 17, 22, 27) adapted to receive drinking cups or glasses and having at least one fold line (33A, 33B, 34A, 34B) that enables the carrier to be folded into a “smaller shape, the fold lines (33A, 33B, 34A, 34B) being arranged between the apertures (12, 17, 22, 27). The carrier includes an edge recess (14) to enable the body portion to be held in one hand, the apertures (12, 17, 22, 27) being arranged around the edge recess (14) so that the edge recess (14) is adjacent to the centre of mass of the carrier.
Description
- This invention relates to a device for carrying drinks that is convenient to use and inexpensive.
- At sporting venues, public bars or simply at work the need often arises for one person to fetch and carry more than two drinks which are often in open top glasses or paper cups. Trays are some times provided but are usually large and useful only to the establishment. More often trays are not provided because they are expensive and are lost or stolen.
- At some venues disposable moulded paper trays are sold to patrons but these suffer the same disadvantage of any tray namely that the glasses are supported on their bases and can tip over if the tray is not held steadily and they require two hands.
- The problem of carrying glasses in crowded venues has not been directly addressed in the prior art.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,139 discloses a one handed cup and plate holder which is made by injection moulding but is not adapted to carrying multiple glasses or cups.
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,877 discloses a circular drinks holder with holes to support glasses or cups that are wider at the top than at the base. It is more elaborate than necessary as it has an axial handle and dependent legs.
- Australian design registration 122762 discloses a two handed tray with six holes to support glasses. This also is large and difficult to carry or dispose of when not in use.
- It is an object of this invention to provide a convenient and inexpensive drink carrier that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
- To this end the present invention provides a drinks carrier which consists of a flat body section with two or more apertures adapted to receive drinking cups or glasses and an edge recess to enable the body portion to be held in one hand, the apertures being arranged around the edge recess so that the edge recess is adjacent the centre of mass of the carrier.
- This arrangement provides a stable one handed carrier that can easily accommodate 4 glasses or cups and allow the second hand to be free to open doors or carry some other object. By being flat the carrier can easily be formed by stamping and moulding and involves no expensive tooling when compared to some prior art proposals.
- The apertures can be any shape that is able to stably retain glasses or cups with minimum risk of spillage. Circular or elliptical shapes are generally preferred. In another aspect the present invention provides a drinks carrier which consists of a flat body section with three or more apertures adapted to receive drinking cups or glasses and having at least one fold line that enables the carrier to be folded into a smaller shape, the fold lines being arranged between the apertures.
- Preferably there are two or more intersecting fold lines that enable the carrier to be folded twice. The fold lines preferably allow the carrier to be folded so that the apertures are aligned concentrically with each other. This is achieved by arranging the fold lines to bisect at right angles the line between the centres of two adjacent apertures.
- In another aspect the present invention provides a drinks carrier which consists of a flat body section with three or more container apertures adapted to receive drinking cups or glasses and having at least one fold line that enables the carrier to be folded into a smaller shape, the fold lines being arranged between the container apertures. Preferably the carrier contains four container apertures with the support aperture being equidistant from an edge of each container aperture and two intersecting fold lines extend from the support aperture between said container apertures. Preferably a further pair of fold lines extends from said support aperture about a line that bisects the angle of said intersecting fold lines and said pair of fold lines are parallel and separated by a distance that is at least double the thickness of said body section. If further container apertures are required these can be added in opposed pairs with fold lines between each container aperture so that the carrier can ultimately be folded to one container aperture. To do this with one extra pair of container apertures the intersecting fold line will each become a pair of fold lines separated by a distance at least equivalent to the carrier thickness and the distance between the pair of fold lines bisecting the intersecting fold lines will be four body thicknesses.
- The carrier may be made from any suitable material that is strong enough to provide stable support to full glasses or cups and which is robust enough to be reusable. The material could be wood or plywood with inset hinges for the fold line but is preferably a synthetic plastic of sufficient thickness to provide the strength characteristics and scored to enable folding. Preferably the fold lines only operate in one direction that is upwardly from the glass support surface. Suitable plastics are poly ethylene and poly propylene.
- A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings in which
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of from above of the carrier of a preferred embodiment of this invention; -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of from below of the carrier ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is an edge view ofFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 shows three stages of folding the carrier ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the carrier ofFIG. 1 folded for storage. - As shown in
FIG. 1 the carrier is designed in this embodiment to hold 4 takeaway coffee cups or drink glasses of similar diameter. The foursections aperture - The material chosen is sufficiently flexible to allow the carrier to be folded firstly along the
lines sector 11 lies onsector 16 andsector 26 lies onsector 21. Pairs ofwedges unfolded sectors FIGS. 4A and 4 B the first fold alongline 33A bringssector 26 into contact withsector 21. The second fold shown in 4C alongline 33B bringssector 11 in contact withsector 16 and exposes thelocking pin 24. - The second fold line is a pair of
fold lines sector 11 into contact withsector 26. The distance apart of the pair oflines sectors wedges fold lines 34 to avoid each other when making the final folds alonglines locking pin 24 is arranged to fit snugly intohole 28. - In the folded position as shown in
FIG. 5 all 4 apertures are aligned and the carrier can easily be stowed on a hook or placed in a pocket or purse. - When unfolded the carrier is conveniently held in one hand using the
recess 14 with the thumb on the top surface and the fingers underneath. - In use the glasses are placed into the apertures and the carrier is lifted so that the weight of the glasses is supported by the carrier and is conveniently balanced in one hand because the
recess 14 allows the hand to support the carrier adjacent the centre of mass which approximates with the junction of thefold lines - In the embodiment as shown the material is 3 mm thick and the apertures are 70 mm in diameter and the carrier can be folded into a shape that is 100 mm by 130 mm and 12 mm thick. Any suitable thermoplastic polymeric material may be used.
- If further container apertures are required these can be added in opposed pairs with fold lines between each container aperture so that the carrier can ultimately be folded to one container aperture. To accommodate 6 container apertures an opposed pair can be added between
apertures 12 and 27 (seeFIGS. 1 and 2 ). The fifth aperture will share a fold line withaperture 12 and the sixth aperture will share a fold line withaperture 27 so that all the apertures surround thesupport aperture 14. The intersectingfold lines fold lines -
- 1. it is a one handed device
- 2. it is foldable into a small volume that can be stowed in a pocket or purse
- 3. it is inexpensive to manufacture
- 4. it is robust and reusable when an appropriate material is chosen.
- Those skilled in the art will also realize that this invention can be implemented in a number of embodiments other than that illustrated without departing from the core teachings of this invention.
Claims (9)
1. A drinks carrier which consists of a flat body section with two or more apertures adapted to receive drinking cups or glasses and an edge recess to enable the body portion to be held in one hand, the apertures being arranged around the edge recess so that the edge recess is adjacent the centre of mass of the carrier.
2. A drinks carrier as claimed in claim 1 in which at least one fold line extends from said edge recess between said apertures to enable the carrier to be folded into a smaller shape.
3. A drinks carrier as claimed in claim 2 which contains four apertures with the edge recess being equidistant from an edge of each aperture and two intersecting fold lines extend from the recess between apertures.
4. A drinks carrier as claimed in claim 3 in which a further pair of fold lines extends from said recess about a line that bisects the angle of said intersecting fold lines and said pair of fold lines are parallel and separated by a distance that is at least double the thickness of the drinks carrier.
5. A drinks carrier which consists of a flat body section with three or more container apertures adapted to receive drinking cups or glasses and having at least one fold line that enables the carrier to be folded into a smaller shape, the fold lines being arranged between the container apertures.
6. A drinks carrier as claimed in claim 5 in which there are two intersecting fold lines that enable the carrier to be folded twice.
7. A drinks carrier as claimed in claim 6 in which a support aperture shaped to enable the body portion to be held in one hand, is located adjacent the intersection of the fold lines.
8. A drinks carrier as claimed in claim 7 which contains four container apertures with the support aperture being equidistant from an edge of each container aperture and said two intersecting fold lines extend from the support aperture between said container apertures.
9. A drinks carrier as claimed in claim 8 in which a further pair of fold lines extends from said support aperture about a line that bisects the angle of said intersecting fold lines and said pair of fold lines are parallel and separated by a distance that is at least double the thickness of said body section.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AU2004905593 | 2004-09-29 | ||
AU2004905593A AU2004905593A0 (en) | 2004-09-29 | Drink Carrier | |
PCT/AU2005/001480 WO2006034537A1 (en) | 2004-09-29 | 2005-09-28 | Drink carrier |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20080128440A1 true US20080128440A1 (en) | 2008-06-05 |
Family
ID=36118501
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/575,988 Abandoned US20080128440A1 (en) | 2004-09-29 | 2005-09-28 | Drink Carrier |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20080128440A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1794062A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN100548827C (en) |
CA (1) | CA2582024A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2006034537A1 (en) |
ZA (1) | ZA200702839B (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR200476318Y1 (en) * | 2013-06-10 | 2015-02-23 | 조윤경 | Cup carrier |
US20220211200A1 (en) * | 2018-09-13 | 2022-07-07 | Brian BARCZYK | Cup holder system |
USD966826S1 (en) * | 2020-04-14 | 2022-10-18 | Drinkfinger Limited | Cup holder for drinks |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7601852B2 (en) * | 2006-05-11 | 2009-10-13 | Kosan Biosciences Incorporated | Macrocyclic kinase inhibitors |
Citations (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1801148A (en) * | 1928-09-25 | 1931-04-14 | Gilson John Whitham | Cup holder for thermos lunch kits |
US2582183A (en) * | 1947-09-22 | 1952-01-08 | Weidler Walter | Cup or glass-supporting plate |
US3103303A (en) * | 1962-01-30 | 1963-09-10 | James M Lynchey | Beverage tray |
US3630350A (en) * | 1969-12-31 | 1971-12-28 | Illinois Tool Works | Container carrier package |
US3751098A (en) * | 1971-11-17 | 1973-08-07 | Illinois Tool Works | Container carrier |
US3924738A (en) * | 1974-12-09 | 1975-12-09 | Illinois Tool Works | Multipackage device for containers and method for making same |
US4850479A (en) * | 1988-06-02 | 1989-07-25 | Bird Stanford W | Container carrier |
USD304295S (en) * | 1987-01-29 | 1989-10-31 | Kabushiki Kaisha Bandai d/b/a Bandai Co., Ltd. | Folding container |
US5115910A (en) * | 1990-06-14 | 1992-05-26 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Carrier stock with tear-open band segments |
US5441147A (en) * | 1994-05-31 | 1995-08-15 | Tanner; Bernard | Plastic packaging collars for drink cans |
US5609379A (en) * | 1995-11-29 | 1997-03-11 | Riverwood International Corporation | Beverage cup carrier |
US5765689A (en) * | 1996-01-31 | 1998-06-16 | Cobden; Peter John | Drink tray |
US5806667A (en) * | 1997-02-04 | 1998-09-15 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Container carrier with top lift handle |
US6186327B1 (en) * | 1997-01-13 | 2001-02-13 | Interface, Inc. | Carpet sample book |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4651873A (en) * | 1985-11-04 | 1987-03-24 | Stolcenberg Dennis A | Can caddy device, and methods of constructing and utilizing same |
GB9217271D0 (en) * | 1992-08-14 | 1992-09-30 | Riverwood Int Ltd | Holding arrangement for cans |
US5797486A (en) * | 1996-08-16 | 1998-08-25 | Picciolo; Frank J. | Food and beverage carrier |
DE20112009U1 (en) * | 2001-07-25 | 2001-10-25 | Sca Packaging Deutschland Ag & | Carrier for beverage cups |
-
2005
- 2005-09-28 EP EP05789402A patent/EP1794062A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2005-09-28 WO PCT/AU2005/001480 patent/WO2006034537A1/en active Application Filing
- 2005-09-28 US US11/575,988 patent/US20080128440A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2005-09-28 CA CA002582024A patent/CA2582024A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2005-09-28 CN CNB2005800327281A patent/CN100548827C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2007
- 2007-04-04 ZA ZA200702839A patent/ZA200702839B/en unknown
Patent Citations (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1801148A (en) * | 1928-09-25 | 1931-04-14 | Gilson John Whitham | Cup holder for thermos lunch kits |
US2582183A (en) * | 1947-09-22 | 1952-01-08 | Weidler Walter | Cup or glass-supporting plate |
US3103303A (en) * | 1962-01-30 | 1963-09-10 | James M Lynchey | Beverage tray |
US3630350A (en) * | 1969-12-31 | 1971-12-28 | Illinois Tool Works | Container carrier package |
US3751098A (en) * | 1971-11-17 | 1973-08-07 | Illinois Tool Works | Container carrier |
US3924738A (en) * | 1974-12-09 | 1975-12-09 | Illinois Tool Works | Multipackage device for containers and method for making same |
USD304295S (en) * | 1987-01-29 | 1989-10-31 | Kabushiki Kaisha Bandai d/b/a Bandai Co., Ltd. | Folding container |
US4850479A (en) * | 1988-06-02 | 1989-07-25 | Bird Stanford W | Container carrier |
US5115910A (en) * | 1990-06-14 | 1992-05-26 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Carrier stock with tear-open band segments |
US5441147A (en) * | 1994-05-31 | 1995-08-15 | Tanner; Bernard | Plastic packaging collars for drink cans |
US5609379A (en) * | 1995-11-29 | 1997-03-11 | Riverwood International Corporation | Beverage cup carrier |
US5765689A (en) * | 1996-01-31 | 1998-06-16 | Cobden; Peter John | Drink tray |
US6186327B1 (en) * | 1997-01-13 | 2001-02-13 | Interface, Inc. | Carpet sample book |
US5806667A (en) * | 1997-02-04 | 1998-09-15 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Container carrier with top lift handle |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR200476318Y1 (en) * | 2013-06-10 | 2015-02-23 | 조윤경 | Cup carrier |
US20220211200A1 (en) * | 2018-09-13 | 2022-07-07 | Brian BARCZYK | Cup holder system |
US11564518B2 (en) * | 2018-09-13 | 2023-01-31 | Brian BARCZYK | Cup holder system |
USD966826S1 (en) * | 2020-04-14 | 2022-10-18 | Drinkfinger Limited | Cup holder for drinks |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN100548827C (en) | 2009-10-14 |
WO2006034537A1 (en) | 2006-04-06 |
CA2582024A1 (en) | 2006-04-06 |
ZA200702839B (en) | 2008-08-27 |
CN101031479A (en) | 2007-09-05 |
EP1794062A1 (en) | 2007-06-13 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: INVENTORS EXPRESS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BRAAMS, JOHN;REEL/FRAME:019839/0953 Effective date: 20070312 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |