US2080947A - Bottle carrier and cap remover - Google Patents

Description

May 18, 1937. J. c. I IGEoUR BOTTLE CARRIER AND CAP REMovER Filedv Jani. 1s, 195e atented May 18, '1937 uNiTlaiDv STATES PATENT I V goeder:vv ff. j' ff jfrj BOTTLE Carmina ANDCAP REMovER- 'A Joseph C. Lig'eour, Brunswick, Ga. 'l v y n `Application January 16., 1336, Serial No.'-9,47`2 'F l l `This invention relates to devices `for carrying,

for vending purposesVJ a number ofbottles 'such as areused in ldispensing pop, ginger alebeer andthe like, which bottles l,are provided with metallic caps, ordinarily removed by bottle openers.l '-It is the custom at ball parks, `fairs and in like circumstances,V `for boys to carry around bottles of` soda, pop, beer, etc., vand whena bottle is bought by a customer, to remove the cap by hand with a bottle opener. In the hastyre- Cil moval of these caps from bottles', the contents of the bottle is very likely' to be contaminated by the hands of the vender. Furthermore. it is difficult to carry the bottles. l y Thegeneral object of the present invention is to provide a carrier so constructed that a plui rality of bottles may be supported by their necks from the carrier. Y

A further object is to provide means' whereby when the bottle is removed from the carrierthat the cap will be pulled off` at the same time without the necessity of the vender touching the cap at all. 1 Astill further object is to provide means whereby the cap is retained within the carrier when the bottle is; detached from the carrier, thus preventing the caps from falling to the ground. This is particularly required in certain States. baseball fields and the like, because of State laws or or- 0 dinances againstthe dropping of metallic caps uponV the ground.v f i i Still another object is to so construct the'car- ,rier that these caps may be readily removed when necessary and so constructed that the bottles d may be readily inserted when desired. L

Other objects will` appear in the coursefof'the following description. b Y

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying ldrawing wherein: .s f Figure 1 is a top plan view of` a 'bottle carrier constructed in accordance with/ my invention;

Figure 2 is yan enlargedside' elevationpa'rtl'y in `section of the bottle carrier; shown in Figure 1; y

Figure 3 is a section through thefbottle grip'- ping means showingthe action on the cap when the bottle is tilted in the direction of the arrow; Figure 4 is an elevation taken at right angles to Figure 3 and showing the'manner in which the cap is expanded when the bottle'is detached; Figure 5 is a fragmentary section of the portion l1 to indicate the transverse Vcurvature of this portion. A, n'

Referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that I have illustrated a form of carrier comprising a bottles. f Mounted upon 'this supportingplate are a'pluplate l0 tojwhich ahandlell is attached, having f Y a headl I2 whereby the'shank of the. handle may be'disposed between two fingers ofthe handl leaving the thumb free. Thesupporting plate I0 is l illustrated as` being reinforced f at` l3f'so as -tostand` 'the` strain 'of supporting'a plurality of bottles. This plate mayjbesquare, circulan-or elongated in onev direction; or cruciform, or may have any othe'rdesired shape.` The number oi bottles which may be carriediwill .depend `upon the shape and area of the plate l0.

`| lI have illustrated in Figure `1 a supporting plateY I0, which is designed to-fcarry fourbottles, but it is to be understood that this is purely i1- vlustrative and that the supporting plate l0 may quite .a large number of *f vbe'so shaped as to carry rality-f'of bottle' engaging Aor bottle gripping videvces which may be riveted,`we1ded or otherwise attached tothe plate I0:

Each of these bottley 4engaging devices includes afmetal weby I4 having downwardly extending side! walls and is open at front and'rear.y The lbottles of the character re- -ferred'toand for the support of,y which 'thisinvention isdesigned,l are formed withva bulbous f portion a at the' mouth of thebottle, and abovev this bulbous'portion there is formed abead b overwhich thecap c is crimped..v The side walls of each bottle-grip therefore extend downward and outward,`asvat l5,"then`a`re formed with a.'-l

slightly indented' portion I6, which is adapted` to engage beneath the lhead1 b, and'below thisfindentation I6, the sidewall of the bottle gripis curved downward and then inward ai. l1,.so as vto portion l1 but' bythe depressions I6 which erigage vbelow the bead b.

Struck up orotherwise forme'dfrom vthe-metal of the gripis a hook-shaped spur I8. This spur is disposed between the two-side walls "of the Vconform more or'less' to thebulbous portion lor .A 'bead aat the bottle mouth. Thus it will be seen lthat when the bottle'is inserted-between the side grip and extends'outw ard,'downward and then.. I

upward ina hook. the edge I9 of which isadapted to engage with the margink o f the bottle capitself.

Extending 'downward from the top wall of the'k grip is what I call a spreader, which is desg'natedjzll.

This spreader 20 is'elongatedfrom front "to,

rear of` the grip but isV transversely V-shapedY and normally bears against the top' of lthebottle cap when the bottle is insertedWithin/the grip. The

function of -this spreader is to act as affulcrlmc` the bottle in the usual way of bottle openers.

If the spreader 20 were not present, it might be possible to detach the cap by swinging the bottle until the upper edge of the cap opposite the spur struck the upper wall of the grip, but there would be no expansion of the bottle cap` and as a consequence, when the bottle was withdrawn,

the cap would drop out of the grip. By providing the spreader 20, however, the extent to which the bottle must be swung in ordery to det-ach the cap is lessened andthe central portion of the cap is depressed, thus expanding the ,rim of the cap, thus causing it to remain within the grip kabove the portion I 6 when the bottleiswithdrawn and making it easier to uncap the bottle. Afterwards, these bottle caps may be readily withdrawn manu-ally from between the sides of the grip.

.The spreader may even penetrate -the bottle cap under these circumstances and thus an additional means for holding the bottle cap within the grip is provided, due to the spreader penetrating the cap and holding it frictionally in place ag-ainst dropping out. Y

In order to preventthe accidental withdrawalv of the bottles or the detachments of the bottles from the grips, each one of the portionsA Il is convexly curved outward. so as to vit the crosssectional curvature of the bottleat a point just below the bead portion b. Y

In the form of the carrier shown in Figure 1, the bottles are Withdrawn each in 'the direction of the arrow applied to these bottles. Thus each bottle is-withdrawn lin a vdifferent direction from any other bottle and hence a unlformswinging movement of the'bottles'asthey arecarried by the vender is resisted.` It is to be understood that, ify desired, the supporting plate l Il may extend out beyond the bottles entirely so as-to tend` to prevent the bottle strikingy the legs of the vender.

The exact contour of the metal grips, the amount of play allowed-and the precise points of contact between the spur I8 and its position relative to the contact points of the side members which carry the loaded .or empty bottle are all important. The vspreader 2liat the top of the grip is` particularly important becauseit takes care of the added length of distance between the top of the cap and the under part of the bottle bead in the act 'of opening the bottle. In other words, the bottlewould be liable to bind within the bottle grip if this spreader did not pierce or depress the bottle cap to a suicient extent. This spreader may be from %'f to M, deepat the point of contact. In extracting a loaded bottle, it 'is gripped and pulled out in the direction. of the-arrow, Figure 1. Ihe sides'of thee-ap "are practicallytouching the side walls of the grips. There is a certain amount of spread given to the cap as the cap releases itself, but the additional spreading brought aboutv by the spreader 20 forces the edgesof the cap outward and presses these edges firmly enough against the walls so that the cap will be held Verysecurely. The vindentation made by the spreader 2li may be of sufficient depth as to so deform or pierce the cap any length bottle.

ginger ale, Va bottle of Coca-Cola or albottle of any so as to render that particular cap untfor use again, The spur I8 must be so shaped at its contact point I9 that under no circumstances will it catch under the bottle bead b but must positively catch only under the downwardly turned edge of the metal cap. In order to insure positive contact at all times of the portions I1 of the grip with the bottle and for the additional purpose of preventing the bottle from slipping as the holder maybe swung or jostled, Iform .the lower edges of the side walls I1, as heretofore stated,-

with a concave curvature which will t around Y the neck of the bottle.

There, is. a side swing of the bottle when carried in this support and which must be guarded against. There should be just as little friction as possible when f either inserting or extracting these bottles'. Onlthe other hand, unless the.

andA remain inn'vkposition.

'I'he carrier may be supported by a couple of fingers under the handle and thebottles, under these circumstances, are so distributed as not'to interfere with the knee action' in riding a bicycle.

-The carriers are practically' indestructible and may be thrown about in tubs of Aice by boy venders without danger'of damage. They mayn be loaded with lled bottles and allowedto remain submerged in tubs'of ice without deterioration. The sanitary characteristics of this holder areparticularly to be noted. Because of the fact that the bottle cap remover forms part of the bottle carrier, the hand of the vender ynever touches the, mouth of the bottle but only the lower end of the bottle. The mouths ofthe bottles are also tosorne extentA protected from rain and dust. .v vz.

It will vbe obvious that these carriers will take A bottle of beer', a bottle of other drink, all of which may have different lengths, `may be handled in these carriers. They providel for the Areturn ofA empties because the empty bottles maybe inserted in the carrier` and handled inthe lsame manner as the filled bottles.' As before stated, the shape illustrated for-.the

supporting plate I0, which is shown as supporting fourbottles," may be changed to suit any desired circumstances and` I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the particular form of `this carrying plate' I0v except as defined in the appended claims. e This carrier plate may be so formed as to carry a dozen bottles or two or any desired number and the bottles maybefarranged as shown in Figure al, or `arranged intwo rows or in any other desired way.v j One kof the particularadvantages of. my construction is thatit. eliminates the possibility of theft from the vendor where bottles are carried upon an open carrier as, for instance in a bucket, and in passing through large crowds, it is a very simple matter for one so inclined to 4pick up a bottle of cold drink out ofthe bucket or other holder without the vendors knowledge..-,This is impossible with my device.

The instant construction has a considerable advantage over Vthe structure shown in myprior Patent 1,112,300, granted on September 29, 1914. In the structure shown in this prior patent, the bottles were supported upon springs, these springs being supported upon a base plate. Extending over the upper end of the bottle was a finger which bore at its extremity against the extreme margin of the cap of the bottle and which finger carried a cap detaching hook engaging beneath the edge of the bottle cap. The reason in this construction for using the springs beneath the bottle was that when the bottle was swung out.- ward at its lower end to detach the cap and remove the bottle from the carrier the distance between the upper corner of the bottle cap, bearing against the finger and the supporting plate, if no bottle supporting springs were used, would be too great to permit the outward movement of the bottle, in other words, the bottle would jam. Hence, the springs were used to permit the bottle to be swung outward. These springs were expensive and; furthermore, the space between each spring and the base plate would be very lia-v ble to collect dirt.

Again, in my prior construction, it would be necessary to provide some means whereby the bottle should be prevented from shifting laterally and hence spring clamps were provided mounted upon a vertical standard which embraced the neck of the bottle closely adjacent the body of the bottle. These springclamps were expensive and tended to make itdiiiicult to remove the bottle either by the vender or the vendee. Furthermore, there was a metal top to the carrier which extended outward and then was refolded upon itself, then extended downward and then upward to constitute the cap detaching spurs. This refoided sheet of metal was liable to collect dirt and dirt would collect within the upwardly extending fold or bend which constituted the cap detaching means.

My present construction avoids these diiculties, because each bottle is supported entirely by its neck, that is, by means engaging the bulbous portion of the bottle closely adjacent its mouth, so that there is vno necessity of any base plate or any supporting springs and, as a consequence, the bottle as it is swung outward at its lower end, has nothing to jam against.

Furthermore, I have provided the lateral depending members which prevent lateral swinging of the bottle and by their transverse curvature prevent the bottles from accidentally falling out from between the bottle neck clamps, thus doing away with the necessity of special bottle neck clamps projecting horizontally from a supporting rod, as in my previous construction.

Again, in my prior patent above referred to, there was no means for retaining the bottle caps, so that these bottle caps became strewn over the iioor of the stand or on the ground and had to be gathered up later. If they were left on the oor, they would be stepped on, to the injury of shoes, and might even cause falls.

With my present construction, the bottle cap is retained in the carrier so that the members l5 with the bends have a double function. They support the bottle by its bulbous portion and also act to retain the cap when the bottle is swung to remove it. This retention of the cap cannot occur, however, unless the cap is expanded, as shownin my Figure 4, and this expansion could not be accomplished in my prior patent by the overhanging member, and the caps could not be positively held in place bythe downwardly depending lugs shown in my prior patent, which merely frictionally engaged the cap.

Furthermore, in my'present construction, the

ved entirely by their necks as*y illustrated inthe drawing, without departingl from the spirit' of the invention, andit is within the purview of my invention to mount the plate I0 upon such a support.r

What is claimed isz'- 1. A bottle carrier including a bottle gripping rdevice comprising a normally horizontal top having two opposed downwardly extending side portions, the side portionsextending outward and then sharply inward to engage beneath the bead at the mouth of the bottle and beneath the lower edge of the bottle cap, the side portions then extending downward and inward in a curve approximately tting the bulbous portion adjacent the mouth of a bottle, the lower edges of these side portions being re-entrantlycurved to fit the transverse curvature' ofthe bottle neck immediately below said bulbous portion, the rear portion of the top of the bottle carrier being provided with a downwardly extending inwardly hooked spur engageable beneath the bottle capwhereby when the lower portion of the'bottleis swung outward the spurwill remove the bottle cap,r they top of the bottle gripping device being formed with a downwardly extending spreader adapted to constitute the fulcrum against which the cap bears when the bottle is swung to detach the cap and acting to depress or indent the center of the cap to thus cause it to spread and prevent the cap dropping out of the gripping device, the l spreader extending in a plane approximately parallel to the plane of the side portions and having a longitudinally at lower edge face adapted to bear against the upper surface of the bottle cap and steady the bottle against swinging movement longitudinally of the side portions.

2. A bottle carrier including a bottle gripping device comprising a normally horizontal top having two opposed rdownwardly extending side portions, the side portions extending outward and then sharply-inward to engage beneath the bead at the mouth of the bottle and beneath the lower edge of the bottle cap, the side portions' then extending downward and inward in a curve approximately fitting the bulbous portion adjacent the mouth of a bottle, the lower edge of these side portions being re-entrantly curved to fit the transverse curvature of the bottle neck immediately below said bulbous portion, the rear portion of the top of the bottle carrier being provided withl a downwardly extending inwardly hooked spur engageable beneath the bottle cap whereby when the lower portion of the bottle is swung outward the spur will remove the bottle cap, the top of the bottle gripping device being formed with a downwardly extending wedgeshaped spreader adapted to constitute the fultle is swung to detach the cap and acting to de'- press or indent the center of the cap to thus cause it to spread the cap laterally so that the lower margin of the cap is pressed against saidside por` tions to thus prevent the cap dropping out of the gripping device.

3. A Abottle carrier of the character described, comprising a normally horizontal supporting plate having a handle on Iits upper face,'the lower face of the plate having attached thereto a bottle neck gripping means, comprising two downwardly extending lateral members, each lateral member extending downwardly and then sharply inward to engage beneath the bead at the mouth of a bottle and beneath the edge of the cap thereon, then extending downward and in- -ward in a curve to embrace and fit against the bulbous portion of thebottle neck adjacent said bead, the last named portion being concavely curved transversely tok fit circumferentially around the bulbous portion of the neck, there being a downwardly extending hook-shaped memberdisposed between said side portions and at the rear thereof, thehook-shaped memberextending downward, then inward, then upward to engage beneath the edge ofthe bottle cap and detach said cap when the vibottle is swung forward, there being a spreader extending downward toward the middle of the bottle cap and against which the bottle cap is forced when the bottle is swung outward to disengage the cap.

- 4. A bottle carrier, including a normally horizontal carrying plate having an upwardly projecting handle, a metallic web disposed against the under face of the plate and having end portions extending downward and arranged and constructed to engage beneath the lower edge of a -bottle cap and engage with the bulbous portion-of the bottle neck whereby the bottle is entirely supported by said end portions of the web, the rear of said web having an integral downwardly extending cap-detaching member having an upwardly ex- 2,oso,947

y tending spury engaging beneath .the lower edge of said cap, and a spreader depending from the nfld'-l die of the web and adapted to engage the top of ,f

the bottle cap, said spreaderhaving a relatively small shank constituting a rivet and riveting the spur and webto the supporting plate.

5. A bottle vcarrier including` a normally horizontal plate having laearr'ying handle projectingv upward from theupper surface of the plate, the undersurface of the; plate having a pairof depending opposed resilient 'bottle neckgripping members, the,members` being spaced 'from each other and substantially parallel below their upr per ends and being free to move ytoward or from each other, each member being formed and constructed to engage'beneath the bead at the upper end of the bottle nliouth and extending downward and inward tont a'gainstjand engage' partially around and beneath the bulbous portion of thebottle neck belowfsaid bead whereby the bottle is supported `entirely byl itsupper end'but may be detached by movingthe bottle in a direction approximately parallel to the vdepending members.

6. A bottle carrier including a normally horizontal plate having a carrying handle projecting upward from its upper surface and having a pair of opposed resilient bottle neck gripping members depending from the underface of the plate, the members being spaced from but substantially parallel to each other below their upper ends, the members extending downward and inward to engage beneath the bead on the upper end of the bottle and then extending successively/ outward,

downward and' vinward and being transversely j:

curved to `iit against and extending]l partially around and beneath the bulbous portion ofthe bottle neck whereby the ,bottle' is supported,` en'- tirely by its neck but may be detached by'swinging the bottle in a plane parallel to the planes of said depending members. r .JOSEPHv c. LIGEOUR.

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