US20160015222A1

US20160015222A1 - Shower Bottle Holder

Info

Publication number: US20160015222A1
Application number: US14/703,835
Authority: US
Inventors: Eric Sadlowski
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-06-19
Filing date: 2015-05-04
Publication date: 2016-01-21
Also published as: US20170119133A1; EP3157380A1; EP3157380B1; WO2015196173A1; CA2987893C; US10912374B2; CA2987893A1; EP3157380A4

Abstract

An inexpensive and simple to manufacture holder for inverted bottles or containers of different sizes, shapes, and materials is described. The holder comprises a housing, a base, and at least one aperture. The housing includes an opening at the top adapted in size to receive and support the container in a stable position. The housing also includes a bottom that connects to a base which rests on a surface and supports the housing. The apertures are located on or near the bottom of the housing to allow water to drain from the housing when the apparatus is resting on the surface of, for example, a shower or bathtub.

Description

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/998,134 filed May 2, 2014, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Examples described herein relate to new and useful improvements in bottle holders and bath or shower accessories.

BACKGROUND

It is often difficult to extract all of the contents of a bottle or container, especially when the bottle or container contains a heavy liquid such as shampoo, body wash, lotions, hair dyes, or conditioner. However, most bottles are designed to rest on their bases and will not stand up when inverted to allow the liquid to settle near the cap. In addition, the corners of showers and bathtubs are often small, which makes balancing bottles without knocking them over difficult. Furthermore, a holder for other types of objects may not be appropriate for a shower because water and liquids seeping out of the bottles can accumulate in the holder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example shower bottle holder, in accordance with some aspects.

FIG. 2 illustrates example internal features of a shower bottle holder, in accordance with some aspects.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example suction cup attachment feature for a shower bottle holder, in accordance with some aspects.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top-down view of an example shower bottle holder, in accordance with some aspects.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a first type of shower bottle holder.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a second type of shower bottle holder.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a third type of shower bottle holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In an example, an apparatus for use in holding a container comprises a housing, a base, and at least one aperture. The housing includes an opening at the top adapted in size to receive and support the container in a stable position. The housing also includes a bottom that connects to a base which rests on a surface and supports the housing. The apertures are located on or near the bottom of the housing to allow water to drain from the housing when the apparatus is resting on the surface of, for example, a shower or bathtub.
According to some examples, the housing is made of a flexible material that can conform to the shape of the container when the container is placed into the holder in an inverted position. In some aspects, the apertures are located on the base of the apparatus.
In further aspects, two sides of the housing form a substantially right angle to fit in a corner of a shower or bathtub.
In one example, the shower bottle holder base includes a suction cup to stick to the surface. In other examples, the base is solid plastic or rubber.
In some aspects, the housing comprises an outer frame and an inner receiving chamber for the container. In addition, the shower bottle holder can include drainage tubes to allow water or other liquids to flow from the inner receiving chamber to the apertures on the outer frame of the housing or base.
Other shower caddy type devices are available, but many are expensive and require mounting on a wall or other special considerations. The holder described herein is a cheaper alternative intended to support closed or capped bottles that are inverted in the holder to provide a stable position for viscous fluid in the bottle to drain into the neck under the force of gravity. A shower bottle holder as described is shaped to fit the corners of a typical shower or bathtub and hold larger bottles that may not fit in the corner on their own. Examples of bottles include shampoo, conditioner, body wash, shaving creams, moisturizers, lotions, toothpaste, and oils. In addition, a drainage system is provided that allows water and other liquids to exit the holder and flow back into the shower or tub to be washed down the drain.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example shower bottle holder 100, in accordance with some aspects. Bottle holder 100 comprises a housing 130 engaged with a base 140. The housing 130 has an opening 110 on the top for receiving a container of liquid such as a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, or soap. The bottle holder 100 can also include drainage holes 150 and a utility holder 120.
In some aspects, the bottle holder 100 is designed to fit into the corner of a shower or bathtub with two sides of the bottle holder 100, which may include the housing 130, base 140, or both, forming a right angle. In one example, the sides form a sharp edge where they meet, but in other examples, the edge is curved to better fit the average shower or bathtub design. Opposite the edge that is to be placed in the corner of the shower or bathtub, the remaining side or sides can be curved to rest in a balanced manner on the surface of the tub without protruding substantially into the showering area.
The opening 110 can have different sizes depending on the type of bottle holder 100. For example, multiple models of bottle holder 100 can be produced to fit ranges of bottle sizes. The opening 110 should be large enough to receive a container in an inverted position with enough of the container fitting into the housing to allow for a stable configuration whether the container is full or nearly empty. The opening 110 can also be adapted to receive bottles in an upright position.
In some examples, the top of the housing 130 can contain a utility holder 120 for razors, soap, or other items that may be used in a shower or bathtub. Utility holder 120 can be a small, deep hole for items such as razors or a toothbrush, or it can be a larger, shallow hole like a soap tray.
The base 140 is designed to rest on a surface of a shower or bathtub and support the weight of the housing 130 with a bottle inside. In some aspects, the base 140 is a substantially solid piece of plastic or rubber with a shape that fits in a corner of a shower or bathtub. The base can also include a non-slip material or pattern on the bottom so that it stays in place even when wet. Unlike a suction cup, a rubber base 140 does not have suction and may be used on non-slip surfaces. A rubber base 140 may reduce rings or other wear and tear from bottles or suction cups. The base 140 can be approximately the same length and width as the housing 130, or in other examples, the base 140 can be smaller than the housing 130 in order to fit on small shower and bathtub corner surfaces.
Some examples of bottle holders 100 also include drainage holes 150. Since the bottle holder 100 can be used in a shower, it is likely that water will enter the opening 110. In addition, liquid from the container placed into the bottle holder 100 may leak out into the housing 130. In order to drain these liquids, the base 140 or housing 130 can have one or more drainage holes 150 from which liquids can exit the housing 130 and flow into the shower or bathtub. In some examples, these holes are provided on the sides of the bottle holder 100 designed to face towards the shower or bathtub.
FIG. 2 illustrates example internal features of a shower bottle holder 200, in accordance with some aspects. Similar to the example provided with FIG. 1, bottle holder 200 includes an opening 210, utility holder 220, base 240, and drainage holes 250. In addition, the internal view denoted by dashed lines illustrates an outer housing 230, inner housing 235, housing bottom 260, and drainage canals 255.
In the example of FIG. 2, the outer housing 230 provides support structure for the bottle holder 200 to remain upright when a bottle is received through the opening 210. In some aspects, the outer housing 230 is a hard plastic or other water-resistant material suitable for bathroom use that is relatively lightweight and easy to grasp. The inner housing 235 acts as a receiving chamber for the bottle placed through the opening 210. Although different shapes and sizing for the inner housing 235 are possible, the inner housing 235 can also be flexible enough to slightly conform to the shape of the bottle placed inside it. In addition, the inner housing 235 can be lined with a thin layer of rubber or other material to allow it to be more easily gripped while wet.
At the opposite end of the opening 210 is the housing bottom 260, which can be tapered to allow water and other liquids in the housing to be directed to the drainage system. Holes in the housing bottom 260 are connected to drainage canals 255 through which liquids flow out of the drainage holes 250 in order to keep the inner housing 235 from filling with water.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example suction cup attachment feature for a shower bottle holder 300, in accordance with some aspects. In this example, the base of the bottle holder 300 can include a mechanism for attachment 310 to attach a suction cup 320 or other supportive device to the bottle holder 300. Attachment 310 can be a hole in the base in which the suction cup 320 fits into or alternatively, any other suitable mechanism such as being glued on. In some examples, the suction cup 320 can be permanently attached to the base of the bottle holder 300. In another example, the suction cup 320 includes a smaller suction cup on the top that sticks to the bottom of the base. The suction cup 320 is round or generally round and made of rubber or other suitable materials for a suction cup. It is large enough to support the weight of the bottle holder 300 and bottle of liquid inside the bottle holder 300.
In some aspects, a user can remove the suction cup 320 and use the bottle holder 300 with the standard rubber base.
FIG. 4 illustrates a top-down view of an example shower bottle holder 400, in accordance with some aspects. With reference to FIG. 1, the shower bottle holder 400 can be an alternative view of bottle holder 100. Bottle holder 400 also includes an opening 410, utility holder 420, housing bottom 460, drainage holes 450, and drainage canals 455.
In some aspects, housing bottom 460 is smaller than the opening 410 in order to allow water and other liquids to flow into holes in the bottom, through the drainage canals 455, and out of drainage holes 450 into the shower or bathtub.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a first type of shower bottle holder 500. In this example, the inner housing is an approximately oval shape designed to fit bottles such as the ones listed (trademarked names belong to their respective companies). This example bottle holder 500 is approximately 3.5 inches tall, not including a 1 inch tall base. The opening of example bottle holder 500 is 3 and ⅜th inches long and wide.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a second type of shower bottle holder 600. In this example, the inner housing is tapered towards the bottom and designed to fit bottles such as the ones listed (trademarked names belong to their respective companies). This example bottle holder 600 is approximately 3.5 inches tall, not including a 1 inch tall base. The opening of example bottle holder 600 is 2 and ⅜th inches long and wide.
FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a third type of shower bottle holder 700. In this example, the inner housing is widest at the top and bottom and designed to fit bottles such as the ones listed (trademarked names belong to their respective companies). This example bottle holder 700 is approximately 3.5 inches tall, not including a 1 inch tall base. The opening of example bottle holder 700 is 3 and ¾th inches long and 2 and ⅛th inch wide.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for use in holding a container, the apparatus comprising:

a housing adapted in size to support the container in a stable position, the housing including a bottom and an opening opposite the bottom to receive the container;

a base connected to the bottom of the housing to rest on a surface and support the housing; and

at least one aperture on or near the bottom of the housing to allow drainage of water from the housing when resting on the surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is made of a flexible material that can conform to the shape of the container.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stable position of the container is an inverted position.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture is on the base of the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing includes two sides forming a substantially right angle to fit in a corner of a bathtub or shower.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base includes a suction cup to stick to the surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base is solid plastic or rubber.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises an outer frame and an inner receiving chamber for the container.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one drainage tube to allow water or other liquids to flow from the inner receiving chamber to the at least one aperture on the outer frame of the housing or the base.